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REED'S APPEAL TO WASHINGTON

83

While thus anxiously situated, Washington, on the 14th, received a letter from Colonel Reed, his former secretary and confidential friend. A coolness had existed on the general's part, ever since he had unwarily opened the satirical letter of General Lee; yet he had acted towards Reed with his habitual highmindedness, and had recently nominated him as general of cavalry. The latter had deeply deplored the interruption of their once unreserved intercourse: he had long, he said, desired to have one hour of private conversation with Washington on the subject of Lee's letter, but had deferred it in the hope of obtaining his own letter to which that was an answer. In that he had been disappointed by Lee's captivity. On the present occasion, Reed's heart was full, and he refers to former times in language that is really touching :

"I am sensible, my dear sir," writes he, "how difficult it is to regain lost friendship; but the consciousness of never having justly forfeited yours, and the hope that it may be in my power fully to convince you of it, are some consolation for an event which I never think of but with the greatest concern. In the mean time, my dear general, let me entreat you to judge of me by realities, not by appearances; and believe that I never entertained or expressed a sentiment incompatible with that regard I professed for your person and character, and which, whether I shall be so happy as to possess your future good opinion or not, I shall carry to my grave with me.

* A late perusal of the letters you honored me with at Cambridge and New York, last year, affcried me a melancholy pleasure. I cannot help acsorowiedzing myself deeply affected, in a comparison with those which I have since received. I should not, my dear sir, have trespassed on your time and patience at this juncture so long, but that a former letter upon this subject I fear has mscarried; and whatever may be my future destuation and course of life, I could not support the . redection of being thought ungrateful and insincere to a friendship which was equally my pride and my pleasure. May God Almighty crown your virtue, my dear and much respected general, with dosened stars and make your life as happy and detersze to yourself as it has been useful to

The Jeart of Washington was moved by this spreak, sai tāough in the midst of military prepaucous wi a hostile army at hand, he detained Chouet Reed's messenger long enough to write a sot kter in reply: to thank you," said he, * I do most sincerely, for the friendly and affecCome sets contained in yours towards me, A & A Tu that I am perfectly convinced

• Duel & I &it myself hurt by a certain let#70zqppeared at that time to be the echo we swe you: I was hurt-not because I Clough my Salgment wronged by the expressions * & dut because the same sentiments

But as badanisted immediately to myself. Die ande meer in which your opinions,

REPLY TO REED.

85

upon all occasions, had been received, the impres 3ions they made, and the unreserved manner in which I wished and required them to be given, entitled me, I thought, to your advice upon any point in which I appeared to be wanting. To meet with anything, then, that carried with it a complexion of withholding that advice from me, and censuring my conduct to another, was such an argument of disingenuity, that I was not a little mortified at it. However, I am perfectly satisfied that matters were not as they appeared from the letter alluded to."

Washington was not of a distrustful pirit. From this moment, we are told that all est angement disappeared, and the ancient relations of friendly confidence between him and Colonel Reed were restored.1 His whole conduct throughout the affair bears evidence of his candor and mag nanimity.

1 Life of Reed, by his grandson.

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REPORTED ARRIVAL OF BURGOYNE.

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march to the Delaware; but Washington was not to be deceived. "The enemy will not move that way," said he, "until they have given this army a severe blow. The risk would be too great to attempt to cross a river where they must expect to meet a formidable opposition in front, and would have such a force as ours in their rear." He kept on the heights, therefore, and strengthened his intrenchments.

Baffled in these attempts to draw his cautious adversary into a general action, Howe, on the 19th, suddenly broke up his camp, and pretended to return with some precipitation to Brunswick, burning as he went several valuable dwellinghouses. Washington's light troops hovered round the enemy as far as the Raritan and Millstone, which secured their flanks, would permit; but the main army kept to its stronghold on the heights.

On the next day came warlike news from the North. Amesbury, a British spy, had been seized and examined by Schuyler. Burgoyne was stated as being arrived at Quebec to command the forces in an invasion from Canada. While he advanced with his main force by Lake Champlain, a detachment of British troops, Canadians and Indians, led by Sir John Johnson, was to penetrate by Oswego to the Mohawk River, and place itself between Fort Stanwix and Fort Edward.

If this information was correct, Ticonderoga would soon be attacked. The force there might be sufficient for its defense, but Schuyler would have no troops to oppose the inroad of Sir John Johnson, and he urged a reinforcement. Wash

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