Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1917 — Old Letters Throw New Light on American Revolution [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Old Letters Throw New Light on American Revolution

Enemies of Washington and Franklin almost succeeded in wrecking the struggling cause.

|AW yearMufTng The•"CTeim-' I J lup week" in Philadelphia, some descendants of Robert Morris, the linaneier of the Revolution, worked their way to air unused attic. Having decided to dispose of an old desk, curiosity caused them to search its drawers, with the result that a pfte of yellow -and faded letters, written by the inen~ who created the nation, was uncovered. A glance through them showed their great importance, says Joseph Jackson In the Public Ledger. A reading of shine of the letters shows that there will have to be a rearrangement of values, of some of the leading characters of the Revolution. In the letters we see how cabals anil intrigues ' and backbiting ranged through the whole governing and oiticial classes, Washington's place as commander-in-chief was resented by 'Some, Franklin was alleged by his companions in France to be too old and too indolent, one who should be sent home. Congress wgs removed to Baltimore before there was any necessity for the change, and the delegates murmured at being compelled to live . in a town where there were stlch poor accommodations. Morris evidently was regarded as the true friend of both Washington and Franklin, and to him came the tales of the intrigues against them and how the fate of the war hung in the balance for a time, for had Washington been deprived of his command the whole campaign would have been thrown into confusion and into the arms of the British commander. Had Franklin been removed from France at the instigation of his companions, the support that eventually made the nation free would have been withheld. —lt is very well known, of course, that John Adams had declared that he was sick of the Fabian system and that Be thanked God that it was another and not Washington that received the glory for the Saratoga convention. But, in a letter written by Benjamin Harrison, one of the signers of the Declaration, under date of Williamsburg, Va., December 18, 1777, it is found That both Samuel and John Adams were in league to get rid of Washington. The R. H. L. noted in the letter is, of course, Richard Henry Lee. •‘We have a story circulating here,” Harrison wrote, “that,.there, has been a motion made in Congress to divide the command of the army and that R. H. L. was at the bottom of it. It makes much noise, and if true, will effectually do his business. We are also informed that Genl. Washington’s character has been attack'd publicly by S. & J. Adams, and'that the Genl, has been so inform'd.

“Your being sent to Camp gives me some reason to fear that these reports may be true, and ‘ that my worthy Friend resents such treatment, I know his Value & would net loose him. If -we-do;—America will repent itby the loss of her Liberty. Thq Confederationis unanimously agreed to by both Branches of the Legislature. “There is one part of it I couldn’t have wish’d to have alter’d, which gives the Congress power of regulating the Trades, and of course granting a monopoly of the whole, or any part of it to any Nations it pleases, tho’ soine-of our connoisseurs say they have no such power, there being no express grant of it, which they say is necessary to constitute the right, and that it can’t be obtained by implication. I shall be glad/ of your opinion on the matter. “The Men of War still keep us Blocked up and I dare say will do so all the Winter, in which case many Vessels will rot with their Loads in them, Sind yours amongst the Rest, and my SlSps 1 fear will share the -same fate oh the stocks, which will be a most deadly stroke to me, if they do sttt£ the Winter, it will be on acct. of the Frigate at Baltimore which they seernL detyrtiiined not to let proceed to Sea. - _ “ ■ -=> • “We have not a word of News. nor any thing that I know of worthZyour Notice, except that this Country will act an Example I hopd to the rest of Iler Sister States, by sending her full quota of Troopsyapd raising as much jfioney as the People can bear. If all therrest do so we may once again meet with joyful countenances and Cheerful Hearts.” In a letter dated February 15, 1778, Harrison says:

"It gives one great pain to ho certainly inform'd that there are some in the Senate who dislike our General. I have long suspected it. nay, I something more than suspect it, but'•had my hopes that his continued Labours and the situation he has ever been in, of always being inferior to the Enemy in numbers, ami hts men in want of every necessary, ci rcitmsta nces well kno wo inCongress, would in the end have made every man his friend, and have satisfied them that more than he has done would not have been done by any man, and that we have no one that could in any degree have equat’d him; lam as_confident of this as 1 am of my existence that the favorite of the day [Charles Lee?] is as far inferior to him, as he is Inferior to any officer in the army, and th i s truth America_will experie nee to her cost, if ever he should be placed at the head of her armies. Certain I am of one thing, that if this measure takes place a great part of the strength of this -Country, twill be immediately taken off. “The General is fully inform'd of all these Cabals, they prey on Ids Constitution, sink his Spirits, and will in the end I fear prove fatal to him. If this should be the case excuse me for once more repeating it, America will loose perhaps her only prop. He- well knows bad consequences would follow his resigrfatldn,o'Fhe”woulUnotieaveit in the power of the wicked and designing, thus to insult him. With a few words more I shall finish this painful Subject, Be Ware of Your Board of War. “J am truly sorry for the conduct of your brother, and the disagreeable Scrape he has brot you into, tho’ it certainly can not operate to your disadvantage with thinking men. "If you should be under the disagreeable necessity of removing your family this way, and you think 1 can in any Manner be Serviceable to them, I beg you will command me without reserve; and I think on thik occasion you should not depend too much on what you expect Providence will do for us. Such Enthusiasm is very commendable in the Statesman, but may be carried too far in the Husband and Father, .. 1 ■, "Let me earnestly recommend the Immediate removal of your Family for it is my opinion Gen. Howe -will open the Campaign by the first of April well knowing that our recruits can’t join the army till May, in which ease our Worthy General” will once more be induced to the mortifying necessity of retreating.”

There are several letters by William HOoper, one of the North Carolina delegation,, in which one gets the idea that, more than even moderns do, the country then believed its fate depended upon the efforts of Washington as commanded in Chief, and that to change horses or’to divide responsibility with another commander would be fatal to■ the American cause. Three letters from Franklin, two of them written while the philosopher was in France, give a very comprehensive view of the difficulties he encountered through the jealousy of his companions. The first letter dated at I’aris, December 21, 1777, and shows that harmony was. lacking amoug..Hui. American ministers sent there by congress. “I remember that long before Twas ordered here,” he wrote, “you did me the Honour to Say, you should not dislike being sent to France with me. Since being here. I have frequently wish’d licit Appointment had taken place. I think I should have pass'd my time more comfortably. We are now five bF us in this City, all honest and Capable Men (if I may include myself in that Description) and all mean-

ing well for the Public, but our Tempers do not suit, and we are got into Disputes ami Contentions that are not to our Credit, and which I have sometimes feared would go to Extremes. "You know-the natural Disposition of some of us, how jealous, how captious, how suspicious even of real Friends, and how positive, after suspecting a while, that the. Suspicions are certain Truths, Confirmations strong as Proofs from Holy Writ. You will, therefore, I am persuaded, if Complaints of one another should come to your hands, make due Allowance for such Tempers, and suffer no Man to be condemn'd unheard, 1 do not—write thus on my own Account, as I am not apprehensive of your receiving any Complaints of me; for tho’ it is difficult to live in peace with such Characters, how much soever one esteems them for. the Virtue and Abilities they otherwtse—possess, I have, however, done it tolerably hitherto; but as I am not sure it can last, I wish most sincerely that -we were -separated; for • our being together seems of no Use, and, as we hinted-formerly-in a joint Letter, is attended with many incohvenlences. “Such Inconveniences being formerly experienced by other States, I suppose the Reason, that no Power in Europe, for a Century past, has sent more than one Person to one Court. Possibly this desirable Event may soon take place, for if France & Spain acknowledge us as independent States, the other Courts will follow, and receive our Envoys. "I have the Pleasure to assure you, that all Europe is of our side except the King of England and his Placemen and Pensioners, Contractors and Expectors. There is, however, a furious Ferment in his Parliament about his Measures, and if you could be fortunate enough to treat Howe as you have done Burgoyne, he would be in danger of the old House falling on his Head.” In the next letter, which is dated from Passy, June 3, 1780, Franklin expresses himself upon the subject of free ships and free goods. What he had to say must be illuminating in the present European struggle and its effect upon neutral commerce of the world.

“We lire impatient to hear from Ahierica, no Accounts of the Operations before Charlestown later than the 9th of March having yet came to hand. Everything here in Europe continues to wear a good Face. - Russia. Sweden, Denmark and Holland are raising a strong Naval Force, to establish the free Navigation for Neutral Ships, and of all their Cargoes, tho’ belonging to Enemies, except contraband ; that is, military Stores. “France and Spain have approved of it, and it is likely to become henceforth the Law of Nations, that free Ships make free Goods. England does not like this Confederacy. I wish they would extend it still further, and ordain that unarm’d Trading Ships, as well as Fishermen, and Farmers, should be respected, as working for the common Benefit of Mankind, and never be interrupted in their Operations even by national Enemies, but let those only fight with one another whose Trade If is,-and- who are armedand paid for |he purpose." The last Franklin item consists of a contemjtorary a letter in cipher to Frank!in acquainting him that Congress had passed a resolution expressing the sense of that body that he was not exerting hintself with the Government of France in a mantier to benefit America. On this Franklin added a line to Morris, saying, “I need not tell you that Messrs. Lee. &c.. are among the foremost to make these assertions.”