Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1853-08-06

H. directed his own grave on the point OF
a ST. rile ridge, (wher- nobody would wish
10 p'ough) and covered pile OF rough
fin, s'oip (which nobody would wish to
build wi,h) depming this stpnlity and the
usrIrssn SIS OF this rock the best security
for that undisturbed repose of thu bones
which is still desirable 10 those who are
| indifferent t. monuments.
In almost all strong remarked characters
| there is usually some incident or sign in
! early life which shows that character aud
I reveals 10 the close observer the type Of the
futnrA man. So it was with MIR. Macon
His irmness, his patriotism, his srli.d-nial,
his devotion 10 duty, and disregard If office
and emolnment; his mohpsiy, integrity
s-it-control, and suhirction Of conduct TO
the convictions Of reason and The dictates
OF Virtue, all so steadily exempIiipd in a
long life, were all shown from The early
age OF eighteen, ia the miniature reprr sem
tatlon oi individual action, and only con-
firmpd in the subsequent public exhibitions
OF long, beautiiul, and eyaltcd carerr.--
He was Of that age, and student at
| Princeton College, at the time OF the De-
| claraiion of American Independence. A
small volunteer corps was then on the
Delaware. He Quit his books, Joined it,
| and served term, returned 10 Princeton,
| and resumed his studies. In the year ITS
! the Southern States had become a battle-
| field, Dig with their own fate, and possibly
| involving the issue OF the war. British
fleets and armies appeared there, strongly
| supported by the friends Of the British
cause and the conquest Of the South was
fully counted upon. Help was needed in
these States; and Mr.. Macon, quitting COL
lege, returned to his native county in North
Carolina, Joined militia company as a
! private, and marched TO South Carolina,
! then the theatre OF the enemy'S operations.
He bad his share in all the hardShips and
disasters of tha, trying time was at the
! tall Of Fort Moultrip, surrender OF Charles
ton, defeat at Camden, and in the rapid
winter retreat across the upper part Of
! North Carolina. He was in the camp on
the left bank of the Yadkin when th- sud-
den flooding Of that river, in the brief in
tprva between the crossing of the Ameri-
cans and the coming up OF the British, ar
rested the pursuit of Corvallis, and ena-
bled Greene to allow some rest TO his
wearpd and exhausted men. In this camp
destitute of every thing, and with gloomy
prospects ahead, a summons came 10 Mr.
8 Macon from the Governor OF North Caro-
lima requiring him TO attend a meeting o
the General Assembly, of which he haC
been elected member, without his knowl
edge, by the people Of his county. II,
refused TO go; and The incident being talk
ed Of through the camp came to the knowl
edge of the General. Greene was mn
himself and able TO know mqn. He fel
at once that if this report was true, thi
young soldier was no common character
and determined to verify :he fact. He sen
for the young man, inquired of him, hear
, the truth, and then asked for the reason Z
/ this unexpected conduCt--;hs preference
, for suffering camp over comioHabl
/ seat IN the General Assembly a? Mr. Maco
answered him. in his quaint and sentenlior
way, that he had seen the faces OF the Br
: fish many times, but had never seen the
backS, and meant TO stay in ahe army ii
h he did. Greene instantly saw The mattri;
the young man was made OF, and the har
/. die bv which he was TO be worked. Tht
# material was patriotism; that handle
:, sense Of duty; and laying hold of th
+ handle be quickly worked the young so
dipr INTO a different conclusion from It
one that he had arrived at. He told hi
he could do more good as member of tt
< General Assembly than as soldier; th
. in the army he was but one man, and
d the General Assembly he might obtai
is MANY, with the supplies they needed, /
J. showing the destitulIon and sutirriog Whit
is he had seen in the camp, and that it W
n his duty to go. This view Of duty al
q usefulness was decisive. Mr.. Macon obe
at ed the governors summons, and by /
r representations contributed 10 obtain Il
If supplies which enabled Greene to tuI
if back and face CornwalliS, fight him, cri
re- pie him, drive him further back than
+ had advanced, (ior Wilmington is south
!" Camden) disable him from remaining in Il
10 South (of which, up TO the battle Of Gu
,r ford he believed himself to be master) a
ie sending him to Yorktown, where he v
n. captured, and the war ended.
al The philosophy Of history has not y
is laid hold OF the battle of Guilford, its co
ne SEQUENCES and effects. That battle ma
ed the capture of Yorktown. The events
I'd told in every history; their conneXl
a. and dependence in none. 1t broke up
he plan of CORVALLIS in the South, and cha
he ged the plan OF Washington in the Nor
lis CORVALLIS was to subdue the Southe
n States, and was doing il until Greene tuI
let ed upon him at Guilford. Washington
De- occupied with Sir Henry Clinton, then
lot New York with 10000 British troops
of He had formed the heroic design to c;
m ture Clinton and his army (the French Il
os- co-opAraling) in that city, and thereby
ra- ting an end to the war; All his prepa
his tions were going on for that grand consr
in nation, when he got the news ofthe ba
sry OF Guilford, the retreat of CORVALLIS
zen Wilmington, his inability to keep the fl
er- in The South, and his return noTthw
Iuil through the lower part of Virginia.
;uf- saw his advan,age-an easier prey
in the same result il successful. CoInw'
in or Clinton, or either OF them caplu
me would pit an end to the war. Wash'n9
sed changer his plan, deceived Clinton m"
the rapidly upon the weaker general, capt.
on him and his 1000 men and ended the
-, Tha ko,tia oC Gnilford mt that capturp