Late that night, I received certain information, that the enemy had
evacuated all their posts in the neighborhood, and immediately despatched a
messenger to General Washington with the intelligence; in answer to which,
I received his orders, very early next morning, to pursue and keep up the
panic, and that he would cross at Trenton that day. From this circumstance,
it appears that the General had taken his determination before your
pretended information or advice from Trenton could have reached him.
In justification to myself, I have thought it necessary to point out your
false state of facts, in these particulars; the multitude of lesser ones,
relating to military matters, I shall pass over, as this publication is
already necessarily lengthened beyond my first intention.
As I hinted, in my letter of 10th September last, that "charges of the same
nature had been, some time since, made against you," by Arnold; you say,
you "allow full weight to so respectable a connexion and testimony;" to
which you made no reply, though from the rank and character of Arnold at
that time, they merited your notice. Arnold having received his information
from me, it cannot be concluded, that I meant by his testimony to
strengthen my own assertion; but merely to show, that having before been
charged, you did not reply; from which many believed it true. And when he
apologized to me for inserting it in his defence without my permission, I
remarked, that an apology was unnecessary, from the public manner in which
I had mentioned it.
Arnold was commanding officer in this city, very generally visited by
officers of the army, citizens and strangers. I received the usual
civilities from him, and returned them; and often met him at the tables of
gentlemen in the city. To my civilities, at that time, I thought him
entitled from the signal services he had rendered his country; services
infinitely superior to those you so much boast of; he stood high, as a
military character, even in France, and after your prosecution, he was
continued in command by Congress; appointed first, by the
commander-in-chief, to the command of the left wing of the army, and
afterwards to that important post of West Point, where his treacherous
conduct exceeded, I fancy, even your own idea of his baseness. To what,
then, do your insinuations amount? They cannot criminate me, without an
implied censure on Congress and the commander-in-chief. But why contaminate
my name, by connecting it, in this instance, with such a wretch? when you,
yourself, at his trial, with a half-shamed face, seemed to apologize for
being his prosecutor, and became his fulsome panegyrist. It consisted,
however, with that artifice and cunning which has ever been the sum of your
_abilities_, and the whole amount of your _wisdom_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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