Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1856-11-01
Revolutionary Men and "Reminiscences.

Revolutionary Men aud Renaissance,
A correspondent of the Petersburg FIX
press, writing from 'near Leetown, Jeflcr
son county, Virginia" sends that paper a
Interesting letter about Revolutionary mel
and "reminiscences, from which we make tn
| following extract:
In the immediate vicinity of the spot from
which address you these lines, are the di
| lapidated and antique residences of tire,
distinguished Major Generals Of the Ameri
can Revolution. Within radius of one
mile and half lived, long and weary years
Charles Lee, the sinister hero of Monmouth
Horatio Gates, the loser OF the battle O
Camden and the Southern campaign ant
Adam Stephen, the early friend Of Wash
ington. In this little village-on who's,
golden forests ] am gazing the shad
ows of the great woods here-remote from
camps and the flashing world, these three
great warriors rusted out the remainder OF
their lives in inglorious repose, the swords
in moth-eaten scabbards. no more to be
drawn. Here, if | mistake not, two of them
died, and soon even these lingering memo
rails of them will crumhle and disappear, as
their figures are fading from the mind
Lees house is hundred PAGES from the
little assemblage of houses called by his
name, and is an oblong building of stone,
with cbimneys at each end and midway-
low, with a rude porch, depending, as it
were, above the rough door, and with few
outhouses. Gates lived somewhat further
from the town, in plain, undecorated bull
ding ; and Stephen occupied Il mansion pro-
badly built by the earliest pioneers of the
valley, in which everything is small and
confined but the fire place. But that is nei-
Their small nor confined. 1t is grand--enor-
nous Around it how many good eompan-
ions must have gathered in the olaen day,
and what sounds of revelry shook the rattcrs
overhead? You may read of Adam Stephen
in Sparke's edition of the writings Of Wash
ington aud there you will find that among
the hardy gentlemen who stood shoulder to
shoulder with the Young chief at Winc,les-
ter, when the Indians rayaeea the valley a
hundred years ago was Lieut.. Stephen. A
large landed proprietor hereabouts, he doubt
less resented the trcspass ofthe Indians up
on his grounds, stretching toward the foot
Of the great North Mountain--at least, we
know that he did good service. lie was az
forwards an effective officer Of the Reveluv
tionary struggle, but left the army about
the period of the battle of Princeton, dis
gusted at something or other-and so came
hither, and lived and died
Of Gates and Lee, more is known: the
story Of the woful quarrel of the latter with
Washington at Monmouth, you may read in
full! in the recently published third volume
Of hving's great work. 1t is probable that
history will finally show that Lee was not so
much in the wrong as the world supp0ses.
That he made blunder in oe,lesiae tis fer
ccs to retreat--and that this retreat eery
nearly ruined all the plans of Washington,
and lost us the battle--ths is certain. But
it was probably an error of judgment-not
want Of courage. In Leutz's great picture,
he sits his horse, sullenly before the Chief,
whose hot anger flames not-ali that he did
and said afterwards was sullen too, unfortu-
nately. High words--;ndignant correspon-
dcuce-Washington cold and naughty
Lee raging ; then a cohrt-martial suspen-
sion for year-and Lee, in utter disgust,
threw up his commission, and came hthcr
'"to hoe tobacco--that being the best schoo!
for General. he said, with sheer at
Washington. And here in this poor and
obscure dwelling, as have said, rusted out
the sharp spirit of Lee, and fell into dus,
and oblivion. With few neighbors; no
friends-surroundcd by hounds and horses,
and making the chase his only occupation,
nearly; thus lived the General and died. -
One day, long afterwards, says tradition
Of the neighborhood, Washington sent his
old adversary anote, saying that he would
call on certain morning and see him-that
he hoped all past contention and bitterness
had been forgotten-he was coming to sec
him as an old comrade in arms-as friend
On the day fixed for the visit, Lee sent
away all his servants--placed upon til,
locked front door paper with "No meat
cooked here to-day" written thereon land
then followed his servants, leaving Wash
ington to knock in vain. He never return
cd, and with the passing year the eccentric
soldier grew more morose and repelling
The ground floor of his house was dividee
by chalk lines merely, forming thus foul
compartments. In the first he kept hi.
booksin the second was his bed-his sad.
dies and hunting gear in the third the
fourth was used for kitchen. He could
thus sit in one spot, he said, with grim hui
NOR, and overlook his entire household
Tired of his dogs and his silent misanthro-
Ply at last, he commenced bis "Queries
Political and Military"-an attack on Wash
ngton But the world declined listening
to him, and then, tired of life, the cynca
spirit of Charles Lee fed to other realms
His last words were, Stand by me, my
brave grenadiers " and 50 he ended.
A word now of the third day of my triad
of warriors Horatio Gates came to the ole
house yonder after Camden, 1t was thu
Gates who had taken Burgoyne and whose
popularity at one time overshadowed Wash.
ingtops But now alas how fallen The
breath of an indignant public opinion hat
blasted him. and his laurels were all scare,
and withered. He had lost the battle o
Camden he had been deposed from the
command of the army of the South to max,
way for Greene over his head lowered ;
heavy cloud of public exeeration almost, anC
Congress, it was said, had prepared il.
thunderbolt to strike him, But the boil
never fell. The sad soldiers sorrow wa
respected. They left him to die in peac,
here. enough punishment that the mapnif