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


the country.
But, If you really concerned lest history should
suffer by any orbeArauce Of mine towards the New Eng
land people in ibis omission, beg you will turn TO
letter in Washinstns Writings" ID which ne says
''sueh dearth ii public spirit anu SUCH 81 sir-
tue, such obbug and fertility in all the low
obtain advantages of kind another in this great
change Of military arrangement before, and
pray Gods mercy that may be witness to again
of since you have inserted
in your history with the same error of applying to
Massachusetts.
We have at length arrived at the last specification in
your list Washington wrote: ''We have every thing
but The thing ready for offensive operation" How the
three little words shut the thing escaped from their
place cannot explain presume it was by an acci
dent. can possible objection to them The col
location of the words is such that they might easily be
overlooked by ranscriber printer The Importance
you attach to them however, conveying srepresen-
tation of Washingons circumstances" is much oyerrat
ed. If there is thing than another insisted upon
in his letters during this period it is his of powder
Expressions like the following of perpetual recur-
renee No quantity, however small is beneath notice "
not sufficient to give twenty five musket cartridges
man.; sour want Of powder is inconceivable." 1t is
evident therefore that the three words are not of the
least Importance indicating the condition of the army
in regard to powder.
Moreover, you mistake in supposing Washington to
complain of New England for having failed supply
him with the gunpowder he needed" His complaint is
not directed against New England alone. 1t was the
business of Congress furnish the Continental army
with powder There little powder in the country
and of little could be had The manufacture of
the article was not yet established The New England
colonies as well the others, supplied all they could
obtain Ships were sent for it to France and the West
Indies but it took time for ships to sail the ocean
| and return.
In another place you the omission Of Gu
rious story told by Washington relative to his want Of
powder And what mystery does this curious story
reveal Nothing nor less than bunder of COM
mitee of supplies in making return of the quantity of
powder on hand. 81 was particular in my inquiries"
says Washington, and found that the committee of sup
plies, not being sufficiently acquainted with the nature of
return, MISUNDERSTANDING my request, had in
account of all the ammunition which had been collected
the province that the report included only what
was hand, but what had been spent The blunder
Of accidental and was necessarily detected
at once that possible consequence could follow
| from it.
You deem this story important that you have in
serted it in the text of your history and carefully
minded your readers in note that it is omitted in Mr.
| Sparkss edition" And you discover other
tive for the omission than anxiety to conceal from the
world the ignorance Misrepresentation Of Massachu-
sets committee although the whole passage is contained
in the official letters Congress" long before publish
ed, and in your hands Nor do you intimate that the
story stands in the midst of than two pages which
omitted obviously because they treat Of local and
temporary details of little moment.
| All the cases in your list have now been examined
but there others adduced by you which, Opn-
ion show desire deal tenderly as possible with
any thing any body that has the honor be
ed with New England These will receive due consi-
| deraton.
Washington had spoken Of the scandalous conduct Of
great number of the Connecticut troops" The word
| scandalous" has disappeared. How it happened l
know not and assuredly disposed to defend the
omissions is it which should Intentionally have
made. observe that it is also wanting in the official
letters In both may perhaps be fairly ascrb
ed to accident Yet agree that the Connecticut
troops would have had any rejoice at its alb
sence. Considering the in which the conduct O
of them is described different occasions in ohe
letters printed in the work. doubt that it
scandaous even without the aid Of this appropriate
epithet.
Again you remark: 'Nor are we to be told Of the
Boston troops that they extremely uneasy
almost mutnous for the of pay; and you ask the
question: " lis 1t or Is 1t not important TO show how faI
Washington at that period could rely upon all his sol
ders?" To which reply first the sentence quoted BY
you makes part of paragraph the whole Of which
omitted with several others in the letter.
tanning unimportant details Washington writes Hav-
ing heard that the troops at Boston extremely uneasy
and almost mutiuous for want oDay Several months be-
ing DUE must take the liberty to repeat the ques-
ton contained in my letter Of the 5th umo " and then
he asks whether the money to be sent from hence by
the paymaster general, person subordinate Il
him to be appointed for that purpose " II is obvious
that he speaks of the uneasness and almost" munou
spirit Of the troops not alarming circumstance but
with view Of fastening forward the money for the,
payment | may also remark that the omission could
have been out Of any decacy towards the New Eng
land troops is obvious from what printed another
place, follows: The greater part Of the troops are
in state not far from mutny upon the deduction from
their stated allowance and from the fact that the para
graph containing the omitted is be found in
the " official letters
Secondly, as Washington at that time in New fork
with the main army, it could have had very little nau-
ence upon his movements, the military affairs Of the
country if the detachment left in Boston had all mutt
MED and gone home twas the military chest upon which
he had first and mainly to rely When that full his
reliance the soldiers sufficiently safe and in this
respect, suppose these troops resembed those of all
countries 1t not probable that any commander could
long rely troops under voluntary enlistment who
not paid