Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-05-22
Charles Lees Treason.

Charles Lees Treason.
A capital plan of the British ministry
for the campaign OF 1777 was the sci
zure and the occupation by military
posts of the Champlain and Hudson
valleys, from ST. Johns on the Sorel, to
the city of New York. The object
was to sever the close union between
New England and the other states,
paralyze the powers of each section,
and SO weaken the whole that the sub
lugation Of the resisting states might
become an easy task. TO accomplish
this endforces were prepared to 90 south
ward from the banks of the st. Law
renee, while other forces should ascend
the Hudson river, and these columns,
meeting near Albany, perfect the exc
cution of the scheme. Lieutenant
General Burgoyne commanded the
northern invading army, and Sir Will
liam Howe the forces that were to
penetrate New York from the south.
At this point treacherous officer
of high rank in the Continental army
appears conspicuous in the series of
events that caused the evacuation of
l.
Lee, the senior major.general under
Washington. He had been an officer
in the British army, served under
Burgoyne in Portugal, and had 1isen
to the rank of aforementioned. He
had served under Braddock in the
disastrous conflict on the banks of the
Monongahela, and with Abercrombie in
the unsuccessful attack on Ticonderoga,
about twenty years before the time we
are considering. Lee had dwelt for
time among the Mohawk Indians, who
made him a chief with the appro-
pirate name of Boiling Water"-for
he was hot and ever restless man.
vain, arrogant, jealous, and quarrel
some. Failing to obtain higher pro-
motion IN the army, he left the royal
service, came to America in 1873, en-
gagged in politics on the side of the
colonists, and when the continental
army was organized he received the
commission of major-general. He re-
signed his commission in the British
army, but required congress to in
demnify himself against any loss
which he might sustain as q conse-
quence of that act. Then he began to
play the part of an American patriot;
and to enable him to continue to do so,
congress, in the autumn of 1776, loaned
him upon his own bond $3O,OOO He
was simply an INSCRIPTIONS and selfish
adventurer, whose influence in the
army was always pernicious
Proud, censorious, and disobedient,
Lee had followed Washington at a
distance with heavy force during the
perilous flight of the shattered Ameri-
can army across New Jersey late in
1776. pursued by the victorious troops of
CORVALLIS. Washington repeatedly
called upon Lee to push forward and
give him strength to strike the pursuers,
and he as often omitted to obey.
He evidently desired to have disaster
befall his superior, hoping thereby to
promote his own ambitious scheme to
become commanger-in-chief. He was
not only disobedient, but several days
after the chase had ended at the Della
ware, and CORVALLIS had relinquished
it, Lee, yet lingering in New Jersey,
suffered himself to be captured at some
distance from his army, by small
British scout Taken to New York.
i1O Ntto uSCu A1a1 only dtU 1llot ny U0IlCIdl
Howe as British deserter, but very
soon that commander and his officers
treated Lee with marked consideration.
And we'll they might; for Lee revealed
to Howe the political condition of Penn
sylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Vir-t
ginia, and presented him with written
plan for the subsection of the colonies,
which promised better results than that
of the ministry. He made it appear so
plainly that a land and naval expe-
dition up the Chesapeake and Della
ware bays would prove successful, that
the brothers Howe abandoned the
ministerial plan and largely accepted
Lees. They sailed for Chesapeake
bay with greater part of the British
army, instead of going up the Hudson
to cooperate with Burgoyne coming
down from the North. Howe landed
his troops on the shores of Maryland,
marched into Pennsylvania, gained a
victory on the banks of the Brandy
wine Creek, frightened congress from
Philadelphia, took possession of that
city in the autumn oft1777, and held it
until June 177So This abandonment of
Burgoynev caused the loss of that gen.
erals army and its. splendid appoint
ments, and the ruin of the ministerial
plan.-Berason j. Losing, an Horper's
Magazine for Jatne. s.di EF'tao5 sldi
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