Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-05-13
General Armstrong.

cfeaty OF war, where ne was charged with t'a'
neglec, Of means to defend the Capital of The Ma
ton, even after he had been earnestly solicited to
supply the means. That the end Of General
ARNsrnoSe's public carcer.-U u S. Gazette.
And it ought to have been the end Of his pub
lie career; or, rather, his public career ought
to have ended many years before. The dis
grace that the whole Nation suffered on account
of the capture Of Washington City by small
body of British troops, not exceeding three or
four thousand can never be entirely effaced-
Well has it been observed, by the Editor of the
United States Gazette, that Gen. ARMSTRONG
"was charged with total neglect Of means to
had been earnestly solicited to supply those
MEANS" The writer of this article (now the
Senior Editor eff the Steubenville Gazette) was
in position to know something about hop ear
nestly General ARMSTRONG had been thus So
iicted, and how utterly he disregarded those
solicitations That position was the editorial
management Of the Philadelphia Aurora, pa.
per which enjoyed to high degree, the conf
dence of the then Administration of the Gener-
al Government, and one of the entire Democra-
tic party. The late Col. WIN. DUANE was It's
proprietor, but at that time, and for a consi.
derable period previously he held the Office of
Adjutant General in the U. S. Army for the
Fourth Military District, which District we
believe, embraced Delaware, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey. The British were, from time
to time, lowering off our coast, in more or less
force, occasionally making descent upon our
territory. 1t became, Of course, the duty of
Col. DUANE to keep a constant and vigi-
liant eye upon those movements, to ascertain
the strength of the enemy, and the points where
he would most probably strike. Some time,
perhaps a month before the attack upon WASH
ington, the Colonel observed to the writer in
about these words flames, the enemy is
concentrating his forces towards the South
they lately landed a small corps at, (the
name of the place has escaped our memory,)
and after committing some depredations upon
the inhabitants, the officers, like fools, busted
themselves in trying to procure map of the
District of Columbia, and made inquiries as
to the defences about Washington city from
this and other evidence, | am satisfied they
mean to make dash at Washington city.
shall start for the city to morrow morning to
see Gen. ARMSTRONG. Let no one know where
| have gone, nor upon what business and
write me every day, under cover, to the Ad-
jutant General U. S. Army, Washington CITY,"
Colonel DuANE started the ensuing morning,
and in few days returned, apparently much
mortified. He stated to the writer hereof,
that, without even taking time to change his
clothing, he hastened to the War Office and
communicated the information he had recei-
we'd, and his apprehensons growing out OF it.,
to Gen. ARMSTRONG; at the same time urging
it strongly upon the General to throw a corps
of rfemcn into the forest that skirted the
Potomac between Washington city and its
mouth, and to concentrate all the Infantry and
Artillery, and every other arm of fdefence with
in reach at suitable point, to sustain the rife
men in repellng the enemy. The General
as Col. DUANE stated, heard him through, and
in a sneering manner, observed, that he nc.
yer knew it to be part Of his Qhe Colone's,,
character, to take counsel from his apprehen.
sions. Thereupon, without another word, Col
Duane left the office, the Secretary ejacula.
ting, as he turned his back-"Impossible In
possible - and, as before observed, returned
home. After detailing these circumstances tc
the writer, the Colonel observed, in a mos
emphatic manner :-"Now, James, you may de
pend upon it that in two weeks the British vii
have possession of Washington, and all through
the fault Of the fool.hardy man at the head o
the War Department" And sure enough, il
two weeks the British were in possession o
Washington The Colonel came into the E
ditor's room, as before, with an open letter il
his hand, his honest and intrepid countenanc,
presenting mixture Of Indignation. mortfca
tion and shame. Throwing the letter on tn
table, he exclaimed flames this comes by FIX
press-Washingto is taken-the Capitol burn
ed-the Government sea tered to the winds
In five minutes shall be off upon duty. TAX
care of every thing. When shall return, @
whether shall ever return, God only knows.
These facts never having before been mad
public, it is obvious that the earnest soicitatio
spoken of by the United States Gazette, mus
have come from other quarters.
This renders Gen. ARMsTRoNG's conduct tn
more inexcusable. Many persons, in their il
dignation, accused the General, in those day
L L., A. bn