Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1827-09-06

III ASA"s =
the pen from the paper, gave the orders
to shoot every man that was detected
deserving to the enemy, and send their
heads to head quarters The order
was given to Lieut. Reed, who was
in command of the advance guard; the
same Gen. Reed,who commanded in the
| battle in which Sir Peter Parker was kill
| ed in the late war,and is snow living on the
Eastern Shore of this State.-The or
! der was issued but a short time before
three men were detected in the act OF
deserving, pursued, taken close to the
enemy's line and brought in. Reed OBJ
served, that acc ordlng to orders, be
| ought to execute all three Of them, but
that be would not do SO. He would
make an example of n of them. |
think, oil examination, it appeared that
| one of them was a German, one a
Frenchman, and the other an American.
Reed inquired which of the three should
diei 1t was unanimously agreed that
it should be the American. In him the
a%troeity was the most aggravated, be-
cause il was bis native country be was
deserting-he was shot. His head was
cut of and semitic head quarters, agree
| ably to orders But no man could be
more mortified or provoked than General
| Washington was at the sight. So far
from countenanctng such proceeding for
one instant, Col Lee tcas Immediately
az esied and tried for his conduct, and
it was Nth ertreme difficulty, indeed,
popular as that o6icer dassrpedly stood
NTH the army, haf he va preserved from
being broke for the offence"
This is the statement of Col. William
Dent Beait, of Maryland, who was
then a captain in Washington's army,
and the immediate commander Of Lieut..
Reed, to whom Lees orders were given.
Those who know Col. Beall, know that
his veracity never was questioned; that
no man living more piously venerates
truth and honor, and that he never would
have given this minute detail of the
case if he did not, as be says, 'remem.
Der it as we'll as if il had happened with
in the last hour
But suppose tito be true, that Gen.
Washington ordered deSertsrs to be shot
without trial? How does that excuse
Gen. Jackson for ordering men to be
shot who were moi desertersn Harris
and bis FIVE associates were Tree citizens,
who had faithfully ssrusd their legal tour
of duty, three months. They had gone
home, not 'over to the enemy'-were
brought back by the strong arm of pow
er, kept in irons for sixty days or more,
and afterwards deliberately murdered,
not without trial." indeed, but in vio-
lation of justice, humanity and law
The man who was shot by Reed, was
"deteetedin the act of deserving, pursu-
ed. taken close to the ensmy's line, and
brought IN" Where, | ask, is the par
allels No. If Gen. jackson relies for
his justification upon the supposed re
semblance Of his conduct to that of
Washington, he must procure some
new history of the Revolution to be
written, by n of his W b~iographeTs.
An ingenious writer, having no other
object than to flatter HIM, and unres
trained by the trammels of historical
truth, might do much towards complet- |
ing the picture of "a second Washing
tom" but while present histories
maintain their ground, the first Wash
ington must stand u~napproached and
unapproachable by this counterfeit pre- .
sentiment"
There is one sentiment, however, in
the Generals letter, which excites our
unqualified appreciation. 1t is the sen-
timent of true honor, as well as of chris
tan charity. But we marvel much that,
while pesning it, ii did not occur to the
General, that he was uttering the most
severe invective against himself. Re-
ferring to Mr.. Buckner, be says-"As a
"public or private man, speaking of
transactions which concern the repu-
station and character of others, every
"manly feeling should remind him, that
she ought to be guided by established
'facts. not by the hsarsGy Of a party"
Could there be a more pointed philippe
against the ''freside" communications
of the General to his friend Garter Be-
verify and othersl Was he "gaided By
established facts" while he was thus Sc.
cretly endeavoring to tarnish 'the repu-
tation and character of Mr.. Clay and
his friends; OF was he 'guided" by the
hsarsay of a party" and by a misrepre-
sentation, too, even of that "hearsag?n