Sept. 23d, 1842.
From the Evening Journal,
MR. WHITNEY:--The Jeremiads of the Forum and the Evening Courier shall not
deter me from the task which I have deliberately assumed, and which I mean
to carry out, of exposing the treachery of the late General Joseph Reed,
and the delinquencies of his living grandson, Mr. William Bradford Reed.
Why, instead of _deprecation_, do not these journals give _disproof_? Is a
fellow to be canonized as a saint, because he is no longer of the living?
Then let all history be rewritten, and let the puling mawkishness which the
hypocrites call manly indignation, reject from the page of history the
infamy of a Nero, the cruelty of a Tiberius, and the treason of an Arnold.
If it be proper for the entertainment or instruction of posterity, that
the vices and crimes of the men of history shall be faithfully detailed,
why should not the "_treason_" of General Reed, contemplated or effected,
be spread upon his country's annals? Above all, when he and his descendants
have adroitly disguised his villainy with the varnish of incorruptible
patriotism, why should the hand which has the power to tear off the mask,
and expose the enormity of guilt, be made to fall, self-withheld and
self-paralyzed, from the effort? These are questions which admit of but one
reply. I shall _go on_, and in continuation of my developments, I here
subjoin another letter from Col. Samuel Smith to the same gentleman to whom
was addressed his last.
_Baltimore, October 2d, 1832._
MY DEAR COLONEL--I acknowledge the receipt of your two very
kind letters since I left Washington, and thank you for the
acceptable accompaniment of the last. Also, for the pamphlet
on Cholera which you have sent--I loaned it to several of our
medical gentlemen, and they all seem to think highly of it.
Our people have been much alarmed, and I think with good
reason. For my own part, I entertain but little uneasiness. I
have lived a long life, and though I am far from tired of it,
I am ready to go whenever it pleases him who gave it to take
it away.
Looking over my paper, I have directed copies to be made up
such as seem adapted to your purpose. These, and some
original, I will send to your direction, whenever I hear from
you again, and you inform me how to send them. I have but few
letters from Gen. Washington--the _originals_ I cannot consent
to part with; but copies are cheerfully at your service. I
have had a copy taken of a very remarkable correspondence
between General Wayne and General Reed, which awaits your
directions. I was on a visit to Wayne shortly after its close;
he read it to me, and I was so much struck with it, that I
requested leave to take a copy, which he gave me. You will
find it a curiosity, and it is another development of the real
character of Reed. I think I formerly mentioned I knew but
little of Gen. Wayne, with which you are not already
acquainted, and I may say much the same as to Putnam, except
what I had from conversation with General Washington. I have
never been able to make up my mind how far Gen. Gates was
concerned in the movement for his promotion, at Washington's
expense. He certainly did not openly encourage it. It is so
delicate a matter, I did not like to directly question General
Washington. Once or twice, in conversation, I thought he was
coming to the point, but he broke off without reaching it.
Many of Conway's movements against Washington had a tact and
address about them, for which Gates generally received the
credit. Towards the close, his calumnies of Washington were
disgustingly obscene--I mean Conway's. General Reed was well
known to be deeply engaged in this conspiracy. But he lacked
the courage of Conway, and was wholly without the rashness
which so frequently marked the latter. Reed was a cautious and
cunning plotter--he never looked one in the eye. Lee, who
mortally hated him, had a common saying, "that Reed's face was
stamped with the devil's favorite brand." I was once present
when he made the remark in the presence of Reed, without
observing him. Reed stepped forward, and angrily demanded
"what was that, sir?" Lee bowed and repeated the observation,
amid roars of laughter from all present. General Reed left the
spot, remarking, "you shall hear from me shortly;" to which
Lee replied, "I doubt that." Nothing further ever came of it.
Conway and Reed were decidedly the two most unpopular men in
the army--with this difference, that Conway, though disliked,
was respected, until his calumnies of Washington were carried
to their extent. Of Conway's duel with General Cadwalader I
have no particulars which you do not possess. Conway became
nearly involved in another duel on Reed's account. He took up
a quarrel of Reed's but it was compromised. Reed was publicly
insulted, and submitted like a boarding-school miss. My
sentiments on some subjects have changed with my advancing
years; but I well remember the surprise which I felt, and
which the whole army expressed, that a soldier, and one
wearing epaulettes, should patiently submit to the epithet of
"liar," and a threat of having his nose pulled. It may have
been a conscientious scruple; but he did not hesitate to get
others into difficulties.
In 1783 or '84, I had business which called me to Alexandria.
To my delight, I met General Washington there, and he insisted
upon my accompanying him home. The weather was wet and cold,
and, for a wonder, as he expressed himself, he was without
visiters but me. I remained at Mount Vernon several days and
had many and long conversations with the General. While there,
one of his newspapers mentioned the return of General Reed
from England, in feeble health; and this induced a
conversation concerning that person. I reminded the General of
the coolness with which I had seen him treat Reed at the final
leave-taking of his officers; and of the remark I had
afterwards heard him make at Annapolis. The particulars I gave
you in my letter from the Senate. General Washington rose,
stamped his foot somewhat violently; then instantly checking
himself, he paced the room slowly, speaking while he walked. I
remember every thing he said as plainly as if it had been
spoken only yesterday. He stated to me, that he had no doubt
that General Reed had long been in treaty with the British
before the arrival of their Commissioners in Philadelphia in
1778; and that, after the treaty of peace, in 1783, he
received information, which placed it beyond question, that,
in the appointment of the Commissioners, the British Ministry
had selected Lord Carlisle with express reference to an
acquaintance which he had had with Reed, when Reed was in
England, seventeen or eighteen years before.
He mentioned that, in 1777, while the army was yet encamped at
Valley Forge, Mrs. ----, a lady from Philadelphia, with whom
Reed was long known to have had a criminal intercourse, was
arrested within the lines, and that her suspicious conduct
induced a search, which led to the discovery of a letter upon
her person, from Governor Johnstone to General Reed, and
enclosing a note from Lord Carlisle, which was in _cypher_.
This letter related to overtures upon which Donop, the Hessian
officer, and General Reed, had already exchanged their views;
pronounced them to be somewhat extravagant; and suggested that
Reed had better close the arrangement which had been proposed
to Count Donop, and he would have no reason to complain. The
ten thousand pounds of which Donop spoke, Johnstone said would
be immediately paid, and he did not think there would be any
difficulty about the land or its equivalent; but of the
_office_ that Donop mentioned, he (Governor Johnstone,) could
not speak with confidence; upon that subject, the enclosed
note from Lord Carlisle, Governor Johnstone said, would inform
General Reed more definitely. This note being in cypher,
General Washington informed me he never succeeded in having
unravelled. Immediately upon receiving these papers, General
Washington informed me he called a council, and sent for Reed.
He placed the two letters in General Reed's hands, and
demanded an explanation. Unfortunately, the officer whom he
had sent for Reed had informed him what had happened and he
had thus some time and opportunity for preparation. Reed
professed himself unable to read the note in cypher, and said
he did not know what it meant.
As to the letter from Governor Johnstone, he explained that
overtures had been some time before made to him, offering him
his own reward, upon condition of his bringing about a peace,
but that he had replied, "that he was not worth the purchase,
but poor as he was, King George was not rich enough to make
it." When General Washington demanded why he had not before
informed him of this communication, Reed replied, that though
_he_ was incorruptible, he was afraid of letting it be known
what offers had been made, lest other officers might have been
tempted to accept them. Reed was placed under arrest until
further inquiries were made, but they were not successful, and
he was released. The female upon whom the letters were
detected, had been released, after being searched, and though
every effort was made to get her again it was fruitless.
General Washington added, that through the rest of the war, he
watched Reed narrowly, and trusted him with nothing; and
though he had no further _proof_ of his guilt, he was
satisfied that his treason had existed. But General Washington
informed me, that _after the peace_, he had received
information, the source of which he was not at liberty to
divulge, but the truth of which he had satisfied himself of,
that nothing but the accidental intercepting of Johnstone's
and Carlisle's letters, had prevented Reed's consummation of
treason. He had become fully convinced, after the disbanding
of the army, that Reed had had numerous personal interviews
during the war, with leading British officers; that he had
seen Donop at Burlington; that he had been repeatedly within
the British lines, and that he _now_ knew that, after the
battle of Germantown, he had visited the English General,
Howe, at his Head Quarters, in Philadelphia.
I have now given you, accurately, the substance of General
Washington's conversations upon this subject. It fully
accounts for his marked treatment of Reed at New York and
Annapolis; and it must convince you what a precious rogue in
grain this counterfeit patriot was.
My letter will not reach you for some time after its date. My
arm is stiff, and I write slowly; and, although I have but one
date, I have written a little each day for four days. God
bless you, my old friend, and make me hear frequently from
you.
Yours very truly,
SAMUEL SMITH.
I allow Mr. William Bradford Reed till Saturday to meditate upon this
epistle. On that day, unless _he_ should anticipate me, and publish the
correspondence with Wayne, to which Colonel Smith refers, _I_ shall have
the pleasure of presenting it to the public eye. It is a light that ought
not to be hidden under a bushel; but should be placed upon an elevation
high as the summit of the Bunker Hill Monument, that it may be seen far and
wide.