Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1848-03-30
Affairs at Washington.
EXTRACT OF A LETTER,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SENTINEL,
Dated, Washington, March Is, l84S.

Dated, Washington, March IS, lS4S.
DEAR SRI did not know that
should have ever sale! another word on
the subjec, of Court Martial, II it had
not been revived ia my min! again by
the ridiculous 'one lately held at Car
lisle, Pa, the result of which, you will
see in the enclosed summary, which i
take the libery of adopting, as fol-
lows
cat tire General Cour, Martial held
at Carlisle Barracks last month, Lieut..
Daniel G. Rogers, Of the "a Regiment
Of Dragons, was arraigned and tried.
The young officer applied TO his com
handing officer, Col. May, for leave o.
absence TO take sleigh-ride. Tie re-
quest WAS refused whereupon Tire
Lieutenant determined tha, afe would
go, any hoec--amd he did go-anG as
may be imagined, enjoyed the sport
very much. The Court sentenced ,he
accused to dismissal from the service
of the United States. The President
approved 1he sentence; 5ut, upon the
recommendation of the members of the
Court, is pleased 10 remit the Sanse, and
it is RENTED accordingly.
The Lreuten9nt is released from ar
rest, and ordered to join his regiment
in Mexico Immediately.
This sleigh. ride cost the officer
sonre' hing, ard The country a good
deal more than it was worth"
What would you think, if / tell you
shat the Young gentleman that invited
Lieut.. RoeERs to this sleig h-ride, then
private citizen, has, since tire tssal of
Lieut.. RoGERs, been 4limseIf appoint
ed by the President a Lieutenant in
the army of the United States? That is
to say, she citizen who induced Lieut..
ReeERs to commit tire mighty and
weighly offence of taking a flolfc in a
sleigh-ride, some thousand of miles
from an enerny. in the lovely Cumber-
land Valley of Pa, has been rewarded
with an office, and Lieut. Roc ERs, bat
for our iust and hoao7ed President,
would have been dismissed from the
service.
/ have been led to tsrese reflections
from the manner of the triad and perse
cution of shat intrepid, noble young
officer, Col. FREMoNr. The persons
who have figured in ,he Washington
Court Martial will! be duly remem ber-
ed, as those will De who played in the
farce at Carlisle. The tretsa IL, Mr.
Editor, am satisfied in my own anind
that the Executive of the nation is
heartily tired of such assemblies oil
Officers; the whole system is wrong;
reform is required in the broadcast sense
of the term by Congress, and thai
speedily. For, if the assembling o.
such Courts is to continue, it will take
one million ef dollars per annum TO pa,
for them all. This is fearful sum, to
be expended, to crafty private pique
and aristocratic authority. am free
to confess, that have entirely chang
ed my opinion, in reference to the utl-
ity of having SO many officers, and SC
teeo soldiers in the regular army. The
disproporiion is too great for the pub
lie good; and Congress should apply
the pruning knife, even now. without
stint, among the suPerannuate,s, and
place them On the retired Hist, at fail
allowance of support. Many Of the
officers draw high pay, and render nc
equivalent. Those, some a, least, as
in Col. FREMoNT's case, who perform
something like meritorious service, are
rewarded by verdict of Court Martial
eensure-
Col Fremont has decided on es-
tablishing himself ia Upper California;
I am delighted that such Is his deter
animation, if he adherrs to his former
decision of retiring from the Array
The President has not yet accepted his
resignation, so unwilling is he that the
United States shah lose the services
of one Of the most scientific and capa-
Bile engineers IN the country,-as he
most assutedly has proved himself tc
be. But, if he goes to California-,he
scene of bis honorable and patriotic ex-
paoits-I predict for him a career oil
unbouneled distinction la after days,
if, under Providence, his life should be
prolonged. The people, there. will
reward his merit. The time will come,
when he, IN the public councils Of this
nation, can look back on the atteaapts
of some who tried to PROSTATE him fol
his usefulness; but he viii look over
their maleyolence, and pass them by in
his magnanimity, as impotfat, and un-
worthy.
Not much has been done by Con
gress this week; nevertheless, more
has been done than in most of the
weeks of the Session. Mr.. WEBSTER
made a speech GA Thursday, on the
"loan BILL" but it was any thing else