The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-30
CHARLES LIE q" AmH IRMr0R o'r" RNUlUlDN

1
service.
Howe got orders to send Lee to Eng.
land for trial. Howe. cautious and
Lee, delayed in carrying out the or
der. meanwhile sending IA long expla.
nation to London of the embarrass.
ment of hts position. London gaya
authority to him to consider Lee as n
prisoner of war.
The Treason.
Possibly the attitude OF the King
toward Lee was softened by some ad-
vices from Howe as to what Lee waa
doing to aid the British cause. Three
months after his capture and while
Washington was working in his behalf
with the utmost energy Lee was lay
revolution. All the knowledge Leo
had gained in America was ut the SER
vice OF the Howes. Lee was confident
that If his plan given In full on this
page. was adopted. the rebellion would
be stamped out within sixty days. And
ms plan was good one. That IT I'm.
them greatly there can be no doubt.
II is well for America that 1t did.
While Lee. was urging the Howes to
accept his plan little thing happened
portance to the struggling Continent
tails Lord George German wrote an
order to Howe to send an army up
the Hudson 70 reinforce the army Bur
ada. The clerk who wrote the dis
patch was not n neat penmani and his
lordship ordered tho dispatch re-
N WrItheh Before the IN, new drat. was
the country to keep n social appoints
ment. When he returned to town tho
matter of the rewriting Of the order
TO Howe had slipped his memory and
the new order somehow got buried
beneath pile of papers. II was not
discovered for many months. and then
his his lordship did not dare to lot tho
receiving tho aid no expected from
Howe. had been overwhelmed at Sara
toga and forced to surrender his whole
army, and Howe. with no orders from
London to send reinforcements to
Burgoyne, had turned his attention TO
an attack on Philadelphia, move
that was Of little value 10 the British
and which ultimately proved disas-
trous.
Lee Free Again.
Lee was released on parole on Dc
liberty OF New York. TWO months
later he won a $500 prize In a lottery.
and early ia March. l77S. was trans
extended so that he was permitted 10
visit the American camp and go to the
sessions of Congress. in York. Pa. The
Conway cabal had raised General Gates
as rival OF Washington. and there
was bitter struggle on between tho
two factions Lee used all the infiu-
ence at his command to aid Gates.
On April Fl he was exchanged for
General Prescott and month later fe-
Joined tho army at Valley Forge Hc
no longer was a popular hero. Ha
had bombarded Washington and Con-
gress with letters while prisoner and
had insisted that a commission be sent
from Congress to confer with him on
"a very important matter" What this
very important matter was no never
explained. but he was aggricved that
his request was not complied with.
When the British evacuated Phila-
delphia and began their march across
New Jersey Washington called coun-
rlsking general engagements OF
nearly twenty generals. all but two.
Wayne and one other, voted against II.
but Washington decided II was me-
the British could be cut off and cap
tured. Lee considered the idea absurd.
but after Washington had laid out his
plan Lee insisted on his right to coni-
the battle Of Monmouth Lee had 5000
men. The British force he came in
collision with numbered 2.o0O. Wayne.
whose men formed the right wing of
Lees force, drove the British back
when they attacked and had them In
disorder. He sent request TO Lee 10
hurry reinforcements to him so ne
could press his advantage, but instead
treat.
If the British had taken full .ad;;
vantage of the confusion that resulted
from the muddle that followed through
the tangled orders that Lee gave tho
whole OF Lees division would have
been captured AS one OF the otnceTs
was at the height Of disorder that
wa shington arrived. He had received
word while several miles away that
Lee was in retreat, and had 'aceo
over TO ascertain the cause.
Every American schoolbooy has read
how he rebuked Lee. how he reformed
the disordered lines. and now .he .Me
armies fought ,agrb,a d hot da Sa They tell
too. how the British fled in the night
toward Sandy HOOK.
Dishonorcd.
Lee was tried by court martha on
three Observation-Disclosures of orders
misbehavior before the enemy IN mar sia.
ing an unnecessary reterat anu as
respect to the commander IN -chiei. ~.
all three charges he was iounu ,sa u.d.
from the army for one year;
No one can read the. proceedings OF
that court-martial without getting
high opinion OF Lees 8, ta hts o1 s beha,f
was mastery. But what can DC
thought Of the effrontery Of the man. AN,
Less than eighteen months before me, ms
trial he had betrayed the country: INC in
papers proving his treason were IN
General sn Howe's possession. + tn, the
men in his army whoss lives he mao
nIaced In jeopardy by His conduct a.
Monmouth had suspicion OF that
treason or that his action In the bat
tie was designed by him TO Destroy s.
that army, he would have hanged from
the first tree they could find. But
throughout the trial he e - c1 mo ss
being done to him. When he was found
guilty, however. he broke loose For
.,c~.ln
about washington he was challenged
by Colonel Laurens. In the duel Lee
was severely injured Then Lee made
an attack on Congress and was ea-
pelled from the army.
Disgraced, disguised and displrlted.
he retired t.. his estate in the shenan-
d do Valley. He had been free
dpinker ali his life and he suffered
good deal from the govt o Sow MS ri 9r rani
less spirit would not permit him 70
r rem ma at home. so he wandered about.
hut people stunned him; he had no
reiatives in America and few TRENDS.
The famous Lee family OF Virginia lct
u 'ba known far and wide that he was
IN no way related to them. Lonely. and
r.. ,,1o 10 MIA