Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VI, November 1850, Vol. IVarious
History
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VI, November 1850, Vol. I
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
"On the 3d of June, 1778, I gave a ball and supper, in celebration
of my husband's birthday. I had invited all our generals and
officers and Mr. and Mrs. Carter. General Burgoyne sent us an
apology, after he had made us wait for him till eight o'clock. He
had always some excuse for not visiting us, until he was about
departing for England, when he came and made me many apologies, to
which I made no other reply than that I should be extremely sorry
if he had put himself to any inconvenience for our sake. The dance
lasted long, and we had an excellent supper, to which more than
eighty persons sat down. Our yard and garden were illuminated. The
king's birth-day falling on the next day, it was resolved that the
company should not separate before his Majesty's health was drank;
which was done, with feelings of the liveliest attachment to his
person and interests. Never, I believe, was 'God Save the King'
sung with more enthusiasm, or with feelings more sincere. Our two
eldest girls were brought into the room to see the illumination.
We were all deeply moved, and proud to have the courage to display
such sentiments in the midst of our enemies. Even Mr. Carter could
not forbear participating in our enthusiasm." Mr. Carter was the
son-in-law of General Schuyler. Remembering the kindness which she
had received from that gentleman while in Albany, the baroness
sought out Mr. and Mrs. Carter (who were living in Boston), on her
arrival at Cambridge. "Mrs. Carter," she says, "resembled her
parents in mildness and goodness of heart, but her husband was
revengeful and false." The patriotic zeal of Mr. Carter had given
rise to foolish stories respecting him. "They seemed to feel much
friendship for us," says Madame De Riedesel; "though, at the same
time, this wicked Mr. Carter, in consequence of General Howe's
having burned several villages and small towns, suggested to his
countrymen to cut off our generals' heads, to pickle them, and to
put them in small barrels, and, as often as the English should
again burn a village, to send them one of these barrels; but that
cruelty was not adopted."--_Letters and Memoire relating to the
War of American Independence, by Madame De Riedesel._
[9] This is from a pencil sketch by Mr. Longfellow. I am also
indebted to him for the fac-simile of the autograph of the
Baroness of Riedesel. It will be perceived that the _i_ is placed
before the _e_ in spelling the name. It is generally given with
the _e_ first, which is according to the orthography in Burgoyne's
_State of the Expedition_, &c., wherein I supposed it was spelled
correctly. This autograph shows it to be erroneous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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