Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-02-26


the psCod when the terminated, with regard to III,
Virginia state line in the mpla,ion of this act
10 arrive at correct conclusion this subject il is on
~ necessary 10 advert the special pu Tor which
this ne OF troops raised, and the duty required
them by the act VI l779 They were raised i'm the Ian
gusge oil the scverai acts on that subject, or the i'm
mediate defence OF this state. Conse quen,y the duty
required oil them was 10 continue in service a. long
there was any service TO be performed Hence the
moment rginia was entirely relieved from uvasio.
by the conquest OF the euemy and the fira iprmina.
lion OF hostiltes, the end, regarded
me virginia State Line; because they had hen per.
formed all the conditions required by the under con
sdrtaion.
IL only remained 10 ascertain ths period about which
he presumed there could be difference of opinion
With the surrender OF Lord Conwa llis OH the 18th OF
October, l7S6, the last enemy in tlis State was van
qushed and no dared again ppute her soil dur
ing the remainder Of The war. MIR A. said il the House
concurred with him in regard 10 The supernumerares
1t was imiuatsria at what period they fixed the termi
nation ei the war; but If they did not, was very i'm.
portant he asked would It be ias would it compor
WIN the honor OF Virginia, 10 turn deaf ear TO the
claims Of officers who served uo,il the last gun wa.
bred, and the astenemy grounded his arms?-o whose
NOBLE eNer'ions we are indebted for the privilege of
now occupying this Hall in the character of ireemen
WIZ the hlmsy excuse that they did not continue in
active service until the Governor formally
ty proclamation that the war was at an end Justify YOU
before the world? Will it receive the sanction of poste
y; when they were dismissed from active service by
the government, aud there was in ee no active service
TO be performed? Had those officers. who served un
I'll The surrender OF Lord CORVALLIS, performed all the
services and complied with all the conditions cont.n,
plated by the l779' II so, was not the govern.
mentbonnd to comply with the contract, by giving them
half pay for life!
But shall the government now plead the act of limi
tat on, after having by her acts, long withheld
from the officers their just dies? II will be recoected
That the Legislature adopted a resolution in the fall of
1888 prohibiting The Auditor from issuing cert6ca
Tor hall pay in avor OF any OF the officers Of the Virgil
MA State LinGand that the act OF 1890, excludes all
The supernumerary officers from half pay, except those
who 2gain entered active SERVICE and continued i'm il
until the end of the 1t will also be recoilectcd
that all the documents in relation military claims
were either destroyed during the revou onary war or
burned in the War Department at W Washington during
the late war; except the reports OF tie several boards
OF officers organized by virtue Of the act Of 1881 These
papers were mislaid by very respectable gentleman
about the year l7S5 and h ard of until they
were very recently discovered among tina, gentlemsn
papers by Judge Cabell, his Executor. Hence the OF.
hcers OF the State Line deprived Of tho only re-
naming documents in support OF their claims 1885
until very recent period, and could Virginia. with the
least shadow OF propriety under these circumstances
plead the act of limitation? He thong hit it dshcnora.
bic plea Tor individual much less for the Common
wealth, aud under no circumstances either public or
private, would he give TO it his sanction. He said he
was done. He hoped the House would excuse him for
consuming so much Of their time, and trespassing 20
long upon their patience No other considera ion than
the importance of the subject nd the deep interest he
Iet IN every thing connected with the revolutionary
struggle and IN the preservation Of the honor and integ
riy oi virginia, could have impeed him to it.