New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-06-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
REPLY TO REED.

IL, 1i.c,eses tbc position Of General Joseph Reed
an tho Revolutionary struggle, hut gives an eXposi-
finn of his own principles Of historical compoS'lon'
The remarks with which be introduces TINS essay
IMPLY TO the other celebrated commanders concern
inc whom his statements have been called III pnes-
ton as well as 10 the President OF fehiSy wanna,
81 have he says, through long NE accustomed
spysef 70 look 10 great and general principles ana
over to +ol,e mart i'm personal yitnpeIauon ana as
,eritios II is nv nature to dwell upon lhaJ WHICH
is generous and great, and to turn away rom that
which * paltry and mean and while do not lee 40
t;lertv to temper honest Judgment by desire loNHl
the favor of the descendants OF those Oh WHOM 1
write always pass over in silence the weaknesses
And folles which neither portray the times nor Illus
trate events No ono but myself knows the candor
which / have exercised, for no one else knows what
materials have been before me and have been put
aside To be forced into establishing defects of char
meter in another is most irksome; the time consumed
in the exposure seems like a waste of life, and now
more than ever when so little of life remains to
me"
The question between Mr. Bancroft and Mr.. VIII
liam b. Reed is succinctly stated.
Wishing to husband every moment for the CONNECTION
nj an almost finished volume Of American history, lot
several refused to the tract upon PRESIDENT
Reed, by his grandson ana 1t was nut lew Hays as4
that il was forced upon my attention. The pamphlet
rontans abundant evidence that the author Is conscious
OF the feeheness of ms In his zeal 10 upset eN
dence derived from of honor who, by 10 fault OF
their own fought against as but who wrote dispason-
ately Of scenes which they witnessed, he runs tilt
against the established canons criticism TO raise a
prejudice, he has the incOncelyaDle Weakness Nch
Riedosel among Hcssians, and TO throw sur ON Min
ehausen for his name He goes about feeling every WnSie
if by chance he can ma some means o eAtIiu
against the prejudice of any man, or community, or
section of country lie runs from NORM 70 SCUM b we
associate aecsers He tries TO enlist in his behalf me
TrandfatLer Is President" though he born else
where and died I'm private life never chosen Pfes
their good name aud has right 70 sequester their
glorious deeds TO his private benefit II men Oh te MI
est merit have in the course OF my narrative appeared rs
not wholly fauesS he seeks TO place his ancestor IN the
o cnnIic has hited President Reed as entering
false plea before the world; the grandson contents MN
.sflf with leaving the charge WrefutCd, and cayng ~
some ipaccuracy i'm the citation Of letter. The same
historian complains of Reed for want Of hueHlX 10
sbld thinks II sufficient reply TO assert That another Of
WashingtOG's secretaries had erred in the same way
Moved by the very natural excitement WHch CONES ron
seeing the monument which he had erected to the pre-
sended virtues and services of his ancestor eumDS 10
the dust the grandson discusses me theme is sgTC
for invectiye and personality though angry W9iHs NV
srtcism He cXagecrates the charges brought against
his grandfather and viii hear OF nothing but extreme
who come and CO. but whose verdict for the particular
case Is final may be willing to get cnllut acquitted ny
making il out that the indictment against nm charged
little too much, lie insists on presenting the question as
Of life and death When the difference netWeenu5 III
itself too wide 10 need eXagCeratiOn. William H. ltecd
describes his grandfather as prominent ana steauast
11,IVt o lie "a rio "rapdson eicvafes him
20 the position of DISTINGUISHED and guiding statesman
that he was governed by selfish considerations and
in moments Of crisis significance; The grand
con esteems him for fidelity and candor ind ms chaI
hero whose fortitude increased with advcrslty; pre-
was not heartily i'm the cause of his country, ana VINO
near the end of 1716 meditatcd detection
In pursuing the examination of President Reeds
public character Mr. Bancroft first traces his course
from the approach of the Revolutionary crisis TO the
close of the year 11G he then considers how far his
Of fsp
previous suspicious concerning bis fidelity to the
American cause; and finally explains why it was
necessary for the ends of history to hold him mp in
the light of truth. The proofs adduced by Mr. Ban
croft 20 to show that General Reed early expressed
opinions to British minister favorable to the British
side; opinions which could never have been given
by any statesman Of New-Yorls, Virginia or South
Carolina or by any true-hearted American patriot
that at the same time. he used the strongest Ian
guage of the foremost patriots with whom he pro
fessed to be in perfect sympathy that, after thf
declaration Of independence, he expressed "a fear
that Congress had taken its decision irrevocaby,'
md was ready himself to take part in parley OF
treaty with the HOWeS the avOWed object of which
was to lead the colonies back into state of depend
snce that he anxious to get out Of the public
service, and resigned his commission in the army
within three months Of the declaration; that upon
the nOn-acceptance of his resignation by Congress-
ne seized the moment OF his cOuntys most desperate
weakness and his own absence from camp on special
and most important public duty, to retire abruptly
md absolutely from the service; although he after
ward recalled his resignation to himself from
greater reproach than he could have borne
and if lie escaped Opprobrium he did by
false pretenses that after this he stiil gave signs
Of disafiection spoke with dstrust Of the remains
of the sha ttered army and without the knowledge
of his superior officer sought conference with the
Hessian commander, Colonel DonOp; that he de-
clared his conviction that a man with a family
bound TO provide for their safety by submitting TO
the British that he separated from army Of which
he pretended to be the virtual commander, and with
out any public motive went within the British line
of posts; from which. and other similar circun-
stances Mr. Bancroft concludes, that in his public
rapacity, he was shutting, pusillanmous, and iITeso
lutte that in moments of crisis he avoided committal;
that the hardness of his decisions made them of no
significance that his character was tainted by du-
plicty; and that, az yacatng trimmer in the
darkest moment of the darkest hour, he meditated
detection.
We pass over the career Of General Reed from the
end Of 1776 to the middle Of 1885, which Mr. Bancroft
brings forward an abundant store Of evidence TO
prove, fully justifes every doubt that has been ex
pressed of his integrity.
As to the reasons which compelled the exhibition
of Reed in his true light Mr. Bancroft urges that it
was necessary in order to purge the pages of history
of scandalous error, introduced in part by Gen
Reed himself but greatly enlarged by his biographer
with an affectatiOn of historical mpartiality, but
without authority and against clear evidence. In
the attempt to exalt the reputation Of Reed, there
has been no scruple to disparage the character Of
Washington. There have been no such libes on the
conduct and ability of the COmmander-in-C Chief as
1 Al. 1. ID. 1