The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-09-22
VIRGINIA UNDER DlNWiDDlE.
Washngton's Withdrawal from Col
onial Service az Twentv-th-ca

OHiat service at 1Wenty-thccc.
do not suppose that any land was
ever worse governed than Virginia
was under Dinwiddie. and as to nil
itary affairs worst of all, but not
worse than other colonies. The gov
ernors were ignorant of warfare and
expected too much from the half-train-
ed militia and their careless officers.
These conditions may have seemed to
justify the kings order that all off,
GERS holding militia appointments
should be outranked by all royal COM
missions, and even by the kings Off
GERS on half pay. This was bad
enough, but there were also independ-
ent companies raised in time of need,
and their officers, being directly COM
missioned by the governors acting for
the king, insisted on their right to
outrank gentlemen of the militia, and
led the men in their commands to dis
obey such officers and to consider
themselves of Q class superior to the
militia. | had already had SO sad an
experience of the difficulties which
arose out Of these conditions that l
was unwilling to submit to Gov. Din,
widdie's plan of making all the militia
independent companies and with on
ly captains in command. The object
to be attained by this awkward ex-
pedient was to put stop to the con-
slant disputes as to presidency and
command. AS this would reduce me
from colonel to captain, | made it
clear to the governor that it was not,
in my opinion, step to be advised,
but would consider it, which indeed,
took me no long time.
In November | resigned my COM
mission, and before it was accepted
went to Alexandria, where my regi-
ment then lay. 1 asked the officers to
meet me and explained the cause of
my being forced to resign. I was sur
prised to find my resolution, which all
admitted to be reasonable, met with
the most flattering opposition. In
deed, l received soon after a letter
from these gentlemen in which. with
much more. they said:
1--WE, your obedient and affectionate
officers, beg leave to express our great
concern at the marked disagreeable
news we have received of your deter
minatiOn to resign the command of
the corps. Your steady adherence to
impartial justice, your quick discern
ment and invariable regard to merit,
enlivened our natural emulation to
excel"
AS this letter lies before me and
think Of the emotion it caused me, I
still like to remember that at the close
they spoke of me as lone who taught
them to despise danger and to think
lightly of toll and hardships while led
by man they knew and loved"
l have been spoken of as wanting
in sensibility. If it had not been said
lacked means to show what I feel,
that were to put the matter more
correctly. Even now the recollection
of the praise thus given moves me
deeply, and recalls the memory of
my farewell to those who served with
me in the War of Independency.
was but % when l left the colonial
service
I did so with much reluctance, for
my desire was not to leave the mill
tary line. as my inclinations were still
strongly bent to arms. and of this
assured Col Fitzhugh very plainly
when he would have had me submit
to return to service in the inferior
grade of captain preferred my Sarm
to submitting to this degradation.
From S. Weir Mitchell's 1.-THE Youth
of Washington in the Century.