Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-05-09

tant general, prepared the orders after very full
ana Deliberate consultation with the or-gene rail-
ana at Sacketts harbour 1 read the orrir To the
troops and the offenders at the place of cxccu ion.
These executions were principally, if no, exclu-
siveiy, confined TO deserters from the regular al
my. Much TO the credit of the militia, err
were comparatively few des rtions from this des-
crpon OF force in service with me on the north
ern frontier. Had there, however, been many
cases oil deserton among the militia, 1 feel war
ranted by thu opinions OF mony respectable officers
such as general Porter. and those under his com
| mand, in supposing that examples would have
been made oil the principal offenders.
| had often in the year 1913 conversed with ma
lor general Harrison, and in 1914, with general
Brown, upon the policy and necessity of such pun.
ishments, as did afterwards in the year 1915
WIN gen jackson, and am convinced that the
was scarcely shade OF difference of opinion be-
tween them upon the subject. They each dc.
| plored the evil OF desertion, as most demorasins
and disastrous in its consequences the character
| and physical power of the army and fraup hit with
| incaculable mischief TO the resources and reputa
non oil the people of ,ne u >. AN strongly undei
the Impression that each of those general officer:
has at different times expressed 10 the opinion
that they deemed il IAN act oinsercV, rather thar
OF cruelty 10 make examples of hardened offenders
particularly AT the commencement or in the pro
gress OF all active campaign against the enemy
lnasnuch as the principle OF mercy enters into hu
man efforts to preserve from the ravages of war the
innocent and helpless women and children, and the
iaithiul cltizens and soldiers, who remain at thei
posts, true 10 their trust, but who, abandoned b,
their unworthy associates, become an easy prey
| TO thc-opposing foe; inasmuch it is an act o
| mercy TO protect the innocent when thus situated
and when that protection can be effected only b,
Furnishing the deserters, traitors to their brethren
in arms, and worse than traitors to their country
it cannot be denied that it is an act OF mercy te
shoot cOwardly deserters.
Previous TO the executions Of Sackett's harbour
in the year 1914, it reported and believed tina
near two thousand men, had deserted from the arm,
in the preceding Is or 20 months. Now, thini
ii will not be questioned, that with 1000 well in
structed men, added to general Browns division
| when under my command at Fort Erie in Angus
1914, the crippled army under lieut.. genera
Drummond would have been destroyed, capturec
| or driven from Upper Canada-with 1000 well in.
struc'ed men at Bladensburg on the oath August
1914, our beautiful capitol would have been pre-.
served; and though last not least, with 1000 " ell
instructed men added to the force under general
jackson at New Orleans on the Sth Jan 1915, the
shattered remnant of tn British army, seeking the
&C Beauty and Booty" of that noble city, must have
been destroyed or captured.
EDMUND p. GAINES.
The hon. II. L. While, If the Senate,
and the hon. j. X. Poik, IF the II. Of II.