Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-09-22
CONVERSATIONS OF LAFAYETTE.
No. XIII.

CONVERSATIONS OF LAFAYETTE.
No. XIII.
Campaign Of l7sl.-Charaeters.--Greeee.
"The French Journalists have accused me,
without cause, Of my forgetting that am
Frenchman-of treating the memory OF Louis
the 10Th with disresPect, &c. AS to the first
charge, plead not guilty. l have never for
got. for a moment, my allegiance, love and
duty, to my native country: surely my return
TO her after the home, which have found in
this happy land, should be some proof, that
the American veteran, laden as he is with no.
nors and affections, which must absorb all the
gratitude of his remaining life, still remembers
That France. which is the land Of his birth and
the home of his children.
Neither have treated with dsrespect the
o-i.-~ -ft,Ie drad-the memory OF the untcrtc-
nate Lewis-but the reverse; and to the proof
At an entertainment given in the South, the
memory of Lewis the 10Th was proposed as a
toast, the company generally declined drink
ing it, filled my glass, and bowling to the
giver said, pledge you Sir.
Lewis was an amiable man-his moral quail.
ties were good-his energies were unfit
| te.I for the troubIous times in which he lived.
From the friends of constitutional Liberty, he
had nothing to fear; they would not have
Al.
difficult part he had to play, and the trench
dous fire of the Revolution overpowered him.
"My coach happening to be passing the ca
rousal at the time of the fight to varcnnes,
gave rise to reports that was concerned in
that massacrei but my being in that quar-
ter of Paris, at that time, was matter of the
merest accident: repeat that the friends OF
liberty in France, were very far from wishing
to make sacrifice of the monarch on the altar
of constitutional freedom. During their short
term of power, the king had nothing to fear.
"Lewis aided the cause of America, from a
belief that it was ennobling his character, and
that Ofhis country to do So The selfish wish
of Remembering the British Empire, was not
the cause of his leaning TO the side of Ameri.
ca as has been generally supposed. The
Queen in the outset of the American Revoiu-
ton, was much immersed in the spIendour
and gaities of her Court, in pleasures suited
to her age and disposition, and much associat-
ed with English nobility. he gave but little
attention to site affairs, but as the contest
progressed, she became :he firmer friend Of
America, and gave most important aid in our
affairs with the ministry.
Soon after the peace of 1885, l was at
Court, when the King had an unusually large
levee of British officers, many of whom had
served in the American war. His Majesty
asked Lord w. whether NJ. de La Fayette
spoke ard wrote English we'll His Lordship
expressed his ignorance of the matter, when
l observed, that if his Majesty would apply to
Col. Tarleton, who was present, he could OBJ
tain the best information, as Tarleton had in
tercepted so many of my dispatches in the
campaign of Virginia, that he must be an ex-
cellent judge ofmy proficiency in the English
language.
Tarleton in the campaign Of 1871, was in
the habit of Selling all the fine blood horses,
from the gentlemen's stables, many Of them
racers which had taken purses; with these he
mounted his vidcttes, who secured the coun-
try in all directions, and my poor couriers
could hardly put their noses out of camp, ere
they were seized by these Arabs, which O.
biged me to resort to various expedients IN
forwarding my advices. This predatory war.
fare upon expresses, was however, in one i'll
stance, productive ofa great advantage tous.
1t was despatch to me, that was intercept
ed in Jersey, Gas it was intended it should Beg
being letter Of four pages from Gen. Wash
ington, detailing plan of operations against
New-York, in conjunction with the expected
fleet Of France. This induced Sir Henry to
look to himself, rather tkan to the aid of
CORVALLIS, who was the General really me.
naced, and who finally fell sacrifice to this
''ruse de guerre twas only when the COM
bined armies were well on their way to York
town, that the scales fell from Sir Henry's
eyes. and he was forced to admit that Gene
rails could be found out of Europe.