Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-31

cordant party, and almost drveller and a show
readily acquit General Hc--son ofthc potentlaty
Of HARM when remember what history records, that
in his sinewy days. some seven and thirty years ago
when national gratitude awarded the NEED OF voluntary
praise to every gallant man, he displayed no heroic ge
MUS in the tented field any disposition to continue
there; but, on the contrary hobbled IN the pains o.
martial glory and voluntarily retired from the troubles
and dangers Of war, at the moment when his country
was engage ed in the thIchcs, Of rerous and donbIu
| fight for national honor and independence. Genera
HARRISON without pretence Of Sickness or inability
| from any cause that of, resi- gned his com
mission as Major General in the Army of the U s.
And have the fullest authority TO justify the asser
ton, that the Government never prevented Genera
Harrison from serving in the army from which he 70
UNFAIRLY retired; but that, the contrary, the Go
vernment assigned him service, which, had he per
formed it, would have placed wreath of laurel on hi
brow.
So late as February last, General Arms,rons--rtu
retired from the hustle Of the ord-wth 40 motive t
disparage fellow-man, and actuated solely by dis
position to historic truth, stated III his letter to the Ed
tors OF the National Intellgcncer-a letter founded
on documentary evidence and published correspond
ence-
lst That Gen Harrison, when arriving at Erie, wa.
not from cnmty, envy, ordered to repair TO Ohio
or OtherriSG prevented from girRg has SrrrccS 10 M'
Army then the Niagara, asserted BY his biogra
pher
IDLY That on the cc-:.ary, he was wit!lort delay
put IN command OF Inc army, ana assgneC o service
which, had it been performed, would have Justly ent
tied him TO another wreath of laurel.
3dy That by a second order from the Secretary Of
War, he brought down McArthur's brigade, to rein
force the garrison at Sackett's Iarbor; order
tirely approved and specifically executed BY the Ge
neral.
l,hy That on the 18th .Iay, 1913, six months after
leaving Sackets Harbor, he resigned the command Of
the district and quilted the Army not as his biographer
asserts because denied the privilege OF serving the Go
vcrnmen and therefore ashamed To eat its Bread t
he himself says, ssDecause he had to be-
levc that malicious insinuations 10 his disadvantage
had been made at Washington.
| Long after this peaceful General had allowed his
valor to COOL and his patriotism TO fdg the true martial
spirits of liberty bore up the national renown. And
Tie gallant men, cruelty deserted by the sunshine
warrior of North Bend, dspeed their patriotic grets
under the victorious banners of General Jackson that
warlike and patriotic man, who faced with dauntless
breast the tyrants of his country and raised name to
live $50 long the Mississippi shall continue to psy
her tribute to The flood.
In the Democratic Convention which assembled a,
Nashville on he It'll of February last, General Car
roll that gallant and accomplished officer who was
second in command ut the battle of New Orleans, and
who was famr with the events of the war, reviewed
in public speech, the military life and pretens:ona OF
General HARRISON and declared "tat while wearing
the epaulclcs of General in of actual ser
vice, General Harrison time after time guilty oil
conduct in his official capacity that ought to disgrace
subaltern."
General Carroll commenced with the Battle Of Tip.
pecanoc, and proved, by Harrisons official letters
to the War Department, that he encamped on ground
selected for him by his enemy, and which Harrison ac-
knowedged unsuitable, and around which he
neglected TO throw up even temporary retrrnchment
% protect his from the savage foe. That he had
picket guard and no common camp; and was literal
" surprised and circumvented by the enemy, and cut
off from the possibility of retreat
hat EIurri ndpd he forces
fought the Battle of the Thames, true But no his
tory records his achievements thcrc He sent his dis
tnguished subaltcrn, Colonel Johnson to fight the bat
tie for him. The Of that gallant officer bear tes
mony the fidelity and bravery with which he obeyed
the order Of his commanding general.
When the public enemy appeared in the vicinity OF
Sandusky General Harrison ordered the lion hearted
Croghan to blow up Fort Stephenson, and retire The
Colonel at the hazard of his fame, disobeyed the
order repealed the enemy by of the most gallant
struggles to be found in the history of American
covered the General with shame, and received the ap.
plauses of the whole country.
In 1916 a resolution submitted to the Senate OF
the United States, to vote medal and thanks 10 Co.
vernon Shelby and General HARRISON for their services
in the war. On motion, the name of General William
icnry Harrison stricken from the resolution by the
Senate 1t true, the Senate, that the name Of Gene
raj Harrison might be retained, did afterwards BY
majority Of one vote, recommit the resolution TO the
committee which brought it forward But the yeas
and nays, and proceedings Of 80 day fully show that
there members enough absent from their seuts,
when the resolution recommlt,e ed and who voted TO
strike out the of General Harrison, to have de-
raed this reluctant compliment to the General. But
even if it not So the resolution thus recommtted
was permitted to expire in the committee room, and
was never revived during that ion of Congress. 1t
is impossible TO conclude therefore, that any thing
short of conviction that General flarrisons repua-
ton, as military commander could not receive the aD.
plausc of that enlightened Senate. dsprcd his friends
and prevented them from pursuing the application for
Il medal and thanks
The Journal shows that General Arnlistead T. Ma.
son, generous spirit, the pride and bant.irg of his
own native Nirginia-who bore name that envy can
not but call far-who lived and died q gallant man,
voted against all national honors to Cen. Harrison
Gen Andrew Jackson, too who succeeded Harrison in
the command Of the army and who still, lives the
cxempar Of sodierly honor and patriotic deeds, and
who retains intimate knowledge Of every character
who figured the theatre of war, approved this
medac Clorifcation OF Gen. Harrison.
In letter which Gen Harrison wrote on the 10th
July, 1916 he pathecaly aments the remedies mis-.
chief to his name which failure 10 obtain the medal
had produced In that letter, he says "a vote OF the
Senate of the t. States has attached &c ,v name dis
grace which, am convnc Il no time or efforts OF mlnc
will ever be able to ciicc. This is, indeed,
negative, but is not, that account, the severe
Yet in ISIS Gen Harrisons patrons, appealing to The
public sympathy coaxed from the credulo generosity
of the Senate that FAINT reluctant, dubious HONOR then
become necessary to the General from disgrace
and ruin The Journal of the Senate gives the follow
ing account of the Generals perseyering efforts to o.
tain the medal
"IS SENATE TEE U. s.,
Saturday, april Is, Icl6.
Agreeaby to the order of the day, the Senate re,
surled as in Committee of the Whole, the consldera
ton Of the joint resolution, directing medals to be
struck and together with the thanks of Congress- pre-.
scented MAJOR General Harrison and Governor Shell
by, and for other purposes.
Mr.. Varnm requested to take the Char
On motion by Mr. Lacock,
To amend the resolution by striking out theretrom,
sAIajor General Harrison,
1t was determined in the afirmative-yeas Is, nays
H.
On motion,
The yeas and nays being desired by one-hilh OF the
members present, those who voted in the affirmative
are, -
Messrs. Dana, Gaard, Gore, Hunter, King, Lacock,
Mason of ~ H., Roberts, TAFT, Thompson, Tickenor,
Turner, Varnum.
Those who voted in the negative are,
Messrs Barbour, Barry, Condt, Horsey, Macon,