Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-01-28
Military Fidelity.

Ia the course of his recent speech in tie
United States House of Representatives, MIR.
Tucker, Of Virginia, an able man, and
practical and consistent secessionist, spoke
OF the late General Lee, under whom he
had served, as if that distinguished sol
dier's case had been the same with that
Of General Washington. There is not the
slightest resemblance between tie ease Of
George Washington and that of Robert
Edmund Lee. Washington early entered
the colonial service, and he thought Of ad-
mission into the royal army. He served as
a colonial officer for several years. This, OF
course. bound him closely to the King OF
Great Britain, George IL. for the Governor
Of Virginia was only one of the Kings
Iieutenants. and the Assembly of Virginia
was as loyal as the British Parliament. Ii
does not anywhere appear that Washington
ever bad disloyal thought toward his
sovereign, and we all know how high and
punctiliously he carried the ideas Of military
obedience and soldierly fidelity. Had he
been placed in the regular army, unques-
tionablv he would have been found on the
ROYAL side in the war of the Revolution .
| if he had left the service Of the crown, he
would not have gone over 10 the other side.
| Bnt lie left even the colonial service more
than sixteen years before the beginning of
the Revolutionary contest in arms. From
lbs TO l775. he had no connection what
eyer with the British service ,-near or re-
mote. direct or indirect, colonial or regular.
! He led the life Of country gentleman and
when the troubles between the mother
country and the colonies began, he sided
with the colonies When war began, he
was appointed Commander-in-C Chief. In
accepting the command in l115, he violated
no special Obligation to the British govern
ment. under which he had held no military
commission since l15o.
Contrast with these facts the incidents Of
General Lees career. The latter was edu-
Gated, at West Point, at the expense Of
the national government. He served in the
nations regular army for thirty-two year,
after he had been graduated at the nationa
Academy. He rose. steadily and credita-
blv. through various grades, until he wa;
made colonel Of cavalry, which was higt
promotion for those times. lie was regard
ed as map who soon would be the chic
officer in the regular service. He was trust
ed without reserve by the government, anC
the nation held him in the highest esteem
| There was nothing of which he could com
plain. His Obligations to the country ant
the government were OF the greatest; ant
vet he left the service in which he had beer
used 50 well, and confded in almost to sim
plicity, to take part in an unproyoket
movement, got up for the express purpOs
of destroying that government Of which h
had been one OF the most favored servant
for a generation There Is hardly cas-
on record, when an officer lot distinction ha
acted after the fashion of General Lee, il
which tie condemnation Of the world la
not been pronounced against that officer
No. il never viii answer to Justify Treason
and deSerton in a soldier and the higher
soldier rank, and the greater his intellec
tuai powers, and he more extensive his in
fuCntc. tue more wicked is his treachery
and the more deserving is he Of condemna
tion -B5Soa IrarGir.