Part 2 (1/2)
”The committee deeood sense and honest feelings of every reat utility, at all times, but more especially at this, of military instruction to the people of this country The subject, there at least, is a new and difficult one; and the coest will have many palpable obstacles to encounter and may be exposed to various others, which they cannot foresee They rely for every hope of success upon the acknowledged value of the object in view, upon the patriotism of the people, upon the order of the present times, and upon the success of the experiment, which this society has ht the complete discipline of a refinest, the different exercises of the rifle corps, the artillery and the infantry, together with the cavalry exercises of the sword, though it could not promise to teach the whole principles of war as a science would certainly promise much that would be eminently useful to every soldier and officer in the institution And your co that a school for these purposes, successfully conducted, ht serve as an introduction to some more extensive and some more perfect system of military education
”To obtain a person capable of conducting such a school, would not always be easy; such a person is not very readily to be met with, and what is yet more difficult, funds to remunerate his services, are to be raised by voluntary contribution But at present, judging from their own experience, in this society, your committee think that a person whose skill, information and zeal in military affairs, would enable him to conduct such a school, may be found in your commandant, and they hope that funds to compensate his services are within the reach of an active and spirited exertion They hope that the neighboring counties of Rockbridge and Rockingham would consider the subject as worthy of their attention, and usta in their endeavors to attain it A sufficient nuusta alone would probably not be obtained, to induce any one properly qualified, to devote his tihaht be effected
”Your committee would therefore reco resolutions:
”Resolved, that subscriptions be opened in the county of Augusta, under the immediate superintendance of a committee of seven persons, appointed by this society, for establishi+ng a military school in the town of Staunton to be denominated the Staunton Military School, to commence on the 15th day of July next, and continue for one year thereafter, and be under the directions of Capt George Turner; the present co and price to subscribers be regulated by said committee and the co be not less than one day in each fortnight, and the price to subscribers be not more than ten dollars per annum, payable quarterly in advance
”Resolved, that it be recommended to the cohbouring counties of Rockinghae, and that the committee aforesaid be instructed to invite, respectfully, the co-operation of those counties”
THE WAR OF 1812
The year following, President Madison sent a war rowing out of the British claiht of Search,” and the collision between the United States frigate, _Chesapeake_, and the British frigate, _Leopold_, in 1807, which had never been allayed, that as declared by the United States against Great Britain, on June 18th, 1812
The nation was much divided on this policy By the opposition party, the th of which was in the Northern and Eastern States, it was considered a ued no want of patriotis to the close of hostilities, the Federalists did all they could to stay the course on which they thought the Govern to destruction The Hartford convention land States went so far as to nulify an act of Congress regarding enlistreat want of resources, which nothing but unanimity could supply The ar forward in large nus and discuss the right of the Government to call them out; the supply of war material was very scanty, and the Treasury al state of affairs, when John H Peyton, who had voted for Mr Madison and warmly supported the war policy, cay of mind and body to stir up popular enthusiasm in support of the war He volunteered at once, to serve in the army, until peace was restored, and was immediately appointed Chief of Staff to Gen Porterfield, an old Revolutionary officer, hile serving as a lieutenant in 1780, at the siege of Charleston, S C, had killed by his side, Captain Valentine Peyton, a young and gallant cousin of J H
Peyton Forgetting everything but his duty to his country, which ith him, and every true patriot paramount, Mr P abandoned his lucrative practice, which ht to appropriate, and his wife and fainia, with the active operation of which he was identified until the declaration of peace, February 17th, 1815
The ”Republican Farmer” went out of existence, no newspaper took its place for years and we have seen no account of the army services of Major Peyton beyond the state officers in the service,” but more than thirty years after the end of the war, and his death, his minor children received from the Government, a pension for his services
ANECDOTE OF THE FIGHTING MAJOR
The late Adam Bickle, of Staunton, father of R G Bickle and aan anecdote of Major Peyton
He said that repeated complaints were made by the soldiers as to the musty flour and inferior bacon furnished by the commissary, to the troops, while stationed at Camp Holly On one occasion, Major Peyton remonstrated with the commissary, on the character of the stores, when that officer flew into a passion and grossly insulted the ed, was not the proper officer to take hiht Major Peyton knocked hih drubbing in presence of the men This would appear very curious to persons accusto aro, was reatly out of place It had the effect of endearing the Major to the men who never in any kind of subsequent trouble, failed to appeal to hi children hearing of this affair, enquired if the coed him The Major replied that he had not But continued the child ”suppose he had, ould you have done?” ”Why,” said the Major, ”I would have answered hientleentleman in a coffee house,” said the Major ”desired another to sit further from him Why so?
Because you stink! That's an insult, and you ht you, if you insist upon it, but I do not see how that will mend the matter, for if you kill me, I shall stink too, and if I kill you, you will stink, if possible, more than you do at present”
A WESTERN TRIP IN 1815
Shortly after the close of the war, Mr Peytonto look after fifteen hundred acres of land belonging to his wife lying near Louisville, a property which has since become of immense value He was acco the war, a faithful negro, upon whose attachment he could rely In his station few men behaved, as a rule, better than Ned, who had a certain aer” as he was styled, and kne to conduct himself, if he did not always do it
They made the entire journey from Staunton to Louisville, on horseback, of course they were are country, infested by Indians, many of them dissatisfied with the close and the result of the war; and a class of desperate whites, erous than the red men, some of whom had served under Gen Harrison in the North West, and were survivors of Fort Meigs, and the battle and massacre of the river Raisin The Eastern part of Kentucky, known as the ”knobs,” or the ”knobby country,” is still a savage country in possession of a savage people, though traversed by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad which is supposed to have let in soained an unenviable notoriety within the past ten years by reason of the bloody feuds between the Hatfields and McCoys
Through this wilderness they travelled on miserable paths called roads, which connected the settle of nights in log huts, called country taverns pro accommodations for man and beast And what is remarkable to relate coinia in safety
When we consider what our ancestors endured, what hardshi+ps and privations they suffered, we are of the opinion that we enjoy to-day, more physical, spiritual and intellectual benefits and blessings than have ever before fallen to the lot of h experiences of this trip, Mr Peyton found so to depress his spirits, still less deepening sorrows, over the woeful complaints he listened to fro
He was one of thosesplenetic, melancholy, or tithened for his manly duties--his lawyer's life
Such was his devotion to the profession that he would allow nothing to permanently turn him from it, and he only served two years as Mayor of Staunton, to which position he was elected in 1817-18 because, the duties were so light that they did not interfere with his work, and his friends urged him to accept the place as, at that tied, money scarce, and people depressed Froht he would find a re his Mayoralty, the city ht no small relief to the people One of these ”shi+n plasters,” as they were tery, was found a few years since, over eighty years fro of some provident old woman, and was sealed up as a curiosity in the corner stone of the Confederate Monu the ave himself for relaxation and rest in Kentucky he enjoyed the society of such people as the Brown's, Green's Preston's Gov Shelby, Col R M Johnson, Natl Hart, Robert Scott and other noted characters in that rich and lovely region Soreatly enjoyed the blandishinian society
DECLINES AN APPOINTMENT
On his return from his Western trip he was appointed deputy United States District Attorney for Western Virginia, and for a tied the duties of the office for his friend Williaislature in 1808-9, with Mr Wirt and a strong nation of the position and his removal to Balti with his other appointments, (which were more lucrative) and his extensive private practice