The monitor. (Washington, Ga.) 1800-1815, December 25, 1813, Image 2

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

reachedsu?f tic inforpiattuanon the. fubjeft has oeen received from that source. But it is known that the mediation was declined in the firft infiance, and there is no evidencej notwithstanding the tapfe of time, that a change of qifpofition in the British councils has*taken place, or/ is to be expected. Under luch cittumfianccs, a na * lion proud of its rights, and con scious of its filength, has no choice hut air of the one in sup port of the other. this deter mination, the belt encouragement is derived from the success with which i? has pleased the Almighty ?r>4>kTs our arms, both on the land and on the water. Whilst proofs have been continued of the prize and (kill of our cruizers,'pub lic and private, on the ocean, and a new tropliv gained in the capture of B irifh by an American vcffel ot r, after an action giving ce febrily to the name ot the victori- * ous commander; the great inland waters, on which the enemy were utlo to be encountered, have pre sented achievmcnts of our uaval arms, as brilliant in their character as they have been important in their I onfequences. On Lake Eric the squadron un per command of Capt. Perry, hav ing met the British squadron, of su perior force, a sanguinary conflict ■ ended in the capture of the whole, i The conduct of that officer, adroit • as it was daring, and which was so | veil seconded by his comrades, just- \ them to the admiration and gratitude oi their country; and will fill an early page in its naval ; artoals, with a vtftory, never surpas sed in lufi.ru, however much it may have been in magnitude. On Lake Ontario, the caution ot the British commander, favored bw contingencies, fruftrated the ef fort;. of the American commander, ; to bring on a deciftve adion. Cap tain Chauncey’ was able, however .to establish an afcendency on that important theatre, and to prove, by the manner in which he cliculed every thing p jffible, that opportu nities only were wanted, tor a more fl.ir.ing display of his own talents and of the gallantry of tlioie under his command. , The success on Lake Eric having opened a pafTage to the territory of the enemy, the officer commanding i the north weflcrn army transferred [ the war thither; and rapidly purfu- ■ ing the hoflile troops fleeing with | their lavage afl'oeiates, forced a gen eral action, which quickly termin ated in the capture of the British, and dispersion of the savage force. This rciult is signally honorable to Major-General Harrison, by whose military talents it was prepared ; to colonel Johnson and his mounted volunteers, whose impetuous onset gave a decisive blew to the ranks of the enemy ; and to the spirit of the volunteer militia equally brave and patriotic, who bore an interoft ing part in the feene; more espe cially to the chid magistrate of Ken tuckv at the head ot them, whole heroiftn, fignalifed in the war which eflablifhed the Independence of his country, fought, at an advanced ago, a fharc in hat dflaps and battles, for maintaining its rights and its fafety. The efieift of these fuccefies has been to refeue the inhabitants of Michigan front their opprefiions, aggravated by grefs infractions of the capitulation which fubje&ed ♦hem to a foreign power; to r v “ • ate the savage of nutticroua tribes frofn thef enemy, by whom they were disappointed and abandoned ; and to relieve alt extensive region i of country from a ntercilefs warfare ! which delojatcd its frontiers, and ■ imposed on its citizens flic mofl harraiiing services. In conlequence of our naval su periority on Lake Ontario, ami the opportunity allorJtd by it for con centrating our forces by water, op i crations, which had been pri viouliy planned, were let on foot, against the poUeffions of the enemy on the St. Lawrence. Such, however, was the delay produced, in the firft in llance, by adverle weather of unu sual violence and continuance, and fuel) the circumliances attending ; the final movements of the army, ’ that the pro (pc ft, at one time lo fa vorable, was not realised. The cruelty of the enemy, in cn lifling the savages into a war with a nation delirous of mutual emula tion in mitigating its calamities, has not been confined to any one quar ter. Wherever they could be turn ed against us, no exertions to effect ,it have been spared. On our South I Western border, the Creek tribes, who, yielding to our pei levering endeavors, were gtadually acquir ing more civilized habits, became the unfortunate victims of {educ tion. A war tn that quarter has j been the coni qutnee, infuriated by ; a bloody buMtitifin, recently propa- I gated among them. It was neces sary to crush luch a war before it could spread among the contiguous tribes, and before it could favor en terprises of the enemy into that vi cinity. With this view a force was called into the service of the United States from the {fates of Georgia and 1 enneflee, which, v ith the nearclf regular troops, and other corps from the Millillippi territory, might not only ehaftik the savages into present but make a iaft ing impreflioft on thei v fears ihe progrels ol the expedition, as far as is yet known, corrcfponds with the martial zeal with which it was es poused ; and the bell hopes <fa lat isfactory iflue are authorifed by the complete success wth which a well planned enterprize was ext cured a gainfl a body ot hollile la rages, by a detachment ot the volunteer mili tia ot Tcnneflee. under the gallant command ot Ge*n. Goftce ; arm by a {fill more important victory over a larger body of them, gained un der the immediate command of Major-General Jackson ; an officer equally diftinguiflied tor his patrio tilin and his military talents. The fyffcmatic perseverance of the enemy in courting the aid of the savages in all quarters, had the nat ural effedt of kindling their ordina ry propensity to war into a passion, w hich, even among thole heft till* poled towards the United States, was ready, if not employed cu our fide, to be turned against us. A departure from our protracted for ! bcarance to accept the services ten dered by them, has thus been for ced upon us. But, in yielding to it, the retail .tion has been mitigated as much as possible, both in its ex tent and in its character, {topping j far fiiort c[ the example ol the cn ’ tiny, who owe tiro advantages they have occasionally gained in battle, chiefly to the number of their savage aflociates; and who have not con trolled them either from tfi.ir ulual practice of iudiferitninate inaffacre • cn defencclefs inhabitants, or from f •■•n rtf r■’ ‘iinn.’ v 1 1 :■ t 1 ?'” t *•'’ 4 \ HC . II- s, V I-- . r I u ■ on priibneia to the Bntiih arms, guarded by all the laws of humanity and of honorable war. For these enormities, the enemy are equally refpcnfibL*, whether with the pow er to prevent them they want the will, or with the knowledge of a want of power they {fill avail them fclves of luch inflruments. In oth er rcfpe&s the enemy arc pursuing a course which threatens consequen ces inoft afflicting to humanity. A {landing law of Great Britain naturalizes, as is well known, all aliens complying with conditions limited to a fharter period than thole required by the United States; and naturalized fubjfecis are, in war, employed by her government in common with native lubjeifs. In a contiguous Brftilh province, reg ulations promulgated titice th£com mencenu nt of the war compel citi zens of the United States, being ‘there under certain circumstances, to bear arms; whilst of the native emigrants from the United States who compote, much of the popula tion ol tlie province, a number have actually borne arms against the U. States within their limits ; fotue of whom after having done 10, have become prisoners of war, and are now in our pofieflion. The Bi itkh commander in that province, nev ertheless, with the lan&ion, as ap pears, ot his government, thought proper to select from American pri soners of war, and fend so Great Britain lor trial as criminals, a num ber ol individuals, who had emigra ted from the British dominions long prior to the ffate of war between the two rations, who had incorporated themlelves into our political society, in the inodes recognized by the law and the practice ol Great Britain, and who were made prilor.ers of war, under the banners of their adopted country, fighting for its rights and its latety. The protec tion due to these citizens requiring an eiledual inferpofition in their be half, a like number of British pri* fouers of v.ar were put into confine ment, with a notification that they would experience whatever violence might he committed on the Ameri can prisoners of war sent to Great B itain. It was hoped that this necessary conlequence of the step unadvisedly take*n on the part of Great Britain would have led her government to reflect on the inconfiftcncies of its conduct, and that a sympathy with the British, if not with the American fufferers, would have arrtfted the cruel career opened by its example, ‘lhis was unhappily not the case. In violation both of confiltency and of humanity, American officers and non-commissioned officers, in dou ble the number of the British fol tliers confined here, were ordered into close confinement, with formal notice, that in the event of a retali ation for the death which might he inffifted on the prisoners of war sent to Great Britain for trial, the offi cers so confined would be put to death also. It was notified at the fame time that the commanders of the British fleets and armies on our coasts are inftru&ed, in the fame event, to procccJ with a dei ire dive severity against our towns and llicir inhabitants. 1 hat no doubt might be left with the enemy of our ad herence to the retaliating resort i*n pufed on us, a correfprndint num ber of Britiffi officers priloners of war in our hands were immediately put into close confinement, to abide ; fate cf these c't. r red by the coiy ; and the British government has been apprized of tlrif dekVmii*- ation of this goven>n'.cnt,*o retali ate anjjt other proceeding againff us. contrary to the legitimate modes ci warfare. It ts as fortunate for the United States that they have it in their poor er to meet the enemy in tltis deplor able* conic ft, asr it is honorabh {■; than, that they do not Join in it bat under the mid imperious oblige tions, and with the humane puipofi of ifleeting a return to tbceflab- Ilflied mages of war. The views of the French govern ment on the (objects which have been so long committed to ncgoci at ton, have received no elucidation since the dole of your lass ccflinn. T he Minister Plenipi tentiary of the United States at Paris had not been enabflft, by propu opportunities, to press the objects of his million, as prcicribtd f>y his inifruJtions. The Militia bting always to L* regarded as the great bulwark or defence and security f r free dates, and the constitution having vilely cotmnittcd to the national authority a use of that force, as the tefl provl fion again It a:: unfafe rr:i!itary eftah lifhment, as well as a rdonree pe culiarly adapted to a country hav ing the extent and the cxp< fur-’’ o< the United States. 1 recommend tr Congrels a icvifion of the t rilitia laws for the purpoft* of securing more effeftually, thefervices of ail detachments called into the employ ment anil placeJ under the govern ment of th- United States. It will deserve the confidoration of Congress alio, whether, among other improvements in the militia laws, jultice does not require a re g ulation, under due precautions, for defraying the expense incident t the firft alfembiing ;.a wJI as to th f’ubfequcr.t moveiuens of detach ments called into the national fer vice. To give to cur veflels of war, public anJ private, the rujuinte ad vantage in the-ir entiles, it is oi much importance that th.y fhculc'. have, both for rilemfclves ane their prizes, the use of the ports of frituu ly powers. With this view, 1 ;c ---comtnend to Congrels the expedi ency of luch legal provisions as may supply the defects, or remove the doubts of the Executive authority to allow to the cruizers of other powers, tit war with the enemies of the United States, such use of the American ports and markets as may correspond with the privilege s * allowed by luch powers to Ameri can cruizers. During the year ending on tilt 30th of Sept, last, the receipts into the Treasury have exceeded thirty lcvcn millions and a half of dollars, of which near twenty-four million* wete the pruduce ol loans. After meeting all the demands for the public id vice, there remained in the Treafuiy on that cay, near fever, millions of dollars. Under the au thority contained in the ad of the rd of August lalf, for hot revving liven nrliior.s and a half of dollars, diet fain has been obtained on terms mere favorable to tite United States than ri.cfe of the preceding loan made duiing the prelent year. I'm (her sums to a considerable . mount will be necefat v to he oh m # J tabled m the fame way daring tlr ensuing year; and from the inert A cd capital ot the country, in ra the fultlky with Which the* public en gagements have been kept, and the public ere )\* tnnirtah rd. I* may