Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1822-09-12
From tie Richmond Enquirer.
REVOLUTIONARY RELICS

1.
The following letter was written by a
gentleman of high literary distinction
but not with the slightest intention
of publishing lit having pleased the
tastes of few Of his friends, permits
sion has been asked and obtained to
lay it before the public. The follow
ing introduction to it is from the pen
of the gentleman to whom it was ad-
dressed: --
The writer of the following letter,
and thu person to whom it was address
ed had no idea of its publication; this
may be seen from it's manner, and style:
but it having been shewn to few
friends, they earnestly requested its
publication, if from no other. cause but
this, the renewal of the finest recollec-
tions of the American heart, of graft
tude for the glorious achievements of
their .forefathers, the heroes, and patri-
OTIS OF the revolution.
Extract of a letter from a gentleman
traveIling to the North to has friends
an Virginia, dated 1921. s
/ have thought of you oftener and
more tenderly this summerthan have
for some time gone by--and / set down
10 tell you how this happened. In the
first place, have had more leisure to
think of you, for / have been travel.
1ing-and, in the next place, have
been travelling in direction full of as
sociations of thought and feeling deriy.
ed from you, for have been quite as
far to the horth | suspect, as your he
TO G. e. ever was--though must con-
fess the north stars never appeared to
the south.-As we passed thro' Tren-
ton, thought of "Christmas day in
76," and that brought you with q group
of hearty fellows, from Richmond be-
fore my minds eye, and thought of
departed Joys" After that your inn
age was by my side whenever lap
proached an interesting scene of the re-
evolutionary wars. Princeton, where
Gen. Mercer .fell-the tree was pointed
out to me, and is still preserved. and I
saw the tears in your eyes-then Kings
Observation-Disclosures Network.
In going up the North river you were
with me continually. and saw your
eyes alternately sparkling with tri-
umph at some recollected achievements,
as in gazing on Stony Point, as we
passed, or flaming with indignation at
the remembrance of Arnold's treason,
when the spot was pointed out to US, at
which the Vulture sloop Of war was
moored, OF believed with sympathy, as
when the grave OF the generous, and ac-
complished Andre was indicated. Then
came West Point. the subject of SO
much solicitude and bloody strife in the
revolutionary war with the ruins CT its
old forts, Clinton and Putnam, which
stand like two old chroniclers of awfal
days, long since gone by. Solar, how
ever, you were only one of a party, as
sociated and grouped together in nay
recollection but when on returning
from Lake George, we fell into the
route of .Burgoyne's invading army,
YOU we're, If not all alone, at least the
bed of the ascendant, and all that /
could recollect of slack, the kings
commander" chaunted aloud and me-
rily.--O thought |, if my dear P
were but here to give it all to Us. how
much SHOULD we enjoy it, and how much
would he enjoy these scenes
Then ssfrst he came to Canada, next to Tcom-
deroga,
And leaving those away he goes straightway to
Saratoga,
To Ticonderaga we should have gone
from the head of lake George if we
could have got a safe boat. but leaving
those, away we went ooh! what fall
ing off straightway for Saratsga. We
fell in on Burgoyue's track at Sandy
Hill, d beautiful little village on high
and most commanding site, at the point
at which you observe on your map, as
cending from Albany, the North river.
bends at right angles. to the west
Thence, going down the river on the
eastern bank. two miles and half, and