Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-12-16

rneritoSiotis officers, and have the complacercv to
listen with patience to the few iastv remarks
"n'ch wal be offered for your consideration
IN MAKING tile present appeal to your Justice
ana wisdom, am influenced by the purest love
OF country and an ardent hope that the rich Ia,i.
res whch have been gathered in our late most
glorious war, may not no,c be withered by any
al uDed parsimony or any neglect ofthose brave
anu choice spirits who CALAMITY met the brunt
OF battle; who barred the bosoms 10 the r count.
Jess foes; who fought the good fight with The
soul at our celebrated Morg..l and with the
| success of onr illustrioas Washington who
,ouBhed out the storm of an ardlulIs contest and
Who have returned home covered with scars and
crowned wtllwreathes of lmpershable glory. !
Let not the enemies of Lber,y say of US, as, ,he r
base min ons have too often SAID of other fre,,
countries, that :" Republics ungrsteful 7" lei
us prove 10 the world that we are not only the
most free, but that we are them virtuous and
LIBERAL to our country's champions Let not a me-
ritorIous servant who has become poor IN office
and grown grey in service, be discarded by his
trends & neglected by his goyeramect. Shsu il
he sa d that the hero who saved his country from
ucionby his valor, skill & rmness,i frsaken
IN ms oldage, condemned in his distress. and mas
sed by UNDECIDED and unptied Shall sucb n
Stigma hA itself upon the country which has been
graced by the trophies of aGresne an enlfbt ned
oy the philosophy ola Frank ! shall the land
which IS honoured with the ashes of Mount Yer
mons Chief be marked with ngratitude towards
her oravest sons Shall any one of the heroes
VINO fought at Queenston heights, York, Fort
george, Sacketts lilnbour, on the piains of Chm
pewa & Brdgewater, before Fort Erie, al Hann-
ION, IA place rendered dear to us by the Spartan
bravery OF our men and the Vandalism of their br,.
Iai zoe, the Drill ant sortie from Fort Mt.gs the
success at Pls tsburg, the defence Of Baltimore
at Mobile Point, the most glorious affair before
New'Orleans, and all the other trumphs whIch
~t,f,s,
American character to the highest pinnacle OF
glory, and established her libertle; on q rock of
Adamant Shall We for moment forget any one
OI 'he brave companions IN arms and GLORY OF a
Brown, scott, Nacomb, Canes, Rip ey, ssell,
Je sup, Miller, Gibson, jackson And n Whole
most OF worthless Shall we suffer a single man of
that army which has covered itself with n blaze
OF honour, and shielded us from oppression and
uesPotism 20 ga H'TewGrded Let not such foul
Stigma NIX Itself upon our national charac er lei
us not insult The shades ofour den rted heroe,
by rejecting their former associates and co-,at
riots III arms. five act unworthy of the h, OH
boon bequeathed us by the blood our martvied
Ci'lzens, the indignant spirit ofour Pike looking
down from the bright mansions ofrest. viii ch,d,
our ngratitude.
In the first place then, let me call YOUR atten
oh TO the selection of officers for the present ar
my. Permit me to ask If there are NOT some men
whose long and meritorIous Services should have
entitled them to command in preference to mere
soldiers OF yssferday2 Are there not many cases
Oh olhcerS who We're regularly educated AT JYest
rent, and who have gradually advanced from tba
ruiS d cadet to an honorable command VIII
have actually been in service for ten lono ve,rrs
VINO were the pride of Their corps, and the most
promising OF theIr grade whose mmds were ex
Pahded by sciences whose hearts beat strong with
the best blood ofpairiotism and bravery: whose
SuSon's Siowed with every honorable and lauda-
Die sentiment, and yet with all these qualifica.
tons and accomplishments were comoeli-dt 10 re
re TO the dull pursuits of civil if. whilst mon
VINO were cf'izens IN 1912, Ii and Is were re.
tanned III III. service
Hit just IS tpoltic, that The war.worn veteran.
Wtp has encountered I. WIN er's cb,lliner f,ost
and the SUMMERS parching heat, should be su.
PsFceeed by thech.id of ease ard fortune; by the
mere iyro in arms and the soldier of parade p
On! no--tieayen and the gratitude of a free peo.,
ple forbid Feo
Having IN a very cursory manner called your
attentonto the selection of officers, and PRAYING
uiat que regard NAV be had IN conlin.ne ths
selection to merit and term of service / shall
now pass to another subject which 1 thinl, equal.
~ deserving OF attention.
II WIZ De recolieeted that the privates who en-
Used IN I8l4-l5, to serve during the war he
sides receiving one hundred and ffty dollars nom
w IN cash--thelr pay, ratlons and clothing. are
entitled TO 500 acres of land (Which 1 hone will
be gwen them)--wh.le the poor fellows who en-
listed az me commence eat Of the war, and who
actually did al the hard fighting & gained all tbe
victories are allowed onLy.l6J acres, and recey
cd bounty in cash too small TO be mentIone
S''er . IoO have been paid-To be sure, this N
regal; out IS II just that the very men who bore
ue neat and burden of the struggle should re
ceiVe only 100 acres, whilst the soldiers who
joined the army IN l8l4-15, and who saN but In,
ale or no service, receive $50 acres of land p
lhey deserve all that has been promised them
anu trust that ali their hopes of ob.amnp
nome Tor themselves, their wives and children.
may De soon, very soon realize but in thus do
ing justice to the men who were recruited IN
lIot4-lo, certainly we should put those VIII
charged the first bayonet ard fired the last eo,n
on an equal footing with them, that their wear,ed
lnos may be rested from the hard duties of tbe
tented teld; that their hearts may be Glad
dened' and that their lot may be also rendered
happy
tn 'hus providing for the private, can we not
,l'u some retired spot IN our vast POSSESSIONS To
Ds5lo" upon hs merItorious officer l-,gbeee a,f
nave deserved so well of their country, il IS b.rd
1t IS wrongto mak4 any distinction IN d,str, buI
ing uie tavors OF grateful people Let us re-
"ardour brave and victorious officers. LEI a.
prove TO the world that Republ cs are MOI nm
gia'e'ul' LET us love, reward and honor those. 10
whom love, reward and honor are So ius.iy due.
ana tnen tie hOicest blessings of Heaven v.,n
now upon our happy land, our people VIII eio,ce
III independence, our country VIII SIN. ie "A, ala