Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-01-30
From the Boston Atlas.
ARMSTRONG'S NOTICES OF THE
WAR OF 1912.

The above is the title of work. the Sc
cond volume of which has Just been pub
lished in New York. The first made its APP
pearance four years ago. As itpurports to
give history of the principal events which
took place during that period in which
General Harrison acquired large portion
of his military reputation, such a work, ap
pearing at period of the life of the Pres
ident elect, so fraught with universal and
unmixed interest, is naturally looked to by
all with no slight feelings of curiosity. We
all naturally feel strong desire to read,
even if it be with no expectation of acqui-
ring any further knowledge, every thing
that relates to one who now occupies SO
large space in the public eye. A work of
the present character, therefore, acquires, to
some extent, extrinsic Importance, derived
from external and accidental circumstances
in no wise connected either with its own
merits or the fame of its author. 1t meets
at once an extended desire, on the part of
the people, TO read it, and receives circula-
ton to which its merits may be in no wise
correspondent. As such may be the case
with the work before us-as, indeed, it can
hardly fail to be--and as both the volume
now on our table, as we'll as the one that
preceded it, four years since, are replcte
with malevolent attacks and vindictive
charges against General Harrison, it be-
comes matter of some moment to asccr-
tain how far the work in question is one
upon which we can place dependence, and
what value we are to attach to its condem-
nation of one whom the people shave de-
lighted to honor" As all that in any man.
ner reflects upon the fame of the President
elect, is wholly comprised of deductions
and conclusions on the part of the author,
who speaks as one capable of forming such
conclusions from personal knowledge of
the facts, the only considerations that arise
are, who is John Armstrong, the author of
the work in question: is he one on whose
opinions we are warranted in placing any
weight! A complete answer to the first of
these questions involves that of the other
We will therefore give brief sketch of the
man who has presumed thus to reflect upon
the military fame of one whom all his Other
brethren in arms, save only the sick lion OF
the Hermitage, have united in extolling.
Gen. John Armstrong, during portion
of that period to which the present work
relates, was Secretary of War under Pres
ident Madison. He is also well known tt
famc-we had rather say to infamy-as the
author of that celebrated reasonable cor
respondence, known as the Newburgh let
tiers. To the last we do not intend to refer
at present. We may, however, before w
are done with this General John Armstrong
have occasion to speak of them more a
length, and to show their reasonable char
acter. AT present we only intend to speal
Of the manner in which he acquitted him
self in the office of Secretary of War, at
period of so much peril and danger anC
when his station was second to none othel
in importance. From his conduct in tina
offiee-from his treatment of General Har
rison-from the estimation in which he wa
held by President Madison and by thu
officers of the army-we can Judge of how
much value are the opinions of Genera
John Armstrong.
His whole conduct, while Secretary o
War, was marked with the strongest evi
dence of personal enmity to General Har
rison, as appeared from the gross injustic'
with which h pursued him, in the yer.