New-York tribune., 1882-04-28

weaknesses Of character and committed now an"
then an error of judgment, but one fails 10 discover
from these pages that Mr.. Smith recos.'No' a.,
such possibility. 1t may be nrged thae MI en-" W
has otoned for this by the skill he has displayed III
Detecting the faults of others, especially wneie i'
| bero can he excused by accusing someone eisc
Bnt after all to say nothing OF historical
this monotone of alteration is piehl'sh ia
workmanship which SINKS the p'ograp"y W w
level of vindcation." Certainly tio 'i'"0 .,''
arr,ved when the candor OF Judge is more sa.lS-
s.a.or,, ,han tho ingenuity of an advocate in the
troot,nont of Revolutionary subjects In this par
ticpIar instance it is pity that Mr.. Smiths alec
tons haze BEEN so ardently enlisted, for he hau
hpndont material at command and he has SHOWN
| snecal aptitude for historical research lie Only
needed to approach the work in colder tenipci w
have given his Life of ST. Clair secure place a'
standard authority in our literature
As il IS the biography is valuable for its grouping
of facts old and new and especially so during tno
post Revolutionary period Mr. Smith claims III i''
Preface that he has brought out NEW eNiue"oo
hearing on disputed points, anu new pEeSe"''''O"
of facts hitherto misrepresented' ho'aoH oo"0'"
ing the enterprises on the Deaware III Do'o','D.'
,z-c o,d tbe evacuation of Ticonderoga and MI.
Indepepdence in the following year, whereby -
b,ped something moIe than the shadow OF justice Is
|
toms most loyal friends" 1t NAV be worth while 10
oxo,ine briefly the two passages which the au'hor
considers important contributions TO Revolutionary
history AS to The Jersey campaign no he" CIV.
dence is adduced, but Mr.. Smith reltera'es WIZ"
much positiveness the claim that the niofe,ii''iV
| upon Princeton, the bodest and most pIni'""C .
stroke i'm all these operations was All lnsp""''o. u
! ST. Clairs genius There can hardly pe question:
! that St. Clair first suggested this III tho cu"no'
Tia savs 60 himself and there is no reason why Nlr
| Ro,croft or anvonc else should doubt his WOtu'
But is there no reason to believe that Nashlhslph
| already had the plan i'll mind According W M
Smith Washington had led his troops INTO Il cur
do-soc and was anxiously inquirng his way ont
! when St. Clair came TO the rescue Win the u'li"E
MAN Of turn,nq the left of the enemy in the night
| opd falling upon his rearguard. All day long on
the I'd of January the advanceguard OF the Amerl-
cans had been keeping CORVALLIS busy ard lmped-
I'M, his march through the mud, so that nlshtiail
found the two armies with the Assunpnk between
| Them Should Washington recross the Delaware
into Pennsylvania OF retreat down the river OF
| make the bold march past the enemys iahK py
Sand Town and Quaker Bridge, crossing through
the stumps of a newly cut piece of woodland 10 the
old blazed road used by the Quakers III gong 10
tber mcetinq.houses at Crosswicks and stony
Rrook2 Wilkinson explains that st. CLAIR had
fallen upon this road during the day while exam
lining the ground to bis right, AM that this re-
Gently acquired Typographical knowledge may
have snpcested the project. But Washington must
have known of the read before, Tor heed'
| his adiutant-gencral, was born in Trenton.
Uo had come to Trenton by this very road
and inst at this point, three days earlier he
| had captured house full Of the enemy Willie
scontinc with the City Troop. Besides this there
| is an authentic tradition in Trenton that PairicK
| Lamb and Elias Phillips were at this council ol
war bv the invitation of Washington, ana thev
were the very men he would have selected to GUIDE
his army by this route if be had 1t in his mhd' ior
| Lamb lived near Quaker Bridge and Philips on the
| road where Leslie lay with his redcoats. Inc
councH was held at IL o'clock, and II the sugges-
| tion was "a new one it must have gwen the cohi-
mander immediate relief. for before In the MORN
mo rs soon as the ground had frozen, the whole
army was moving, with the wheels oil the artl'lery
swatbed in rags TO deaden their rumblmg and
| preserve the general silence. Ii 1t was St Clair
| who suddenly drove away forebodings OF defeat
and frightened the gloom by prospect OF the
| brilliant success which was won next day IN the
| early dawn Washington must have felt toward him
| the llve!iest gratitude. He did not mention ST.
Clair's remarkable advice in his dispatches as he
mentioned Knox's services at Trenton on the 2Gth
| of December Perhaps the brevity OF an olfcial
nauer forbade the reference. But is 1t concelvaDe
that he should never have put on record his CRATE
ful recognition of his friends capital service on
This most critical occasonl Mr.. Smith does rot
appear to have discovered that Washington ever
made such an acknowledgment
| 1t should be added that good deal OF Cen
eral St. Glars fame. according to Mr. Smith,
rests ON the suggestions he made to his su-
| neriors On the day of the Princeton victory,
when Washington became convinced that his
wearied troops were unfit TO advance to Brunswick
"a was originally intended. it was st. Clair who
suggested the march toward Morrstown. lie sug-
oestcd an impor;ant movement at Brandywine,
| which would have secured brilliant victory but
| for unforeseen delays i'll preparation lie sug-
gestcd to Sullivan the abandonment OF his insecure
comn ON the Sorel. lie suggested to General
| Thomas the capture of Three Rivers, and at an
earlier day he suggested the surprise of Detroit-a
| suggestion which unfortunately was not needed
| At last however he found himself i'll full command
at Ticonderoga with no superior to listen TO his
suggestions What he did was severely con
demned and he was charged with neglect OF duty
cowardce and treachery IN abandoning his post,
| but court-martial acquitted him unanimously
of all and every charge with the highest honor"
The evacuation of Ticonderoga aroused such {
storm of Indignation throughout the country
Washington himself pronouncng 1t " an event
chagrin and surprise" that Tor some tme IL ccuIC
not be discussed with anything like calmness OF
temperance SO many charges and vlndication
were made by heated partisans and facts were Sc
distorted that to this day it is not easy to come a
the whole truth Of the matter. Some things how
ever. can be set down as certain The force at th'
posts was altogether inadequate TO repel an attacl
of ,he British army in force st. CLAIR knew thi
and complaned of it. So did Schuyler, who com
monded the Department Both Generals however
had an impression that the movement on Ticon
deroea was feint to cover the real purpose o
sending the troops around to Join Lord Howe ii
No,r yorL Militia IN considerable numbers coul(