Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-05-29

oVeroaiance any advantage that nigh, be derive
from SUCH an arrangement BY keeping in the or
uer OF time the thread OF history will be preserv
ca entire, although sometimes obscurej by exrsne
Gus matter Letters to the PI esdent, Members
anu committees oi Congress, to the Governors o
STATES ohceTs oil the army, and private indiyidu
avs WIN be Inserted collectively in the exact orie
OF their dates. Subjects, particular trains o
events, distinct military operations, the doing, q
tne States, IN relation TO the army proceedings O
committees OF Congress. while visiting he army
oe'euce Oh iSruhcstions and military posts, CORES
\ P0nuence OF the Commander in Chief with tn
french otheers, accounts OF eiachments and of tn
separate lines of the army; all these and su,ila
SUBJECTS, which ex;end through considerable
! space OF time may be easily examined BY the AID
OF az index, which will be added at the end of tn
work.
10 make choice OF the best materials, from
so "oluminou- as forty four volumes OF
manuscripts. is the main difficulty 10 be encoun.
tered IN preparing this part. The two volumes al
Wash'ns'ons official letters, which have been
printed, embrace those only TO tbs President OF
congress, tor about three years and half of the
war. Some OF the Others TO the samo officer
were also printed In the newspapers. Yet, all
these together, constitute very small part of the
Revolutionary letters, and hardly any of the re-
raaindeT were ever made made public ~ selec-
ting papers under this large DIVISION I shall be
| guided by one rule only, thai of choosing such az
snal seem most worthy OF lasting preservation in
the shape OF historical annals. These will not al
ways De The letters TO persons highest in office
On The contrary, many OF the private letter. are
more valuable than tbs public ones, because the
writer ulters his thoughts more fully and with
Tess reserve. There is, for instance, letter from
| w arlington TO his brother, soon after the battle
OF Germantown, which gives a mere satisfactory
account OF that affair, for reader of the present
cey, thsn his pubi:c communication to Congress-
4 IA said u.s. - IL
cerninS the capture OF Fort Washington Ills
private letters TO the officers OF The army, parti
QUARRY 10 Greene and Lafayette, and indeed TO
most OF the Major Generals, often throw Iish,
upon his Official dispatches, By expressing hi,
opinions and Purposes with more freedom and
commence. NO distinction will be made, there
lore between otiCial and private letters during
The Revolution, bu. whatever is most pertinent
viii claim The preference.
i he notes 10 this division will be freouent
growing out of fruitful stock of materials -Four
abundant sources OF these exist among Washing
ton papers; hgst, the books OF orders in which
the daily proceedings OF the army through the
whole war are entered; secondly the results of
councils OF WSr, and the opinions OF the general
ohscets In writing, on Important topics submitted
so Them oy the Commanderin Chief; thirdly The
letters received by the Commander in Chief fro,u
TIE officers OF the army, winch are all preserved:
ionr'hiy' returns OF the srny weekly and monthly
NfSitS VI HSpectOTs, HE quarter M
o'her C.hcers tor experimenting the various de,
PSrimsns OF the army, and minutes resoectips the
arrangements o. the different lines. Use will also
De made Oh large and valuable coll seton of ma
'eTiais, which have obtained by personal in
sps' ION o. the Revolutionary papers the public
93sceS " of the 0td States. As these are manu-
scripts, aud have never beRn printed il may he
presumed, That they will not be consulted with
out profit The private papers of several of The
Mayor Generals OF he army, and members of Nh,
OLD Congress, have likewise been examined and
The results will be rendered subseryient 10 the
same purpose The papers OF the old Congress-
Nseif nave all been Kept, and now ia the Office
81 the secretary OF State They are of the hishes,
importance IN connection with this suriect and
VIII be carefully consuted To guard against the
danger Of redradauce, where The theme il so fer
tile and matter 30 full, shall endeavor 10 Gun
tine the notes strictly TO facts AID pIsin deduc-
uons illustrative OF the text, Keeping rIear OF con.
Jec u!es' specuiations, snd theories, which may
safely be ieit 10 line imagination of the reader -
= 'e'V incidents, which produced considerable ex
ci;einent when they toos place and in which the
character OF Washington was concerned will per
haps be examined sneY; such as the case, of
Andie and OF Asgill, the sIsir OF CONWAY end
0aies, and that OF GeneGal Charles Lee. The
original papers, relating to hese subjects, some OF
which were never published, are on file Tie
poiicJ OF Washington, in few of his military
movements, may also receive further iuvestioa
ton. But these only hints, aud TO what ex-
tent hey VIII be verified, 1t may norbe WISE now
30 predict
PART III.
PTioGte Correspondence 0n Public Efeiys.
lou are already informed, that, after The Re.
Voiuti'n, washington took deep mte,es, in
pubic concerns, although living and ac-iDn in re-
tTeInent Ibis letters be,Iay the secret WORKINGS
Oh ms mind, ond the painful emotions with which
De contemplated the prospects of ths country un
der me Old Confederation. 10 his f,ienJs IN
Europe and Amerisd, he IsTote much and feeling-
~ on this subject His letters upon the in,ernaI
navigation Of The States may Iikewise Be- con.i
defed oi public nsiure; md particularly his cor
fespondsnce with several persons on The Sooveu-
hon Tor forming the new Cons tuition. and tho pyo
gress OF the Stale Conventions for adoptinq the
same 10 the letters Of this description. which
WIZ come under this third division, NAV be added
MS private letters 10 our Minis eys In ioreion conn
ries, TO the members OF the Cabinet and 10 several
OF MS other intimate friends, While he n as Ptes
deht ~ there were any such thing a. a sectei
history Of Wsshington's Administration, II might
De eAPecied 10 he developed IN ibis couespon-
Gence-bht, IN ruth, there Is no such thing The
contents OF these letters, IL is irne have net bean
made known, ard this IS the whole amour, ell
their secrecyi when taken in connection with one |
another, no caution is required, in submitting
them TO he public eye; and 10 withhold them.
would oeto Keep out OF sight some OF the .tsone
esi testimonies Of hi singular virtue and patriotism
Another class OF letters, which may be ranked IN
der this heed, are tbose written to Presidsn,
Adams, Col PicseTine, and the other Heads Of
department.; and also, to Hamilton and Pinkney.
curing The two last years Of bis life.
80 r.