"The following note has been handed to us by Mr. Butler--We do not intend to prejudge the cause of dispute by its insertion. The _Gazette_ will be freely open to Mr. Anderson. "ELBERT ANDERSON, Jun. Contractor U. S. Army, is a base _Villain_, a _Liar_ and a _Coward_. James BUTLER. "18th _September_, 1813." Anderson and Butler apparently had a hand to hand scrimmage at Plattsburgh, for in the _Albany Gazette_ of September 30, 1813, was printed a communication in part as follows (p. 3-3): "_Albany_, 28th, _Sept._ 1813. "Messrs. WEBSTERS and SKINNERS, "A publication having appeared in your paper, during the absence of the Contractor, signed '_James Butler_,' a friend to the former gentleman, who was an eye witness to the fracas at Plattsburgh, requests you to publish the following statement from the _Plattsburgh Republican_, of the 18th inst.... "A rash man has applied to the Contractor for the Army, epithets of a libellous and scurrilous nature.... "_Plattsburgh, Sept. 15, 1813._" So far as I have noted, the incident closed with the publication in the _Albany Gazette_ of October 4, 1813, of a card from Butler dated Lansingburgh, September 29, stating that the writer of the above letter was "an infamous liar" (p. 3-2). [48] See _New Hampshire Gazette_, September 14, 21, 1813; _New York Herald_, August 25, 28, 1813; _Columbian Centinel_, December 25, 1813. [49] _Massachusetts Spy_, December 22, 1813, p. 1-3. [50] It will be remembered that until 1820 Maine was part of Massachusetts. [51] Quoted in the _National Intelligencer_ (Washington), June 8, 1813, p. 2-3. [52] I do not know what act is meant. [53] Quoted in the _New York Herald_, October 2, 1813, p. 3-3. I have been unable to find a copy of the _Lansingburgh Gazette_ containing the extract. [54] Quoted in the _Columbian Centinel_, October 9, 1813, p. 2-3. [55] The words "more or less" apparently occurred in the official accounts of the capture of York in April, 1813, but I have not been able to discover in exactly what connection. At all events, they caused much fun in the peace papers. "One dead Indian, 'more or less,'" said the _New York Herald_ of July 14, 1813, p. 1-1. "_Wanted_," declared the _Columbian Centinel_ of December 4, 1813, "about five hundred ('more or less') able-bodied, stout-hearted _real Americans_, to collect our _land tax_ in our territory of Canada" (p. 2-3). [56] Quoted in the _Connecticut Courant_, February 8, 1814, p. 3-2. The same passage is quoted in the _Massachusetts Spy_ of February 9, 1814, p. 2-3, and February 23, p. 4-3, except that in both instances the words "'Uncle Sam's' hard bargains" are omitted. [57] Quoted in the _Salem Gazette_, February 14, 1814, p. 3-3. See p. 29, note 33, above. [58] Quoted in the _New York Spectator_, May 7, 1814, p. 1-1. The passage was also printed in the _Massachusetts Spy_ of May 25, 1814, p. 3-3.