Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-11-14
MISCELLANEOUS.
REVOLUTIONARY MEN AND REMINIS-
CENCES.

CENCES
correspondent Of the Petersburg Express, wri-
ting from near Leetown, Jefferson county, Viz
GINA, sends that paper an interesting letter about
Revolutionary men aad "reminiscences, from which
We IN make the following extract:
In the immediate vicinity Of the spot from which !
address you these lines, are the dilspidated aud an
tiuue residences of three distinguished Major Gene
rails of the American Revolution. Within q radius OF
one mile ami Il half lived, long and weary years, Chas.
Lee. the sinister hero Of Monmouth Horatio Gates,
The loser of the battle of Camden and the Southern
camp.isn. aud Adam Stephen, the early friend OF
Washington. In this little vtIage--on whose golden
forests I am gazing-under the shadows OF the great
woods nere-r-mote from camps and the flashing
world, these three warriors rusted out the remalpder
of their lives in inglorious repose, the swords in moth.
eaten scabbards no more To be drawn. Here, II L
miarake not, two of them died, and soon even these
lingering memorials OF them will crunble and dlsap.
pear as their figures are fading from the general
mind ,
LEES house is a hundred PAGES from the little as
se,Dblage of houses called by his name, and Is an OBJ
long building of stone, with chimneyS AZ each end
and lnidway-low, with q rude porch, depending, as
il were, above the rough door. and with a few out
houses. Gates lived somewhat further from the town.
in q plain. uudecorated building; and Stephen occu
pied a mansion probably built by the earliest pioneers
of tho valley, in which everything is small and con.
fued but the fire place. But that is neither small nor
confined. 1t is grand-enormous! Around II now
many good companions must have gathered IN tue
OlCen uhS, anu VIM Ouuuo Va iS'Shy HoV AN
rafrars overhead, You may read OF Adam Stephen
in Sparks edition of the writings of Washington;
and there you will fud that among the hardy gentle
men who stood shoulder 10 shoulder with the young
chief at Winchester, when the Indians ravaged the val.
lev n hundred wears ago, was Lieutenant Stephen A
large landed proprietor hereabouts. he doubtless re-
scented the trespa.. of the Indians upon his grounds,
stretching toward the foot Of the great North Noun
tain-at least, We know that he did good service. He
WAS afterwards an effective officer OF the Revolution
AIRY struggle; bu' left the army about the period of
the battle of Princeton, Disguised ht something or
other-and so came hither, and lived and died.
o. Gates and Lee more is known; the story Of the
woful quarrel of the latter with Washington at MOu-
mouth, you may read in full in the recently published
third volume of lrvings great work. 1t IL probable
thu, history will finally show that Lee was not 80
much in the wrong rs the world supposes. That he
made Il b!uuder iu ordering his forces to rotreat-and
that his retreat very nearly ruined all the plans oil
Washington, and lost ns the bhttle-tbis Ia certain -
But il WAS probably IN error Of judgment--not a want
Of courage. In Lcutzis great picture, he sits ON his
horse sullen!y before the Chief, whose hot anger
flames out-all that he did and said afterwards was
sulleu too, unfortunately. High words-indignsn
correspondence; Washington cold and haughty-Lee
raging; then a court. martial suspension for a year
and Lee, in utter disgust, threw up his commission,
and same hither TO hoo to~bacco-that being tbs best
school for q General he said, with q sneer ut ash.
ington. And here in this poor and obscure dwelling,
as have said, rusted out the sharp spirit Of Lee, and
fell into dust and oblivion. With few n~eighbors, no
friends; surrounded by hounds and horses, and ma
king the chase his only occupation, nthrly; mus nveu
the General and died. One day, long afterwards, says
n%,radition of the neighborlOod. Washington sent hi,
old adversary a note, saying that he would call on q
certain morning and see him-;hat he hoped all pas
contention and bitterness had been forgotten he wa
coming 10 zee him as an old coInrade IN arWs-as
friend.
On the day fixed for the visit, Lee sent ava,
all his servants placed upon the locked front door
psper with mo meat cooked here to-day writtei
thereon-and then followed his servants, leaving
Washington Ia knock in vain. He never returned, an
with the passing year the eccentric soldier grew NOR
morose AMI repe!ing. The ground floor of hls hous
was divided by chalk lines merely, forming thus fou
compartments. In the first he kept his booke-in tn
second was his hed-his saddles and hunting gear II
the third: the fourth was used for a kitchen. He coul'
thus sit in one spot, he said with grim humor, ant
overlook his entire household. Tired ct his dog
and hs silent misanthropy at last, he commenced hi
silent Queries, Political aud Military an attack OF
Washington. But the world declined listening t
him, and then, tired of life, the cynical spirit q
Charles Lee fled to other realms. His last word
weve-"Staud by me, my brave srenadlers - and ~
he ended his career on earth.
A word now of the third ray Of my triad ofwarriors
Haratio Gates came To- the old house yUnder after thu
battle of amden. 1t was the Gates whohad taken Bur
goyne, aud whose popularity at one time overshadow
ed Was!ington's. But now, alas! how fallen. Til,
breath Of an indignant public opinion had blaste'
him; and his lsur-ls were all scared and withered.-
He had lost the battle OF Camden-had been deposel
from the command OF the army OF the South, to max,
way for Green-oyer his head lowered Il heavy CLIQUE
Of public execration almost; ana Congress II va
said, had prepared its thunderbo!t to strike him.
But the bolt never fell. The sad soldier 5 sorrow wa
respected. They lett him TO die in peace here
enough punishment that the magnificent drama Q
thu Revolution vas played out. independent OF on
who had enacted 40 splendid n part in the earlier acts
These three old wooden houses are the visih!e ~
mains of three vigorous lives-iu them, to the musinI
eye, the spirits o: Gates, aud Lee, aud Stephen hove
around there stlll, speaking in every whisper ot tn
piue trees and the oaks-,hoss ancient oaks Of tn
noble English looking 'chase" which murmur yonde
beneath the window through whose heightened visit
appears the iuLc mansion OF General Adam Stephen
Here, within a gun shot almost of each other, thee
men of history rep~"sed-thnugh not happily, We mus
ccnclude- after all their struggles. The current 0
the Opequon. resonant in old days with savage shout
and dyed with blood. murinrrcd by them. and per
haps spoke to their minds of other days-typifyin,
human things which ever bud aud flow, and chang
like ihe skies nf autumn Yonder-ihe pnrrpnna lpnxes