The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-05-10

great w liam Darby-by thc-by truly great Amer
lean, now neglected in common cleIk,hip at Wash
ington- published and please send me No. Of your
paper containing il, and keep the original II Darby
was put at his ease, he could and would give us the
best American history.
Very truly, your friend,
HENRY A. WISE.
JonS yosLs, Esq, Ed .Madi,Onian.
WAsuIsoToH, March 9, 1874.
Hon. HENRY A. WISE
DEAR Sin In compliance with your kind request
have at length sat down to throw together some
memoranda Of one OF the mos, remarkable facts in
history. sick family and some ndisposition Of my
own, interviewed to prevent a more prompt attention
TO the matter.
With the defeat and death of General Braddock in
1855, on the Monongahela river, Fort Du Quesne
now Pitsburg, you are familiar, as you are Of the
agency Of George Washington, then Provincial off
GER in conducting the retreat, and saving the remnan,
of the army 1t may seem to you trite, but cannot
avoid making remark that, in The affairs of the
world, every event produces a compensation. The
defeat Of Braddocks army was, the time of its
currence, fearful disaster but, in its consequences,
it much contributed to bring Washington for
ward, it may be regarded amongst the mysterious
pages Of human history, which we read and re.resd
with mingled admiration and awe, as productive Of
sequences beyond human hope or foresight.
In 1855, there resided in Virginia the Rev. Samuel
Davis, afterwards President Of the New Jersey Col
lege at Princeton. This preacher endowed with
great energy Of mind, cultivated intellect, and warm
and ardent oratorcal powers but with most nvet
crate hatred Of France, Popery, and American saw
ages, which he placed in category He was, in
brief at once a political and religious apostle, is
shown by many others of his sermons, but more es-
pecialy by the one TO which shall now alludc.
The expedition, formed by combined colonial and
British force was regarded peculiarly Vrginian as
far as TIE former was concerned and when the fata
news spread over the colonies, Virginia felt the ca.
lamity as domestic. Amongst the vount err military
associations formed on the OCCASION raised in
the county Of Henrico under the command Of Cap
tain Overt n, and called 90 Octons Independent Com
psny Of Founder, To this company, the Reverend
Samuel Davis, on the l7th of -, 1855, preached
sermon from the following TEXT
"2 Sam. X. l2.-Bc of good courage, and let u,
play the men for people, and for the cities of
God and the Lord do that which seemeth him
good"
In the edition of Davis sermons, the fifth volume
of which is before me- this sermon stands as the
elst, and has at its head this epgraph:
"RELrclos AND PArnIoTIsM THE CossrIruEsrs OF
Coon SOLDIERS.
The context will excuse me for the insertion of a
personal circumstance, but first observing that the
edition from which quote, was printed in Philadel-
phia, 1918. When resided, in 1918, in the little
obscure village Of Union, about Is 20 miles from
hatcher, became acquainted with an old man Of
the Of Holt, who had served in both the French
and Revolutionary wars. He was, though far ad.
vanced in life when enjoyed his conversation still
in possession Of very vigorous and some hat cult
waited mind. Like all veterans, he loved to fight his
battles over agan,an in Lot short have met
very few others whose pictures of the past were
equally striking In tie Of one Of those con-
rersations, Mr. Holt asked me if was acquainted
with the immediate cause why Geo. Washington was
chosen, from amongst several other names, as Com
msnder-in Chief of the American Army | answered
truly, that was not. lie rose, went into back
room of his house and returned with an old volume
Of Davis sermons, printed about l762, and opening
IL, pointed out 10 me the very sermon preached TO
Capt Overtons company, forty six years before ob.
serving, as his eyes resumed their popied fires, was
one Of Captain Ovcrton's company, aud heard tins
very serm'n preached" He then pointed out to me
the two first paragraphs and another in the BODY of
the sermon, which now quote as they illustrate the
subject, and show the temper and views Of the
preacher, as also the aspect Of the timcA.
An hundred years Of peace and liberty, in such
a world as this, is a very unusual thing and vet
our country has been the happy spot that has been
distinguished WIN such long series Of blessings,
with little or or no interruption Our situation in the
middle Of the British Colon and our separation from
The French, those eternal enemies Of liberty and Br
tons, on the one side by the vast Atlantic and
on the other by long ridge of ntains and wide
extended wilderness, have for many years been a
birrier to us and while ether nations have been in
volyed IN war, we have not been alarmed with The
sound OF the trumpet, nor seen garments rolled in
blood
But now the scene is changed now we begin to
experience IN our turn tho eof the nations Of the
earth. Our territories invaded by the power and
per6dy Of France our territories rayoged bv mere;
less savsgss, and our fellow subjects there murdered
with all the horrid arts Of INDIAN and Poptsu TOR
ture Our General, unfortunately brave. 4, fallen
an army OF thirteen hundred choice men routed our
me tram Of artillery taken and all this Ooh nortif
ING thought oil this by four FIVE hundred bastard
ly, iosdious barbariansl"
The preacher then goes on in like animated and
excited strain, depicting the aspect and temper of
the times, AMI amongst a mixture of religion. and
political reflections exclaims
COR continent is like 10 become the seal NJ u.r
and we, FOR the future (ti the sundry E,,rone,n No
tons that have planted colonies in in it, have 6,ed
,he'r boundaries by the sword have no other wny
LETT TO offend our rights and privileges Ara h.,
God been pleased to d,duse some spark. of the
tlai hire through our country hope he ba, md
though II has been almost exiting uisbed bv 40 ona
peace, and deIuge Of luxury and pleasure nov
hope II begins to kndle and may not produce Va,
my brethren, who are engaged IN this expedition =,