Virginia Argus. [volume], September 03, 1814, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
At Una eventful, this xisrmiiir crisis, preg
tisut with perilous events of dilferetjt descrip,
tions, let us not aupirtcly real backing in the
.‘sunshine of ignbminious ewe and disgraceful
v Indolence j rather, animated by patriotic
zeal, and fired by laudable i trentmcnt, let nei
tlier distinction or »geexcuse us—the rich have
nibst to defend, and therefore should be among
the first iri the field—the poor have what is unoat
valuable, the happiness of their ofti firing and
their liberties st stake, will have adequate pay,
an accumulation «Fexalted fr.rv, the thanks of
a gtateful country, the. app r»«e of their.own
conscience, ami the Sihiles oi approving He*:
sen!
The aged having little tints to sacrifice, should,
V? exemplary •ouduet, nobly inspire anil PsiT Op
.the you'll, who, being In their prime, should itittoys
the resale in!ant example of- their fatf era, sndde**.
tend with religious sanctity what their anaestc&
had achieved by vVotir. ^ nu who are in the midtdW
’ stage of lift', ur.il are blessed ns fathers, with pates.
‘ i»alT<*eliugs,fight fo* your young aodtsmh-r offspring.
Young Hied of filial Hntl affectionate sentiments, gal*
Hotly dcTei.d yoar »gtd nareir * from 4uu»der, your
mothers, your wujrs and sist.cr shorn brutal abuse.
Yi« virtuous few, who fmve painfully regretted the
lass df the oppmtduity i t d sihtgtmhiag y-uixelm.
and twcr-mif.^ycurniimei among the illuatrioas lib- \
rqe* of the lute revolution, the present ftate of
pubjlo affairs oii’ci * to your choice an inviting gtori*
oti* opportunity of sharing In the present honors.’
blc effort. Votp nty venerable trieud* and associ
tles fii former perils and priv.iiioist, whose innate
ouor, pride and con scions rectitude agism swells
yoi^r lieiirts with emotions of deepest patriotism ;
wix.se reflection* have triced the pursuits of men,
hare seen sonic acquire high consideration’ in soci
ety# wfio had litiie claim in it; while other*, with
the purest motives and good wbilities, have becu left
in lise shaile 1—Notwithstanding, once more in the
apured cause of liberty—once mire I conjure you,
by evert’ exalted principle whirls can iiervade' the
Jrcinun heart— oner more, set Use glorimis example,
sr.d uc uiuujig tiie first to avenge your uunrury’s
^uuse You Virtuosu men of . 'ovated minds. of e
vicry ccBuiji’ior,, vie wi.h cu.h other, with the
fiilliiiii) [iioii'liiii ut all in tiie field ( thei'e, aught*
to be ao uistiiictldss hut what is acquired by oorres.
ponding virtuous and patriotic deed* of lionoi* und
braves*)— there, ss the place lor every Ansericau to
Write indelibly hit own fair tame1, ,
W here Is the nsau oh (bit solemn and most im
pi rtant occasion of our thus invaded country, who,
, Boiscuing health and physical force, would shame-J
fully make no excuse ?—If there be any so degrad
ed, debased in principle, and lost (o all souse of
viitue, to the love of ids country, the dictates of
honor and traiiscenduul limit, let hisdegenarate un
wortfyr nyme be struck out from the rights . id be
nefit* of social intercourse—from the archives of A
Wctich, and indigoautly erased from its annals for
AVer,
L. t naf, my dean countrymen, I implore you, let
not there lie ).ny <ji«f tutiHg put ties t let dlsonrd, the
hunt) Of society, Hit flleinj of our union, of our con
federated aovcvtignty, ot ous* 'proceedings in ooun.
fill, of our success in the field, of ail our happiness
civil au l rt-li ioiis, be bai ished from onr rummy /
norevtr uiicu more bo suffered to appear amoti
iren oi virtue mil vefinrtnenf. Let not Any man
pretend by contentious nrgur.ient lt> establish hiaat
irclir.t6.it to his country—lei that priactplc be (bade
so a idle st by conciliatory measure, in ooladt, or by
nets of bravery in the field—there alone let eneli In.
V*r of Ids country hideHHy w rite hi, own patriotic
chunteter, and fidr tame w.il tresord the merited,
applause ?—May all feud, and auirantities be for
gotten, S’lbvdv and iuiiuci’grd in the taerttj came
rf liberty, Hay we unite together m soul and sfen
t cicnt. 'hr* virtue inspire virtue, and man amm
Ale man—united in interest, aff.-. tio*i and principle,
timiCr tiie tost, i n.g toopice* of ai>; roving Hcsvrn.
TbrWU|hoqt the miih'A, may Nati.aai Amity, be
the sacred word of recdgilixanoC.
for the hOitnr ot this stare in particular,
ate will One and all religiously an»> d v edl)
endeavour to emulate our northern and oui
southern brcthern ;to imitate, nay to equal,
and if potable to surpass their re^plendnr.t j
acts of astonishing bravery —not 01 {y oiytdi- *
entto the call of our honorable Ex- cotive,
but also anticipate eacfi rcquisi'ion by hold
jog our«elves in perfect readmes#, into
rcagular corps of volunteers under officers
In whose bra' ery, abilities and rectitude j
we can fully ccnftde j be amply prepared
with arms and convenient field equipage ;
a.utfy and Itarn the art of war, ready to j
meet tf.e exulting foes j'"tec them know
tnd feel that they ate n-1 in Spain, end «m
. tering ilavca ; give them a proprr Amerfdkn
.trodiiciion kt near appioacbiet t hem • x«
perience a federal alutc ; every mart of ns
single out and sieze one 01 them in el se con.
fact J Coma when and where they Will, we
can instnutly equal thetin in numbers: on
more favourable terms we will never de
lire to meet their boasted fury.
Who are, l ask—who are those terrific
tnvincibles, to whom is attributed such worn,
dei tdl fe es of valour i* Are they *n» xtfa
crdin&ry prod»»c. ion of one islana f Or, are
they the same sortot min whom db: .5 tjie
revolutionary war we met at Lcxmgton,
k«r*s Hill, Trenton, Princeton, Monmonth,
Saratoga, Stony Point. Red lank. King's
Mountain, the Cowpens, ButaW Springs,
Little York, and number* of other pieces to
American, where they Were heat! frequent
ly captivated /and by smaller numbers com
peted to the humiliating condition of laying
ddwir dr stacking their nrihs dt the ward ot
command of on American CtBCer. Btat ihCjr
aay, Wehkd theaid ofthe French. In Which
of all these memorable actions did a'single
French auxiliary aid u* ? Not one ? ' I
sitively ansWer, not one! except the siege of
York; there they ‘occupied the loft wipg, and
daring the lAvestithre of seventeen'days, ffe
tooved but one small redoubt. Tielr nCkr**
wSt approach to the British fortification w4*
one hundred paces west of Our centrebatte
ry, where tbeir right joined their entrench,
toientitbour left; from that point they di
verged to their extreme left, leaving unsub
dued-toe enemy’s windmill redoubt between
thcma^l the’to tv n ; while-wo reduced ever
ry dutirurk and impeding obstacle, until
wUhfct pistol shot of the chetuy’s main works.
Why .then are wo put hi mittd of French aid?
when hot X word Is said Of a very formeda
dabla force of German auxiliaries, employ*
•d by the British from the early part of the
war, whom prudently tl*y kept always in
front as long a* they lasted!
Levlfis Grace, the redoubtable Duke of
Wellington* With all-his Spanish titles, count;
h^re ; we’ll ease his head of the bur them of
some of his boasted laurels, -and rank hint,
with his superiors. Bur gone and Cornwallis,
men, whose dignified touts were toogreht to
countenance pluder And destruction 6f Bri*>
vato property, Robbery, rapes and murder,
they punished with death. Great Britain had
not, Xt that time, arrived at her highest cli
max of turpitude. General Burgbyne was
arraigned before the first tribunal of the
realm oa an accusation of inhumanity, tm
ploying and encouraging, saydge ferocity,
which nerrid charge he Sedulously refuted,
and was honorably acquitted. What a de
generate race ate the present British 1
If ever they be ltardy-enough to advance and
form a permanent p- at, a few miles within our
interior, their dank ng. foraging and maraud
ing parties, will, by our mounted riflemen and
light troops, be prevented ; they can have ««,
Vegu’.-r ^applies Lut w'wtthey must bring with
thepj ovai the Atlantic, except at the risque of
iheir lira* : Tlieir parties* however strong, in
search of provisions, a~e sure to be cutofl', or to
desert.—-Until destitute of subsistence their
; only releiMrit! be in surrendering at discretion.
It neids no’ he spirit of prophecy to Foretell,
lint of all of them who venture to continue *ny,
considerable distance over our lines, or Fr iit 1
their shipping, unt a single private, or but levs
officers will ever more see their * atlve land,
and to which event their late -uccei'S, wh.cfa
they owe more to accident than to any military
! aclutvcmefft, is most likely to Mt^jevt their ir-i
j flated prule. The present co test is not only'
1 "fie cause of on r country in pari.cub r, but also,
more generally, it involves tlie cause of suffer
ing, fcuipanity a* well of the p resent as that of
succeeding generations. v Let us therefore
bravely and honorably acquit ourselvta as bc»
comes the dascendants of our virtuous ances
tors, who gave up their iCTt H to purchase the
freedom wc uow enjoy. Their departed ghosts,
the genius of liberty, propitious angels, all art
with anxiety and e-notions of tender concern,
viewing tlie mam er of our present conduct on
this must important and alarming conjuncture
of human affairs ; which seems to rtieni.ee the
dissolution of our national happiness, tnll give
throughout the world a fatal stroke to the spirit
ol freedom. equality ond justice.
Confident in tl e honor and humanity, as will
as the firmness an:’ -dacrity of our beloved ci
tizens, who will not, I trust, however exaspe
rated, descend to copy or retaliate the abomin
able iiivages and at»rocitb»s of such a depraved
enemy j but inspired by,the holy flame »f liber
ty,’irresistibly impelled by glowing ardopr,
purest principles and sentiments of refinement,
they will view wi'V horror and detection eve
ry act of inhumanity, ipdalicacy, rapine or
plunder* religiously and conscientiously con
sidering that they are acti g under the imme
diate view of that omni3oie-1, Almighty power,
who of infinite goodness, benignly brought us,
as a nation, into existence, and graciously in
dued us with the spirit, of freedom, and the
special means of defence, in Which ca3e no
pcssihlg/loubt can arise of ’lie most favourable
result! otherwise, I Would zealous!) endeavour
ter raise niy feeble voice, non p.u helically to
implore you for the s-lte.of < ur beloved govern
ment, our venerable consti’in ion, cur confede
rated union, our liberties, civil and religous;
For the memory of our renowned ancestors, and
the lender regard tor tlie hupp mess of succeed
ing generations* for all which is dear and va
luable to the felicity, interest and honor of the
American character i with holy enthusiasm (
with divine energy; with zeal, ardour, and
undaunted bravery, resist f>y-every justifiable
mean.-', tlW wrongs, the invasions, ami atrocious
depredations or our nefarious enemy, until we
can acquires jtfat, honorable and lasting pence !
VK ll.itAN’Ufl.
Ciimp->fdeting.
A camp Meeting *hi be hew in
Gloucester Circuit in King and Quern
County ; on the land of Mr. John Crane, a'
bout 12 miles from the Court-House, a
North West course: commencing on Thurs
day the ljtli of September nex , su|>erin
tended by the Uevd. James Boyd, P. E. The
ground i-i Judiciously chosen, in a lovely grove
(on an eminence, so as to have a dry En»
Component, should It be attended with ram)
under lofty oaks, whose towering tops, and
spreading branches, will shield the auditory
from the bright rays, and scorching beans
of the mei rdian sort. It abounds with good
water, and Pasturage convenient, it is cha
ritably hoped, and reasonably expected, that
all those of our friends and brethren, that
live convenient, who feel for the cause of
God, and wish, and pray for the prosperity
of Zion, will not be backward in coming
With their Tents, to accommodate distant
brethren. Transient, as sgell as local, and
cur Baotist brethren, -ire invited to come
up to the help of the Lord, against the migh
ly. Where we hope to see eminent tils*
plays ot di.iue power amongst Saints and
'iinr.crs ; and feel the benign enAucnce of a
Glorious Redeemer.
lMn August. tdm
.. <\ .. ... Buffalos, August i<y
SPLENDID DEPENCEOF FORT ERIE F.
We take great pleasure in presenting our
readers with the following glorious and
highly interesting news from oar gallant ar
my at fort Erie, received late last evening,
from undoubted authority
Oil Sunday evening, lieutenant General
Drommoad made his dispositions for stor
ming fort Erie. About half past 2 o’clock,
yesterday morning, the Attack commenced I
from three columns, one directed against'
the fort —one against ToW&on’s baAgesy, and j
the thud moved up the river in' Arderjaeg
fof^hpassd*between foe rtfS*
The column mat approached _ fort, eu$»
ceeded m gaining the ram Jp, after having
been several times repoUVl grhen about
500 of thetn had gained -Jkhe wpfks and
made a stand, an from so ne on
[ known caerf, cr»*piefe!y cleared -foe ram*
parts of die enemy* the most of whom were
Utterly destroyed. The column that moved,
to attack foe south (or x owson’s) battery,
made desperate charge*, but were pM with
such firmness by our artillenr ami infantry,
that (hey were compelled to till back —they
ad vanced. n second and third time with great
resolution, blit betpg “met with such distin
guished gallantry, fhejr gave way and re
tired. The coiun&a that marched up the
rriver, were repulsed before they assaulted
the batteries. Shortly after the explosioo,
the enemy finding every eflbrt to gain the
fort, or carry the batteries, unavailing, witlu
drew hia forces front the /whole, line, apd re
treated to the wood*. The action continu
ed one hour and a half, during which, (ex
cept the short interval that the enemy oc
cupied the ramparts}'th$ artillery from the
fort and batteries kept up a most destruc
tive fire, as well on the main body of the en*
emy,bi.on the attacking co.utnns—These
columns were composed of the best of the
British anoy, votuotcers from every corps,
the forlorn hope. The enemy's loss is es
tiraated at rising 800. 123 rank and file,
passed this place, this rmrning for Greeu”
bush, Colonel Drummond, and six or seven
officers were kilted, one Deputy Quarter
Master General (said to be Captain Ldiot.)
and two platoon oilicers, prisoners. Our
loss in k.lied, Coes not exceed 20, most of
which we learn arc of the artillery. VVe re
gret to state, that Captain YYihiams and Lt.
M’Donough, of the art tilery, are kincd I Lt
Fontaine, musing, supposed taken prisoner.
Several of onr officers were wounded, but-'
wc hav« not idsr.ied uk-ir names
From the Circumstance, ol the eremy’a
main hotly lying withiu grape and Cloister
distance from the fort, tneirloks mast be ve
ry severe, greater chad what is mentioned
10 the above tstiru itton. th* dticnty’s wag- |
gous were uif.ommonly active yeterday
motT.:ugia v*...oviag cue wuouded.
’ l tie prisoner,, are of t:;e tfth. 100th,
103d, i(*4, ana ue w attervinc's and
a few tailors.
Ifis iaipos.ible for us in this sketch, to
say any thing of the individual skill and gal
lantry of tne officers, or the steady bravery
of Ute men, engaged its ttm glorious.defence;
| we presume ml did their duty. Brigadier.
! General Gaines Commanded the Fort.
Oor army at Fort Fate continues almost
daily to skirmish with the enemy, which is
principally confined to the attack of pi
quits on both Sides. There has bevn more
or less cannonading evfery day during the
week past, wiepuat'any material advantage
to either. On Wednesday, a party of rifle,
men under Captain Bird-jail, attacked and
drove in the cbeitiy’a picket: they lost from
fifteen to twenty, killed. -Wehist only ode
man. On Friday, Major Mor on with a/
detachment of his rule Corps attacked the
cuemy iu the skirt ol the wo«xit-, back of the
Fort; and alter a brisk munpictry of some
time, revalued to the fori, with the loss of
ten ov Ik killed, among whom, wef regret
to say, was that excellent officer M.Jor Lb*.
dowick Morgan, of the first rifle regiment,
who so gallantly repulsed th<s enemy at Con
jockety Creek, on the morning of die third
ir.it. lie was intetred at Hulialoe, on Bat'
utxlay, with all tlie bouors due to ins rank,
and distinguished bravery.
Our fleet on Lake Ontario, to the number
of nine sail arrived offFort Niagara about 8
or ten days since. The Sylph, said to be the
swihest sailor on the Lake, gave chase to a
Briiiin brig, which being unable to escape,
was abandoned and blown up. From eve
ry appearance she was loaded with muni
tions of war, inteoded for the British Forts.
Commodore Chauncey commands the fleet,
whose health is fast improving. Three of
the enemy’s snail vessels lie i* Niagara ri
ver, blockaded by our fleet.
VVe have the unpleasant task to inform
the public ot the loss of two of thu United
States schooners lying near Fort Erie, by
capture. It nppears that the enemy fitted
out an expedition of 9 boats, on the Lake
above Fort Erie, and made a simultaneous
attack upon our three schooners ; the For*
ccpine succeeded in beating them off—the
Somers and Ohio were captured, and taken
down t.afr river, beinw the point, noar
Frenchman’s creek. The Porcupine sailed
on Sunday, for Erie.
We learn that Captain Dobbs, of the
British royal nuvy, commanded the party
which Captured the Somers and Ohio.
PTOMOTIONS BY BREVET.
VVe have the satisfaction to announce
that the following Brevets have been recei
ved by officers xhstinguishrd in the late glo.
rlous battle.
Brigadier general Scott, who has perfor
med a prominent part, since the landing of
the army in Canada, to the momeut of his
last wound at the battle of the 25th July, has
received the brevet rank of Major Gene*
ral.
Majors Jessup, of the t5th ; I*eavenwhrtfi,
of the 9th, und M’Ncr, of tne ltth, who far
fned their regiment*, composing General
Scott’s brigade, under an impetuous fire of
the enemy's artillery, in accuiate lines, ac
cording to the supt nor discipline taught |
them by their leader ; aiij whose gallant
examples preserved them in this order tiii
• the completion of the victory of the 5th Jut
ly, over a superior force cf British regulars
rhaye been bi evened Lieutenant Colone 9
Captain Towson, of the artillery, whose
intrepid.charac er ami superiority in his
9phere, 'nave been known to -the army,
since the capture of the Caledonia, in which
he bore a share that has never been accred*
ited by hi* country-—has, for thesupetior
effect of Ms fire in Conjunction with these
regiments Co the 5th July, been bre vetted a
Major.
^ Captain Crooker, *f the 9ih, who com*
mantled Ge eral Scott’s advance ou the 4th j
of July, Is bre vet ted a Major, for his gallan* !
tnr in decoying and repulsing a detachment .
of the British 19th, Light Dragoons, vhicl
had enveloped his little force when sepv.a
ted from tii& brigade. ~~.
Captain Harrison, sej-viviog in (he 9th,
arhen in the action of (he 5th, hi* leg was
shattered by a carnioo shot, gave a heroic
example to his men, by defining any assis
tance from the line, until the action was o
ver---he ts brevetted a Major.
Captain Austin, the aid of General Brown,
I Jot Lieutenant Worth and 2d Lieutenant
i Watts, aids of General Scott, are hr e vetted
each a grade for - their distinguished con
duct in the actioo of the 5th July. The in*
trepidity of the two latter wa. seen in every
Part of the line engaged with the eremy.—
Captain Worth is said to have dismounted,
dressed the guides -of a regiment displaying
into line, under a heavy fire with more than
the accuracy of a drill ; and that, when the
enemy’s artillery struck a file from the
ranks of one battalion at every shot, be ha*
by a happy ekpression to the ranks ^f that
battalion, drawn a deserving response from
the whole line exposed.
Lieut. .Col. Mitchell, who made the de
fence of Gsweg-o with his battalion of Artl
lery, in that style which gave us assurance
uf the brilliant success of our troops in the
ensuing campaign—has the rank of Colonel.
Major APPLING; who, with the same.
Riflemen lately distrnguised under Major
Morgan near this place, captured the
whole of the daring force of the enemy that
ascended Sandy Creek—is brev tteda Lieut,
Coionel.
j There are other Instances of individual
heroism, which we,would sake the greatest1
pie a uu re in detailing, were we.as correctly
informed of the particulars.
We have been cjrrectly informed of par.
tlculars of the heroism of Captain Ketch*
uti of the 25th regiment, whuie name ha^
received vhe just applause cf the public—
though it i* regretted by his fellow officers,,
that he has not been honored with a brevet
from the government. The gallant con*
duct^rrhis young officer on the 5th of July
lmsbeen set lor.h by G^n* Scott. The par
ticulars which reflect on him honors equally
high, are, that in the month of June previ
ous, he had marched his company from the
rendezvous at Hanford—a full company of
recruits, assembled by him under special au ,
thority from the commanding officer of the.
regiment, to fo’m a flank company, particu :
lariy dressed and equipped, and drilled by»
him for light service—and all yor.ng men,.
The intrepid conduct of these men, so late-',
ly from the interior, in opposing three times,
their force, wheo operating by themselves,
on (hat day, completely proves, that the good i
conduct of our soldiers, however inexperi
enced, will depend, as.in the instance ofthe
gallant leader of this detachment, upon the -
examples of ardor and firmness set them by
their commanders.
In the action at the Falls of Niagara, Cap
tain Ketchum is again distinguished, in be
ing detached by Col. Jessup to the rear of
the enemy’s 1 ne supported by the Lieut.
Colonel with the 25ihregt. formed at right;
angles with the enemy’s left fl^k. and keep
ing watch over the British r^Fof Dragoons
drawn up in a paralel line, on his right.—
Tims did Ketchum, under cover of the
night, between two lines of the enemy, seize,
a party of British officers and men, among
whom were Major General Rial), & an aid
of Lieut. Gen. Drummond, (the Lu Gen.
having narrowly escaped.) and bring them
SAfely to his colonel. Soon after Cap. Ketch
urn bad obtained from Gen. Riall his name,
and expressed to him his happiness at meet,
ing with him—the general is said to have
enquired, “ where Is Gen. Drummond ?”
Gen. Kiall when-at Buffalo, sent his sword
with a polite note, to Lt. Col. Jessup—the
Lt. Col. was there on account of his wounds.
We are informed, through an unquesti
onable source, that Ceo. Brown has a state*
nient or M^jor Gen Kiall’s, which was for*
warded by Lt, Gen. Drummond to Gov. Pre^
vost, acknowledging that they had 1500
troops in action on the plains of Chippawa.
It is a fact that Gen. Scott's brigade, taking
out his detail for the piquets which were
not called in, and Towtun's company of
artillery amounted together to bnt little more
than 1100 men, and alone engaged these
1500 Hr tish regulars, beat then* in the
open field, and drove them to their en**
treiicliineuts, wiih the loss of 514. General
Porter's command which drovt their ludi
a ns and loose militia until it met the British
regulars, had retired twenty minutes before
the enemy engaged Gen.Scott.
Will Gunerai Drummond, or any other
Hri i*h officer, rely upon their superior dis
cipliue, atier this example of the discipline
with but a short preparatory drill of less
than three months, has given to American
troops of less than two years service, and
one third of them recruits. The veterans of
Welling on will1 have but a faint reliance mi
supenority of this kind,if such difference is
to attend the result of eleven hundred again it.
fifteen.
wtmtaJm* arr*T*reji ixj.ii_uu-agy
Juat received and far talc, tit S. Pleatanit*
iitokttore, Richmond:
THE MOUNTAIN MUSE,
COMPRISING
THB AliVBNTUlim
Qf DAK/SL HOOKS, <Jc. (ft.
i ou Til Z A HO U S.
The following extract taken !J-om Lcc*s
Memoirs, |» Submitted to tlife I'.ditor rjf-enc
Argus for publication, in order to shew u:*».
danger arising from delay in the threatened
invasi(4i of a State.—The nuthcr after hav
ing mentioned the preparations of a KrituJi
lieut and it’s arrival iu the Chesapeake, and
the stops then taken to assemble the Mi*i:ia,
C»c. proceeds in the fallowing word's:*- * Ar*
uold, embarking his t«oops in the lighter*
ves*'Is, proceeded up Janes R ver, and oh
the fourth of January approached City Point*
situated at the confluence of the Appomat*
i XA ”*t4Ene? Rlw# It was now ev;dent*£5
i and indeed a little reflection would havflM
I before demonstrated, that the lower col**!®
’ *nr ^wno^the primary object with thu*c« rv>s
Mathews, in hia incursion, had tie* v*
jinved the btate of the content* of her Ar*
^*‘^i!!tt .q0,trtcri and bad our ability
permitted their renewal, prudence would,
have forbtd^caohe collection of articles of
value, in spots »o accessible to the enemy.**
A* s^on therefore, as the Governor and Ge*
r.hnid^H^lhat **uadpoo bad anv
chored in Hamptoo Roads (howevtr hop* .
may have heretofore prevailed oyer. vi£iw
lance, on the receipt of General Washing
tou b letter In the first week in December,
communicating the readings of a body of
troops in New York to emoark, believed to
be destined to the South) due reflection would
have shown, that Richmond or Petersburg
or both, was the probable destination of this
small Armament, the sudde»ne«s of whose
appioaeh, more thao it’s force, could give tof
it efficacy. But unfortunately we were un«
prepared, and efforts to make ready ccm^
mended after the enemy was knocking at
our doors. The Government, which doca
not prepare in time, doubles the power of
it s adversary, and sports with the lives of
it s citizens ; for to recover lust ground, when
the required force becomes ready, compel*
j resort to hazardous enterprise, sometimes
ruinous by disappointment, always debilita*
ting by the prodigal waste of rex>urces. Upa
oa this occasion, the celerity of the enemy’*
auvance, however unequivocally it exempli
fied the first, gave no opportunity for thV
illustration of the last part of the observati
on. On the fourth of January, Arnold em
barked at Westover, the seat of Mrs. Bryd,
relict of CoL Byrd, the honorable associate
of Washington, in defence of the frontiers
of Virginia, against the Indian endray, then
vuided aud aided by Franca. This step
tho* indecisive, from the facility with which
the conveyance derived from naval co op
peration admitted to withdraw to the south*
t rn banks of the river, in case Petersburg
bad been his principal object, gave serious
alarm to the Governor, and General. Now
fur tile first time thqy. discovered, that *he
seat of Government jvus to receive a visit
from Arnold ; and how they ascertained
altho’ General Nelson had been sent below,
and the militia commandants had been sum
moned to furnish aid from above, yet the
{KKlpooement of commencing preparations
on the receipt of the letter of advice from
General Washington, to the hour of the e„
nemy’s arrival in the Chesapeake bay, had
left them, the archives of the State, irs re
putation, and all the military stores deposit*
ed in the magazines of the Metropolis, at
ihe mercy ot a small corps conducted by a
traitor, who teeling the rope about his neck,
tightening in every step he advanced, would
have hastened to his naval asylum, the mo
ment he saw the probability ot adequate re.
instance. Yet for the waut of due prepay
ration on the part pf the invaded State, nine
hundred British troops with Arnold at their
head, dared to leave their ships, and ad
vance tu Richmond, twepty five miles dis
tant from their place of snlety.’*
After some further remarks, the author
thus proceeds t
" On the filth of January, Arnold entered
Richmond, untouched by the small collecti
on of militia detached to interrupt his ad*
vance, and on the following day Lieutenant
Colonel Simcoe, one of the best officers'in
the British army, proceeded at the head of.
bis corps of rangers, horse and foot, sup •
ported by a detachment from the tine to
Westham, where was the only Cannon
Foundry in the State, which with it’s vari
ous appurtenances, and their respective con •
tents, he destroyed. Here unluckily, the
public stores removed from Richmond, in toe
p rturbatir.n excited by the novel appearance
of British battalions, had been deposited-^*
the last spot which ought to have been se* '
looted ; as the most common reflection ought*
to have suggested the probability that the
enemy in Richmond, safe as lie was, would
never retire, until he had destroyed an im
portant military establishment so near ns
Westham. Making it a place of additional
deposit, was therefore increasing the in*
ducemrnt to destroy it.”
Af er stating the 9afe return of th* British,
&c. destroying and plundeitng whatever
they deemed of sufficient importance, the
author proceeds in the following strain :
** What roast posterity think of their an
cestors, when they read these truths } Had
not the war demonstrated beyond doubt, that
the preheat generation possessed it's shaivk
of courage and love of country, we should
have been pronounced destitute of these dis«
tinruished characteristics. There was in
fact no deficiency of inclination or fceal (un
equal as wa| the contest) in our mioti t to
advance upon the foe ; out there was a In,at
destitution of arrangement, of military ap
paratus, and of system. Abounding in the fin
est horses, and our citizens among the best
riders in the world, no regular corps Of horse
had been provided for State define?, alittf*
the face ot our country intersected in everjr
quarter with navigable rivers unprotected b/
floating hatteriwt, and undefended by forts,
manifested the pro; riety of resorting to thia
species of defence, as better calculated t,ia%
any other within our command to carb the
desultory plundering incursions under whirl*
we had so often, and severely suffered. One
single legionary corps of three bundre.l
horse and three hundred rnuskMrv, *.
• General Nel-on;