New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-12

| his own insistance that his place was finally de-
clared vacant. Lord Pitt, the elder son Of the
Earl OF Chatham member Of Sir Guy
Carletons staff in Canada in 1T76. but he with
| drew from the service. and only returned to it
after war broke out with France. The brave
| Conway frankly declared in Parliament that he
never would draw his sword against fellow sub
| jects in what he thought unjust cause; and
a man whose reputation gave him much less i'm
munity, Lord Effingham, said in the House of
Lords: when the duties of a soldier and a citi-
zen become inconsistent 1 shall always think
myself obliged TO sink the character of the SOL
der in that of the citizen till such time those
duties shall again. by the malice OF real
enemies, become united" For this public thanks
were voted to him by the Corporations of Lon
don and Dublin. Sir George Treveyan says:
The same respectful and considerate treatment
| was very generally extended to other military
ana naval men whose personal action was gov
etHed by the same motives. Some left the SER
wee outright and re-entered private life, with
no dlminution to such popularity or social pre-
dominance as they had hitherto enjoyed. Some
| 1eIndiheu on half pay until Great Britain was
attacked by European enemies, when they
promptly and joyfully placed their swords once
| more at the disposal of the government Others.
| again, accepted commission in the militia, a
post OF unusual danger and Importance at mo-
.ueHI when England, stripped bare of regular
trooDs, had temporarily lost command of the sea
IN consequence OF the scandalous improvidence
! or the board at the head of which Lord Sand
| wich safe. Whatever course they adopted. their
| hdelity to principle appeared reasonable and
| even lauda BILE to their coJntrymen of the middle
| and lower classes and in their intercourse with
! equals they brought down upon themselves and
| t .lr IarnlIles no penalties whatsoever. The
| American war from the outset to the finish,
an open question in English society. A general
| or colonel who had refused 20 take command
| against the colonists lived comfortably and
! pleasantly with his country neighbors The
| strong Tory politicians among them might
| much harder things would have been said about
| him If he had shot foxes or given a piece of
| ground for the site Of a Nonconformist chapel.
Even the principal officers among those who
| thought it their duty to lead the Kings forces
| were hostile to his policy. Admiral Lord Howe
| came here only on the express stipulation that
he might negotiate for peace. and his brother.
! Sir William Howe, equally reluctant to
| fight. Lord CORVALLIS in Parliament opposed
all the schemes Of taxation. Sir Guy Carleton.
| to whose goodness and craftsmanship at the
moment when everybody expected the French
Canadians to cast their lot with the Revolution
England owes Canada, In defiance Of royal COM
| mands refused TO turn Indians loose upon the
| colonsts, as Burgoyne subsequently did AS we
| review the great mass Of evidence of the same
kind It IS impossible to resist the conclusion that
| the unusual liberty Of opposition based on
a widespread public sentiment, and that. in spite
Of the King, the great body Of the English peo-
| pie were friendly toward the Americans. The
success which for a long period attended the
| Kings efforts to override the nation is impress
sive testimony to his great force Of character.
| The reaction which Frustrated the people who
| had twice expelled the Stuarts and for nearly a
! century enjoyed unquestioned eIf-government
| beneath the will of this good but stupid Of
masterfu stubbornness is one of the strangest of
! political phenomena. 1t failed to result in the
! complete destruction OF the British constitution
only because the colonists rebeIed. English lib
| erty was at Yorktown.
| Sir George Trevelyan could not write dull
page if he tried His genius for memoirs accom-
panies him in his study OF the dryest facts and
most complicated military details. Personal al
| lusons flashes OF wit and happy characterize
ton bring to his history all the fascination of
the most gossipy biography. while they give the
clearest insight into the hidden springs Of mill
tery and political movements. He writes me-
| moirs in a paragraph and etches a mordant por-
| trait in a phrase Yet his vivid sense of per-
sonalites in no way detracts from his painstak-
| ing study OF facts His narrative and criticism
of military movements are not technically de-
! tailed, but they accurate and keen. The
| strength and the weakness Of both armies are
set forth with great judgment and insight. The
authors admiration of Washingtons character
| and capacity a soldier is the highest His
| success in hammering together efficient army
! out of the materials at his command and devils
ing system Of strategy suited to their possibili-
| ties and the particular weaknesses of his foes
| was marvellous. Yet Washington's military ge-
| MUS evolution Sir George Treveyan
thinks the New-York campaign was in many
respects badly managed. This was partly due
/ TO sentiment. Congress and public opinion de-
manded the holding Of New-York and Washing
| ton had not yet emancipated himself from those
trammels. Long Island was indefensibIe. But
it was made more so than necessary by Wash
ington's rejection Of the offer of cavalry, which
could have guarded against surprise That error
was more than atoned for by the mastery re-
treat across the East River, military achieve
ment Of the highest order. The attempt to hold
| Fort Washington was another mistaken conces-
sion to Congress, and if Howe had conducted
| his Westchester campaign with energy he ought
utterly TO have dispersed the American army.
| But when Washington at bay beyond the
Delaware his mastery asserted itself. His de-
scent upon Trenton, his march across the rear
Of Cornwalliss whole army and his snatching OF
victory for a disheartened country at the psyche
| logical moment give him rank as one of the
great captains of history. 1t is to the credit of
/ Congress that it knew his greatness in the hour
/ Of trial and before Trenton had decided to give
him almost dictatorial powers; but after that his
( supremacy was unshakable. and amid the hard
ships even Of Valley Forge trust in him was
| complete.
After the capitulation at Yorktown a dinner
was given at the American headquarters to the
| principal British, French and Continental Off
GERS. Responding to a toast, Corvallis with
/ the generosity characteristic of that brave and
! chivaIrous soldier. said TO Washington When
the iIlustrious part that your exceency has
| borne in this long and arduous contest becomes
! matter of history fame will gather your bright
! est laurels rather from the banks Of the Della