Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-06

himself no repose. Through the morn
ing, messengers were dispatched to diff
ferent neighborhoods to bring up AL
the militia that could be gathered
These messengers spread the tidings OF
his partial success. 1t was of course
magnifled into a splendid victory, and
before nightfall he had concentrated
an imposing force, with which he re-
solved to give battle to the invading
troops. The enemy, however, alarm
ed by exaggerated reports, did not wait
his approach. but abandoned the plum
der they had collected, and beat has
ty retreat. Colonel Burr, intent upon
bringing them to an engagement, gave
directions for an energetic pursuit. To
his great modification, he was stopped
by an express from headquarters, or
dering him to march at once to the
main army in Pennsylvania, where
by Sir William Howe.
The defeat of Brandywine had been
followed by the bloody repulse Of Ger
mantown. Red Bank and Fort Mifflin
had been taken. The British army was
In possession of Philadelphia, and the
Delaware was open to the British ship
ping, when Colonel Burr Joined the
main army of the Americans, twelve
miles above Philadelphia. To COM
pensate for these losses, Burgoyne's fine
army of ten thousand veteran troops
had been destroyed or captured by
Gates, and thirty-five brass field
pieces were thereby added to the
American means Of defense. On the
whole, the commander-in-ch chief had
reason to be satisfied. He had lost the
finest city on the continent 1t is true
and had been beaten in some bloody
encounters. But that was ALL HIS
strength was undiminished, and his
resources were greater than they were
twelve months before. On the other
hand, the loss of Burgoyne's army was
almost irreparable to England. Sir
William Howe. the victor, drew his men
into winter quarters, gloomy and dis
contented. Washington, the defeated,
calmly and hopefully erected a little
city of huts on the banks of the Schuyl-
kill, and exerted every nerve to strait
en- and harass his enemy.
In this poor apology for winter quar-
ters, where the men, almost destitute
of shoes and blankets, shivered through
a dreadful winter, the intrigues against
Colonel Burr were renewed. Alexan-
der Hamilton was now upon the staff
of General Washington, and had COM
pletely gained his confidence. In the
preceding two months he had been
sent to the northern army under Gates
to hurry forward reinforcements to the
main body. In the discharge Of this
duty, which he performed zealously
and we'll, he took occasion to further
his own private ends. General Put
MANS warm friendship for Colonel
Burr was known and dreaded. In his
correspondence with General Washing
ton, the arch-intriguer let slip no op-
portunity of disparaging the old soldier
whom all America now delights to hon.
or. 1t was his remorseless policy to
weaken every hand that might be rails
ed in Colonel Burr's defense, and, in
pursuance of that policy, he did not
hesitate to avail himself Of the conf
Dental relations existing between him.
self and the commander-in chief, to
bring the most serious private accusa-
tions against one of the boldest and
purest of the revolutionary leaders. He
charged him with having neglected or
deranged everything in the department
under his command; and knowing
General Washington's sensitiveness on
that point, he more than intimated that
General Putnam was concocting plan
for the surprise of New York, with
out the sanction, and for the pur-
pose of overclouding the glory of the
commander-in-ch chief. He neglected
nothing, in short, which could
create distrust of the officer whose
influence he dreaded more per-
haps than that of any other soldier in
the army of the United States. Nor
was he entirely unsuccessful. He did
not, indeed accomplish all he desired,
but he did raise suspicious in the m nd
of Washington which were never com-
pletely removed, and the intercourse
between the two generals was thence"
forth marked by less cordiality than
ought to have existed between men SO
distinguished for patriotic devotion to
liberty and the country.
Upon Hamiton's return from the
north, he found James Billings in the
American camp. That bold, bad man
had made liberal advances to purchase
supplies for the army, and his patriot
ism was so highly esteemed that ne
easily procured permission to put up
for himself a house of superior accom-
modations within the lines of Valley
Forge. At this house Colonel Hamil-
ton sought his confederate on the night
of the 25th of December, 1717. b!aZ-
| inc wood fire sent forth its genial
NdIlllll lIOlll bllS SiiiipiS AiSoA ~ 'NS''~
bottles and glasses were placed upon
table drawn conveniently between
the two occupants of the room. AS
yet the conversation seemed to have
been on Indifferent topics, but Bill
lings now sought to direct it into more
serious channels.
You have not employed your time
badly since l left. To have risen &c
the rank of lieutenant colonel, is
great deal; to have secured the conf
dence of Washington, a great dea
more"
Il have indeed risen as rapidly as
had any reason to expect; and in one
sense my position is more favorable;
but these staff duties while they bring
me into constant communication with
| the commander in chief, and are sc
far favorable, have yet their drawbacks
No opportunities for individual dis
| tinction are presented to me. | mus
move always in the shadow of anoth'
err"
True, if you hold it always! bu
what is there. when your plans are
sufficiently ripened, to prevent yol
from seeking employment in the line?'