Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-03-15
REPORT
ON
THE RkT.4L1AT1NG SYSTEM &c.

(hE NE ann I'tH al EHI' &C.
I'm SENATE, MARCH 8, 1915.
The Committee on FOREIGN Relations. to
rvho7a ssds referred The mcssdge of the
President Of fhe United SAFES on fhe
26fh of Se5ifem6e,- iasf, reshecting the
aneRfhoiized mode Of zyor5are odehtcd
6y fhe e,,eary, OH the tiea Of retaliation,
'rfisrf--
That, although the war has happily ter.
minated, they deem 1t important to rescue
the American government from unworthy
imputati tons. with which it has been assaiie6
during its progress. They have, therefore,
endeavcred to ascertain, whether the des.
truc;ion of York, in Upper Canada, and
the other cases assumed by our late enemy,
as authorizing departure from the settled
rules of civilized warfare, were of a charac-
ter 20 Justify or exteHuate their conduct
TIE result of the inquiries Of the commit
tee, uaa, ifss,ing to the world. that the plea
which has been advanced for the destruc.
ton of the American capital, and the plum
der of private properly. is without founda-
tiBn. will be found in the communications OF
the secretaries of the departments of war
and navy, and Of general Dearborn, COM
mander OF the American forces in the at
tack on York, herewith submitted.
DEPARTMENT Of STATE, FEB. 2s. 1915.
S1R--I have had the homer to receive
your letter, requesting on behalf of the COM
mittee of foreign relations, any information
which this department possesses, relative
tothe misconduct that has been imputed to
the American troops in Upper Canada du-
ring the late war, and in reply, / have the
honor 10 state, that the charges appear TO
be confined to three. LIST, The alledged
burning OF York Cd the burning of New
ark, ard Sd, the burning of the Indian vii.
lagos usually called the Moravian towns.
ist. The burning of York. or of any fits
public edihoes or Of any its private houses,
has never been presented TO the view of the
American government by its own officers,
as matter Of informal ION and it never was
exhibited by the British government, or
NY Of its officers, as matter Of complaint I;
until il was asserted in the address of the
governor in chief to the provincial parlia
mert Of Canada, on the 2lih of January,
1918, "that, as Just retribution, the proud
capitol at Washington, has experienced a
similar fate to that inflicted by an Ameri.
can force on the seat of government in Up
per Canada" This assertion, having led
10 an inquiry, am enabled, from official
documents. and general Information, to
state the following facts ofthe case, for
tie information of the committee.
The town of York, in Upper Canada, was
taken by the American army, under the
command of general Dearborn, on the 9th
of April, 1913, and it was evacuated Ola the
succeeding 1st Of May although it was =
gain visited for day, by an American
squadron, under the command Of CommoA
dore Chauncey, on the 4th Of Angus. At
the time of the capture, the British troops,
on their retreat set FIRE to the maya zine,
and great injury was doBe by the explosion,
10 property, rs well as TO persons, within
the range Of its effects. ut the time Of the
capture, as we'll as at the time of commo
core Chaunce'y visit, the public stores were
seized and the public hosses were destroy
ed +; but the destruction o. public ediEces
for civil uses OF of private property, was
not only Unauthorized, but positively forbid
den, by the American commanders aud,
10 is understood, that no private houses was
destroyed by the American troops. 1t has
recently, however, appeared, that pubic
building Of little value, called the par!ia
mert house, (uot the government house, } in
which il is sad that an American scalp was
found, az part of the decoration Of the
speakers chair, bad been burnt; whether
it was so, aud IL IL was, whether il was an
accidental consequence Of the Confusion. in
which the explosion Of the magazine in.
VOWED the to@n or the Unauthorized act
Of soHle exasperated individual, has not
been ascertained. The silence of the mi.
litary and civil officers OF the provincial 20.
vefnment Of Canada seems to Indicate tha,
the transaction was not deemed, when il
occurred, a cause, either for retaliation OF
reprcach.
ID. The burning Of Newark, adjacent &c
Fort George. occurred on the 10Th Of De
cember, 1913. The ACT was indicated b,
the American general, as necessary 60 hi,
military operations but as soon asthe A.
merican government heard of IL, instruct
ons, dated the oh Of January, 1914. were
given by the department Of war, TO ma,
ior general Wilkinson, "to disavow the
conduct Of the offer who committed It
and 30 transmit to governor Prevosi, CO.
py Of the order, undeT color Of which that
officer had acted" This dhavoWal Vas
accordingly Communicated, and on the 10Th
OF February, 1914, governor Provost an.
swered. that II had been with great sa.
tisiaction he had received the assurance
that the Preparation Of the burning Of the
town Ct Newark, was both Unauthorized by
the American government, and abhorrent
TO the American feeling that If any outra-
bes had ensued the wanton and unjustiha-
bic destruction Of Newark, passing the
bounds OF just retaliation. they we're to be
attributed TO The itiDence Of Initiated pas