Sketch of Major General Charles Lee by American artist John Trumbull.
General Charles Lee, who fought on the American side during the Revolution, is a rather problematical figure, in my view. Among other things, a few months after he had been captured by the British, he submitted to the British commanders a “scheme for putting an end to the war” — by defeating the Americans. He said that although America might be able to draw out the war for a while, she (people generally referred to nations as “she” back then) had “no chance” of winning the war and gaining independence. So, to prevent America from inevitably suffering “great desolation havock and slaughter,” and to spare Britain the “serious expence both in blood and money” that would be required to finally defeat America, he gave his suggestions on how the British could “unhinge or dissolve…the whole system or machine of resistance, or in other terms, Congress Government”.
Take your pick of these portraits of Major General Charles Lee. I, for one, am really not sure which one is most true to life. Only in one thing are they really consistent: he seems to have had a fairly prominent nose.
An intriguing and important figure in the Revolutionary War, but one whom most people aren’t familiar with, is Charles Lee. He was British, but he was a major-general in the American army. He had a lot of military experience, and many people considered him vital to winning the war. But in December 1776, he made a simple yet disastrous mistake.
While marching his army through New Jersey, he for some reason decided to spend the night in a house at Basking Ridge, a couple of miles away from the rest of the army, with only about a dozen men to guard him. Somehow the British got word of it, and they sent a cavalry detachment rushing to capture him on the morning of Friday, December 13.
I have nothing Remarkebel to rite Except that geaneral Washington & Leas got into Cambridge yesterday and to Day thay are to take a vew of ye Army & that will be atended with a grate deal of grandor there is at this time one & twenty Drummers & as many feffors a Beting and Playing Round the Prayde.
No, that’s not a foreign language. It’s just a beautiful example of why spellcheck and grammar check were invented. Here’s how it would be with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation:
I have nothing remarkable to write except that Generals Washington and Lee got into Cambridge yesterday, and today they are to take a view of the army, and that will be attended with a great deal of grandeur; there are at this time one-and-twenty drummers and as many fifers a-beating and playing round the parade.
This was a letter from Massachusetts Lieutenant Joseph Hodgkins to his wife, Sarah. Besides being interesting from a historical standpoint, their letters are all kinds of fun to read; sometimes a word is spelled so strangely that it takes a minute to figure out what it is.
Hodgkins was at the American army camp around Boston, and he was writing about how General George Washington, the newly-appointed commander-in-chief, was taking command of the American forces. Washington arrived at Cambridge, which was the army’s headquarters, on Sunday, July 2, along with Charles Lee, who had been appointed a major-general. The next day they “reviewed” the army; that is, the army marched around the parade ground, and the generals observed them. (Maybe that’s not the most accurate description of it, but it’ll do.) Washington and Lee had been welcomed and honored all along their way from Philadelphia to Cambridge, but now they were up against their real work. And neither one of them realized how hard it would turn out to be.
Here’s an artistic rendition of General Washington “reviewing” the colonial troops at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1775. Although it’s not historically accurate in some things — such as the stars-and-stripes flag, which hadn’t been designed yet — it gives an idea of what a “review” might have been like. The smoke in the background is from a salute being fired.
Source
This Glorious Cause: The Adventures of Two Company Officers in Washington’s Army, p. 171.
