Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-08
GENERAL CHARLES LEE.
Memoirs Of This Eccentric land Opinion
ated Officer.

To Ge Editor Of 9te Dispatch:
Your couple Of columns recently pub;
lisbed headed by the name of General
Charles Lee must have interested every
student of our traditions, as they did your
correspondent. If / were either scholar
or a student in fact l would like to give
Won more as to General Lee, but 1t would
take several numbers of the Dispatch to
hold even synopsis of little 1Smo.
volume now before me and in perfect pre-
seryation. annex the title-page (2s4 pp;):
memoirs of the Life OF the Late Charles
Lee, ESQ.,. Meutenant-ColSne OF TN the P Porty
guese Service, Major General and Aide-de;;
Camp to the King of Poland, and Second
in Command in the Service of the United
States of America During the Revolution.
TO Which are Added His Political and
Military Essays: Also, Letters 10 and
From Many Distinguished Characters,
Both in Europe and America. New York:
IL some one could be induced to repub-
lish this sinpularly interesting volume
would not undertake the labor of making
any extracts, but fear the taste. Of the
modern public does not run in that cur
Of course no one supposes Charles Lee
was in any way related to the Virginia fam
ily. He was an Englishman, pure and
simple" bachelor, having no friends or
associates III his last days but MS servants
and his dogs. His biographers all describe
him as by nature impulsive, restless, opin-
donated, and overbearing,. and any one
reading this little volume OF memoirs must
regard this as correct diagnosis OF his
His letters cover a vest range. While he
seems to have first come to America In
1854 The was wounded at IlconderogaI he
returned to Europe, returning in l773...
Letters to Lord Thanet and to Most
Gracious Sir" are dated from Poland In
1767. others from Suffolk and Williams
burg, Va, to Edmund Pendleton and to
Patrick Henry, Jr., Governor OF Virginia
in l776. There are many to and from
Washington, Adams, Franklin. and Han
cock. TO and from Generals Burgoyne,
Gage, Gates, his sister Mrs. Sidney Leo,
and other ladies. and with several to MEM
bers of the Continental Congress.
Some of the letters are characterized by
flashes of brilliant humor, notably those
to young Jewish lady OF Philadelphia,
dated 1878.
HIS correspondence with Washington,
in which he endeavors to involve the COM
mander-in-chief in quarrel, is OF course,
history. SO are those to and from Hon.
William Henry Drayton, ex-Supreme
Judge and member of Congress from
South Carolina, which for scurrility on
both sides is not often surpassed In
modern days; the cause being, of course,
Drayton's denunciatlon of Lees conduct
at Monmouth. For his behavior on that
occasion he was cashiered after a long
trial by court-martial, and the verdict was
confirmed by act Of Congress. as then re-
Quired.
county, where, with his horses and dogs,
he spent the larger portion OF his time.
Visiting Philadelphia on business IN 1852
he was taken Ill Of violentfeyer and died
after very brief illness.
Although sturdy advocate OF republi-
canism for very many years he appears TO
| have changed in his later days. In one OF
| his last letters (to his sister In l7S2) he
says; 49,
American enthusiasm IL at present 50 far
worn of that the greatest satisfaction |
can receive is TO be informed OF the health
| and welfare of my English friends. who,
| with all their political sins. corruptioDs,
aud folliss, still possess more virtues at
least as individuals than all the nationso OF
| the earth.n
Later on he continues;
"You are curious, my dear sister, on the
subject of my finances, and are DESTROYS TO
know whether these people to whom have
sacrificed everything have shown the
same black ingratitude with respect to my
circumstances as they have in other
| matters Was IL not
for the friendship OF Mr.. Robert
| Morris and fortunate purchase | made,
moro by luck than cunning, / might have
| begged in the streets. There are
many exceptions to the general character
| of the Americans, both in and out of the
| army, and think the greater number are
| of the latter class. Among the
| WORTHLESS of America reckon Robert Nor
| ris, of Philadelphia; Richard Henry Lee,
| of Virginia; Adams and Lowell, and some
| others, of New England; the Morises, OF
New York, and DR.. Rust, of Philadelphia.
| In the army there are many worthy 70 be
| mentioned; Generals Schuyler, Miffiin,
sullivan, Mehlenburgh, Weldon, Wayne,
| Green, Knox, &c.
~ have been particularly fortunate in
my aide-de-camps--ally young gentlemen OF
| the best families. fortunes. and education
| Of this continent; but above ell should
mention young Colonel Harry Lee, who
has signalized himself extremely In this
| aceursed contest" ct0, etc, etc.
There Is much more OF interest in this
| quaint little volume. including his elo-
quent defenceo of his own conduct IN battle
as we'll as his curious will. L. L.