New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-15
AN AMERICAN SOLDIER.
JOHN PATTERSON IN TIE REVOLUTION.


,-,,r. LIFE OF JOHN PATTERSON. Maior-Gener,l
IN the Revo utonary Army hy IFS p,o,as,sr -
Mineralogy and MetaiiGrgy IN me schoI Iu Si
;;ra,cd pp tx, 20. @ T. Putnams sons
. noteworthy coincidence In the life OF General
patterson is mentioned by Professor Esestoh' just
before the Revolution he raised a regiment Among
hts neghbors In Berkshire County. Mass anu On
,ho nav before the battle OF Lexington and Concord
no ordered his men be ready TO march at sunrise
the next morning. On the same day eight years
later uhat is April Is. l7S7) official end was put
70 the war by the announcement mat the treaty oi
noace had been signed The interval was a pnsy one
for the subject Of this biography lie hhd ra'Sea MS
regiment and perfected It's equipment ~ that every
man was armed and nearly all In UNIFORM After
tho hattie OF Lexington he led his command to 'os-
ton hold the fortincations al Somervle. which pro-
,.cel tho rear OF the American forces at the battle
OF Bunker Hi. and shared the hardships ana M
ventures Of the siege Of Boston Tneh ne was en-
e,ped I'm some OF the operations near New-fork'
and lost the larger part his men in the -siarrei
expeii fion 10 Canada under Montgomery ana Arnold
ia ,ook mart with the remnant OF his command In
the victories OF Trenton and princeton, ana ~ d
brgadier- general he had charge or MnSSAchuSe'N
troops In the campaign under Gates when ehded
with the capture Of the British army under hut-
goyne lie was n member OF that meinoraple couh-
ell OF war which was called by Washington before
the battle OF Monmouth. and he doubtless shared
tho sspcions raised by the treacherous conduct OF
General Charles Lee In that battle. lie was mem
Der Of the court-martal that tried ana conhehhen
Major Andre and during the years OF inactivity al
the North when the South took It's turn IN inc con-
nIc, he was stationed In the Highlands Of the
Hudson and much OF the time In command oi
West Point. Even after peace was declared he was
retained there with his brigade. and was not mus
tered out until December s. 1883
Professor Egleston has filled in the details OF
this record with loving and earnest labor Never
theless as he shows the biography OF General
Paterson never be written In Its completeness
In civil life n lawyer he must have left letters and
memoranda that would have filled all gaps But
shortly after his death his house was burned. ana
all his papers. letters and diaries were destroyed
A similar misfortune has overtaken much other
material that would now be valuable for the MS
torian OF America. In the long interval, when
Americans wrote few books. the name OF General
Paterson az Professor Egleston complains. was
almost forgotten "Ie had become Of Massa-
chusetts's lost heroes" 1t Is emphatic testi-
monlal to his earnestness In the cause OF liberty
that the eight years and a half OF his military
service was interrupted by only one furlougn But
out Of the official notices and correspondence care
fully as Professor Egleston has worked 1t over 1t
Is difficult to get an idea OF the man. or to make
unity Of his career. III we only had the letter.
exclaimed Judge Tucker. OF Pittsncld. at the dedi-
cation OF the Paterson monument In Ienox: III
we only had the letter which | am sure he Wrote
to his wife that Christmas after the splendid
fight at Trenton. penned when he was yet throb-
bling with n soldiers JOY; n we could quote pas
cages from his diary written just after Monmouth
or Saratoga how could get TO him and to
those battles How easily could cover this cold
skeieton Of official facts with a warm. living body
full Of human Interest. appealing irresistbly TO
our hearts rather than 10 our judgments" Some
OF his more importan, characteristics can doubt
less be inferred from the fact that he was engaged
I'm courts martial with unusual Frequency. His
skill as lawyer fitted him for this aspect of
military life He was also an expert drlmaster
He was the son OF a distinguished soldier and 50
acquired naturally his love for tactics. Colonel
John Paterson. OF Connecticut, took part in the
conquest Of Canada by the British and the colo
nists and was In the battle when Wolfe was killed
on the Plains OF Abraham. He also served In the
West Indian campaign under Lord Abermarle
when Havana taken from the Spanish. His
death from yellow fever occurred during this ex-