Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-11-13


You 90 ON under the head, to cite another pas
sage In etter to Mr. Reed speaking Of the evacuation
Of Boston Washington describes the miserable condition
Of the u lists who left their homes and on ship
board 9TH the British troops some two Of them"
he wttes "have committed, what il would have been
happy for mankind if of them had done long ago.
thjact of suicide" long paragraph including these
lies, left out, although your mode of citing them
leaves the impression that these alone selected for
omission
Your comment follows. "For this harshness can Of
fer no am not astonshed at your desire to
conceal it," Win you be astonished learn that it was
not concealed at all II you had turned back only four
pages and looked into the letter preceding the from
which the above sentence is omitted you would have
found these words One two have done whata great
number ought to have done long ago, committed suicide
BY oil accounts there miserable of
beings than these wretched creatures are" On
moments comparison you will observe that the paragraph
containing the passage which you quote from letter to
Mr.. Reed is almost literal copy of which was writ
the day before to another person. and which print
ed in its place Hence the omission. Would you COM
mend it skifu piece of editorship in a work pro-
essedy consisting of selections from correspon-
dence print parts of successive letters embodyng
the thoughts in nearly the language, because
they happened to be addressed different individuals
believe not.
have thus reviewed all the examples adduced by you
proofs of the first motive that exatng protect
ing Washingtons dignity. / will make no further
than simply to add, that neither admit such
tive recognise in your Of argument any thing
which, rightly considered give countenance your
conjecture.
We will now proceed to the second motive the alleged
desire conceal disguise Washingons opinions of the
New England people, and of the character of certain in
dividuas among them.
In opening this subject, your words
ssMy main complaint against you and your principal
allegations in defence, turn, however the omissions
which you have made points in which neither Wash
ngtons character yet his style, in any degree
involved"
This being your "main complaint it calls for par
tcuar consideration The grounds of it thus stated
in your words:
"Where Washington speaks of certain shippers from
New England our rascaly prvateers you leave
the ephet Where he speaks Of certain soldiers from
Connecticut showing dirty, mercenary spirit, you
leave out the former ephet Where he complains of the
inadequate supply of money to his camp from the Pro-
yncal Assemblies you suppress his concluding exclama
ton, strange conduct thisp One New England officer
is not it seems, to be mentioned by Washington with
touch of irony the noble Colonel Enos and that cpl
thet likewise, is to be expunged OF another New Eng
land officer, Colonel Hancock you will not allow Wash
ngon to express his suspicion with respect to letter of
his own that Colonel Hancock read what wrote
or third New England officer you will not allow Wash
ingon to observe Il have opinion at all of Woosters
snterprising genius OF fourth General Frye you will
allow to hear that at present he keeps his room,
and talks earnedy Of emetios and catharcs. For my
own part see nothing but declining life that matters
him. Nor are to have the amusing description Of q
fifth New England officer, General Ward, who first
signed account of his i'll health and then retracted his
resignation, on account he says of its being disa
greeable to of the officers Who those officers are
have not heard. They have been able, no doubt to
convince him of his mistake, and that his health will al
I low him to be alert and active You will not suffer
Washington to say OF Massachusetts, compared with
other States there is nation under the that
came pays greater alteration to money than they
do You will not suffer him to say, when New England
had failed to supply him with the gunpowder he needed
We have every thing but the thing ready for offensive
operation Here you think fit to omit the three
important words but The thing, by which Washington,
in becoming soldier phrase powder, and by this
omission you have entirely altered the representation Of
his circumstances which he intended to convey
After this summary you ask the following questions
4 "Can any dspassonate reader be in doubt as to thu
course you have pursued Can he ben doubt to thu
motive which, unconsciousy perhaps has been working
In your mind? Is it not quite clear that in these omission
you have been DESTROYS TO strike out far possible
every word phrase that could possibly touch the oca
fame Of the gentlemen at Boston, wound in any
4 ner the sensitive feelings Of New Englandf"
4 This array of specifications shall be examined will
particular reference to the motive which you assign
\ them.
You concerned in the first place, that the prva
teersmen should not hold their appropriate place in thu
history Of the time, after being deprived Of ephet
Surely your anxiety would have been end if yor
had cast your eye letter from Washington Con
gress, written two weeks afterwards which he says
The plague, trouble, and vexation have had with thu
of all the armed vessels are inexpressibe d,
believe there is not earth dsorderly set Every
time they into pert hear of nothing but muffin
Gus complaints" Is not this graphic sketch yor
could desire? Would calling them rascally throw AM
darker shades the picturef Where then is the
tempt to conceal the misdeeds Of the New England pr
/ vateers-men?
| or the next epthet little needs be said The differ
ence between dirty, mercenary spirit and mer
ccnary spirit historically morally considered may b,
decided by the acuteness Of those who delight in nice dis
ncons The less discerning might venture to say tina
the epthet is redundant In sense least every
thing mercenary is dirty" am willing to consign
to the fair Interpretation of the critics. without the re
hottest wish to gloss the shameful conduct Of tn,
Connecticut troops.
cannot but be impressed, however with the degree o.
you attach this word even with its expe
tory modification. You have brough IL twice into you,
History, and occasion with note in the margin
informing your readers that il is among the epthe
carefully excluded from Mr. Sparks's compilation
bound confess that can see no harm in the cpl
the and shall not defend the omission whether wal
omitted by accident Intentionally is more than my re-
collection viii now enable to declare. would only