The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1878-07-04


A capital plan of the British minis
try for the campaign of 1777 was the
seizure 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 suhiuea-
tion Of the resisting States might be-
come an easy task. To accomplish this
end forces were prepared to move 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 L;eutenant-G Cen
eral BurgcyRe commanded the northern
invading army, and Sir WilIiam Howe
the forces that were to penetrate Nev
York from the South.
At this point treaeherous officer Of
high rank in the Continental army ap-
pears conspicuous In the series of events
that caused the evacuation of Philadel-
phia. That officer was Charles Lee, the
senior Major-General under Wash
ington. He had been an officer in the
British army, served under Burgoyne in
Portugal, and had risen to the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel. He had served
under Braddock in the disastrous con-
fict en- the banks of the Monongahela,
an9 with Abercrombie in the unsaecess
ful attack on Ticonderega, about twenty
years before the time we are consider.
lag. lee al dweIt fer a time among
tie Mohawk Indians, Who made him
chief, with the appropriate name Of
''Boiling Water, for he was hot and
restless man, vain, arrogant, jealous,
and qlarrelsome. Falling TO obtain
higher promotion in the army, he left
the royal service, came to America in
1878, engaged in politics on the side of
the colonists, and when the Continent
al army was organized be received the
commission of Major General. He re-
signed his commission In the British
army, but required Congress to indem-
nifty him against any loss which he
might sustain as CONSCIENCE 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 l776, loaned him upon his
own bond $4,000. He was simply an
unscrupuleas and selfish adventures,
whose influence in the army was always
pernieious.
Proud, censerious, and diHobedient,
Lee had followed Washington st dis
tanoe with q heavy force during the
Perilous flight of tho shattered Ameri-
can army across New Jersey late In
l776, pursued by the victorious troops
of CORVALLIS. Washington repeatedly
called upon Lee to push forward and
give him strength to strike the pur.
surer, and be as often omitted to obey.
He evidently desired to have disaster
befall his superior, hoping thereby to
promote his own ambitious scheme te
become commander-in-cbief. 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
he was used harshly at first by General
Howe as British deserter, but very
soon that commander and his officers
treated Lee with marked consideration
And well they might; for Lee revealed
to Howe the political condition o.
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland anG
Virginia, and presented him with 8
written plan for the suhjugation of the
colonies, which promised better results
than that of the Ininistery. He made
it appear SO plainly that land and
naval expedition up the Chesapeake and
Delaware bays would prove successful
that the brothers Howe abandoned the
ministerial plan and largely accepted
Lees. They sailed for Chesapeake Bay
with a greater part of the of the Brit
ish army, instead of going up the Hud.
son to cooperate with Burgoyne com.
ing 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 of I777, and held it
until June, 1873. This abandonment
of Burgoyne caused the loss of that
Generals army and its splendid ap.
pointments; and the ruin of the minis
terial plan.-RGrper's Naga@i,ss for