Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-12-17
From the Petersburg Gazette
Revolutionary Igen and Events III
teresting "Reminiscences.
LEETowN, Jefferson Co., Y


lapidated and antique residences Of three dis
tinguished Major Generals of the American
Revolution. Within a radius of one mile and
half lived long and weary years, Charles
Ice, the sinister hero of Monmouth Hora-
ito Gates, the looser of Camden and tue South
eru campaign; and Adam Stephen, the carly
friend of Washington. La this little village
on whose golden forests am gazing remote
from camps and flashing world, these three
warriors rusted out the remainder Of their
lives IN inglorious repose, their swords in moth
eaten scabbards, no more to be drawn. Here,
II L mistake not, two of them died, and soon
even these lingering memorials of them will
crumble and disappear, rs their figures are
fading from the general mind.
Lees house is a hundred PAGES from the
assemblage of houses called by his name and
Is an oblong building of stone, With chimneys
at each end and midway-low, with a rude
porch, depending as it were above the rough
door, and few outhouses Gates lived some
what further from the town, in plain, un-
decorated~b building; and Stephen lived in
Log House such as ct that tine was occupied
| by the earliest pioneers of the valley, in which
everything is small and confined but the fire.
place. But that-is neither small or confined
1t Is grand, enormous Around it, how MANY
! good companions must have gathered in the
olden day, and what sounds of revelry shook
! the rafters overhead You may read of
Adam Stephen in Sparks edition of the yyri-
tlngs of Washington, and there you will find
that among the hardy gentlemen who stood
shoulder to shoulder with the young chief at
Winchester, when the Indians ravaeed the
valley hundred years ago, was Lieut. Ste
phen. A landed proprietor hereabouts. he
doubtless resented the trespass of the Indians
upon his grounds, stretching towards the foot
of the great North Mountain-at least we
know that he did good service He was af-
forwards an effective officer of the revolution
ary struggle; but left the army about the time
OF the battle of Princeton, disguised at some
thing or other--and SO came hither and lived
and died.
Of Gates and Lee more is known. The
story of the woeful quarrel of the latter with
Washington at Monmouth, you nav read in
the recensy published third volum of Iryiag's
great work. It is probable that history will
show that Lee was not so much in the wrong
as tee world supposes. That he made blum
der in ordering his forces to retreat-and that
this rereat nearly ruined all the plans of
Washington, and lost US the battle-that is
certain, but 1t was probably an error of iudg-
ment-not want of courage. In Jeutz's /
great picture, he sits his horse sullenly before
the chief, whose hot anger famed out All |
that he did and said afterwards was sullen. un-
fortunately. High words. indignant corres-
ashington cold and naughty, /
Lee raging, then a court-martial- suspension
for year-and Lee, in utter disgust, threw
up his commission, and came hither '' to hoe I
tobacco-the best school for general he
said, with sneer at Washington. And !
here, in this poor and obscure dwelling, as I |
have said, rusted out the sharp spirit of Lee,
and it fell into dust and oblivion With bat
few neighbors--no friends-surrounde by
hounds and horses and making the chase near
ly his only occupation-thus lives the Gener-
al, and died. One day, long afterwards,
says tradition Of the neighborhood Wash
ington sent his old adversary note. saying
that he hoped all past contention had been for
gotten-he was coming to see him an old
comrade in arms-as a friend.
On the day fixed for the visit, Lee sent a
way all his servants. placed upon the locked
door paper with ' no meat cooked here to-
day" written thereon, and then followed his
servants, leaving Washington to knock in
vain. BE never returned and with the pas
sing year, the eccentric soldier grew more mo-
rose and repcling The ground floor of his
house was divided by chalk lines merely for
ming thus four compartments. In the first
be kept his books in the second was his bed;
his saddle and hunting gear in the third; the
fourth was used for kitchen He could thus
sit in one spot,::he said with grim humor, and |
overlook his entire household. Tired of his /
dogs and silent misanthrophy at last. he COM
memo ID his Queries, Political and HILLARY /
an attack on Washington but the world de-
cliued listening TO him and then, tired of
life, the cynical spirit of Charles Lee fed to /
other realms. His last words were, q Stand |
by me, NY brave grenadiers. !" and SO he en-
ded.
A word now of the third of my triad of |
warriors. Horatio Gates came to the old |
house yonder after Camden. 1t was the Gates |
who had taken Burgoyne, and whose popular
ity at one time oVershadowed Washingtons. |
But now, alas how fallen J The breath of I
an indignant public opinion had blasted him,
and his laures were all scared and withered. i
He had lost the battle of Camden-had been |
deposed from the command of the army of the i
South, to make way for Greene !; over his |
head lowered a heavy cloud of public execra- |
ton almost. and Congress, it was said, had |
prepared its thunderbolt to strike him. Bet |
the bolt never fell. The sad soldiers sorrow
was respected. They left him to die in peace
here enough punishment that the maguifi
cent drama of the Revolution was played out,
independent of one who had enacted SO splen-
ded part in the earlier acts.
These three old houses are the visible re-
mains of three vigorous hves-in them, to
the musIng eye, the spirits of Gates, Lee and
Stephen hover around them still, speaking in
every whisper of the pine tree aud oaks
those ancient oaks of the noble. English look
ing "chase," which murmur yonder beneath
the window-through whose heightened vista