Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1854-02-08

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lotted him, hc soaght mors active position
under General Putnam, witt the hope that
his restless ambition might fhd some field Of
action commensurate with hisiofsy aspiration.
His prowess was soon put u the test, and
his military resources were displayed to great
advantage in the memorable retreat Of the
American army from New FORK to White
plains. It i no disparagemtnt to any other
officer to say, that one regiment 1t least owes
its safety to the skill and energy of Colonel
Burr on that occasion.
We now approach perini in Burr's milf
tary career in which his geaius shcne most
couspicuously. The commend Of the outposts
in Westchcster county was asigned him, and
as if by magic, the discrdez ssa confusion
which had disgraced the American troops in
border warfare were dispelled, and the plum
Gering and marauding habits Of the soidiery
were repressed BY viii that was indomita-
BILE, aided BY an eye that seeascd on,niscient.
Private property on "the ieutral ground"
became as safe as in the best governed COM
munities. Even the common soldiers saw
the superiority Of their condfion to what it
had been amid riot and migule, and they
werc abundantly satisfied wah the regular
supply melted out to them, compared with the
surfeit which the plundering system afforded.
The resources Of this energetic officer
seemed we'll nigh miraculous in preserving
his sentinels from the enemy's sharpshooters,
and terrifying the foe, that had become en-
boldeued by the pusillauimity Of bis prede-
cessor to carry of their plumber in full view
Of the patriot vanguard.
The great secret of his success was his un-
firing watchfulness, that did not allow him to
sleep without visiting in person all the OUT
posts, aud seeing with his own eyes that his
commands we're literally executed. To carry
out this plan was severe trial Of a constitu-
ton naturally slender, as it often required
ride on horseback of twelve to thirty miles,
while most officers, and privates too, were
locked in the embrace of sleep. Integrity the
most incorporating, and probity beyond
suspicion, could not have done more to ele-
vate the American cause in the eyes Of the
British troops than was affected by Col. Burr
during this campaign.
The whole region from Jersey city to Suf-
ferns, and from New York to Psekskill. Wit
messed his activity In ferretihs out and ,hwat-
ing the plans of the enemy. In Gntempla-
ting this portion of Burr's history, one would
readily affirm that he exhibited clements Of
character that only needed theatre br their
development to produce military hero of
the highest order.
AT the battle of Monmouth his bravery
and good judgement we're worthy ofnoticc,
but, unfortunately, he was in the wake of
Gen. Lee, whose unsoldierly conduct N that
occasion brought upon him the indignation Of
the Commander-in-chief. Yet even here
untiring vigilance, and an eye that say every
weak point, as well as the moment favorable
for action, proved Col. Burr to be ote of the
best officers in the American army.
TO Burr, the sentence pronounced upon
Gen. Lee was very calling, for it carried with
It an implied ccnsure Of his own conduct
This, however, was unmerited. His usual
energy and bravery in that protraeted en-
gagcnent, with temperature Of enc hum
dred degrees to support, was undoubted.-
Even Washington tacitly acknowledged it,
for he soon after con6ded Burr hazardous
yet important mission to Ellzabethtown, to
ascertain, if possible, the movements of Sir
George Clinton.
Burr was now becoming tired Of an enter
prise which failed to feed his ambitious hopes,
and the exposure which be had incurred, rem
dered quiet and repose necessary in his en-
feebled condition; and his resignation, which
for two years he had contemplated, was now
accepted. To the army he had devoted four
of the best years of his life, together with no
small contributions from his private fortune.
In him the power of controlling the minds
and actions of others was conspicuous.
The soldiers under his command loved him
with devotion rarely surpassed, and he ex
erted his power for their benefit. What 9th
ers deemed difficult and hazardous was To him
a pastime, and no enterprise within the reach
of human skill was beyond his ASPIRATIONS
If he had appeared on the stage in the days
of Cortez or Pizarro, he would have risen SUI
perior to either. f Mexico, in the revolu-
ton that set her free from Spain, had been
the theatre of bis action, he would have over
lowered Iturbide or if he had been in the
army of Napoleon, he would have been en-
rolled among his bravest and most successful
marshals. But the nature of the conflict in
which he embarked, and the character of the
officers with whom he came in competition,
precluded the idea Of his reaching that emil