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5KBTCIT OP qROROfc
vsni:iarcM; i.ati: prfsidkn v of
TflC If IEj STATUS OSfl AMHrUC. j
dilprderi litjj- Ametici bid 4 ra?ie if
their height, aid itbesame 'prrfmiyjf.i'l
oni tint the difiirs between ti.3 two eonoU
tn coui. i o'HMt decided by . arm when
th reprrCeotarf rvof the thirteen, province
afcAfttcd la PI jUdelphia, on tits :4 diY
oi uu.iri, y4 uj mis -famous auemhiy
.Mr. W a ln gt tji w 1 1 o n e : no . Ameri c a n til i"
, lilted in fj higl a degree at he did military
experience, wijh refpedtable charaer am rvl
appointedito the comiriind of the arniy
which afTeiibfed.in the New-England Provio
.eei. to ho d ia fcheckj the Britifh ;afpy unde
General Gage(thjrnj encamped atiBofton. If
thefe eircqradi ices. had not called Waning!
ton 'forth;'! he rouldj ha?e lired Happy, ado",
.diej bbfeure, ii a refpe6l)b)e ; cpuiury, genf
tleman in) Virginia : notar the fcene opened,
vhich made name imoiortal, fo depen'i
dencupon: accdeat is human fame and fo
gresi Uthe. power of circamftances in calling
forth, and pe? haps et en in forming, the ge
nius of men, , - ' ' , .'
: r f0 the niooti of Ju!y, i77, Genera! Wafi
..Ington took t lie comma d of the ! contincnt'al
- army before Bpflon. !! To detail his conduitt
Jn, the years Which; followed.- would be to
relate th I hiftiry of the .American war :
;molt memorabfc,and inHruOice part of Uril
jo manner fuited t Jts importance i and
dignity. VVijhiri i a very fliort period afief
the declaration of independence, the affairs. o(
T-merica; wereiin a condition . fo defperatc?'
that perhaps nilhing but the peculiar . ch4
TAer of ,V aniftigVon's genius ccVd haye re!J
ririeved them. Acliity swas the policy of in
vad'rs ;In the fi ld iit battle the fuperio..
r?,y'.jof a dTcipl ned army is difpiayed. jBut
deliy wasjthe vildom of a country defended
by U'lcticiphnoJ loidiers againlt an i cnemyl
'.Who .'mail b mire exhaufled by time than' he
could be vtreake lied by defeat. It required the
confammite pridence t!i? calm wilcinm, the
" inflexible drmaiCtl the . mo lerati and- well
a.
j
balanced temper of i r VVaftnoaton to emi
-brace fjch a pi n of policy, and to perfevere
it :-to rcfi; :th: temptations of enterprfze ;
to fiitthe con fid r,nce of his foldiers without
the attraction J 'f idt ory to fupp'ort thiflfpil"
rit of the arrnyland tha pcop'e a'midli tbole
flow and cautiois plaiis of defenGve warfare
which ar more Jdifpiriting, thin defeat, if felt
to contain his own. ambition and th'eimnetul
oftty of his tro tpy ji to' endoe temporary
qbfeuriry for the fslvatroa of his couofry
:ftnJ for the aftajnmeot cfjfolid and immortal
glfory.j and to' itrer i even temporary Irei
preach and oblol'jyjjfupported by the appro
batian' of hi! owi cornfefenctf and the applaufe
of that fma lis number of wife me? whoie.praife
t; ip earne: of lhedmiration antf jrfiitudi
cf:;poleriryJ Vlctoriour generals" eafily ac
cuj f e th e c on n d en ce o f t i r a rmy . , , T he i rs 1
fw)ever, Is! a confidence;, in the fortune of
their general... Thu of Vamingtons army
was a coufiBence in his wiftfom. Viftortr
gWes fpirit fo cavrardsv and even the agita
tions of defeat fimetimes 'impirt av courage
of difpmir. . CouAe i infpirVJ by fucc(
nri I r m lu h IM m tt I m A I rv A r n am mmam rZf
orfeven by'talamity, ! bat it is generally pall
asd by iniclivity f fyflem of cautious del
fevireU trial of human fortitude;
id by
fence is the
On thisloccafionaa well as throuphont the
whole public life cf wa!liihgton, he refuted ar.y
cd ai y.ftudry in ary oflice civil cr.ailitarjr. j
.i !. 1'. ft 1 . L - .. em,, m
ii v uni i? ii inr iirmr.eis ci n sinintcn mat
tirled.. His intrepidity rer copld have
matntainec: ttfril order fuch circumHapCf if
it ht arifen frcTn ambition or tain glory,
fr ops robot) nt rves or difnrdrrly enth uf.a f,n.
ti flood the ttft, bfctufe it gressr. out of the
deep root of principle tndj duty. His niod
tiras fo perfectly framed, that he did nLt need
the volgir incintiyes of fam and gllory to
roufe hiij gtfifiti In lib pablic flrtttt wit s
principl of futilclent force to excite t)ie Ume
great eiertioni to wjilch the rabble of herpes
mull be birndfaUd by the foye of power or of
praifr. 'J'i'::;f :-y . ""' -:-
It Ja .hardly nrcejTtry ro fJjk9t the
criirlCj which -flowed fiifn honeftvwlis
tempered in fttj exercife by.,' humsbity r Th
character of Wafliinoton wia not deformed
by any of ihofe farioos pafljons vrhlcV driye;
men to ferocity V ' His mitttafy life w3s joo
ttaioed hy mility cruelty k arid if we la
mented he fe verity of fomfof hi ajfla, we
never were at liberty to, '(jaeflioB their juf
tlce. It would be unji0;p afcrjbc the mild
nefs of4 the American war exclutivtly to the
perfonalicharacler of Wadvinffton. It ir.uft
be imputed in a great maafure to the jobriety
aim nioQeranorr
Ter was
4 Civil
u.j happily brot
ot the .national- temoer. '
war fo fpojlefa as that whfch
f. out between the two nati
ons of the Hnzllfli race Not a finde! mafiar
ere. not a angle alialimation, no ilaoghter
in cold bfood tarnifhed the glory of corqueft
or aggravated the fliamepf defeat. Gallan.
try and Ihumanity cbarafterhed this conteft
rbtwcen-'tvro naxiona bh h amidfl alf the
fiercenefs of hofjility fhewed themfclvea wor
thy - of each other's friendfliip, ' -
VVe are well aware tjiat the mllitarvl critics
of K oropp, accatl'omed to the viift arid fcien
lific plans, to the complicated yetj ex35ls
m o v e nj e n't s , t.o h e d a r i n g ; a n d" f ji z n d i d ' e x L
fioU I of jgreat European gnerali miy con
fider the imoll decifive foccefs in a wicliki.
uje nmencan as, a very madfcuate tfe to
the name and plory of an illuflrious
der We: feel all the differeneea wftii-h nn
' r - ' ..-.'.r i ir
on everyJi
the maimers
ot the ludnment of military crlttcl
on th: fupjea To us it feems proSabla that
more genius and iudfcrhc'rtt are nerVefallV
erfed Wy uneducated generals and smqng ir-
proffo i turn of mechanical ticf. 1 h?
it fufllcrttjt for cur purpofe ;! for we ere uov
conUinplatffgtbtcharatfer of :ims whofe
leart praife is that of being a great j ct-mtnab
derj whofe valourwas tfis minifteriof Wrtnfl
andwhof military eniu'j is chiefly1 ec noire'
by.-beio. employed in the JcfenkrV of iuf-
cht.y remarkable,- th?r thonghr
a civil Vonteft difgraccd by
there never was
fo few violent or even ambigooas "s as the;
Otnencan war, 3ret fo.pure , were Vhc. moral
fenriments of Washington, that F.could nnt
look back on the period i of boftiliiies with
-pjuaru. -pwaiva-r-. .n r itsrlinrf'dtJlemait k
who yiHted him iter thej peace, f.sd effen:
atempted, in ain. to turn ilie coiiverfatioil
co the events of the war. j At lerth he tho't:
he. had found a favourable jopporrunity ycf
efFeaing his' pnrpofe they, were riding ic
etber over-ihe fcene of an acliU wWre
'""T,"S,1, unnuci had been t! w r,,s;-v r f
no fma4 janimadverfion. ; Ctuntf.iL--l-.40iJ
to hiai, Your conducl I Sir,' in this aAiori
has been criticized.1 Wafhingtolo made no
anrwtfr, but cfapped fpufx-o' hia horfe t af
ter they had pahVd the fieldl he: turned to
theltalian and fa?d,; Count V , 0b
ferve that you wih mcto Iprak ofj the "war.
If is a conyerfatiori- which I always1 aoid (
rejoice at the eftblifkmei)t ct liheVtles of A.
merica.- But the time of ti e Oriole wag a
hortibfe period, in whirh thi Kfttm.n
-compelled to do mapy, -ihinei rtpbonant fo
their ntiri ' - ! - . ,
fo fatal lcre even the mildVa civil cot5mo
Jon to meo morals, nd fo ad nibble ;wae
the tempcrsment of the iran who hA-
j mucli magrprrimity not to rake up arms tc
I the call nf Inc
' " i . ' ;fcVU,i": u ioo oeiJcfie
a parity. to dwell whh ccmpUcency on. the!'
recqiiecjion of icenca whkbi ' though try
wcrthe fcurce of his plorv a11ni.r!
fc ope. for the difplay of M talents : tfian for
me exerciie.ot 4iis huK&niiy I
j ne conciunon Pf the i'slnterjcan
and glory bf an illuflrious comman'
: reei an tne ditrcrences which up I ". r 1 v1 ! '"""'!! war prrat;
fubjedl is d'ie from the; ignorant to J m.,tld aftjington to return to ibcfe dornefi ;
s of the art.. Bol we doubt thej Vc f5enes from w ich notbirg but ferJe of;
- . ; . . . ; ... . 1
regular armies, thm in t hereon t efts ofi thofe
commanders who are more perfediW inflrufr.
eii in military Icience. ft is with the arts of
war as with every other art. .Wherever.ay
art is moll peifeded, l there ja' leaft robtti for
the eteritous of mdividual ;penus. Avhete
moit can oe'done by rule, Iealt lrleft forita-1
lents.'- We accordingly -find that thofe fur
prizes ai.d Oratageins which are fo brilliant
and interfiling a part of the hiftory of war in
rare,
aifd
It is 4
rlv to
part times, are now infinitely more
becaofe. vigilance! 13 now mare uniform;
the maani aT
delejjce. more per fed.
now muco moreeafy than It was forme
calculate the event of a catapaipo from the
numbers of ihe Contenains armies, the; fori
treues of which they poUels and the nature
of the country :wbich they occupy. It is itn
poflible that.tbelart of waf. fhould ever be
fo improved, as. to obliterate all dierrnces
between the talents of genere?! : bud it is
certain that its-improvement has a tendency
td niakr the inequality, of ibert tateoU fefa
felt, f it cannot be deniet tb'at they who
bed know .'the power of t he-at t j re the moll
fober admirers of ,the ta.ehrs of generals.
But vvhatver he' the Jqanefi of ihefe pbfer
vations it 'm nil be tiniverally allowed that
as, much judgment and intrepidity may. be
fiiewn among irregular and imperfecltly idif
ciplintd armies aft under the rooft .highjy im
quit ieems to have had the now to A.
him; But he. was cot allowrd Innt to ej.joy
this) privacy." The fupreme; government ofS
the Uuited States, haOily- thiown upy'in '
moraent ofturbulehce and darger, as a ten?
perary fortification aoainft!
Utterly unadequate tp.the prefer vatitf.n of en
corfufions of civil .war hd bin i"t':. ;',,
,tbe morality df the people ,whrcb rerderecf
i the reflraimt of a juft ayfd vWoiouiij covera- y
ment more Jndifpenlibly -neceirf rVj1: ' ConV fll
cation, and, .pa per money, the twi greaufi'
fchobls of rapacity and d'iWeily -in the
world, had widely Tpresd their foifon a
morg the Americans. X)nVicf their own :
writers tell us, that the Vhile YyiUm of pa-
per money waa a fyflr m of publip aiid privatV
fraud?. lo this Hate "of things. Whirh :
threatened the diflaiitf.nn nf mn;ii;,. nj'7
government, good men faw the neiccfHt I ofv
concentrating and invigorating th'et ! fa pre me '
authr:ty. Under the ioduence-jj of this
conviclion, a convention of delegates wasfaf
femblrd at PhiJadeiphiaV wbicb ftrfngtbehfd
the bands "eft lie federal Union,, and below
ed on Ccngrefijthofc powers which were nei
cefiary tor the.purpofes of good government;
Wafhjngton wfstbe prefidentef this conven?
tion, as he, in three years after, was elecr
ed prefident of the United States of Atrierica
under whar !wi called The New 'Co nil i" '
iutiobr though it outbt to have been callr
: Ses' UamfaV'a Amcticaa Revoluiion.
vav v
1