Evening journal., 1913-01-31
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The True Account Of Lord
HOWe'S InCiviIity to Gen.
eraI Washington
BY Holland.

1T was my good fortune to be able
to lend some very valuable historical
documents 70 George Bancroft, the
hstrian; to Washington Irving, who
was, as you know, my personal friend,
and TO Benson j. LDssing, who wrote
the Field Book Of The Revolution.
said the late General James Watson
Webb to his children a few years be-
fore his death, in 1884 General Webb
was a son OF General Samuel B. Webb,
who was aide-de-camp to General
George Washington during the RevO-
lutionary War. after a brief service
as de-dc-camp to General Israel
Putnam. shortly after the battle of
Bunker Hill. The senior General
Webb was transferred from the stafi
OF General Putnam to that of Wash
/ ington, and his place on General Put
nams stan was filled by the appoint
ment OF Aaron Burr
J General James Watson Wobb'i
/ father kept a journal and vast mass
of correspondence, of which only one
! volume of journalistic records escap
ed destruction / have told recent,
the curious manner in which thes'
records we're destroyed by the senio
Wcbb's children, who were allowed 4
use them as playthings.
The anecdOte which General Web
told to his children about 1876 Wa
repeated to me by one of those VIII
heard 1t.
"As [ have told you. J came int
possession of the only journal KEEP
by my father which was not destroy
ed in play by myself and brothers an
sisters in the year 1S46. II was sen
to me from Philadelphia. I haven
the slightest idea how 1t ever got froi
our old home near Claverack, Me-
York, to Philadelphia. This was th
journal which ! lent to Mr.. Lossin
and afterwards lent to George Bar
) croft and to Washington Irving, bot
Of whom made use Of il in their his
tories.
In this journal is told the tru
. story of something which has passe
/ into tradition, but of which the al
thenticity was never satisfactorily e
tablished until this journal was r.
covered
E Everybody who has read America
a history very carefully is familiar wit
the tradition which asserts that Lol
. Howe, when i'm command at New Yoi
superciliously addressed an oilici
= letter to George Washington, G
r. quire.'
MY fathers journal narrates in d
tail the whole circumstance. Faith
wrote the order signed by Gener
Washington for the reading of 4
Declaration OF Independence to Il
army. He also wrote the order rela
f.f fa ef faf
George Ill.
Il suppose that it was on accou
of his closensess to Washington tn
he was directed by Washington,
gether with Colonel Joseph Rec
" another of Washington's aides, to
ceive persons who were bearing
flag from General Howe. The jour-
goes on TO say that when the beaI
OF the nag presented them with
letters it was found that these doc
"a mcnts were directed to George Was
- iugton. esquire, instead of to Gene
n Washington. The aides declined
=, receive tho communication. TT
~ prevented this offensive and sup
20 cilious missive from reaching
e hands of Washington. The jour-
Oh states that Washington, when
's' learned the facts, cordially approx
rn their conduct A few days later
SO bearer of a flag presented them W
h. letter i'm which Lord Howe ash
d. that his adiutant general might be
mitted to an interview with his
A cellency, General Washington.
- Lord Howe had learned a less
His conduct was always after G
Nv characterized by the incest militi
ur etiquette But It was not until
~ discovery OF this lost journal, picl
on up somewhere. I think, in inter
ed Pennsylvania among a lot of rubbl
that the true story Of the manner
ie which Lord Howe was compelled
u address Washington as his excellen
re General Washington, was mi
IA known"
en- Copyright. 1913, by f. J. Edwal
tn. All rights reserved.)