Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-12-22

[Fron the Century,
OH A RI ES LBF
OF THE REVOLUTION.

On a recent tour to the Virginia mountains,
| paid a visit to the rude and time-worn eGi-
fee to which General UOratio Gates, after his
defeat at Camden, retired in sulien despair.
To the left as | entered, was a large apart
ment, apparently designed Tor a dining room,
and sweeping clear from wall to wall of the
building. On the right was smaller room,
with three front windows There wds here q
curious old print, entitled "The Flower of New
York. if | remember rightly, and opposite an
other sketch, highly coIorcd, Of an American
draroon in pursuit Of an Eugshman, from
whose unfortunate back protrudes the butt Of
a bayonet, which has pierced him But the
object of most interest in the old apartment
was window pane, on which was scratched,
with diamond ring, the initials H. G d" sur
mounted by a coat Of arms and on another
pane, in the round, unmistakenabIe handwrit-
ing of the men of the Revolution, was the in
scription General c." At the letter &C"
the hand of the writer he'd suddenly paused
and to one unfamiliar with the former tenants
Of the ancient mansion the res. Of the name
would remain a mystery. There is, however,
no reason to doubt upon the subject. Local
history informs US who visited Gates constant
II at his hause, here, in the far past. 1t was
the hand Of the victor at Saratoga which, IN
all probability, traced these letters on the pane,
leaving the name unfinished. That name was
General Charles Lee OF zaonmouth memmory
the friend, then the enemy Cf Washington
His life was strange One-as strange as
the character Of the man. The general read
er knows, probably, very little about the in
dividual, beyond the fact that he was Major
General in the Americou Revolution, and that
he very nearly ruined the cause which he up
held by his retreat at Monmouth An old and
curious voumn, which | have lately secured,
communicates a mass of matter upon the sub
ject OF his 8Etecedents, aud his strange ad-
ventures. 1t is entitled Memories of the
Life of the late Charles Lee, Esq, Lieut.
Col. of the Forty Fourth Regiment Colonel in
che Portuguese service, Major General and
Aid de Camp to the King OF Portugal, and
second in command in the service of the L nited
States Of America, during the Revolution
London, 1927 The volume is entertain ng
in a high degree, aud contains complete pic,
ture of the man. The main points are worthy
of embodiment n a sketch Born Of parents
who ranked with the gentry of Euglaud-for
bis father was John Lee, Esq, of DernhaIl, in
the county of Chester, his mother a daughter
of Sir Henry Bunbury, Bart.-young Lee en-
tered life under the most favorable auspices,
somewhere about the year 1870. From his
earliest years military tactics we're his faVorite
study, and the least discerning could see that
the boy was sooner or later, to adopt the
career of arms. At an early age we accord
iugly find him commanding company of GreI-
adcrs of the Fortyfourth Regiment, at the
battle of Ticonderoga, where he was shot
through the body in q desperate charge On
his death bed he remembered that charge and
murmqred, dellrously, Stand by me- my brave
Grenadiers J" we next hear Of him. after
the reduction Of Montreal. as returning to Eng-
land, and attacking the ministry in pamphlet,
which espouscd the American side SO warmly