Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1853-08-26

The IuYntny Point an tie LteCOtutiOn.-Ihe
New York Evening Post is publishing from
time,to time extracts from the forthcoming po-
litical Memoirs of Col. BENTON, which prom
ises well for the interest of that work. Among
these is very lively sketch of the public career
and personal character of NATHANIEL MACON
name dear to all lovers of truth, justice, and
republican simplicity. In noticing Mr.. Macon's
withdrawal from the ranks of Greene's army, to
take his seat in the North Carolina Legislature
Mr. Benton makes the following comment:
"Mr. Macon obeyed the Governors summons
and by his representations contributed to obtain
the supplies which enabled Greene to turn back
and face Corvallis, fight him, cripple hir}ss
drive him further back than he had advance
flor Wilmington is south of Camden,) disable
him from remaining in the South, (of which, up
to Il battle of Guilford, he believed himself to
be mastery and sending him to Yorktown,
;ac:c -sc he was cart.-a! cid .d Il; Tie war ended
"fhe philosophy of history has Dot yet laid
hold of the battle of Guiford, its consequences
and Elects. That battle made the capture at
Yorktown. The events are told in every histo-
ry, their connection and dependence in none.
1t broke up the plan of CORVALLIS in the South,
and changed the plan of Washington in the
North. CORVALLIS was to subdue the Southern
States and was doing it until Greene turned
upon him at Guilford. Washington was occu-
pied with Sir Henry Clinton, then in New York,
with 10000 British troops. He had formed the
heroic design to capture Clinton and his army
(the French feet co-Operating) in that city,
and thereby putting an end to the war. All his
preparations were going on for that grand con-
summation when he got the news of the battle
of Guilford, the retreat of CORVALLIS to Will
mngton, his inability to keep the field in the
South. and his return northward through the
lower part of Virginia. He saw his advantage
an easier prey-and the same result, if sue
cessful. CORVALLIS or Clinton, or either of
them captured would put an end to the war;
Washington changed his plan, deceived Clinton,
moved rapidly upon the weaker general, cap
tured him and his 1000 men, and ended the
war. The battle of Guilford put that capture
into Washington's hands, and thus Guiford and
Yorktown became connected; and the philoso-
phy of history show their dependence, and that
the lesser event was father to the greater. The
State of North Carolina gave General Greene
$4,000 acres of Western land for that days
work. now worth million of dollars but the
day itself has not yet obtained its proper place
in American history
1t is very true, as Col BENTON says, that the
battle of Guilford has never had its proper rank
in history but it is equally true, that all the de-
cisive events of the Revolution at the South,
have been slurred over by all Northern
historians-the only ones we suspect that Col.
Benton has paid much attention to. What
place in their records has the battle of Fort
Moultrie, compared with Bunker Hill? Yet
every one must say that the chances of success
in the former case were decidedly less than in
the latter 1t was, therefore, the more bold in
the attempt and in the result how vastly supe-
rior! At Bunker Hill the Americans were de
feated and driven from their fortified position;
at Fort Moultrie they were victorious over for
midable attack by sea and land, and entirely de-
feated the objects of the British expedition
Bat to their historians, Bunker Hill is grand
era, and Fourt Moultie only successful skir-
mish
And by the way it is worth while to observe,
that not only have we all the Northern histori-
ans belittleing the Revolutionary powers of the
South, but also, by the same sort of luck the
South was led by Northern Generals in all those
disastrous battles which broke her spirit and
gave over her soil to the invader. 1t was Lin
coin who commanded at the bungling assault
upon Savannah, and at the seige and capture
of Charleston. 1t was Gates who commanded
at the disastrous battle of Camden. But select
any brilliant action where the success was deci-
sive, and you will find the leaders were either
Virginians or Carolinians. Greenes battles
were stoutly fought, and Ike generally had lit
tie the advantage, but he never won what could
fairly be called victory-he never had the dar-
ing and genius to turn an advantage into tri-
umph, and so he had to fight all his battles over
again, not in story, but in action.
But now we come to the point, of the peculi
ar significance of the battle of Gulford. 1t is
undeniable that it was very important event,
and was the immediate cause of the movement
of CORVALLIS to Virginia. But it was only the
last in a sequence of events that produced this
decisive result. Mr.. Benton speaks as if up to
this, 18th of March, 1881, the career of the
British General had been one of unbroken sue
cess; that here the tide of victory turned, and
the spirit of the conqueror was made to fear
This is very far from the truth. CORVALLIS did
not retreat for the first time, from the field of