Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-05-13

Addressed The Hon'ble Caesar Rodney,
Esq, Member of Congress, at Philad'a.
After their retreat from the battle on Long
Island, and their successful withdrawal
across the East River to New York, the
American army was for some days posted
north of the city, between the two rivers,
the Delaware regiment, with others, at
Kings Bridge. From there, five days after
his last preceding letter, Dol. Hazlet writes :
COL. HAzLET TO NIB. RODNEY.
CAMP AT KING's-B BRIDGE, Sept. 4, 1776
Sir Not hav ing it in my power to write
you one word worth your attention. have
| troubled you but once. Here are we on the
| heights above King s-Bridge, exposed to
| wind weather, and the enemy, who appear
to have nearly as much in their power to
| cut off our communication as ever. Our
army has been once already deranged,
Tandl immensity of labor and expense,
thrown away in fortifying Long Island, at
once abandoned and New York soon to be
| in the same situation. From the superior
number of the British troops, and the ad-
| vantages of their feet the city is indefensi-
BILE, (you know sir, speak only my own
| opinions, to those in whom l confide,)
their throwing men across any part Of New
York Island easily in theirpower somewhere
to effect in one night, and digging up
slight intrenchment effectually reduces the
city and all within their line to the dire ne
cessity Of fighting at ia vast disadvantage or
| eurrendering at discrotion-dreadful altern-
ative
Had Long Island been rendered useless
to the Enemy, New York laid In ashes, when
we were ordered to Long Island and the
heights between this and Connecticut prop
erly occupied, the enemy must have at
tackled at disadvantage, or we [beenl at lib
erty to fight when we pleased, and if
worsted would have had it in our power to
retire to the nearest adjacent hill and obsti-
nately disputed every inch in their progress
sion. 'Iis true this kind of devastation may
be condemned as cruel, but Provinces, ere
now, have been sacrificed with applause to
the safety of a Kingdom, and what ought
not to- be done for the safety of Continent? :?
The General Washington, of course.-ED.1 I
l revere his character for disintereeted-
ness, patience, and fortitude will be held in
everlasting remembrance, but the vast
burthen appears much too much his own.
Beardess youth and ineXperience, regimen
tailed, are too much about him. Did Hazet
here refer to Hamilton, who. 10 years old,
was at this very time attracting the atteu-
ton and engaging the confidence of Wash
! iugton ED The original scheme for the
' disposition OF the army appears to have
been on too narrow scale, ard everything
almost sacrificed or endangered for the
preservation of New York and its environs
+ all which deserve from every honest
American political d-nation.
,, We have alarm upon alarm-orders now
= issued and the next moment reversed
{ Would to Heaven General Lee was here is
Y the language of officers and men. ] had
n the honor to mention to you in my last thai
the Delaware Battalion is in high reputa.
0 ton. In consequence Of Id. Strings cap
8 tivlty new arrangement has been made o.
q the troops all the Pennsylvanians ant
:, Delawsres are here in Genl. Mifllins bri
gade, who complimented me yesterday OF
4 the behaviour of our troops. shall thanl
{. you for a line to him in our favor when yoI
, write him next Colonel Smallwood woulc
:. also have been with us, I'm told, but for
u dispute of rank between him and me which
Or when brought before the Genl. was decidet
in our favor.
To your last You will before now ha -
ceived short and dry answer how
1t be otherwise human patience canno
bear it, However, from the choice of NeV
"a Castle lcountyl Messrs. Mexican and Rea
=, will be continued most certainly and nobod
to vie with you but DIR. Ridgely, whose at
- tachnent to his interest will certainly caus
i. him to decline if so, all is we'll, as we say
70 in camp.
u ~ l request you to make nv compliment
~ to the barrister and Captain Rodney con
Il dole with them nightly in their presen
q state of detecting dereliction, and beseecl
= them to inform Mrs. HazleJ am we'll.
al We expect every moment something i'm
to portant here, and hope in our next to figh
,e on more equal terms, and give you a NOR
A. pleasing account am, [&c.,l
of JOHN HAzLET.
O. The illusions in the closing paragraphs
Except the last,) are to political movement
" ~ in Delaware, in connection with the holdin
le of the Constitutional Convention, (whic
er sat at New Castle in August and September
g. 1776,) which Col HaZlet feared would resu
ID in throwing Mr.. Rodney out of the delegt
90 ton to Congress. His zeal for Indepent
er ence had outrun the feelings of many of th
: people, and the more prudent course {
ii, Read, who voted against Independenc,
ID though he signed the document, came nea
ay er the eaverage of public approval. Ultimat'
70 ly, few weeks later, new delegates wei
ne chosen, and John Dickinson al
John Evans substituted, (they both
o. clared to serve however,) for Ro
n. uog huu mChehus Iu6 buDJtCy lb relerfi
nd to more fully in the following letter of N
TO Rodney, which has been found amongst Il
Hazlet correspondence
on MR. RODNEY TO COL. HAzLRr.
y. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. IL, 1776
Dear Sir have been favored with tV
letters from you, one dated at New Yor
A. the other at Kings Bridge, in both Of whi
:. you desired would communicate to n
'u' flends your situation after the engageme
'se from whom Mrs. Hazlet might hear
at Imagining it might be considerable til
10 before the news would get to her in IL
way, and that in the meantime she wot
is be very uneasy, therefore wrote let
to her Immediately on the receipt Of yc
first, in which let her know the whole
fair, and sent it by safe hand. I
" happy that / have it in my power to CT
lpt. gratulate you on the bravery your Battal
,ar- has shown in the late action, and the gr
If honor the officers and men have acquii
i, of by it. They are much spoken of here, q
was 1 have been often cemplimented in beh
g l of the Government on their account. I'll
itu- deserve much Of their country, and Gas
OF individual, have my most hearty thanks
tier am extremely sorry for poor Stuart and
lore other brave lads that fell, Stewart was