West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1904-12-29


to Lord Darlington, the British Sec
rotary of War and resigned his posi-
ton as Lieut.. Colonel in the English
army and the pay he had been ac-
cepting up to that time from a gov
eminent of his nativity against
which he was concerning measures
OF armed resistance. He took an
active part in several campaigns
with Washington, always pushing
himself forward as the trained and
experienced soldier in charge of the
raw American general, who had
been placed over him for political
reasons. BY the resignation of
Gen. Ward, he had become the
ranking Major General and In the
event of disaster to Washington he
expected TO be Commander in. Chief
and Lee busted himself writing let
tiers calculated TO increase the dis
affection towards Washington who
was having hard time of it about
that time. Lee was at Nothcastle
with half the army (7,ooo men) and
Washington being chased through
New Jersey by Gen. Howe and or
dering Lee time and again to move
and effect a junction with his army
so they could fight, but Lee refused
to move. For some unexplained
reason Lee had his headquarters
four miles from the army and was
captured by party OF British dra-
goons on Dec. IS and taken to New
York and confined in the City Hall.
He was ordered sent to England for
trial as a deserter and had already
been sent on ship board when a let
ter was received by Howe from
Washington informing him that he
held five Hessian field. officers as
hostages for Lees personal safety.
He was exchanged in May 1878 and
joined Washington at Valley Forge.
While he was a prisoner he had
been making overtures to the Brit
ish officers to sell out and join the
English again and in 1887 a paper
was found in Lees hand writing
which had been among the papers
of the Howe brothers, in which Lee
abandonded the American cause
and entered "sincerely and Jealous
ly" into the plans of the British
commanders and drew up plans etc.
for them. AS nothing was known
OF Lees treachery for three quarters
OF century afterwards, his subse-
quent conduct was incomprehensible
and when he retreated from Sir
Henry Clintons army at Monmouth
Court House, without hardly strik
ing lick and so demoralized the
army that Washington had hard
work to rally it and rerel the Brit
ish. Washington ordered Lee to
the rear where he wrote two angry
and insulting letters to the Comman-
der who placed him under arrest
and he was tried by court martial
and suspended from command for
one year. On hearing the sentence
he abused Washington so that Col
Laurens, his aid de camp, took it
up and they fought due! and Lee
was wounded. He was so angry
and spiteful that he then wrote an
impudent letter to Congress and was
at once dismissed from the army
and retired in disgrace to his
plantation IN Berkeley county.
He spent much time hunting and
kept lot of dogs and was never
seen without half dozen at his heels.
He was so rude in manners and sar-
castle in his remarks that he had
hardly any friends at all and on a
visit to Philadelphia in the fall of
1852 he was seized with fever
and died in tavern friendless and
alone. HIS last words were "Stand
by me my brave grenadiersw He
was no relation to the iilustrous
Lees of Virginia, but was certainly
ga Soldier of Fortune" if there ever
was one.
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