THE CONTINENTAL ARMY SERIES ….Odds and Ends
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THE CONTINENTAL ARMY SERIES ….Odds and Ends by Wm. Thomas Sherman Gun Jones Publishing, Seattle, Washington Wm. Thomas Sherman 1604 N.W. 70th St. Seattle, WA 98117 206-784-1132 Also, I can be reached by any of these email addresses. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] website: http://www.gunjones.com Lee’s Legion on Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeesLegion/ Last updated: 20 Sept. 2021 For The Continental Army Series vol. I, see: https://archive.org/details/TheContinentalArmySeriesRealityAndAspirationInTheAmerican ~or~ http://www.scribd.com/doc/94480242/THE-CONTINENTAL-ARMY-SERIES-Reality-and-Aspiration-in-the- Am-Revy-Era For The Continental Army Series vol. II, see: https://archive.org/details/Vol2ContinentalArmySeries ~or~ http://www.scribd.com/doc/136892381/Vol-II-THE-CONTINENTAL-ARMY-SERIES-Reality-and-Aspiration- in-the-American-Revolutionary-Era 2 The purpose of the work before you is to serve as a compendium of postings from the Face Book Lee’s Legion page and that appeared subsequent to the second volume of the Continental Army Series. To that extent, it can be characterized as a more or less random miscellany of articles and short pieces; with relatively little or no design of making the whole a formal addition to the present two volume Continental Army Series. To be brief, the reason for my doing so is simply one of convenience and that allows me to add new articles over time and at my leisure; without having to follow a pre-set plan or set a necessary limit to the quantity of entries that might be included; unlike volumes one and two of the original Continental Army series where there was a definite intent of endeavoring to cover most of the major literary genres of 18th and early 19th century America, as well as along the way throwing in a number of desultory items which directly or indirectly related to those same spans of history and that readers might also find of added interest or amusement. Here instead I have permitted myself to be even more open ended and include whatever happened to suited me at the time of writing a given entry; so that what turns out as the over all final result cannot be guessed until the time comes, whenever that time may be, when I am finally done. William Thomas Sherman Seattle, Washington 3 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. 19th CENTURY DIME NOVELS…..p. 7 2. AN ANECDOTE ABOUT CHARLES LEE…..p. 7 3. “REVEALED BY THE DEAD”…..p. 8 4. “THE RED-CLOAKS ARE COMING!”…..p. 9 5. “THE RIVALS” (1775)…..p. 11 6. “SIR, I SHOULD TROUBLE YOU TO DIE AGAIN...”…..p. 11 7. CANINE FEALTY…..p. 12 8. U.S. CONGRESSMAN THOMAS SUMTER VOTES “NAY” ON REIMBURSING NATH. GREENE’S WIDOW…..p. 14 9. THE GREENE-BANKS CONTROVERSY…..p. 15 10. LEE’S HORSE AT THE BATTLE OF GUILORD COURT HOUSE…..p. 17 11. THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF PAUL REVERE…..p. 17 12. LOST YOUTH…..p. 17 13. THE HISTORY YOU DON’T KNOW…..p. 18 14. THE BIDDLES OF PHILADELPHIA…..p. 21 15. EQUAL TIME DOCTRINE (The Carlisle Manifesto and Proclamation)…..p. 22 16. OUR FOURTEEN PRESIDENTS….p. 26 17. A SELF MADE MAN…..p. 27 18. A FUTURE U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL ENTERTAINS LEE’S LEGION WITH HIS DRUMMING…..p. 28 19. IN MEMORIAM, SEPTEMBER 5th, 1813…..p. 29 20. JEREMY BENTHAM AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION…..p.31 21. “SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AMERICAN ARMY” (1817)…..p. 33 22. MILES WALLINGFORD (1844)…..p. 34 23. VIEWS OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS IN AMERICA (1821)…..p. 42 24. Ships of the War of 1812 that (in one form or other) STILL SURVIVE!…..p. 43 25. SENIOR CITIZENS (circa 1820-30) REMEMBER OLD PHILADELPHIA…..p. 44 26. TOURNAMENT OF LOVE…..p. 47 27. INFLUENCE OF THE BRITISH ISLES ON THE YOUNG UNITED STATES (including Samuel Leech’s account of the United States vs. the Macedonian)….p. 49 28. LISTEN TO THE MOCKINGBIRD!…..p. 57 29. CLIVE’S TURTLE…..p. 57 30. OLD FRITZ TO THE RESCUE?….p. 58 31. JONATHAN CLARK…..p. 58 32. A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK…..p. 58 33. A HURRICANE IN SPRING…..p. 59 34. DEBTS REMAINING…..p. 65 35. THEATER NIGHT – NEW YORK, 1802.….p. 68 36. OF HARLEQUINS AND COLUMBINES…..p. 74 37. “HE PLAYS THE VIOLIN”…..p. 75 38. HARD LEATHER CAPS…..p. 76 39. AMERICA’S FALLEN BRITISH WAR HERO…..p. 78 40. WHY THE FRENCH LOST CANADA…..p. 80 41. EPIC AMBITION…..p. 80 42. “THE VICAR OF BRAY”…..p. 81 43. A GOLDEN MEMORY OF LONG AGO…..p. 81 44. THE PHANTOM OF THE BATTLEFIELD…..p. 83 45. “CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT…”…..p. 84 46. “Thus merit ever loves and seeks the shade”-- FORGOTTEN POEMS AND POETS…..p. 86 47. FORGOTTEN POEMS AND POETS, PART II…..p. 98 48. FORGOTTEN POEMS AND POETS, PART III…..p. 129 49. FORGOTTEN POEMS AND POETS, PART IV…..p. 146 5 50. THREE BRIEF REVIEWS…..p. 160 51. DEEPEST ROOTS OF THE CONFLICT…p. 161 52. SANS OLD GLORY?…..p. 162 53. THE FIRST REVOLUTIONARIES…..p. 162 54. AGAIN…..p. 163 55. SOME BOOK NOTES….p.163 56. HOW TO FREE A NATION….p. 164 57. SALMAGUNDI DECODED…..p. 166 58. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN…..p. 167 59. “THE LITTLE MAN IN BLACK” (1807)…..p. 168 60. “BERNARDO DE GALVEZ, WE ARE HERE!”….p. 171 61. “MARGERY TWO-SHOES” TEASER…..p. 172 62. The Story of “Fannie Feckless,” as related by Sir Walter Scott in The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818)…..p. 175 63. ONGOING DEBATE…..p. 177 64. ATTEMPTING TO UNRAVEL BROCKDEN BROWN’S WIELAND (1798)….p. 178 65. A (CONTEMPORARY) BOY’S EYE VIEW OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION….p. 181 66. THE NELSON-LOVING AMERICANS, circa 1798-1806…..p. 185 6 19th CENTURY DIME NOVELS “It has been mentioned as an extraordinary circumstance, that Milton was a great reader of romances in his youth. But this is no more than what was common, in some degree, to his contemporaries. Before the grand Rebellion, these books were in all hands; and were the source from which young readers especially, in the age of fiction and fancy, nourished the sublime.” ~ Thomas Warton, Observations on the Faerie Queene of Spenser (1754), vol. I, Sec. V. If what Warton states is correct, it seems then reasonable to surmise that had Milton grown up in mid to late 19th century America he might had fed his fondness for romance with Dime Novels. A week or so ago, I discovered the Beadle and Adams Dime Novel Online Digitization Project by Northern Illinois University; regarding which, see: http://www.ulib.niu.edu/badndp/bibindex.html http://www.ulib.niu.edu/badndp/contents2.html The Beadle and Adams Dime novels and miscellaneous other children and young people’s volumes ran from 1851 to 1879, and the assortment and quantity of the firm’s output is tantalizingly impressive; covering topics and genres as diverse as the Revolutionary War, the Wild West, Sea Stories, American History generally, fairy tales, re-tellings of literary classics. They also published songbooks and manuals on how to play games, such as baseball. If you like nostalgia or are curious about Dime novels, the Beadle and Adams Dime Novel Online Digitization Project is great, and fun, place to browse. It was a separate company, however, that put out the “Liberty Boys of 76,” respecting which one author-historian (quoted at a different website) explains: “There were about 100 of these Liberty Boys, who, suffering casualties, were always able to fill up their ranks with new recruits, though the latter had to pass a rigid test. Dick Slater was captain of the band and knew that the effectiveness of such a small force lay in its mobility and quick striking power. Mostly they served as infantry, like the regulars of the Continental Line, but occasionally they appeared as cavalrymen or mounted infantry, and Captain Slater always rode a black charger named Major.” ~~~~~~*******~~~~~~ AN ANECDOTE ABOUT CHARLES LEE As found in “Men and Events of the Revolution: Memoranda of Judge Richard Peters relating to the events that occurred during the Revolutionary War;” see The American Historical Record, May 1873, vol. 2, no. 7, pp. 223-224; edited by Benson J Lossing, and available at: https://archive.org/details/pottersamericanm02lossuoft [Judge Richard Peters:] “Of the illustrious General Greene, I hope we shall have a more respectable biography, than any I have seen. I loved, admired and valued him next to our immortal Chief. The worthy but minor characters comparatively I highly esteemed, but any very prominent exploits of their exhibition, have escaped my memory, tho’ I knew they faithfully performed their duty. Of my friend General Lee,1 too much cannot be said of his military merits. The world envious of superior merits, view private peccadillos, to gratify invidious consciousness of inferiority. I lamented the shades, but did not forget the sunny side of his character. 1 [Edit. Note.] In the original text, Peters or an American Historical Record editor specifically states that the “General Lee” in question is Henry Lee. However, I have since been informed by Continental Army historian John U. Rees that it would seem rather that the “General” referred to is Charles Lee; based on accounts that it was he who tried to unsuccessfully introduce regimental colors. 7 “General Lee tried experiments with us to undertake the training and maneuvering of troops, by means of regimental standards, grand division colors and signal flags. The bearers of these were as raw as ourselves, and the scheme failed entirely.