/ 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
