Evening star., 1932-03-06

its genuineneSS. He suggested that perhaps
George H. Moore then Librarian OF the New
York Historical Society, might purchase the
manuscript which Moore did and later in his
book on The Treason of Lee" Moore
incorporated a facsimile copy of several pages
of the manuscript, along with a copy OF
letter written by Lee to Gen. Gates on the very
day the former was captured, and the
authenticity of which is undsputed In that
letter, written by the same hand that wrote the
plan, Lee says "entre nous a certain great
man is damnably deficient" this being an
obvious reference to Washington Losing says
of the plain: THE document was the first
announcement to the world of the long
suspected fact that. Gen. Charles Lee was
undoubtedly a traitor to the cause which he
espoused."
The plan starts with the assertion that the
American cause had no chance of success.
that continuance of the war would be waSteful
and injurious to both combatants and that
steps should be taken to bring 1t quickly to
an end 1t then proposed that instead Of be-
ing content with holding New York and tax
ing Philadelphia, 1000 of the British troops,
which at that time were supposed to total
about 5000, should be sent south so as to re-
duce Maryland, and prevent Virginia from
furnishing aid to the American Army in Penn
sylvania. The transports carrying the British
troops southwark were to disembark them at
Annapolis and Alexandria, and the location
of those points as suitable bases of operation
was set forth.
Lee had fairly full knowledge of conditions
in Virginia. He knew it was the most pop
ulous and the richest of the States, and that
Washington greatly relied upon it for soldiers
and supplies. He was in Virginia after re-
ceiving his commission major general, and
had been in Alexandria more than once, the
first time a lieutenant in the army COM
manded by Braddock which set out from that
town its fatal expedition. He was, there
fore, able to tell of the depth OF the river at
Alexandria, and suggest that other places on
the river south of the town could be made use
Of if necessary. Lee concluded by stating, Il
am so confident of the event that 1 will
venture to assert with the penalty of my life.
If the plan Is adopted and no accidents such
as rupture betwixt the powers of Europe
intervene that in less than two months from
the date of the proclamation not spark OF
this desolating war remains unextinguished in
any part Of the continent"
tain this evidence of the treachery of Lee
has been accepted by historians of the Rev.
olution on both sides of the ocean. But it
Is proper to mention that shortly after its
disclosure there was emphatic dissent as
to its value. In 1860 a well known Virginia
lawyer. Mr.. Charles Carter Lee, son of Light
horse Harry Lee, delivered a lecture before
the Pennsylvania Historical Society in which
he argued that the document should be re-
garded either as a forgery because its con-
fusion of ideas, its involved sentences, its bad
spelling and grammar mark it as utterly un-
like anything else known to have been written
by Lee, and that the scheme of operations pro-
posed to the Howes, If indeed it was worthy
to be called plan at all was too stupid to
have emansted from Lee and too insulting
to the understanding of the Howes to have
been submitted to them with any view of seek
ing their approval
Altcrnatively. he argued that if Lee wrote
the paper. it was 'n q moment of frantic and
momentary ebulition of despair" and without
any intention Of submitting it to the British
authorities and that it must have been afer-
ward purloined and attempted to be perverted
to iniquitous purposes" 1t is difficult to be
impressed by these suggestions put forth IN
Lees defense Probably no man Of that time
ever wrote a lengthy paper without some SPELL
ing and grammar and awkwardness of style