Virginia Argus. [volume], December 13, 1813, Image 1

About Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816

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: I±^P-XX1.--No._3041 ] ^ O.MiAY, l)KC KMHKK J3. 1«I3. ' f4 drito» „er annum
Mr.GILESES SPfeJECH
On the Bill f jr raising fifty thousand
Volunteers.
Is Ses.ite, January 29, 1812.
( CostlSUED.)
“ To tills may le added, u.at you never can
have a Well disciplined army.
.T -To make men well acquainted with the du
ties of a soldier, requires time. To bring tin m
, under proper discipl in'- and subordination, not
only requires tune, but is a work ol great dilH.
culty ; and in this army, where there is so lit
tle distinction between officers and soldiers, re
quires an itncouimn degree of attention. To
expect then the same service from r*w and un
disciplined recruits, as from veteran soldiers,
i* to ,.xpret what never did, and perhaps never
Will happen.
** w«‘ "ho are familiarized to danger, ap- j
proach it without thinking; whereas tiwo|s
unused to service apprehend danger where no
, danger exists.
“ Three things prompt men to a regular dl s
ch Tf.e ol tl-eir duty in time ol ,ic ion—natural
brar: ry, hope obi e ward, and fear of punish
ment. I lie two litst are common to the umu
tored and the disciplined soldier, but the last
mos1 obviously distinguishes one fr. m die o
. tber. A CQwarsl taught to believe thaf, if be
breaks his ranks and abandons It s Colors, lie
will be punished with death by lus own party,
will lake Ins ci.mice against the enemy ; but
t!ic n._u who thinks little ol tiic one, ami is
feaiful of the.other, acts from present feelings,
regardless ol'ctmtiHMii nces-.
A u n, men of a .day a standing will nat look
forward ; utid froiirVxpferiencc, we tind, that
as the-time approach. sior their discha gi, they
gr w c.rclessof ilie r arms^aimrui.i i< n, can j,
utensils. &c. nay, even tlie barracks them* Ives
have felt uncommon mark* of wanton depre
d..ti..», and we aic Lid under lresh trouble and
additional expense in pioviding tor every fresh
party, at a lime wi.,u we find it next to impos
sible to procure the articles absolutely neces
sary, in the first instance. To this may be ad
ded tlie seasoning which new recruits most
have to a camp, and the oss consequent there
upon.
“ lint this is not ail. .Men engaged fo- a
short limited time only, have tlie officers too
much in their power. To obtain a viegi<e of
popularity in order to induce a sec nd ernist
incut, a kind of familiarity takes pLce tvoicli
bring* on arciaxat ion el ducipl.in., utiliceii
sed furloughs, anil other indulge..civs, incoin
. psiibit with order and good government, by
which means the la ter part «.f the linn Ini
which tlie soldier was eugsgtd, is spvntm un
doing what it reqiinud.inuch labor u> inculcate
in the first.
“ 1 o c;n into an i nnumeration of all the evils
we have experienoeit nuliis great change ol tl-«
army and the expense incidental to' it, to say
nothing of the h. iiuul we have run ami must
run between tlie discharging of one army ai.d
the enlistment of another, toilless an eiiormnU
expen e ol niiiitia is incurred,) wou.d greatly
exce-d the hounds of a letter. Wliat 1 have m
ifatly taken the liberty ot suying will serve u*
convey a general i caol the nmturj atulthe>e
fore, 1 shut:, with a.l cine- del. rente, take the
freedom to give it as my opinion, tha , if Con
gress have any r- as.>n to believe tlie re wi 1 be
occasion for troops another year, and come
' quen ty to an t cr enlistme,nt, they w mill save
money , ami have infinitely better troops, if tin y
Were, even at the bounty ol twemy, tnniy or
m ie d li "l-s, to iignge .Ik men already enlu
t d until January i ext, \ ti sueb others may
bu w mied to complete heestab idirm-nt lot and
during the war. 1 will not under.ake to say
that tlie nien may he had on iiese terms, but
J am su'd lied tn.it u wilt never r*o to let tl e
matter ..nme, as it was last year, u: til ihe time
ofservi e is near expiring In tlie ti si place,
the h .’.ard is ■ oo great i m the next, the won
ble anti perplexity of disbanding one army and
raising another at the same instant, -nd in such
a critical situation as the last vv-s, arc scarcely
in the pow er or words to describe, and such uh
no man who has once experienced it, wul ever
undergo again Vol. U, pa. Wi, ‘Jtil, -U12,
28
Mere follows the comment of the historian.
Unfortunately, Congress did not I'cbl so sen
sibly as tin it general, the it to., parity I tempo
rary tunnies to oppoae those .viuch ure penna
nt nt Nor wen h a officer* of high l ank, as
yet, BuAicien.ly in.pressed on this subject In
a council held previous to the m\v tiioueilmg
of the army, they had hec>i of opinion that the
enlistments might be only lor one year.”—N ot.
2, p. <81.
“ Scarcely was this fir t sure*is obtained,
(in Nov 1775, b> Montgomery) when the f.uai
consequences cf sboi t enlistments began to dis.
cover themselves. T l»e time of terviee lor
which tlie troops had engaged being now near
expiring, great diiticully was experienced in
prevailing on them to proce* d further, and the
general w«» under the necessity of stipulating
explicitly, 11iut all whowbliul it, should b* ujs
charged at Moutreal, he ore he couid induce
them even to march against that place Jlav
ing ellected this compr niise w.tli them, he
pro* ceded against Montreal, while his il a ting
batteries under col. Kaston, ndvamed up t
St. latwrencie, and not only ertcctua,fy pitv.n
ted he armed vessels of die enemy Irom mak
ing the tsCape they hail projected to (fneiic
but Hrcve them from their- anchors still higher
up the river."—vol 2, jv.3l0
April, 1776—“ A considerable part of the
army having become i lit tled to adisciiarge, no
inducements could prevail on them to continue
longer in so severe a »• rvice. Tins deduction
from Wooster's force was the more sensibly
fel’» because the present situation of the mails,
the lakes and the St. I Awn-lice, unavoidably im
pn'ed, for a time, lie arrival of the reiiilori e*
m* n s d* stintu for Ins aid." Among the hrst
won reached camp aft. r this slate of things
f took p!ac , was general Thomas, who, after
being apf ointeil to the Command in Uamda,
had made gr« at exertions to join the army
II. arrived on the first ot May, and on ex.mm
ing its force, fouml it to am nt of a to al n.im
Ucen hundrt*l,of whom less than one thousand,
inclu • mg officers, wore lit for *hity. Among
the effectives, vm re three hundrxl entitled to
a discharge, who refused to do duty, and insis
ted irapo- unuteiy on being immediately dis
missed."—Vol 2, pa .154. 3-5.
. I>cc. 1776—Oen Washington “ was carm-xt
witli Congress to increase tlie number of con*
tinental regime^. It was admitted that tho«e
already vo ed would, most probably, not be
completed j but re contended t lby directing
» -•**. tionul number, aim app inting ntliuf of
I o re, it.* v men w,„ |.,, t. "|(,, d, cverv
cfhccr woo d r«or«it * tvW. iVilh respect to
3 9 (
the additional expense to be incurred by the
measures he recommended, it w s obstrv d,
•' that .our funds were the only object now to he
taken into consideration. The enemy, it was
found, were daily gathering strength from the
disaffected. This strength, like a snow-hall by
rolling, would encre»se, unless some means
could be devised to check effectually the pro
gress of tkeir arms. Militia might possibly
do it for a little while t but in a little while
slso, the militia of those states which were fre
quently called upon, would not turn out at all,
or would turn out with so much reluctance and
sloth, as to amount to the same thing.
“ (build any thing,” he asked, “ be more de
structive ol the recruiting business, than giv
ing ten dollars for six weeks s rvicc in the mi
litia, who come in, you cannot tell how ; go you
cannot tell when, and act, you cannot tell
where ; who consume y< ur provisions, exhaust |
your stores and leave you ut last in a critical
situation
“ Tit se, sir.” he added, “ are the men 1 am
to depend upon ten days hence. This is the
basis upon which your cause wi.l rest, and
must forever <h p nil, until you get a large
standing army sufficient of its If to oppose the
enem . V i 2, pa. 537. 53H 539.
1777—“The problem, w heller amtion can
he defended against a permanent .force, by Uni
porary asmies, by occasional calls of the bus
bam:man, from his pough to the field, was al
ready solved | and in its demonstration, the in
depend* rice ot America hud nearly perished in
its cradle. All eyes were now turn* d on the
ar.. y to be created for the ensuing campaign,
as the only solid basis.on which the hopes ol
' the patriot could rest ” Vol 2, pa 555, 556.
Mr Giles next observed, that he beygeil
to be indulged in exhibiting to the view ot
the Senate, the character and pr&cci dings
of the Congress of 1777—at the moment of
the most alarming peril and despotic etcy
during the whole rev* lulionary war, hot be
cause it has any direct hearing upon the im
mediate question uikK> discussion, but as
at* honnrab e example highly wo; thy cf mi
ration at the present day.
I he firmness manifested by Congress 1
thmnghout t ie gloomy and trying period
wliich intervened between the loss of fori
Washington, and tile battle of Princeton,
entitles (he members of dm day to the ad
miration of tin world, and the gratitude of
their te low-citizens. Unawed b the dan
gers winch dneate: ed them, and regardless
• ■f personal safety, they did not fc-r.an in
stant admit the idea, that the indepen
dence they bad declared was to he surren
deted and peace t--be purchased by icturn
ing to thetr ancient colonial situation.” Vol.
2. pa. 557.
177U—“Torecru't the army for the nekt
campaign was an r.lject of which the com
rnander in chief felt the importance, and la
bored to impres, it on the several states as
well as i n Cong it es. But it was an object
the d Hiculty of accomplishing which con
t in-ally Increased. From the deprcciati n
<-t paper money, and from other causes, no
hope remained of obt-i ing any respe<*tab'e
number of men hy voluntary enlistments ; and
coercivc means could only be employed by
the respective states. To persuade then
to apjily with the requisite dispatch sutii
c evt energies to this subject, requited aP
the nduiM.ce of grneral Washington, and his
lette s u. get] them l>y ev- y motive whicli
con'd < negate on the human mind, to meet
with sufficient means the crisis of the war,
which he apprehended was now approach
ing.
“Iff* exhorted them to pi ?* ce no C''nfi
der.ce in foreign :.id, but to depend . n their
own int.mal strength and resou ces for the
maintenance of their independence: He
did not doubt hut iha* Britain would, if not
prove ted b- a war in F.urope, make great
exertions to reinforee her armies in Ameri*
ca, and efl< ct the obj c s of the war. Only
corres-jKincldnt exertions to keep in the field
a continental army at lea*t equal to that of
the ci emy, c< old prevent thf ir succes*.
“ Ho enclosed 10 each state a return of
i s tr<»<.p% on the continental establishment;
thereby exhibiting Jp each its own deficien
cy, which each was strongly urged to sun
ply." Vol. 3.
Nov. 1779.—“ In the more early stpges
of the contest,” said the com mender in ch ef
to congress in his letter of thi 18ih Novem
her, ’ when m. n migli have bten enlisted
■or the war, no man, as my whole conduct
and »he uniform tenor of my letters will
ev nee, was ever more opp* sed to short en
listments that I was ; and while there re
maitied a prospect of obtaining recruits tip
on a permanent footing in the first instance,
as far as duty and a regard to my station
would pe rmit, I urged my senti rents in fa
vor of it. But the prospect of keeping up
an army by voluntary enlistments bong
changed, or at least standing on too prcca
ti ms and uncertain a footing to depend on,
for the exigency of our nlTi irs, I took ttie li
erty in Kehuary 177H, in a particular man*
ncr to lay before them mmittee of arrange*
men* then with the army at Valley Forge,
a plan for the annual draught as the smest
ami nv st cer ain. If not the only means left
us, ol maintaining the army on a proper and
re pecable gr und. And more and more
confirmed in the propriety of this opinion,
by the intervention of a variety of circurn
s’unces, unnecessary to detail, I again took
the fre' dum of urging the plan to the com*
mittce of conference in January last ; and
having reviewed it fn every point of light,
and found it right, at least the best that has
occurred to me, I hope J shall be ex< used
by congress in offering it to them, and in time
for carrying it into execution for the next
rear; it they should Conceive it necessary i
for the states to complete their quotas of
troops.
(Sficcci to be continued.J
Juki Received and for Sale at thin Office,
A History of Virginia,
From the Discovery till the year 1801.—With
Hiograpliiciil Sketches,
Of ail the most distinguished characters that
occurred in the Colonial, Revolutionary,or snh
seem out period of our History—by J. tv.CA MP
Uldd-, of I’etersburr.
Tfov. 32. u.
-—-—.. ■ - -1_■ - ' — —mK=asa
ADJUTANT Gl'NRRAL'S OFFICE,
... IUbhmond, 6 th of December. 1813.
Hie Adjutant General, on whom hat devolved the detail of the Militia for actual service, hat the honor to submit*
the hJWwing statement of the forces directed to take the field, with the attendant circumstances, since his rennrt «f
ihr 30th of May last, which was laid before the Gonqml Assembly then in session.
Th«t tneun’s sqm dron continuing to increase in numbers, with a large accession ofland troops, it was deemed hv
^commanding Genmud at Norfolk, (who was fully authorised by the President to call for such reinforcements of
chw work; which lest measure was not contemplated in my requisition on the executive,"for the Iasi’ dVta'-hnmnt
*t:ite ^no.ns* 1 f,nuM therefore, consistently with my duty or sense of propriety, consent at present to any dimi
nution of the f ree here.**
Scarcely had the Genera! uttered these words, when the position taken by the enemy, clearly evinced a determina
icn to make an immediate attack on the unfinished w orks, at Crany-lsland, as a prelude to one on Norfolk and llunm
<on. , *
i
ed between that point and Hampton. . . • " ' '
roiled m hi* a'.'em pi. upon Crany Island, the enemy crossed over to Hampton, and on tlie inoruing ofthe 2r>;h com
tne::eed an a Hack upon lb it p tot. So great was the superiority of the enemy in point of numbers, and so inadequate
our means of resistance, thut Major Crutchfield was cotnpelh d to aha»don the place, after a most gallant defence_
Ve«ffcJ - um*<*<mI forest is w. il known and tho particulars as well as the estimated force of the enemv are
u tailed m fkedocum n(s m.rked.F. G. H. I. J. (8. C.)
All accounts from I I mpton having icpresented the enemy as between four anH fire thousand strong, w!- !c the
lOK-es under Mtjor Crutchfield, (destitute as they weie of camp equipage, and military stores ot all kinds,) with me
addition ol tne ti8lh an:' i loth r. gimenis, dui not exceed Jive hundred and seventy, and the onlv int •rve.nn * f roe ’*«>
»v. e.; a ilumpton and the Capitol of the state, consisting of tha 52d r. girncni, and the troops si at ioned nf MV ero fills,
amounting m less than five hundred effectives, if became an object ofthe first important e with tlie Executive, to call
in such aid, as. by its celerity of movement, might not only arrest th- drogrea* ot th- en- n»y, but«'r:v<* him from on
territory.—AM th this view. ihe troops of cavalry of Cuptain Miller ofCuiidx rland, Copt in Allen of Prince Edw «41,
am. G i.iu.n S milord ot Halifax, were required by orders of 27th .Tune, to repair to thi id ce, without a moment’* de
lay. K..ainaon,of the Cavalry, was also called into service (see document K.)—-O \ ill 28th June, g* mi~.il or.
were issued, fur a force to rendezvous at Norfolk and Richmond, to repel the act ai invasion of tin state, which
was demand d by the exigency, ami considered ad- quale to the object. (S e document L. — !\> each comm, ml .ot of
* r iguueni, from which mounted rifl men were dra m. special orders were sent, of which a e jpv m ir .ed M is induced
to b -ve. onoentrot. a a competent force, properly armed, by-be slow process of culling into service those held in pre
vmus n quisiiu.ii only, which most necessarily have embraced a widely extended territory, was absolutely iinposnioie.
ll ce tlie necessity of requiring from these regiment* com iguous to the scene of danger, n et rtain proportion, over
, af,ure the W'iuwtiou, ail ! of appe Ji:ig (o the put riot of the people for a supply ot i ill *s, not to be found i:i the
puiM-.c arsenals, a* well us for the means of transporting ‘he troops with the greatest expedition.
1 lies-orders of the Executive wei e ia perfect coiucideuce with the vie,ws of Genera! Taylor : for. in his letter of
(ll. 2:iu June, after informing the Governor that he h»d made drafts on the nrighborirg counties for as many men 03
y/an consistent with their safety from the internal foe, and noticing the increased force ofthe enemy, he sa a, “I deem
if highly important, that alt the force above this, and in your neighborhood, that can be marched at once, should he nut
10 motion um-rda this place, without delay—We ought to he prepared by a decisive stroke,To check -lie best efforts of
(in: enemy.— It may save Virginia for the residue ofthe war.” (See document N.)
T .e measures thus adopted hy the Executive, and General Taylor, having been communicated to the president, re
e iv. d hi* entire approbation, as will appear by reftrence to a letter from the Secretary of War, among tlie documents
m rked J A. - *
Various communications, received on the SOth of June, announced the ascent of a considerable part of the eremy’s
vcioef. O- war, up Jumc* R ver; avd on that day, a “ large force” v/us represented to be as high up, as Handv Point,
(f>cc document* O. P. (k> *2.) ll SEP. LT. (G 2. —No aid having been received from distant counties, except the
tioops ot e&valry ot Captains Boiling and Aodcraon. *tieh dispositions were made for watching tlie uioveinerts of the
enemy nod repelling any attack a* could he teffeeti d hy the dc 1; ckinci.t, at Malvern Hills and the Jo -ai militia. The
\v o c ot the 39th R giinent, including the town of Petersburg were also put in requisition.
It being ascertained that the: rnemy had evacuated Il.»iuf Ion, th Executive deler’mimd to suspend the march of
lithe u oops called out by the Oqncrul Order* of the 28th Jure, except the infantry from the counties of Amelia,
Nottoway, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, the »f»th Reg*ment, Brunswick, Charlotte and Halifax, and the mounted ri
.hin! n horn the western cou»ilic*.;--ttie former being pci milted to proceed to Norfolk a* a reinforcement to the ar
my stationed there, and tlie latter destined to ..ct on the north side of James River_The services of adue proportion
ot officers were, of course dispensed with. Seeordirs of the 2nd of July, document V.)—To the force at Malvern
ll.i>s. vi 11 e s, ch ol the militia from Lh-steriieid and II mover, us lorni' u apart ol tlie general requisition.
Adv i cs imv;ng been received, on the 3d of July, that life squadron of t he enemy were descending the nver, all the '
c iiiiia collected ier fie vicinity o| il»e Capitol, 'rom the adjacent counties were disbanded; and at. cue ves ul* continu
ed to re. ede, the detachments st. tinned lower down Ihe. river, which had been recently culled out, were sdcce-siv. ly
discharged. On the Hi It of July, final orders were given, permitting all those under the command ot General Chum
berlayue to return home, except the cavalry. (S. e document W.)
That poi lion o. ihe militia d reeled to rendezvous, av Kichtno.al, by orders of the 27th anti 28th of June, had not
all airived, when uitel igence was received from Fredericksburg, that part ofthe enemy’s squadron had made im Ho
pe ur n.e on the Potomac river, ami on th* evening ofthe l+lh anchored opposite I face’* Ferre. A detachment of
cavalry and mounted riflemen wa* immediately *ei»t, under the command of Col. M’DcwcU, with ont r* to form a
junction with the forces, Iroui Frederick and Shenandoah, who were on their way to the general rendezvous, but had
halted at Frrdei i.ksburg, on receiving information ofthe appro eh of the enemy. See document (X. i. /.) ’ So eff-e
imtllv was the enemy watch, d, on the Virginian shores ofthe Potomac, by Capt. Green's volunteer*, Col. M’Dnwell’s
detachment, and »!ie local militia, that he paid us bui a short visit. Afier taking on hoard snnh negroes a* bad tied io
btii!, a off comm (ting some depredations, of less moment, he dropped down the river: On tiie27Ui of July, iniornia
tiun was received from Major Kobirisoji at llauipton, that two vessels of war, of a large class, had anchored off the
mouth of B:u k rivej-; ^nd on the 31 st further advice* siu'ed timt the residue ofthe squadron bad descended, and ha
ving' diaeni barked their troops, ooeopied a position near Point-Look-Oat, a promontory foi rntd by tho junction of
the Polonvte river, with the Giiesnpoake.
.,v U. U.o enemy 10 our snores, ann the inciiitv with which ho could transfer himself to any point, ad
din to the uncertainty of his ulterior iff&tiuution, rend, ml it expedient to augment our forces, in the vic inity ot H..mp
ion, which had been greatly reduced, b> the discharge of the troop, under (ieneral Cbamberlayne. Tinea hundred rf.
II. *urn, pari ot whom were mounted, were accordingly wider, d from the camp forming in the vicinity ol this place, to
reiuforce Major Uobinswi, commanding at Hampton, in the absence of Major Crutthflcl*. The operation, of the en
einv, however, from this period, till his departure from the Chesapeake, were confined to predatory incursion., upon
the territory of Maryland, ami the occupancy ot Kent Island,in that state.
(ieneral Taylor, availing ljiiu.gr of th* absence ol the enemy from the vicinity of Norfolk, proceeded to Washing
,OB *1;1' B to obta,,» t,,e President*. sanction to such a system of permanent defence, as ihe pressure of the
war upon \ irgmM, wruied to demand. On tlic 19th ot July, he laul before the Ex eufive the projet of a for. e, lor the
protection ol Norfolk, andtho adjacent country, amounting in the aggregate to 7,(iU0 men (Bee document A *.) lio
was also charged Midi pre.i nting to the President the views ol the Executive, in the formation of a lining camp to bo
com pc sell ol eavalv), light artillery, and mounted riflemen, which, by being able to change its position with eelei ify,
•mg i effectually check ihe depredations of the enemy. This force was intended to aei between the north side 6f
Janie, river and the Potomac, tail the force million, d by the. Secretary of War to be placed on llie United Btulrs
estftl.li.il mint at Norfolk, having been eon lined to 8000 and that for the country, between James ami York rivers,
toxtiU iiu n, in* I in. i g regain-1, ihe plan ol a Hying camp was abandoned.
1 o ttc<-oniminiate the dcci ipuon ot troops to tue reduced numher, allowed by the Secretary of War, a. well as to
"•upidy the vacancies about to I*; created, oy the ilischurge of loose called into service by the general orders oi the Oth
•<l I cbrtHiry, anil such a* hail been drawn to Norloik, on ihe cRiergemy, but whom it was ri.Uermined immediately to
iischarge, (i-ueial laylorHU nailed loathe Executive hi* statement ol the 8d oi August, requiring, three hundred
»n;i Imy eight artillerists, three hundred and thirty nine riflemen, and five hundred and eighty six infantry. (Bee
document If 4.) (Concluded in our loot poge.J
1 lie documents accompanying this report are too long to admit of insertion—-nor is it deemed necosary at this time, as the moil
| important ot »hem have already appeared in the Argus.