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THE REFLECTOR.
VOL.
MLLLEDGBVILLE, G. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1817
NO. 2.
LITERARY.
CONSPIRACY OK ARNOLD & CLINTON,
jjgaiuat the U. 8 ales and Washington.
■ r a. atant oi: xtaaoia.
The history of our Revolutionary content were
it all a fiction might form the pUa and outlines »f
A moat noble epic poem. It abounds hi line exam
ple* of the moral sublime, in traits of heroic vi
cissitudes of fortune, as wonderful and interes
ting as the most ardent admirer of romance
could desire.' ‘
We are yet perhaps too near in point of time
to the season of tiwise events to feel sensibly the
truth of this observation. The play of the ima
gination is restrained by the closeness of the view,
and the swell of sentiment is repressed by the
accuracy of our acquaintance with the least inte
resting realities. The great men of antiquity arc
known to us only in their days of glory. We
take leave of the heroes of the IHiad while they
still glitter in the panoply of war with all their
aoble qualities fresh & undiminished, the Greeks
flushed with victory, and the Trojans celebrating
the funeral rites of Hector) our last do notthere-
fores ully ourerlier impressions; we do not follow
tliem into i etirenient, to see thw-tdendid shield ex
changed fur the herdsman's goad, and the youth
ful warrior dwindle in age to the feeble rustic.
Rut the Diome.des and Sorpedons of our history
feinaiii within our view until the streams of do
tage fiow from thtir eyes and the weakft*s» of se
cond cliiMhood .sujree-ls to »!•* firwmwo of earlier
BaTiiiooil? *Fosteivty will see better because they
mill not see so much, and will wonder at the
Coldness ar-i indifference with which we regard
the Revolution independent of its consequences.
Nor were instances wanting suitable to form
beautiful and affecting episodes, amongwhich, per
haps. the story of Arnold's treason and major
Andre's death has excited the strongest and most
general feeling of interest. The unhappy fate of
Andie deplored alike by friends and enemies, has
been the cause of many a tear and the theme of
manr a song, and the incorruptible integrity of
bis captors, as a characteristic of the yeomanry of
the country, has irresistible claims upon our fre
quent and fond • recollection; claims which will
ve trust acquire new force by the ultimate effect
of tiie late attack upon them which a highly re
spectable gentleman in Congress unfortunately
thought it his duty to make. We are therefore
under gseat obligations to the learned and accom
plished editor of the American Register for his
excellent translation of the work of M. de Mar-
bois whiefi is not less remarkable for the elegance
of its composition and the value of the informa
tion it contains, than for the interesting nature
of its subject. M. de Marbois resided in this
Country «» Secretary of the French Legation du
ring the occurrence of the circumstances which
be narrates; ‘a witness’ he says *uf these events,
I avail myself of the leisure which I enjoy to re
port them to the world.' Nor were his oppor
tunities only those of a mere resident,, his attach
ment to this country and its institutions made
him an attentive spectator, while his official sta
tiou and his intimacy with the most distinguished
Americans supplied the amplest means of acqui
ring ah accurate and extensive acquaintance with
the history of ,the times. A book vritten by such
a man, on sucli a subject, comes tc us with every
claim upon our attention, and the perusal, while
it excites our admiration for the author’s abilities,
inspires at the same time t’ e -most affectionate
gratitude towards him for his liberal, kind, and e-
ven partial feelings towards our cointry, and for
the new light which he sheds upon our history;
and confirms, by the corroboration of his testimo
ny, our deep felt veneration for the character of
Washington.
‘The sound judgment of Washington,' he says,
‘his steadiness and ability had long since elevated
‘him above all his rivals and far beymd the reach
•of envy. His enemies still laboured however to
‘fasten upon him, as a general, the reiroach of me
diocrity. It is true that the military ;areer of this
‘great man is not marked by any of tiose achieve-
‘meuts which seem prodigious, and if which the
‘splendour dazzles and astonishes tie universe,
‘hut sublime virtues unsullied with the least stain
‘are a species of prodigy. His conibct through
‘out the whole war invariably attraited and de
served the veneration and confidenct of his fel-
‘low-citizens. The good of his coun ry was the
Sole end of his exertions, never personal glory
‘In war and in peace, Washington is in iny eye,
‘the most perfect model that can be offered to
‘those who would devote themselves tethe service
‘of their country and assert the cause of liberty.’
M. Marbois has prefixed to his worka ‘Prelim-
’ nary discourse on the United States n which he
draws a picture of us that, notwitlstanding a
few misapprehensions into which the fistance of
his present view has led him, we may be
glad to see presented to the examinatiin of Eu
rope. But this is of inferior value aid interest
to the narrative which he regularly briigs down
from the earliest achievements of Arndd to the
death of Andre, iu a manner so lucid, animated
and eloquent as has we believe, in this ipccies of
writing, never been surpassed. We slid! hope to
see it printed in a shape more calculatel for ex
tensive circulation; it woujd of itself forn a siqpll
volume whichmight with advantage be jilaceu'in
the bands of every one of the risifm geieration,
and notwithstanding the well earned cehbrity of
the American Register, and the ability wth which
that Journal is conducted, the. expeusivi size of
the volume will be an impediment in tin way of
aucb general circulation as we would (iesire to
aee given to this exquisite historical inorieau.
'Hie work of M. tie Marbois possesses an ad
ditional degree of interest at this time, birause of
the light which he throws upon the queston late
ly raised as to the real motives which iciuated
toe captors of major Andre.
W*acknowledge ourselves to be amoig those
who have been anxiously ready to be convinced i honourable him, and a dying man: and therefore
tliat our long established and recently disturbed doubly entitled to credit. But, on 'he other hand,
opinion oftlie magfianimity of Paulding, Wil- it must be recollected jfi whot situation, and uti
lising and Van wart, was founded on a just and ; dcr hat circumstances, Andre made his accusa-
correct appreciation of their conduct. We felt
our national pride wounded by the statement of
Col. Tu|lmai!ge,„anw therefore rejoice to find iu
theworkofM.de Marbois, taken in eennexion
with the ‘Vindication of the captors of major
Andre,’ of the charges so publickly brought a-
gainst them in Congress. W« believe, it is Uni-
I’ersally regretted that the honourable member
happened to find himself in a situation which call
ed tor a disclosure of his sentiments; those -even
who were convinced oftlie correctness of hi&opiu-
ion admitted the sonviction with reluctance, and
there were not a few that were so much exasper
ated as to fall into a very unreasonable suspicion
against the candour and generosity of Col. Tall-
inadge himself. His high character and long sus
tained eminence however place him above live ef
fect of all such unfavourable conjectures, though
nothing can exempt him from the liability to err,
which he shares with all mankind. And we trust
a very slight consideration of the circumstances
will suffice to show that Col. Tallmadge must have
been in this instance entirely mistaken.
It has been said that the thanks of^general
Washington, and the pension granted by Congress
to Paulding, Williams and Vanwart, were inten
ded merely us strokes of policy, without regard
to Ihe abstiactjusjicc of their claims, and meant
to encourage such conduct, from whatever motive
firm;ceding; n-id therefore that we shall drawn
inference from thence of the actual estimation
in which the exploit was held at that time, by
those who had opportunities to understand it.—
And we know that national policy has sometimes
been thought to require the concealment or dis
guise of truth. But surely such occasions have
been very few in the history of our country, above
all others; and there is no nation whose institu
tions render the truth of its annals so easy ol de
tection, and so incapable of concealment. Wash
ington, and the Congress, might possibly have
thought it expedient, for political purposes, to
have affected an admiration for the conduct ot
Andre's captors, which they did not feel; though
we cannot, in this instance, perceive a motive for
any such simulation; hut the whole army having
the same opportunities, must have had the sanre
information which Washington and the Congress
possessed; and no reasons of policy could lmve
induced them to acquiesce so universally, as it is
well known they did, in the sentiment expressed
by Congress. And even if the pride of country
was so general, and so potent, as to seal all lips,
and restrain all pens from uttering the truth; it
this had been the case with all the Americans who
were witnesses of the facts, yet how can we set
aside the testimony of M. de Marbois, a foreign
er, who writes for European readers, and never
avoids speaking freely in censure of whatever
among us he considers blameable; who, impartial
and seeking only for truth, unbiased and laithlul
in his narrative, could have no inducement for
disguising or gtossing'the simple truth of history
His opportunities of knowing were undoubtedly
sufficient to eutitle him to credit, his curiosity
was awake, ami his belief must have beeu form
ed upon that of the best informed, and most re
spectable amoyg our countrymen. Whatever he
states, therefore, as an undoubted and indisputa
ble fact, it is reasonable to receive as the prevail
ing opinion, uncontroverted at the time. If this
be conceded (and we can imagine no possible ob
jection to the inference) it is worthy of remark
how confidently and unhesitatingly M. de .Mar
bois ascribes the best motives to Paulding, Wil
liams and Van wart:
‘He,’ (Andre,) ‘had proceeded four leagues on
ward, with the same good fortune; he could see
the .Hudson once more, and was about entering
Tarrvtown, the border village, when a man, arm
ed with a gun, sprung suddenly from the thicket,
‘and seizing the reins of his bridle, exclaimed,
• “Where are you bound?” At the same instant
‘two others ran up, who formed with the first,
‘part oftlie patrol of volunteer militia that guard -
•ed the lines,’ &.c.
‘He offered them gold, his horse, and promised
‘them large rewards, & permanent provision, from
‘the English government, if they would let him
•escape. These young men, whom such offers
‘did but animate the more id their duty, replied,
‘that they wanted nothing.’
Again, in the conclusion he says;
‘Doubtless the highest honours should, by uni
versal consent,be awarded to those citizens who
‘have been fortunate enough to preserve their
country from a great calamity. It is of such dis
tinctions that men of an elevated character are
‘most ambitious of proving themselves worthy.—
But there is yet more merit and virtue in d- ing
well without ambition or the hope of reward.—
These three young men had not thought of blazo-
•ning an action, iu which they had but performed
their dut-. They learned with surprise that
Washington had caused search to be made for
‘them, &,c. The names of John Paulding, David
‘Williams and Isaac Vnuwart, will be celebrated
‘and cherished in all after ages.’ And in the pre
liminary discourse: ‘The treachery of Arnold
‘was attended with more remarkable circumstan
ces. He concerted a plot with the enemies of his
‘cuuntry, to replace it under their dominion, and
•to deliver general Washington into their hands.
‘The republic was saved by the virtue of three
•young soldiers.’
The opinion of M. de Marbois, then, which
must have been the general opinion sincerely en
tertained by those who knew the best, is extreme
ly favourable to their disinterestedness: but col.
Tallmadge believes they were not disinterested,
and deserved no thanks nor praises for the ser
vices they performed; and he made known the
foundation of his beleif: it was the declaration of
his ea; tors. Lot. Tallmadge was
iKe ifr-t officer into whose custody Andre waH de
livered. ■ lie received a captive of txcv ordinary
fortune: a few minutes before had seen him in
the possession ini* only of liberty, but, ns he sup
posed, of safety; and, as\he fondly hoped, on the
eve of reapingrthe golden harvest of his perilous
labours. The war finished'—the British cause
triumphant—Washington in bondage—and the
American army laying down their arms;—such
were the fluttering anticipations that beguiled the
todiousness of his solitary journey. His imagin
ation fondly dwelling' on these events, so soon and
so certainly to happen, he already heard in fancy
tl;e plaudits of tlie English army sounding in. ttis t
ears. Paine, wealth, a'nd title, the earnest of
his country’s gratitude, seemed already to have
been conferred; and, to render his sensations
more exquisitly delightful, (for Andre was a luv
eir,) his mind looked forward to the blissful mo
ment when the object of his affections, glorying
in his fame, should-bestow -the dearest meed of
victory, in becoming the partneraif his happiness.
From a dream of felicity so transcendant, how
horribly was the awakening! His fancy was re
called from the scenes of refinement, setifimeut,
and glory, by the rude questioning of the plain-
spoken rustics that arre -led him. He found him
self foiled, hie schemes •baffled, hi* litres blbrbf-
brance of Ilia past exploits, the motives of pre
sent reputation and future g1ory\o prop his in
tegrity, had no charms for three simple peas-
‘ ants, leaning only on their virtue, and a sense ef
* Awhile Arnold is handed down with eiWra-
‘Uon to future .times, posterity will repent
‘ with revcrelicc the names of Vanwart, Paufdii*
‘ and Williams.’ "
To those, if any there be, who still retain any
doubt of their honourable motives, we earnestly
recommend a careful perusal of the two producti
ons which we have noticed.—AnalecticMagazine.
POLITICAL.
the gallant, highminded Andre himself. The au
thority is, at first view imposing. Andre was an
<! wfSvj.i-’ts or aii «arliily pr.raiiisC changed
to ._* Contemplation of disappointment, capti
vity, and an ignominious death; and this effected
by the agency of beings so coarse, so low, and, in
his eyes, so despicable, that the bitterest feelings
of rage and mortification must naturally have
swelled in his heart and distracted his under
standing. In proportion to .lie elevation of his
character must have been the depth ofliis despair,
‘Tin* captive thrush may brook his cage;
‘The prison'd eagle dies for rage.’
Ill this condition, so trying to the firmness of
his soul, with his youthful passions roused into a
very tempest that must have overwhelmed alike
hisjudgment and his discretion, he was received
by Col. Tallmadge, and then, for the first time
since his misfortune, found himself with an e-
quil, to whom he could without degradation, un
bosom his intolerable grief. The generous lion
bites the arrow that drinks his life-blood; and
thus did the captive’s bosom boil with rage against
the innocent instruments of his reverse of fortune,
No wonder, in such a moment, that he poun d out
execrations and curses, loud and deep, against
his captors. So he would have done had colonel
Tallmadge, or Washington himself been in their
plqcc. At was human nature, and no more dero
gates from the high honour and elevated soul of
Andre, than it should from the probity and mag
nanimity of his captors.
The ravings of his despair (and when had man
more grievous cause for despair) can furnish no
legitimate testimony against the objects of his
impotent wrath.
Assertions made at such a time would never be
allowed to have any weight against himself; by
what rule, then, of equity or reason, ought they
to prevail unfavourably to others?
His captors, lie told colonel Tallmadge, were
a villainous set of wretches, who seized him only
for the sake of plunder, and w ould have released
him for a bribe.. He could not bear to think well
of such dire foes to his happiness, and destroyers
of his fortune, and consoled himself in venting
his rage upon them in language of approbium.—
lie was not to blame; he deserved only our com
passion: but col. Tallmadge should have known
human nature better than to allow his judgment to
be warped by such evidence. If, indeed, Andie
had continued to make the same assertions
after he had become more self-possessed, and
when the lapse of time, and the near view of
death had cooled the fury of his passions, the
conclusion might fairly have been drawn against
the honesty of the cantors, unless some contrary
evidence appeared. But Andre did no such thing;
it is not pretended that he did, and it is abun
dantly proved that lie did not, by the letter of
general • Hamilton, written in 1780, and to be
lound in page 68 of the ‘Vindication.’
Hamilton passed much time with Andre at his
request, and was wit|^ him frequently during the
awful interval between his sentence and execu
tion, conversed with him familiarly, was treat
ed by him as a friend, received from him all the
interesting particulars of his misfortune, learned
to admire, respect, and pity him; yet the impres
sions made on his mind by all this intercourse
were different from those which colonel Tall
madge received. With implicit reliance on An-
e’s honour, with unbounded confidence in his
veracity, and with unrestrained freedom of com
munication, Hamilton imbibed no other opinion
of Paulding, Williams, and Vanwart, than that
which the wliole nation, excp.pt colonel Tallmadge.
has cherished, and which M. de Marbois so well
expresses, and so satisfactorily confirms.
In the letter alluded to,‘from general Hamilton
to colonel Sears, written in 1780, there is the
following forcible contrast: ‘ This man,’(Arnold)
‘ is iii every sense despicable. Iu addition to the
* scene of knavery and prostitution, during his
‘ command in Philadelphia, which the late seizure
‘of his pupers has unfolded, the history of his
‘ command at Westpoiut is a history of little as
‘ well as great villauies. He practised every act
‘ of peculation, and even stooped to connexions
‘ with the suttlers of the garrison to defraud the
‘ publiq.
‘ To bis conduct that of the captors qf Andre
‘ forms a sti iking contrast; he tempted theiv in-
* tegrity with the offer ofliis watch, nis horse, and
‘ any sum of niouey they should name. They re
jected his offers with indignation ; and the gold
* that could seduce a man high in the esteem mid
i‘ confidence of his country, who ‘sad the reineui-
eoMMUsicAi-Eii fob tiik bevlkctoh.
Kxti-ixt ofa letter from a distinguished gentleman of this
Stale on a tour in the northern states, to a friend in thjs
place, dated “ Washington City, November 2, 1817. „
“ You have doubtless heard of the late revolu
tion in that far-famed land of steady-habits, Oltl
Connecticut. The fact is undeniable—and is to
be followed by consequences, 1 think, of great
moment to these United States.
The federalists alledge it to have been the result
of democratic finesse and intrigue; but at the
same time admit their cause to be irretrivably lost.
In this, however, they betray such inconsistency
as goes Very far to discredit their own assertions.
It is not usual for men who have longbccn accus
tomed to the exercUaqf power, tq cease all ef
forts fur its redmondon, ‘hey bcMcve its .s
to have been occasioned by a casualty that might
at an after crisis be so easily obviated:—It is pro
bably true that the republicans are entitled to th»-
credit of a little manoeuvre, which enabled many'
adherents oftlie federal purtv to desert that stan
dard with a good grace. They had become dis
gusted with the fellies and iniquities of the fede
ral party; but Democracy was an odious name,
and they would have preferred their old allegi
ance to a new party designation which they con
sidered di graceful. It ti erefore became neces
sary to substitute another word, which was done,
and the patriots of the state, from all ranks and
sects, political and religious, united under the
ensigns and title of « Tolerationists”—Their
ticket prevailed, and in spite of the combined ef
forts of priests, lawyers and office-holders, Cons
necticut is completely republican.
Ihe Legislature, I Undeistand, has already
commenced the work of reform. The worm-ea
ten monument of regal dominancy, the old char
ter of the British king Charles, will soon be pack
ed away in the lumber-house of collonial rubbish,
and a legitimate constitution be adopted in its
stead, and the right of suffrage will be establish
ed on principles of political justice.
A few days ago in Philadelphia, I met with a
wealthy merchant of Connecticut who had ever
been a thorough going federalist. He assured me
with a woe-clad countenance, that all was lost
in Ids state, that his party would never regain
their influence, and that in two years Connecti
cut would be more decidedly democratical than
any state in the union. Flic man s predictions
may be verified, for all experience proves that ex
cessive error uniformly tends to its own destruc
tion.”
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS.
The lapse of a few weeks will bring together
the Fifteenth Congress whose first session com
mences, according to the constitution, on the first
Monday in December.
After a recess of such unusual length as that
which is drawing to a close, many subjects may
he supposed to have accumulated for the delibe
ration of Congress, whose meeting will be looked
to with an interest proportioned to the time which
has intervened since i ts last adjournment. That
interest will not be diminished, certainly, by tite
consideration that this will be the first session
under a new administration of the government
and that, most of the Members never having been
in Congress before, littfe is known of them, ex
cept generally. that a large proportion of them
profess Republican principles. In anticipating
what business may be brought before Congress^
it is no small gratification to feel assured that
there is little, it any, of a character likely to re
vive the dormant acrimony of party feelings, or
to produce any other collision than that of a rival*
ry of zeal for the honor of oui-country, and for
the promotion of its essential interests. There
are certain subjects which continually recur to
the attention of Congress, which tnav be expected
ot course, to be brought forward at the ensuing
session, with p. better chance than usual of com
ing to a conclusion on them. Among them, we
may mention the necessary organization of the
National Militia, the re-modification of tho Mili
tary Academy, the provisions for Military Inva
lids, &c. &c. &c. There is one subject of para
mount importance,on which a decision had nearly
taken place at the late session of Congress, which
will probably be revived ; we might say certainly
if so much indifference towards it had not been
shewn by the whole people oftlie United States,
who are so deeply interested in it. We need
scarcely say that we refer to the all-ifnportant
subject ot Internal Improvement. If the consti
tutional scruples which produced the rejection;
by the illustrious Madison, of the act of the lust
Congress prevail in the mind of his successor,
there .yet remains the alternative, suggested by
him, of au amendment to the Constitution iu that
particular; and in that shape, if not iu the other
the question will certainly present itself to Cons
gress.
There is a question which, more than nnv oth
er, promises to revive party feelings,'which will
certainly come before Congress, iu one form or o-
tlicr, during the session. It is the claim pat in
by Massachusetts, Connecticut, and one or two
other states, for payment for their Miiitia, called
into service independently oftlie authority of the
general government; and refused tc plated at
