Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-08-07

"
/ knew oy the association Of the whole
1 war, the military life and habits of -ths
htsO resident. He is buried at PUMP,
tons N j =, the seat of his family rraI
I Ane sight Of this old standard sC
nauch older and more storied than on
newer shOd-Fiveu and grimy g,tisfg,1s
ll4spelled me to make some search In
! tue Library of Congress for the life III
Z william ColfaX. In this, Mr.. SpofFord
tne Librarian, assisted uletRnd although
1 the results were meager, they were IN
4 the highest interest. loi
/ First out of Peter Forces collection
/ OF manuscripts drew yellow FOOLS
! cap sheet, in the Handwriting of "VVfl.
Alam Golfax, COmmahdan6.51 p I,easfn0
the date ofJUne Is, 1783, and cOntain-
lnS Cne names Of sixtY-five men, con
stltuGlng the life guard OF the COM
mandeF-in-ChieE Across the sack ~
the reportuia the handwriting of GeOrpe
washington, was Writtens
'tREPoRF
OF THE ECOAEafArEDEB-IN-oHI
APPRCvEDH
Then, out of Lessing's Field Book.
HOwe's New Jersey Historical ColIee.
biOlts, and o5tReE documents of the WA
of Independence, I gathered the folIoy1-
ing data--s4Rrice in6erestigE now m tba
A1gh6 OF the brilliant cakeer of his dt-and-
son--of William Colfax, the lifs-gharis-
man OF Che Father of his Country,
4hS LlIe Guatd was organized on
New York Island in l776, soon after the
siege of Boston, It was conlnosed ~
one hundred and eighty men. and was
at 1rst COM manded by Calle6 Csibhss 81
Rhode Island. There were three Lieu
tenants, Harry p. Livingston, Of New
4 4 or " IA. COlIazs OF New Jersey, and
benjamin Goymes, Of virginia In
II49 w N, Colfa1 was raised to the chief
command, and the number of the pIiarCI-
was lncreasea te two hundred and fiftv
men. ColoRel Nichols, of Virginia.
was lAeuoeHSat under Colfax. It was
Colfax whom Washington personallv
relied upon and preferred to hold this
Important place near his person, and il
was through the solicitations OF CAPTAIN
Colfax that Washington was Initiated
into Free. Masonry, taking his first de-
gree at MorristOWn, New jersey. while
Gne army lay there in winter quartsrB.
rms ceremony was performed in what
Is known as the Morris Hotel, Opposite
the village green of MOrristownt over
what was recently the Dar-room. .-f
AT MorrlstoWn, Captain CoIfax was
particularly the guardian Of the safstv y
of Gen. Washington. The later bs9
ms headquarters then in the house Of
Gabriel Ford, Esq, still standfng. n
was a mile or more out Of town. The
General and his family occupied all Tie
mousse except couple of rooms reserv-
ed Tor Mr.. ford and family: in A loo
hut, on one side, he kept his Office witR
mis- Alde-de-Camps Hamilton. TiI0h-
man and others: log hut on the onT,o-
site side accommodated his cook SIR
geon 1haGcner IN his diary relates the
nardsnlps OF that winter. The Life
Guards occupied fifty rude hints i'm 4
meadow near by, and the army was en-
camped oyer a long sweep OF hillsides
two or three miles of in either diTacll /
biom- Tine near proximity al the Dyit
tsl eFng o2liged Gaptaifi Colfsn GO be I
- slllSssaIlyIy aIeEL- When an alarm gum
was sounded, successive interior Dicf7efs I
repeated - till the whole line of eanaDs
Ras aroused. IL the alarm were near
bys the Life Guard at once filled the I
mouse. Five marksman were nlRca{T M
eacn WlMdoW, ready to shoot down Hnv
enemy. Inc sCatrcases were Ruarded /
and in this way the Life Guard bei3 |
the Generals person TIL the eafIiesf
regiment appeared in sight.
captain OoIIax used to relate in his
old years. with great deal OF humor
an instance of the complacencY- oil
Washington.
One time the alarm was sounded -
Confusion reigned, An aide-de-camp 4
rushed into the house crying: tsWhereis /
the General? Where's the General %
Washington coming out of his room,
and walking comPosedly down stairs,
said: f
.sBe quiet, young man BE quiet.''
"
used TO 1rilI his famous regiment Of
cavalry. Captain Colfax relates that
Pulaski used to hre off his pistol, throw
{ in the air catch it, hurl it at an Inn
aginary enemy, and then, with one
foot IN tho stirrup, bend 70 the ground
without losing his rein, and recover the
AZ. this place Washington. rode q
light bay horse. so small that the Gem
erals legs, astrtdo him, almost touched
.he grouud. Captain Colfax often told
Jne Of thsfew Instances when wash
ngton was known to laugh heartily
e was when describing ArnOld'a preeip-
tate eight from RObinson's house at
West Point, on the discovery Of his
reason, The estimate of washington /
yiVen by Colfax will not be inappifca.
ole to Gen. Grant
s"He was reserved and his mind ap-
peaEed continually in exercise. He
lniCed sound judgment with the extre-
most degree of caution.N hr
The Life GAuaFdsmen continued in ex-
stence under Captain Colfax till T7s3,
he last year of the war, when there
heir commandaut. They were selected
BY quotas from each of the States, with
reference to their physical, moral and
attributes.
To imagine the leader OF this IA
nous band of picked patriots we have
o revive the strong, devoted faithful
ice Of Captain COlfax dressed in the n
inform of his compauys blue coat with
White facings, white Waistcoat, breech-
IS, half-black CATERS, and cooked hat I
With blue and white feather. lie
Mrs. Matthews has now in her possess
ion the silver shoe buckles cf General / Z
part of the tokens which
he chieftain gave his beloved attendant. /
{ was while at NVashimgtonis heads ,
quarters that ColfaX made the acquain-
anCo Of General Schuyler and married u
nto his family, whereby our candidate 4
or the Vice Presidency adds to his \
lame that Of the heroic PATRON OF AL 4
amy. When Colfax was nominated
he other day George Schuyler sent a
i'm Cousiuiy cOngfatulation. II
Captain Colfax became General Coll 4
AK in the war of 1872. It is pleasant to I
eeollect that the hand which Washing
on had shaken so intimately and SO La
has also often caressed in | I
lis grandson, the as intimate and be- 4
oved friend of Lincoln. The war OF In
ependence and the war of Freedom are 4
epresented alike in Grant and COlfaN. / L
10th are grandsons Of soldiers Of the | h
revolution. Coltax shows his good eN- 4
raction in his clear complexion, ruby 4
Ups, fine eyes and the excellent Iuster 4
{ his hair. Grant looks like The sturdy | q
older Of the line, bearing tCughly up
Tith the bayonet against the tedious ! 4
OF the battle. Being what
hey weru in pRrentage and patriotism
Who could expect to hnd Them but
where they stand at the head of the 2
ife-guards Of the Republic9