Part 13 (2/2)
Still later Lear ”aided hi he felt it; for he would look upon ratitude, but unable to utter a ithout great distress” At the final moment Lear took his hand ”and laid it upon his breast” When all was over, ”I kissed the cold hand, laid it down, and waslost in profound grief”
X
ENEMIES
Any man of force is to be known quite as much by the character of his enemies as by that of his friends, and this is true of Washi+ngton The subject offers some difficulties, for most of his eneonism, and took pains to destroy such proof as they could coh rerounds
The first of those non to be opposed to hie Muse, lieutenant-colonel in 1754 under Washi+ngton At Fort Necessity he was guilty of cowardice, he was discharged in disgrace, and his naie in a ton,--
”Many enquired to me about Muse's Braveries, poor Body I had pity him ha'nt he had the weakness to Confes his Coardise himself, & the impudence to taxe all the reste of the oficers without exception of the saeses that he was Bad But th' the reste was as Bad as he--To speak francly, had I been in town at that time I cou'nt help'd to make use of my horses [whip] whereas for to vindicate the injury of that vilain He Contrived his Business so that several ask ht: My Ansas no other But that he should rather chuse to go to hell than doing of it--for he had Such thing declar'd: that was his Sure Road”
Washi+ngton seems to have cherished no personal ill-will for Muse's conduct, and when the division of the ”bounty lands” was being pushed, he used his influence that the broken officer should receive a quoturateful, Muse seeered him, for he replied,--
”Sir, Your impertinent letter was delivered to me yesterday As I am not accustomed to receive such froe fro you feel some marks ofme a second of the saht have known, by attending to the public gazette, that you had your full quantity of ten thousand acres of land allowed you, that is, nine thousand and seventy-three acres in the great tract, and the remainder in the small tract But suppose you had really fallen short, do you think your superlative ence than others? Or, if it did, that I was to ood to you, when it was at the option of the Governor and Council to allow but five hundred acres in the whole, if they had been so inclined? If either of these should happen to be your opinion, I aular in it; and all rateful a fellow as you are But you may still be in need of my assistance, as I can inform you, that your affairs, in respect to these lands, do not stand upon so solid a basis as you iine, and this you o concerning the other distribution, proposing an easyour lands; but since I find in what te the land or your name in a letter, as I do not think you merit the least assistance froht acquaintance with one which did not end in friendshi+p, however a There can be little doubt that there was cae, for in 1773, when in New York for four days, Washi+ngton ”Dined with Gen Gage,”
and also ”dined at the entertaine” When next intercourse was resumed, it was by formal correspondence between the coton inquiring as to the treatment of prisoners, and as a satisfactory reply was not obtained, he wrote again, threatening retaliation, and ”closing my correspondence with you, perhaps forever,”
--a letter which Charles Lee thought ”a very good one, but Gage certainly deserved a stronger one, such as it was before it was softened” One cannot but wonder what part the old friendshi+p played in this ”softening”
Relations with the Howes began badly by a letter froton, Esq,” which Washi+ngton declined to receive as not recognizing his official position A second one to ”George Washi+ngton, Esq &c &c &c” ht the British officer ”to change my superscription” A little after this brief war of forton to his as intercepted with others by the enemy, and General Howe enclosed it, ”happy to return it without the least atte made to discover any part of the contents” This courtesy the A ”General Washi+ngton's compliments to General Howe,--does hi, which accidentally fell into his hands, and, by the inscription on the collar, appears to belong to General Howe”
Even politeness had its objections, however, at ton once had to write Sir Williae of your letter, which I cannot forbear taking particular notice of No expression of personal politeness to me can be acceptable, accompanied by reflections on the representatives of a free people, under whose authority I have the honor to act The delicacy I have observed, in refraining fro offensive in this way, entitles ed ainst the present rulers of Great Britain, in the course of our correspondence, nor will I even now avail myself of so fruitful a theme”
Apparently when Sir Henry Clinton succeeded to the command of the British arain tried, for Duton ”received a despatch fro it fro the direction, 'This letter,' said he, 'is directed to a planter of the state of Virginia I shall have it delivered to him after the end of the war; till that time it shall not be opened' A second despatch was addressed to his Excellency General Washi+ngton” A better lesson in courtesy was contained in a letter fro of ”wanton, unprecedented and inhu your Excellency to be persuaded, that it cannot be e, than it is to me to offer it; but the subject requires frankness and decision”
Quite as firm was one addressed to Cornwallis, which read,--
”It is with infinite regret, I aainst that spirit of wanton cruelty, that has in several instances influenced the conduct of your soldiery A recent exercise of it towards an unhappy officer of ours, Lieutenant Harris, convinces me, thatThat Gentleman by the fortunes of war, on Saturday last was thrown into the hands of a party of your horse, and unnecessarily ravated circumstances of barbarity I wish not to wound your Lordshi+p's feelings, by co on this event; but I think it led body to your lines as an undeniable testimony of the fact, should it be doubted, and as the best appeal to your humanity for the justice of our complaint”
A pleasanter intercourse came with the surrender of Yorktown, after which not merely were Cornwallis and his officers saved thetheir swords, but the chief aton At thisasked for a toast, gave _'The United States'_
Washi+ngton gave _'The King of France'_ Lord Cornwallis, si that toast, added, _'of England'_, and facetiously, _'confine hilass till it ran over Rochareat politeness, was still so French, that he would every now and then be touching on points that were iton often checked him, and showed in a allant prisoner, whose private qualities the Americans admired even in a foe, that had so often filled them with the overnor-general of India, he sent a verbal ton a long enjoy that for himself he ”continued in troubled waters”
[Illustration: MRS WAshi+NGTON]