The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-09-14
The Autobiography OF John Adams.


fishers Of this important work, to lay before our
readers several extracts from it Of sngrossing
interest, but none will be read with more plea
sure than the following. 1t is taken from the
Diary, and written in Mr.. ADAMs's thirty-ninih
year.
APPOINTMENT OF COZ. wAsrirNcTos AS COMMAND
ER-IN-oHIEF OF THE COLONIAL Army. tttEH
This measure Of imbecility the second petition To
the king, embarrassed every exerton of Congress-
| ii occasioned motions and debates without end for
appointing committees to draw'up a declaration of
| the causes, motives, and objects Of taking arms,
with aview TO obtain decisive declarations against
| independence, &c. In the mean time, the New
| England army investing Boston, the New England
legislatures, congresses, and conventions, and the
| whole body of the people, were left without
| ntions of war, without arms, clothing, pay, or
| even countenance and encouragement Every
| post brought letters from my friends Doctor
| Winthrop, Doctor Cooper, General James Warren,
| and sometimes from General Ward and his aids
| and General Heath and many others, urtyingin
pathetic terms the impossiblity Of keeping their
| men together without the assistance of Congress-
! was daily urging all those things, but we were
| embarrassed with more than one difficulty, not
only with the party in favor Of the petition to the
king, and the party who were jealous of indepen
dcnce, but third party, which southern par ty
against northern, aid a jealousy against New
| England army under the command Of IA New Eng
| land general Whether this jealousy sincere,
or whether twas mere pride and ha ughty ambi
| ton of furnishing southern general TO command
| the northern army cannot say But the intention
| was very visible TO NE that Colonel Washington
was their object, and so many OF our staunchest
men in the plan, that we could carry nothing
without cpnceding to it. lrhs
Another embarrassment which was never pub
licly known, and which carefully concealed by
those who knew 1.-THE Massachusetts and other
New England delegates were divided. ME-. Han
| cock and Mr. Cushing hung back; MIR. Paine did
| not come forward, and Samuel Adams was
| irresolutc. Mr. Hancock himself had an ambition
1 ia , ntc1 ndpr.l in ri
he thought an election compliment due to him,
and intended to have the honor of declining it,
| whether he would have accepted, l know not To
| the compliment nc had some pretensinns, for at
| that time his exertions, sacrhces, and general
merits in the cause of his country had been incom
parabiy greater than those OF Colonel Washington
But the delicacy OF his health, and his entire want
of experience in actual service though excellent
| militia officer, were decisive objections to him in
my mind In caGvassing this subject out Of doors,
found, too, that even among the delegates Of Vir
GINA there we're difficulties The apostoicaI rca-
sonings among themselves, which should be great
est were not less energetic among the saints Of the
ancient dominons than they were among us OF New
| England
la several conversations. 1 found more than one
very cool about the appointment of Washington,
and particularly Mr.. PcDdleton was very clear and
| full against 1t. Full OF anxiCties concerning these
conusions, and experimenting daily that we should
hear very distre sing news from Boston, walked
with MIR. Samuel Adams in the State house yard for
little exercise and fresh air before the hour Of Con-
gress, and there represented To him the various
dangers that surrounded US. lie agreed to them
all, but said ''W mar shall do.' | answered him
that he knew | had taken great pains to get
colleagues to agree upon some plan that We might
be unanimous; but be knew that they would pledge
themselves To nothing; but was determined to
take step which should compel them and all the
other members of Congress to dccare theinsclves
for against something. 81 am determined this
morning 10 make direct motion that Congress
should adopt the army before Boston, and appoint
Colonel w Washington commander OF it' Mr. Ad-
| o
nothing n'-rN .rt. 81
Accordingly, when Congress had assembled,
rose in my place, and, in short speech as the
subject would admit, represented the state Of the
colonies, the uncertainty i'll the minds of the peo-
pic, their great expectation and xety, the dis
lresses Of the army, the danger of its dissolution
the difficulty OF collecting another, and tho proba
bility that the British army would take advantage
of our delays, march out Of Boston, and spread
| desoation as FAR as they could go. concluded
with motion, in form, that Congress would adopt
the army at Cambridge, and appoint a general;
that though this was not the proper time TO nomi-
nate general, yet as | had reason to believe this
point OF the greatest difficulty, had no hest
tation to declare that had bat one gentleman in
my mind for that important command, and that
was a gentleman from Virginia, who was among
us and very well known 10 all Of US, gentleman
whose skill and experience az an officer, whose IN
dependent fortune, great talents, and excellent
universal character, would command the approba-
ton Of all America and unite the cordial exertons
of all the colonies better than any other person In
the Union $3.50 ~
Mr.. Washington, who happened TO sit near the
door, he heard me aliude to him, from
his usual modesty, darted into the library.room.
Mr.. Hancock, VINO was our president which gave
me opportunity 10 observe his counienancc
while was speaking ON the state of the colonies,
the army at Gambridge and the enemy, heard me
with visible pleasure, but when came TO describe
Washington for the commander, never remarked
a more sudden and striking change OF counte-
nance. Modification and resentment were ex-
pressed as forcibly as bis face could exhibit them.
MIR dgd Inc mn M
did not soften tho presidents physogDomy at all
The subject came under debate, and several OF the
gentlemen declared themselves against the APP
porntnlent OF Mr. Washington, not on account oil
any personal objection against him. bat because the
army all from New England, had General
III their own, appeared to he satisfied with hun,
aud had proved themselves able TO inprison the
3riiis, army Bosion which was all they expected
or desired at that time. Mr.. Pcndteton, OF Vir-
GINA MIR. Sherman, OF Connecticut, were very OK
plieit in declaring their opinion. Mr.. Gushing and
several others more family cxprcssod thsir opposi
stion and their carsof discoptent In thc army and
in New England. MIR Paine expressed great
opinion OF General Ward and strong friendship
for-hiin, having been his casslnac at college, or at
! least his contemporary. but gave opinion upon
the question, The subject was postponed to fu-
ture day. Ia the mean time pains were taken out
of doors 10 obtain unanimity, and tho voices were
generally clearly in favor of Washington that
the disscniicnt members were persuaded To with
draw their opposition, and DIR. Washington was
nominated, belieye, by Mr.. Thomas Johnson,
adopted, .s.I. he-- y.i - ~ 5o3 .o.7.,..3 -
The question was Who should be the scoond Off
Ger. General Lee was nominated and mot siren
uonsly urged by many par uc ularly MrD SiLiiin,
who said lhat General Lee would scfye choeriully
under " sshingion, bat ing bis ran X char
| aetcr, and sYPorioncc, could not be expected To
servo under an other that Lee must he, auiseewn
s.s osli n,aa TO this strcnuously objected that
IL would be great deal To expect OF General Ward
that bo should serve under any uaaa, but that un-
dor stranger be ought not to scrye. That tbpugh
had high opinion OF General Lees lc~rpip 8. gen.
eral Information and especially Of hissSiencs and
experience in war, Icouid notadvise General Ward
20 hnusilaie himself and his country 20 far ~ To
serve under him, General ard was clected the
second. and Lee hcthird Gates md Msfhn,
believe, had sosne sppointmentO sn9 Ssners'
! vsshipgsca took with him M. Reed, q Philsdei-
pbis, lawyer Of some efninsness for bis private
secretary, and the gsuLen,sn Al "a OF, fr the
eamp.. fh<y Trad not rscendcd twenty miles from
Philsdclphia before they Inst - courier with the
news OF the battle OF Bunker Hi The deathof Gen
eraI w arrcn. the slauQhter among the Btilsh Off
Gers and mss, we'll a. among oars, and tbc burn