 |  | |
 |
|  |
 |  | |
| | |
|
| |
| | |
|
|
By Frank R. Stockton
Originally published in 1896
This was a high military position, – much higher, in
fact, than he could ever have obtained in his own country,
but it did not satisfy him. The position he
wanted was that of commander in chief of the American
army ; and he was surprised and angry that it
was not offered to him, and that a man of his ability
should be passed over, and that high place given to
a person like George Washington, who knew but little
of war, and had no idea whatever how the thing was
done in Portugal, Poland, Russia, and Turkey, and who
was, in fact, no more than a country gentleman.
All this showed that these Americans were fools,
who did not understand their best interests. But as
there was a good chance for a fight, and, in fact, a
good many fights, and as a major-generalship was not
to be sneered at, he accepted it, and resigned the commission
which he held in the English army.
He was doubtless in earnest in his desire to assist
the Americans to obtain their independence, for he
was always in earnest when he was doing anything
that he was inclined to do. But he did not propose
to sacrifice his own interests to the cause he had
undertaken; and as, by entering the American army,
he risked the loss of his estate in England, he arranged
with Congress for compensation for such loss.
But, although General Lee was now a very ardent
American soldier, he could not forgive Mr. Washington
for taking command above him. If that Virginia
gentleman had had the courtesy and good sense which
were generally attributed to him, he would have resigned
the supreme command, and, modestly stepping
aside, would have asked General Lee to accept it. At
least, that was the opinion of General Charles Lee.
As this high and mighty soldier was so unwilling
to submit to the orders of incompetent people, he
never liked to be under the direct command of Washington,
and, if it were possible to do so, he managed
to be concerned in operations not under the immediate
eye of the commander in chief. In fact, he was very
jealous indeed of Washington, and did not hesitate to
express his opinion about him whenever he had a
chance.
The American army was not very successful in Long
Island, and there was a time when it fared very badly
in New Jersey; and Lee was not slow to declare that
these misfortunes were owing entirely to the ignorance
of the man who was in command. Moreover, if there
was any one who wanted to know if there was another
man in the Colonies who could command the army
better, and lead it more certainly and speedily to
victory, General Lee was always ready to mention an
experienced soldier who would be able to perform that
duty most admirably.
If it had not been for this unfortunate and jealous
disposition, Charles Lee – a very different man from
"Light Horse Harry" Lee – would have been one
of the most useful officers in the American army.
But he had such a jealousy of Washington, and hoped
so continually that something would happen which
would give him the place then occupied by the Virginia
country gentleman, that, although he was at
heart an honest patriot, he allowed himself to do
things which were not at all patriotic. He wanted to
see the Americans successful in the country, but he
did not want to see all that happen under the leadership
of Washington; and if he could put an obstacle
in the way of that incompetent person, he would do
it, and be glad to see him stumble over it.
In the winter of 1776, when the American army
was making its way across New Jersey, towards the
Delaware River, with Cornwallis in pursuit, Washington
was anxiously looking for the troops, under the
command of General Lee, who bad been ordered to
come to his assistance; and if ever assistance was
needed, it was needed then. But Lee liked to do his
own ordering, and, instead of hurrying to help Washington,
he thought it would be a great deal better to
do something on his own account; and so he endeavored
to get into the rear of Cornwallis's army, thinking,
that, if he should attack the enemy in that way,
he might possibly win a startling victory, which would
cover him with glory, and show how much better a
soldier he was than that poor Washington who was
retreating across the country, instead of boldly turning and showing fight
If Lee had been a true soldier, and had conscientiously
obeyed the commands of his superior, he
would have joined Washington and his army without
delay, and a short time afterward would have had
an opportunity of taking part in the battle of Trenton, in which the Virginia country gentleman defeated
the British, and gained one of the most important victories of the war
Lee pressed slowly onward-ready to strike a
great blow for himself, and unwilling to help anybody
else strike a blow-until he came to Morristown;
and, after staying there one night, he proceeded in the direction of Basking Ridge, a pretty
village not far away. Lee left his army at Bernardsville,
which was then known as Vealtown, and rode
on to Basking Ridge, accompanied only by a small
guard. There he took lodgings at an inn, and made
himself comfortable. The next morning he did not
go and put himself at the head of his army and
move on, because there were various affairs which
occupied his attention.
Several of his guard wished to speak to him, some
of them being men from Connecticut, who appeared
before him in full-bottomed wigs, showing plainly
that they considered themselves people who were
important enough to have their complaints attended
to. One of them wanted his horse shod, another
asked for some money on account of his pay, and a
third had something to say about rations. But General
Lee cut them all off very shortly with, "You
want a great deal, but you have not mentioned what
you want most. You want to go home, and I should
be glad to let you go, for you are no good here."
Then his adjutant general asked to see him; and he
had a visit from a Major Wilkinson, who arrived that
morning with a letter from General Gates.
This Web version, edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
| Next |
| Main Menu |
|
|
UrbanTimes.com |
