Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-24
eral of the army, is of more than passing

interest.
The names of more prominent movers
in the Conway Caba are Know to every
schoolboy, although the particulars OF
the affair may not be SO widely dissent
mated. The peevish jealousy of a few
subalterns, aided by the know-it-all o1l-
ciousness of a vacillating congress, came
marvelously near to deposing at the most
critical epoch in the struggle the only
man who could have guided the miserable
armies to so successful a consummatlon.
The chief conspirators We're an Irish ad-
yenturer, whose chief recommendation
for promotion was that when filled with
a certain kind Of whisky he feared not the
devil himself; a second rate military
clerk, by courtesy denomlnated quarter
master general, and an empty-headed MI
litiaman, who had won from a vastly IN
ferior army merely because it's
err was a bigger fool than he. What must
have been the feelings of Washington,
when striving day by day, with herculean
effort, to make meet two ends, OF when
each seemed to fray more than the othef'
he saw himself abOut to be deposed at the
pleasure of such a trio as this, the ffults
of a lifetime about to be swept away IN
the downfall of the land he might nave
saved! Patience, truly, was his greatest
trait, second only to his ~magnanimity.
Through all that trying storm of adverse
criticism he kept unmoved his steady
way. And when Conway had fallen,
when wounded and disgraced he lay a
dying. heart-broken man, what could be
kinder than the letter of the man ne
sought to wrong. Truly in patience ana
forgiveness lay the man.
| When Burgoyne, finding to his aston
ishment that his army could By no means
be allowed to retreat, made the pest OIL
it and cast up the sponge, congress was
in a Juror. The body had long disliked
the cOmmander-in-chief; here at last was
a rival sufficiently lustrOus to be holsted
to his throne. Yet the people, who. strange
to say, chung pertinaciously to the man,
must in a measure he consulted; it would
not do to depose Washington at once.
| Weaken him, weaken him, that was the
way; let him fight double his number on
an empty stomach a couple of times and
see if he won't blunder. SO there was
planned a winter expedition into Canada
An expedition, proceeding across Lake
Champlain on the rickety ice would burn
the shipping at st. John and smash vi
Montreal. Washington, however, must
not be consulted; he had such an unbeat-
able way of airing his superior knoWl-
edge on congressional plans. But weaken
him by detaching Lafayette, his pet and
protege, and a corps of his best troops;
and, perhaps, meanwhile, that Howe,
slumbering at Philadelphia, may march
out some fine evening and devOur him. sc
! Lafayette and his division were detached
the gallant young Frenchman being made
commander of the expedition. Conway
now a major general, was to accompany
In all probability he would be second OF
command.
Lafayette proceeded to yorktown, ther
the seat of congress-, and where Gate:
and his demigods had convened. Tn
marquis, arriving late, after a hard day
ride, found the of Burgoyne a
table, surrounded by his staff and a hos
Of admirers, and just sufficiently drum
to be mirthful. The simple rider, wrapped
in a muddy cloak and attended by a ser
geant and a squad of men, was at frs
refused admittance. He signified to tn
sentry at the door that he was Genera
Lafayette.
THE new commander" shouted Gate
from within. admit him! Welcome, m.
lord marquis! Welcome to the board yo'
are to lead!" "'h
In his excitement he spilled a glass o
wine on the young mans cloak
The marquis called for a glass of win
and raised it in the air. Gentlemen am
soldiers" he said. looking coldly around
while waiting in the cold out yonder
heard you drink a toast. 1t was, II L an
not mistaken, ''to General Horatio Gates
conoueror of Burgoyne.' Allow me t
propose another, and, you will permit me
even a prouder. Gentlemen and soldiers
: let us drink to him whose illuStrlou
name needs no mention, the list of who's
heroic deeds could be given into toast.
l give you General George Washington
| commander-in-chief of the American ar
mics"
The effect on Conway and the adher
ents of the cabal can better be imagine
| than described. Here was the man
whom they must look for future order
> so early avowing his allegiance to the
foe. The cabal was crushed, and a
: though Conway carried his commisslo
4 as major general it was not even pro
. duced. The next morning Lafayette
u corps of veterans came tramping, tn
aged De Kalb, their corps commander, S
5 lently taking the post of second in con
t mand. The expedition, as eVerybod
knows, was one of the most fruitless {
: the war, ice and snow making the p!a
n impossible for any man. Lafayette can
n back minus both men and provl 'lons, hay
e ing lost the majority of his divisions
e the bleak fields by Champlain. But
I Conway, Gates and congress We're silen
Washington, too, kept his own counsel.