New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-13
RELICS OF THE REVOLUTION

yy,vs' HISTORY OF AN ANCIENT fiL'h VI
ARrILRBY
~ me Edftor Of the TT'o"ne'
en-. Even in these latter days visit TO WISH
inctons Headquarters at Ne"buf9' l"i, VI
snc,.cs+ interest as it is oannot be regarded ny
- "a wholly cxhilara;inr expedition. lie
nav in theory have attained philosorhlc equ"'
ir;, IN lesrcct 90 the fortunes of war; bal 10 pun
!, ;llv if docs not add to his happiness to read on
n Dritish cannon such an Inscription as taken a'
the captulatIon of Yorktown" ~But the ia'A' sc''-
timent of humiliation which he experiences Is more
tLan compensated for bv the interest WIN "n''"
the collection Of relics and papers must lhSp'o INN
II ne is a student CT literature he VIII ne Sfu'"'
nerhaps. most of all by the splendid nervous Eng
bsh IN which the men of the Revolution were wont
10 express themselves. There is, perhaps noun
lug finer in the language than N"Saiue,o"
letter 20 General Gage and he Is no true ui"n "no
heart will not swell at the reading OF poor "hoiV'
claim that he should he granted the honor OF inc
bullet rather than die on the gibbet.
But stranger in Your land " It who scarcely feels
himself a stranger has TO prctensons to occupy
y,iuable newspaper space by comments that must
be trite Nv object in this letter Is ~ ask poih'S-
s;o, IN make few observations concerning the ms
tory IA history told BY the pieces them'eIYesl OF
,oue Of the cannon ;nat stand aroand the quaih'
old house lat of these. with brief Particulars II
gwen in the catalogue, prepared by MI u NJ hui
tcnhex and sold the premises by Tho curator
The titlo page Of this catalogue sets torth h"V IL j.
sraparcd for the trustees, under ACT OF pa! -
tsTt" which entitles one to regard IL rs "'ic''I'
ling oGioial it onght to be corfec but there are
CERTAIN POINTS as 10 which, with due dldence'
would venture to point ont that Il Is not correct
These points may seem tIviat, but 1t soems 10 me
that no memorial of period so full OF everehcnnnR
;,.s.r,.+ co, Ia. roo ,on-d as uulDDOrtGnt.
On the penulthnate page Of this catalogue there
i a list Of rrophy guns rom WateFvHct Arsenal"
contributed 'by order Of the Secretary Of Var
In THIS list there occurs the following item; |"o'
One 8-incb Howitzcr-- ing sb 5ronzo-captUrcd AT
Yorktown. Oct. II, ISL" The p!>ce stands on the
lawn on the river front OF the headquorer mousse
ana Il Internationally bears The inscription sur
rendered by the captulation OF Yorktown l9th OF
October. Isl" But il also bears the inscription
'Douav, Borengcf, f770," winch proves II 20 be
not English bronze. but French bronze; beterGer
lawn. been q noted cannon-l "nudeI Oh DJuAy' III
g.. North OF France. during the greater part Of
last ,eutary. Ii seems evident, then, thal the pece'
v.l.cn undoubtedly was captu.ated by Corn"al.e
atYork;own. must in the first instance have been
I,lze nj British arms, since as Britain and France
vere 1t war throughout the period OF
what may DO called its life, from
,77a. tie date Of its manufacture, TIL
1881 the date OF its presumab!e super
aunuati3n ny the capitulation Of Yorktown. II is
impossible that Britain could have purchased 1t OF
fi.. French founder; nor indeed would such pur-
raase consti;uteit "Englsh bronze" ii the piece
had a short hfe it had also IA merry one 1t lived In
an active-serylcc three years. and 1T passed
through as many hands. The question is whether
tho British took IT from the French before the
Aaericans took it from the British, or
whether they bad taken 1t from the Amer
i,,ns only to surrender it back again to them.
:, early as t7T6 the French Government was COW
or.ly fayocing the Americans b. allowing them to
draw ar1,s from the State arSenals of France, and
nn do. bt many of the French cannon now around
ia, old house At Newburg were the results OF this
secret good will The TreHCh cOuntenance became
ol.~E and active cooperation il 1913. and the how
!tz.r which forms my tcpic may have been furnished
~ DE3taiIo - the American troops a4ttt IlN 1p
IearHncs before Savannah II September l||S, ana
,aoy :aay have est il or III the alternatives u may
never L,vo been In American hands nc all until
Ccrawal.is surrcnd0rs! II, and DEstainR may nave
Li.sa;f lost il directly to tho British.
.Nie cn,Stior can &c narrowed down 10 very me
ro,.. = EstaTg. i! II las he VINO iot II must nave
done ia tie unsuccessful! a9fdGlt Thch ne; III con-
ii,.:ian with the American Ge zeal LinColn maHe
Uror Savsanah October g. lI1?, IN which ne was
,j.rr4cd and immediately after ich be raised the
81, .. Of that lown. IF again q was the AmerGans
w',5 lost IT. out five opportunities occurred III when
that rnisc,knce could have ceinlieu them' lho
l.
irav. Iiaon!u's s1ire:,d~r of Charleston ~ CIEton
On tue l2.a of May. 1880. after !arot0La cavalry
had made his position unenaD!e bfcAtilhe bl5 COLT
fu3uicatiGDs Il may Lave passed tTiapUidi'N IHto
iIrItsb hands az "a result OF the battle CT Camden.
krguzt is 1850, when Gl'es's militia broke uuner
tLe In rol.r charge of Cornwlliis's regciars. The
british might have got possession u II during tae
ro,rso Of Gree 1es retreat across North carolina INTO
Vifz1nia before CORVALLIS N February, l|el' dur
i-q FAR o.! which the pursuit was 50 close that he
tH,eyicon rear guard was engaged and part OF the
baggage was sacrificed or again next month at
Gord 0onr, hGGst Tren 1hs w pdefaSa0c
,,s Rat one can scarcely suppose tie Brtish 10
ave acquired trophies at G1ilfcr1. when Fox.
rer.ar9, on hearing that encounter claimed IN the
/ ,.>e Of Commons "a . victory, IA remembered
Aacther such victOry viii rain tie brl'lsh array
81 again the English Inay have gained It on the
+, casiou Il Lord RSwdOnH victory over Orcenes
Ir,n7s At UobkIrk Hiilin AorIL 173l, VI seen after
lu Jone OF mo same year. When on kawdons apc
oaah 3sns was foIG'a b aksu 70 for Srsntnd
thst ths B-::ish although nominalv the vlctor at
Tutaw Springs. Won no trophies Gil that baidiought
'rl,s much ip certain, that the piece within the
t:rs wears Of its life French property, English
propbty. and American property ana IL may nave
beer : Fl. nch piece, all American piece an EhgiAh
piece and again an American nlcce. know no
iaralirl If vclssitr5e 20 swift. At Kyrenca in Cy-
prus, whittier went WITH eif ttarnet oisciey IN
leJooged ~ the LusiChaEs then 10 tie Genoese,
.hcn to the vonetians and thea TO the Turks; but
eo@tnr,ss. Your own military history fnr-
nishes an example of curiously strange sce,saw
vicissituds in the posses-orship OF ardiieTy
Part Of the eCovIaCnt Of General Hull. Who
Invaded Canada from Detroit in July, 1912. and
vino in, the following month fell back on that then
frtifed post were two field guns that bore the IN.
e-rption, Surrendered By bTgoyne at Saratoga"
Hun capitnlated discrcditab!y TO General Brock,
md ito two. pieees. originally hiitish. re-
;ur year fac American General Harrison fought
With the British Colonel Proctor an overwhelin-
ingly snccessful engagement at the Morayian town
rn The Canadi au liver Thames, among the results
of which was the recovery by the Americans Of the
Two FIELD guns in question. which. had thns been
British American, British, and then hnauy Amer
lean. IL ,,t -.