SPEECH 
 
 OF 
 
 HON. JOHN D. BELLAMY, 
 
 OF NORTH CAROLINA, 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
 
 February 14, 1903, 
 
 On H. R. 17356, to erect an Equestrian Statue at Wilmington, 
 
 N. C, to the Memory of Maj. Gen. Robert Howe, 
 
 of the American Revolution. 
 
 6587 
 
 WASHINGTON. 
 I9O3. 
 
SPEECH 
 
 OF 
 
 HON. JOHN D. BELLAMY, 
 
 OF NORTH CAROLINA, 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
 
 February 14, 1903, 
 
 On H. R. 17356, to erect an Equestrian Statue at Wilmington, 
 
 N. C, to the Memory of Maj. Gen. Robert Howe, 
 
 of the American Revolution. 
 
 5587 
 
 WASHINGTON. 
 I9O3. 
 
SPEECH 
 
 OF 
 
 HON. JOHN D BELLAMY 
 
 The House being in Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, 
 and having under consideration the bill (H. R. 16756) granting an increase of 
 pension to John Brown — 
 
 Mr. BELLAMY said: 
 
 Mr. Speaker and gentlemen of the House of Representatives: 
 During the present session of this Congress I introduced a bill 
 (H. R. 17336) for the erection of an equestrian statue at Wilming- 
 ton, N. C, to the memory of Maj. Gen. Robert Howe, of the Amer- 
 ican Revolution. I can not expect, in the closing hours of this 
 session , when the congested state of the Calendar will preclude 
 the consideration of many important measures, which are entitled 
 to precedence, to secure the adoption of this resolution, but I do 
 hope to bring to the attention of the country many of the incidents 
 of the life and character of this remarkable man, in the hope that 
 the next Congress will be possessed of sufficient patriotism to 
 pass it. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, in this centennial era, when we are commemorating 
 the important events which have made this Government a great 
 and powerful nation and enabled it to attain a century's growth, 
 we should not alone seek to celebrate its material advancement, 
 but should at least endeavor to perpetuate in some enduring 
 form the memories of the great men whose wisdom and valor 
 contributed so powerfully toward making the American Revolu- 
 tion successful, and thereby establishing the first great represent- 
 ative government that has ever been vouchsafed to mankind. 
 
 Carlyle has truly said that hero worship exists forever and 
 everywhere; not loyalty alone: it extends from divine admira- 
 tion to the lowest practical regions of life, and yet hero worship 
 has never been a salient feature in the character of the average 
 American citizen. A government whose basic principles are 
 liberty and equality, and whose powers are not derived by divine 
 inheritance and centered in a single individual, but emanate 
 from the free consent of the people governed, has in it dogmas 
 which tend to lessen reverence, yet it can never suppress the 
 natural and spontaneous feeling of veneration for that which is 
 truly great, for the true hero, be he philosopher, poet, priest, 
 man of letters, warrior, or ruler. 
 
 There has always existed among all people and in all ages a 
 special admiration for the warrior whose deeds of daring have 
 worked good for his people, and the American people form no 
 exception to this universal rule. The fame of Washington, the 
 general, embalmed forever in the hearts of his countrymen, has 
 been f\ ther perpetuated in statues of bronze and marble, that 
 future generations may emulate his virtues and be inspired by 
 his patriotic example. But few indeed of the great generals who 
 aided Washington by their counsel, who shared his confidence, 
 and who won glory and renown on many of the fields of battle 
 2 5587 
 
which secured our independence, have been honored by their 
 countrymen. Major- Generals Howe, Baron Steuben, Lincoln, 
 Schuyler, and others performed their part in the great struggle 
 equally with Washington, and achieved renown and fame ex- 
 celled only by their leader. Some of them were leaders in the 
 movement originating and precipitating the Revolution, and all 
 prominent in consummating it with their sword and their talent. 
 The Government, then an experiment, has become a Government 
 respected and honored as the equal of the oldest and most perma- 
 nent and stable governments of the world. 
 
 It is but just and proper then that these great generals should 
 at least be remembered by a posterity which has reaped untold 
 blessings from their patriotic efforts. It is with the view of res- 
 cuing from the oblivion into which it has fallen the life and 
 services of one who possessed more eminently, if possible, the con- 
 fidence of General Washington than any of his compeers that 
 your speaker has offered this resolution to have Congress erect a 
 monument to his memory in the city of Wilmington, near which 
 he was born and lies buried. 
 
 Among the brilliant men of the Revolutionary period who have 
 not been accorded the praise to which their patriotic services en- 
 title them stands Maj. Gen. Robert Howe, of Brunswick. N. C. 
 Of his early history little is preserved save that which is handed 
 down by tradition in the vicinity of his birth. He was born 
 in the precinct of Clarendon in the year 1732 in the present limits 
 of Brunswick County. N. C. He was the son of Job Howe, 
 a well-educated: influential, and wealthy rice planter, who re- 
 sided at his palatial home on the Cape Fear River and spent 
 his summers on the coast near the city of Wilmington. Like 
 the Southern gentlemen of that day, and for generations after- 
 wards, this home was the seat of hospitality and refinement, and 
 in this atmosphere of culture Robert Hdwe was partially reared. 
 His grandfather had come over to America with the Yeamans 
 colony in 166o, which was planted first on Old Town Creek, but 
 afterwards moved to Charleston. S. C. His father, Job Howe, 
 came to the Cape Fear region from Charleston with Col. Maurice 
 Moore, his kinsman, who assumed charge of the lands of Sir John 
 Yeaman abandoned in 1690. 
 
 Robert Howe was connected by blood and marriage with the 
 best families in North and South Carolina. He was the lineal 
 descendant of Sir John Yeamans. and was the grandson of Mary 
 Moore, the daughter of James Moore, the governor of the two 
 Carolinas in 1670. At an early age, as was the custom in those 
 days among gentlemen of wealth, Robert was sent by his father 
 to England , and there had the advantage of the social life of the 
 best London circles, and received the benefits of a solid and re- 
 fined English education. He spent a good number of years in 
 Europe, and did not return until a short time previous to his 
 father's death, which occurred at his summer home on the coast 
 in the year 1748. It appears from the will of his father, recorded 
 in New Hanover County, that Robert had two brothers and two 
 sisters, and although they lived in that vicinity, on fine plantations 
 devised to each, yet in the early part of this century the name of 
 Howe became entirely extinct, and is no longer found except oc- 
 casionally among a few old family servants, negroes, who to-day 
 alone retain the name. 
 
 In 1763 we find Robert Howe settled on his rice plantation at 
 the mouth of Old Town Creek, the site of the first English settle- 
 
 ,5587 
 
ment under Sir John Yeamans. He lived, like his father, in afflu- 
 ence, with his broad acres around him. his slaves, his library 
 well stored with the best books of the day, which was always an 
 indispensable requisite to the well-furnished home of the south- 
 ern country gentleman. At that day the English Government 
 had a well-fortified post at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, 
 known then and ever afterwards as Fort Johnston. Robert had 
 an ambition to lead a military life. The royal Governor Tryon 
 had partaken of his hospitality and had formed an attachment 
 for him. A vacancy occurring in the position of commandant of 
 the fort, he was appointed to it by the governor. In a letter 
 dated July 29. 1766. at Old Brunswick, addressed to the Right 
 Hon. Lord Burrington, secretary of war, Governor Tryon says: 
 
 Capt. John Dalrymple. commandant of Fort Johnston, in this province, 
 died the 13th instant in said fort. As the above command was from His 
 Majesty, I have issued a new one to Robert Howe, a gentleman of this prov- 
 ince, to succeed him. * * * 
 
 This is the first act of a public nature recorded of Robert Howe, 
 and it was doubtless this appointment and the exercise of its 
 duties that gave him a taste for the military life he was afterwards 
 to lead. He held the position for a few years and was succeeded 
 by John Abraham Collet. It was about this time that Robert 
 met, wooed, and won the heart and hand of Sarah Grange, the 
 daughter of Thomas Grange, a respectable planter on the Upper 
 Cape Fear River, and they were afterwards married; and although 
 they lived happily together for a number of years, they became, 
 for some reason, eventually estranged and were afterwards peace- 
 ably separated, as appears from a deed providing for her support, 
 recorded in the year 1772. They were never reunited. 
 
 In January. 1772, Robert Howe entered political life. He of- 
 fered himself as a candidate from Brunswick County for the gen- 
 eral assembly of the province, which was to meet that year in 
 November, and was duly elected by the people. Josiah Martin 
 was then governor of the province, having about two years pre- 
 viously succeeded Governor Tryon. Governor Martin was not 
 so suave as Tryon. and was not generally popular. He was a 
 man of a firm and obstinate disposition, and by his indomitable 
 will doubtless widened the breech and precipitated the conflict 
 which was soon to follow between the people and the Crown. The 
 royal governors in colonial times were invested with the most 
 absolute and arbitrary powers. They had entire control over 
 nearly all appointments to office and almost as much power in the 
 regulation of the elections themselves, and had also the right to 
 convene, prorogue, and dissolve the assemblies at pleasure. Soon 
 after the assembly met and organized Robert Howe introduced a 
 resolution to regulate the elections and to have triennial meet- 
 ings of the legislature. This bill was aimed at the curtailment 
 of the governor's prerogatives, and was defeated through the in- 
 strumentality of the governor and his council, and a short time 
 afterwards the governor dissolved the assembly. But by the res- 
 olution itself was exhibited a bold and fearless spirit in its au- 
 thor, which characterized him through life and was a faculty so 
 necessary to fit him for the important part he was soon to play 
 in the history of that momentous period. 
 
 A like spirit of opposition to the encroachments of the Crown 
 and its officers had begun to prevail in the other colonies. Josiah 
 Quincy, of Massachusetts, was prominent as a leader in the 
 movement. He set out for a voyage through the Southern colo- 
 
 5587 
 
nies for the purpose of having a conference with the Whig lead- 
 ers. While on this expedition, on the 29th of March 1773 
 Quincy paid a visit to Cornelius Harnett at Hilton, in the old man- 
 sion formerly standing there. Of this visit tradition informs us 
 with some details It is said that Mr. Quincy had no previous 
 acquaintance with Harnett. On arriving at Harnett's residence 
 he asked to be accommodated with a night's lodging, which was 
 cordially granted him by his hospitable host. After supper, think- 
 ing Harnett might be a Tory, and it would be unsafe to advert to 
 any political topic, Quincy specially avoided it, but in the course 
 ot the conversation, Harnett ascertaining in some way the cause 
 ot Quincy s appearance in the South, immediately began to ex- 
 press his views very positively and boldly concerning the tyran- 
 nical and oppressive course of the King toward his colonies. It 
 is said that Quincy was so greatly surprised at finding Harnett 
 so much in accord with his own views that he could not with- 
 stand embracing him upon discovering such a kindred spirit 
 
 lhe whole night was spent in conversation, and the next morn- 
 ing, upon Harnett saying to Quincy— which Quincy already 
 knew—that m the immediate vicinity was a bold, intelligent and 
 determined man m full sympathy with their own view!, Robert 
 Howe, he was sent for and repaired thither without delay: and 
 then and there, at Hilton, on the Cape Fear River, these three 
 men, closeted together in the deepest of deliberation, concocted 
 and agreed upon the scheme for the American Revolution While 
 on this journey Mr. Quincy kept a diary of the events of the day 
 and it is quite interesting to note the estimate of Howe by this 
 sagacious and discerning patriot and of the incidents of this visit 
 In Quincy s Memoirs he records: 
 
 .rifhTM S l 77 l -^ S P ent *"ȣ of the day in public and private conversation 
 with Col. Robert Howe, a leader and active member of the general m£h5m? 
 Fine natural parts, great feeling, pure and elegant dictio.fwih mmW 
 ^w.T5 eI< ^ U6n< ? e ' *, Crow* officer with a lucrative post a stau nch W i l and 
 colonist. I received much information in provincial politics and great ill™, 
 ™ Jn m ^- S re i a * lon " Zealous in the cause of America h refiVd I the nm 
 ^e C n D r^So a i^Sy eSPOndenCe ' PTOmised *° *™ ote &2R£ft?5 
 
 SSSSgSSjysS 7 relished ' much wished for ' -^SS&SfSS?^ 
 
 Well might Hilton be termed the birthplace and cradle of 
 American liberty, as it was so fitly termed by Vice-President 
 Henry Wilson ma speech from the portico of this buildup de- 
 livered m 1872. On departing from the Cape Fear reg on Quincy 
 bade his friend Howe adieu, each hoping to meet again and 
 pledging each other to urge on the cause of independence Cap 
 tarn Howe giving to Mr Quincy a letter of introduction to Gov- 
 ernor Tryon, who had then become governor of New York 
 
 The legislature of 1772 was dissolved by Governor Martin in 
 the early spring, as he desired to have members elected who 
 would support his administration. But. notwithstanding the op- 
 position romented by the governor against him, Robert Howe 
 was again returned to the assembly, which met the same year at 
 Newbern on December 4. At this session the speaker of the 
 house of commons laid before that body letters 'from several 
 provinces requesting the appointment of a committee to inquire 
 5587 
 
6 
 
 into the encroachments of England upon the liberties of the 
 American people. The house passed a resolution — 
 
 That such example was worthy of imitation, by which means communi- 
 cation and concert would be established among the colonies, and that they 
 will at all times be ready to exert their efforts to preserve and defend their 
 rights. 
 
 The committee was appointed, and after the Speaker's name, as 
 chairman, stands next in order the names of Robert Howe and 
 Cornelius Harnett. It was chiefly through the influence and ex- 
 ertion of these two men that this committee was chosen, and thus 
 was recorded the first act of a legislative character that led to 
 the revolution. 
 
 During this session the House had passed an act prohil titing 
 the sheriffs from collecting that portion of the poll tax devoted 
 to the payment of the public debt. The governor commanded 
 the sheriffs to enforce the collection, and a direct clash arose be- 
 tween the legislative and executive branches of the Government. 
 The judicial branch was silent, as the courts were closed. The 
 governor forbade the further meeting of the assembly. Where- 
 upon among the Whig leaders it was decided to call a general 
 congress to meet at Newbern August 20. 1774. 
 
 The governor called upon the council to concert measures to 
 prevent the election of members as delegates to this meeting of 
 the congress, but the people were thoroughly excited, ami in 
 spite of the governor's strenuous efforts to the contrary the <•■ in- 
 gress assembled at Newbern on the 25th of August, pursuant to 
 the call. Among the delegates sent was Robert Howe, of Bruns- 
 wick County, and his learning and eloquence were felt in this 
 body. Among the many important resolutions passed were those 
 claiming the right of a citizen to trial by a jury of his vicinage, 
 and denounced the sending of Americans to England for tried in 
 criminal cases, and that no subject should be taxed without rep- 
 resentation. They approved of the conduct of the people of 
 Massachusetts, and resolved not to import tea or any British 
 manufacture, or export their own products to Great Britain un- 
 less their grievances were redressed. On the 11th of February, 
 1775, Colonel Harvey called another congress to meet at New- 
 bern on the 3d of April. As a delegate to this congress and also 
 to the general assembly, which was to meet at the same time, 
 Robert Howe was again elected from Brunswick County. 
 
 Governor Martin issued his proclamation against the assem- 
 bling of this congress, and finding his voice unheeded, on the 
 morning of the meeting of the assembly he issued another proc- 
 lamation commanding them to desist from the proposed conven- 
 tion. But men determined on the attainment of the liberty for 
 which they were striving would brook no opposition, and the con- 
 vention was held in the very face of the governor. Governor 
 Martin still persevered in his course. On the meeting of the 
 assembly he went before that body and addressed them at length. 
 He tcid them that he looked with horror on the proceedings of 
 some of the colonies: that the meetings and committees had in- 
 jured the rights of the Crown and insulted its officers: that they 
 were in duty bound to prevent the meeting of the congress; that 
 it should be the care of the assembly to lead back the people to 
 their allegiance: that Parliament was at that very time deliber- 
 ating for the good of America, and they should await the result. 
 
 The assembly did not like the tone of the governor's address 
 and immediately proceeded to the appointment of a committee to 
 
 5587 
 
reply to it. Robert Howe, for his peculiar fitness, was selected 
 as its chairman. On the 7th of April Robert Howe wrote and re- 
 ported an address which, as a justification for the action of his 
 people, as well as a refutation of the charges of the governor, 
 stamps him as a clear, forcible, and logical writer, than whom the 
 colonies had no superior. Captain Howe said: 
 
 That they contemplated with horror the condition of America, involved in 
 difficulties and distressed by invasions of ancient rights and immunities. In 
 this way the colonies had been driven to measures which, however extraor- 
 dinary, were still warranted by necessity. The appointment of committees 
 in counties and towns had been adopted to resist unconstitutional encroach- 
 ments, and the assembly was convinced that no step had been taken in that 
 direction which was not salutary and proper. It was not to be controverted 
 that all British subjects had the right of assembling and petitioning for a re- 
 dress of grievances, and any attempt to deny or abridge this privilege was in 
 direct conflict with the constitution. It was the least of their desires to pre- 
 vent the objects and session of the provincial congress, then in session, or to 
 join his excellency in his injurious epithets in its disparagement. 
 
 They further stated: 
 
 That they would gladly aid in the establishment of a proper court system, 
 but declined any provisions for Fort Johnston. 
 
 This reply was so very distasteful to the governor that the 
 next day he dissolved the assembly, and this was the last held 
 under royal auspices in North Carolina. 
 
 Captain Howe returned to his home, and as the clouds of war 
 were gathering thick and lowering over his country he immedi- 
 ately began to prepare for action. Having no trained soldiers 
 he employed himself drilling the people and training them to 
 arms. While thus engaged the governor issued a violent procla- 
 mation at Fort Johnston on the 16th June, 1775, against the 
 people of the colony. A meeting of the district committee of 
 safety was held at the court-house in Wilmington on the 20th 
 June, with delegates present from Brunswick. Bladen, Onslow, 
 Duplin, and New Hanover counties. Robert Howe appeared as 
 a member from Brunswick. 
 
 Immediately a committee was appointed, with Robert Howe as 
 chairman, to answer the proclamation which was ordered to be 
 published. Captain Howe prepared the address, which, like his 
 former addresses, was a masterly production. He said among 
 other things: 
 
 In order to prevent the pernicious influence of the said proclamation, we 
 do unanimously resolve, that in our opinion his excellency Josiah Martin, 
 esq., hath by the said proclamation, and by the whole tenor of his conduct 
 since these unhappy disputes between Great Britain and the colonies, dis- 
 covered himself to be any enemy to the happiness of this colony in particular, 
 and to the freedom, rights, and privileges of America in general. And in re- 
 ply to Lord North's resolution, introduced into Parliament, concerning 
 America, which his excellency alluded to, " Resolved, That this was a low, 
 base, flagitious, and wicked attempt to entrap America into slavery, and 
 which they ought to reject with contempt which it deserves." 
 
 News of the battle of Lexington and Bunker Hill had now 
 reached the Cape Fear, and the'people began to prepare with in- 
 creased exertions for the emergency. It became apparent that as 
 Fort Johnston was the key to the entire Cape Fear country it must 
 be held by the colonies, and on the 18th of May, after due prepa- 
 ration, Col. John Ashe, in command of a body of troops, among 
 whom was Captain Howe, attacked, set fire to, and partially 
 burned Fort Johnston, right under the English fleet then in the 
 harbor. 
 
 About this time. also, another meeting of congress was called 
 for August 21, 1775, at Hillsboro Thither Robert Howe again 
 went as the chosen delegate from Brunswick County. The meet- 
 
 5587 
 
8 
 
 ing of this congress was alike denounced by Governor Martin 
 from his place of refuge on a British man-of-war. But the con- 
 gress, to his denunciation, voted to bear their part of the expense 
 of a Continental army, and organized one of their own by provid- 
 ing for the immediate formation of two regiments of 500 men 
 each, and appointed James Moore as colonel of the first and Robert 
 Howe as colonel of the second regiment. By this same congress, 
 on September 8. Colonel Howe was also appointed one of a com- 
 mittee, with William Hooper as chairman, to prepare an address 
 to the people of the British Empire, declaring the views of the 
 body as to the existing state of affairs. This was the last act of a 
 civil nature in which Colonel Howe was engaged until the close 
 of that great struggle which was to terminate in the establish- 
 ment of the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever 
 seen. 
 
 Colonel Howe, as we have seen, was prominent in every step 
 which led to the Revolution. He was ever ready, with his broad 
 and liberal views, to advance the cause of his country. He had 
 with his pen, by his persuasive eloquence on the hustings, and his 
 debates in the legislative halls, as well as his votes, shown him- 
 self a true statesman, born as it were for the occasion. But it is 
 not for us to regard him alone as a statesman, for he was great 
 as a soldier. No sooner had the Hillsboro congress adjourned 
 than Colonel Howe began to form his regiment and continued 
 training his soldiers. In this he was engaged when he was in- 
 formed of the efforts of Lord Dunmore to raise an army at Nor- 
 folk, and of his emissaries to incite an insurrection among the 
 slaves in the Albemarle region of North Carolina. He imme- 
 diately, in December. 1775. proceeded with his regiment to Nor- 
 fork to engage the British and to rescue his people from the 
 threatened insurrection. He arrived at Norfolk on the 11th of De- 
 cember, two days after the skirmish between Lord Dunmore and 
 the Virginia troops at Great Bridge, but found that Lord Dun- 
 more had only withdrawn to Norfolk and was then in possession 
 of the town. Colonel Howe, being the officer of highest rank, as- 
 sumed command of the American troops, and, an engagement 
 ensuing, drove Lord Dunmore and his entire force from the 
 country, and on the 14th of December took possession of the city. 
 
 Lord Dunmore on retreating betook himself to the British 
 fleet, and on January I, 1776, attempted to recapture the city. 
 He opened a severe bombardment on the town from the fleet, and 
 with such terrible results that nine-tenths of all the houses were 
 reduced to ashes, and the fire raged for several weeks. But 
 Colonel Howe successfully repelled the assault, and Lord Dun- 
 more retired from the country. 
 
 At this point Colonel Howe remained until after the 1st of 
 March, when, for his gallantry and good conduct, he was pro- 
 moted by the Continental Congress to the rank of brigadier-gen- 
 eral in the Continental Army and ordered to the Southern Depart- 
 ment, under Maj. Gen. Charles Lee. 
 
 On May 4, 1776, the State congress, through its president, ad- 
 dressed General Howe, and returned to him a vote of thanks "for 
 his manly, generous, and war-like conduct in these unhappy times, 
 and more especially for the reputation our troops, acquired under 
 his command. ' ' General Howe thus endeared himself to his own 
 countrymen, but had become exceedingly obnoxious to the Brit- 
 ish. 
 
 5587 
 
9 
 
 So great was this aversion that on the 5th day of May, 1776, Sir 
 Henry Clinton, then in command, issued a proclamation against 
 committees and congresses, and invited the people to return to 
 the royal standard, and offered and promised pardon to all the 
 people of North Carolina who would submit, "except Robert 
 Howe and Cornelius Harnett." On the 12th of the same month 
 Cornwallis, sent by Sir Henry Clinton, with 900 men ravaged and 
 burned General Howe's plantation at Old Town Creek and took 
 away a few bullocks and a number of slaves. Maj. Gen. Charles 
 Lee was now on his way to take charge of the military affairs in the 
 South. While in North Carolina he was joined by General Howe 
 and the two North Carolina regiments under Col. James Moore 
 and Alex. Martin, the latter appointed to siicceed General Howe, 
 promoted. 
 
 These two regiments arrived at Charleston on June 11, 1776, 
 and these, under the command of General Howe, participated in 
 the brilliant victories of Forts Sullivan and Moultrie, which oc- 
 curred on the 28th of June. At this battle the Americans had 
 only one-tenth as many guns as were brought to bear on them, 
 and yet they won the day. Of the soldiers General Lee said: 
 "No men ever behaved better Or ever' could behave better." 
 Here the North Carolina troops fought with conspicuous bravery 
 and added new laurels to their own fame and that of their com- 
 mander. 
 
 General Lee, in a report of the battle made to Edmond Pendle- 
 ton, of the Virginia convention, said: 
 
 I know not which troops I have the greatest reason to be pleased with, 
 Muhlenberg's Virginians, or the North Carolina troops. They are both 
 equally alert, zealous, and spirited. 
 
 During the month of July, General Lee, with General Howe 
 and Colonel Moultrie, left Charleston for an expedition against 
 Florida, but when they arrived at Savannah General Lee was re- 
 called by General Washington, and in October following Howe 
 was placed in command of the southern department, with head- * 
 quarters at Charleston. In retaliation for incursions from Flor- 
 ida, General Howe, at the head of 2.000 Americans, militia from 
 North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, attempted the 
 capture of St. Augustine. He met with little opposition before 
 he reached the St. Marys River, where the British had erected a 
 fort called Tonyn. in compliment to the governor of the province. 
 On the approach of Howe they destroyed the fort and, after some 
 slight skirmishing, retreated toward St. Augustine. But the 
 Americans were driven back from Florida by a plague of fever 
 which swept away nearly one-fourth of their number and ren- 
 dered their retreat absolutely necessary. 
 
 It was while at Charleston that occurred the dispute between 
 Colonel Gadsden and General Howe, which led to the duel be- 
 tween them on the 20th of August. 1778. The dispute arose out 
 of a conflict of authority between the States and the Continental 
 Congress — a question of conflict of authority which agitated and 
 seriously affected the Confederacy in the late civil war. and which 
 was never clearly and permanently settled in the United States 
 between the States and the General Government until the 
 adoption of the Constitution. As the duel was an episode in 
 his life of so remarkable a character and our historians have been 
 so inaccurate in their references to it. I deem it of so much in- 
 terest as to here give a detailed statement of it, taken from an 
 5587 
 
10 
 
 account of the dtifl :r i 'urolinian and American Gazette, 
 
 dated September • or fi ur days after its occurrence. 
 
 "On the 29th October, 1776, General Howe published in his orders the pro- 
 motion of Colonels Gadsden ai d Moultrie, and assigned them to their respec- 
 tive commands. 
 
 On the 83d of August, 1777, General Gadsden resigned his command into 
 the hands of General Howe. General Howe sent the resignatii >n to Congress 
 with a letter explaining it, and Congress, accepting it without comment, 
 wounded Colonel Gadsden's feelings. "To this letter Colonel Gadsden replied 
 in an open letter to Congress. This letter was the cause of the duel. Gen- 
 eral Howe says that about four months before the date of his letter, that is. 
 about the 1st of May. after he had been about six months in undisputed com- 
 mand of the post, General Gadsden desired to know by what rignt he com- 
 manded, and claimed that he himself was the natural commander in South 
 
 Carolina. General Howe explained to him his right, and showed tl rror 
 
 into which General Gadsden had fallen respecting claims of right. General 
 Howe replied " that as he had no doubt respecting his own right he would 
 express none, but if the other desired it he would communicate those doubts 
 to Congress as his," and this was assented to. 
 
 At a a subsequent interview a few days afterwards General Howe was led 
 to believe that General Gadsden was now satisfied as to bis right, and the 
 letter was not written. One day in August they met at the house of Presi- 
 dent Lowndes, and General Gadsden inquired whether the letter had been 
 written as agreed, and on General Howe replying in the negative, and giving 
 his reasons for not having done so. General Gadsden said the matter should 
 be brought before the South Carolina assembly. Shortly afterwards a mo- 
 tion was made by William Henry Drayton inquiring into the nature of Gen- - 
 eral Howe's command in that State. This motion was promptly rejected, 
 and General Gadsden immediately resigned his commission into General 
 Howe's hands. General Gadsden gave an explanation of the matter and says: 
 
 '•On the Uth of August I received by the General's aid-de-camp a long 
 expostulatory letter, with a demand for satisfaction at the close unless I 
 made him reparation for the expressions I had made use of relative to him 
 in my letter of the 4th of July. 1 wrote for an answer next morning that I 
 was ready to give him any 'satisfaction he thought proper, when and where 
 he pleased; that I thought him the aggressor in having wrote such an unnec- 
 essary detail of that matter in it, omitting my principal objection, and espe- 
 cially for not letting me, whom it so nearly concerned, have a a rpy of it; and 
 that he had nobody to blame but himself: that 1 never saw his detail, which 
 had such immediate effect, for ten months after the date of it. 
 
 " Three letters from him and two from me passed before the matter came 
 to a point. In his he gave me assurance that he did not mean in anything he 
 said to reflect upon or injure me, and as to the breach of promise I accused 
 him of he declared he really understood me as he had set forth: so that if 
 there was a fault, his understanding and not his integrity was to blame; and 
 had he imagined I wished to see his letter he should most cheerfully have 
 sent it to me; that he had not the least wish to conceal it from me. My friends. 
 Colonels Elliott and Horry, who were the only ones who had the least hint of 
 the affair from me, seemed to think this a great occasion, and required some 
 notice or apology on my side, and our friend. Colonel Pinckney, who was the 
 General's second, appeared to be of the same opinion. But I, looking upon 
 it only as personal and private to me, and whereas the expressions of me he 
 particularly referred to related to the manner of a public act, I determined 
 to make no concessions, but to meet him in any manner he pleased." 
 
 Accordingly on the 3tith of 1 igust the hostile meeting took place, and the 
 following account given of it: After the generals met and courteously sa- 
 luted each other. General Howe desired his second to acquaint his friends, in 
 case he should fall, that it was his earnest request that theyshouid not pros- 
 ecute General Gadsden beyond the formality of a trial, and General Gadsden 
 desired both the seconds to acquaint his friend in case he should fall, that he 
 entirely forgave General Howe and earnestly begged them not to prosecute 
 him, and he particularly enjoined Colonel Pinckney to charge his son not to 
 intermeddle in the affair at all. General Howe's second then stepped off the 
 distance then fixed upon by him and Colonel Elliott— 18 short paces— and the 
 generals being placed, Colonel Elliott said: 
 
 il Gentlemen, we have marked out your distance, leaving you to act as you 
 please, not doubting but that, as this is an affair of honor, you will act conse- 
 quently with the strictest rules of honor.' General Howe then said to Gen- 
 eral Gadsden, 'Fire, sir.' General Gadsden said. l Do you fire first?' General 
 Howe replied, 'We will both fire together.' General Gadsden made no an- 
 swer, but both presented. There was a pause for a few seconds, and General 
 Howe said with a smile, 'Why will not you fire. General Gadsden:-' Gen- 
 eral Gadsden replied, 'You brought me out. General Howe, to this bal 1 plav 
 and ousrht to begin the entertainment.' General Howe fired and missed. 
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11 
 
 General Gadsden after a short interval fired his pistol over his left arm, 
 about at right angles from General Howe, and then called out to General 
 Howe to fire again. General Howe smiled, and at the same time dropping 
 his hands with his pistol in it said, ' No, General Gadsden, I can not after 
 this." 
 
 General Gadsden's second said he was glad to see so much honor in the 
 generals; that he did not think General Gadsden could have made a hand- 
 somer apology or General Howe have shown a higher sense of honor than in 
 acting as he had done. Then General Gadsden went up to him and said, 
 "Now, General Howe, I will mention to you what I could not before, as my 
 letter was a public one, and the words contained in it seemed to me proper, 
 and as yours was a private one, the parts in it which, in the opinion of my 
 friends, left an opening for an apology I could not take notice of; but I told 
 my friends in the carriage before I came on the ground that I intended to 
 receive your fire, and though I may, perhaps, talk this matter over again. I 
 assiire you I shall never in future make use of any harsh expressions con- 
 cerning you." General Howe said that it was very agreeable to him that the 
 matter terminated in this way, and that he was happy that he had missed 
 him. General Gadsden's second said he hoped that the difference that had 
 caused this duel might now subside and be left on that spot. The generals, 
 then, in token of this reconciliation shook hands and parted. 
 
 We rarely see such chivalry displayed in the duel ; and although 
 it is intended for the healing of* wounded honor among gentlemen, 
 yet as a practice to he condemned, if it must be resorted to, no 
 finer example could be given of what ought to be observed as the 
 rules of the code. General Gadsden was wrong in this matter, 
 but, as it is said, "he was gloriously wrong," and General Howe 
 was completely vindicated. 
 
 The unfortunate but gifted Major Andre, of the British army, 
 who was afterwards executed as a spy, wrote a humorous account 
 of this duel in 18 stanzas, set to the tune of Yankee Doodle, which 
 was published as one of the humors of that day. It is thus given: 
 
 ON THE AFFAIR BETWEEN THE REBEL GENERALS HOWE AND GADSDEN. 
 
 Charleston, S. C, September 1, 1778. 
 "We are favored with the following authentic accountof the affair of honor 
 which happened on the 13th of August, 1778. Eleven o'clock was the hour ap- 
 pointed for Generals H. and G. to meet. Accordingly, about ten minutes 
 before. 11 — but hold! It is too good a story to be told in simple prose. 
 
 It was on Mr. Percy's land. 
 
 At Squire Rugeley's corner, 
 Great H. and G. met, sword in hand, 
 
 Upon a point of honor. 
 
 Chorus: Yankee doodle, doodle doo, etc. 
 
 G. went before with Colonel E., 
 
 Together in a carriage; 
 On horseback followed H. and P. 
 
 As if to steal a marriage. 
 
 On chosen ground they now alight, 
 
 For battle duly harnessed; 
 A shady place, and out of sight. 
 
 It shew'd they were in earnest. 
 
 They met, and in the usual way 
 
 With hat in hand saluted; 
 Which was, no doubt, to shew how they 
 
 Like gentlemen disputed. 
 
 And then they both together made 
 
 This honest declaration. 
 That they came there, by honor led, 
 
 And not by inclination. 
 
 That if they fought, 'twas not because 
 
 Of rancour, spite, or passion; 
 But only to obey the laws 
 
 Of custom and the fashion. 
 
 The pistols, then, before their eyes 
 
 Were fairly primed and loaded; 
 H. wished, and so did G. likewise, 
 
 The customs were exploded. 
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12 
 
 But as they now had gone so far 
 
 In such a bloody business, 
 For action straight they both prepare 
 
 With mutual forgiveness. 
 
 But lest their courage should exceed 
 
 The bounds of moderation, 
 Between the seconds 'twas agreed 
 
 To fix them each a station. 
 
 The distance stepp'd by Colonel P. 
 Was only eight short spaces; 
 "Now, gentlemen," says Colonel E., 
 " Be sure to keep your places." 
 
 Quoth H. to G., " Sir, please to fire;" 
 
 Quoth G., "No, pray begin, sir; " 
 And truly we must needs admire 
 
 The temper they were in, sir. 
 
 "We'll fire both at once," said EL; 
 And so they both presented; 
 No answer was returned by G., 
 But silence, sir, consented. 
 
 They patised awhile, these gallant foes, 
 
 By turns politely grinning: 
 
 'Till, after many cons and pros, 
 
 H. made a brisk beginning. 
 
 H. missed his mark, but not his aim; 
 
 The shot was well directed. 
 It saved them both from hurt and shame; 
 
 What more could be expected? 
 
 Then G., to show he meant no harm, 
 
 But hated jars and jangles, 
 His pistol fired across his arm 
 
 From H., almost at angles. 
 
 H. now was called upon by G. 
 
 To fire another shot, sir; 
 He smiled and, "After that," quoth he, 
 "No, truly I can not, sir." 
 
 Such honor did they both display 
 
 They highly were commended; 
 And thus, in short, this gallant fray 
 
 Without mischance was ended. 
 
 No fresh dispute, we may suppose, 
 
 Will e'er by them be started; 
 And now the chiefs, no longer foes, 
 
 Shook hands, and so they parted. 
 
 Chorus: Yankee Doodle, doodle doo, etc. 
 
 After this encounter and toward the close of December, 1778, 
 we find General Howe at Savannah, Ga., sent by General Wash- 
 ington to command the defenses around tbat town, to prevent the 
 threatened attack of the British. On arriving he immediately 
 bestowed as much labor on the fortification as he could com- 
 mand men and means to give. But Governor Houston, of 
 Georgia, denied his right to command at that post, as the gov- 
 ernor himself claimed to be commander in chief and entitled to 
 precedence of rank on Georgia soil. But General Howe as com- 
 mander of the continental forces under Washington could not 
 concede this to the State authorities. He deemed it his duty to 
 point out to the legislature of Georgia and to the governor, in 
 the strongest expressions of which he was master, the want of 
 proper defenses, and asked for men to throw up the fortifications. 
 
 But owing to this friction between Governor Houston and Gen- 
 eral Howe over the precedence to command the legislature refused 
 to take any action whatever. Governor Houston still continued 
 5587 
 
13 
 
 to dispute his right to command; and when the British force 
 sailed in the river Savannah was without means of defense. 
 General Howe, having under him only about 900 men, without 
 fortifications, was unable to prevent the landing of the British 
 force, nearly four times as large, with heavy guns and ammuni- 
 tion, and consisting of thirty-five hundred men. under Colonel 
 Campbell, from New York, and a like number, under General 
 Prevost, from St. Augustine, among whom was the regiment of 
 royalists, chiefly from North Carolina, under the command of 
 Col. John Hamilton, of Halifax. 
 
 The North Carolina Continentals here fought face to face 
 against their brothers, the Loyalists. A battle took place, with 
 great loss of life, the Continental troops being attacked both in 
 the flank and front by so great an excess in numbers that, notwith- 
 standing the bravery and gallantry with which the Continentals 
 fought, they were driven from their position, and the British 
 carried the day. The valor and patriotism of the Americans could 
 not prevail over the immense number of the British. General 
 Howe incurred here the resentment of Governor Houston over 
 this dispute as to whether the State or Continental authorities had 
 the right to control and direct the management of the affairs of 
 war, but this disaster showed how necessary it was to concede 
 this power to the Continental Congress, as it was through the 
 want of the cooperation of Governor Houston, or, rather, his 
 opposition, coupled with the paucity of numbers of the Americans, 
 that led to the defeat at Savannah. But the whole conduct of 
 the battle showed in General Howe the highest marks of general- 
 ship. . 
 
 After this, at the instance of Governor Houston, a court-martial, 
 presided over by Maj. Gen. Baron Steuben as president, with 
 Brigadier-Generals Knox and others, was ordered to investigate 
 the conduct of General Howe on the charges of having sacrificed 
 the Georgia troops and leaving the country exposed, but the court 
 held him not guilty, and, in the language of the court, " We do 
 acquit him of both charges with the highest honor. ' ' In the early 
 part of the year 1779 General Howe was transferred to the North, 
 and on the 15th of July was ordered against Verplancks Point, sub- 
 sequently to Ridgfield. He also cooperated with General Wayne 
 in his attack on Stony Point on the Hudson. 
 
 About this time the city of New York was evacuated by the 
 Americans, and the British under Sir Henry Clinton took posses- 
 sion. The American Army withdrew into the interior of the 
 State. The position of West Point, on the Hudson, was consid- 
 ered by General Washington as the key to the Army's position. 
 And so great was Washington's confidence in the military ability 
 and courage of General Howe that to him was intrusted the com- 
 mand of that department, and on the 15th of May, 1780, he was 
 instructed by Washington to increase his rank and file to 2.500 
 men, if not now that large, from General Clinton's New York 
 Militia. General Clinton was then governor of that State and 
 commander in chief of the militia. Howe was soon joined by 
 part of Clinton's brigade and latterly by a division of the Con- 
 necticut troops, when he was ordered by General Washington to 
 dismiss the militia, having then 2,500 Continental troops. 
 
 General Clinton doubtless took offense at the dismissal of bis 
 States militia, and immediately began with Benedict Arnold and 
 others to plot for the removal of General Howe. General Arnold 
 
 5587 
 
14 
 
 made immediate application for the position, whether then with 
 a treasonable design we can only conjecture, but he alleged 
 "that his wound would not allow him to remain in the field." 
 and that was his ostensible reason for seeking the appointment. 
 Arnold secured the influence of Mr. Robert R. Livingston, then a 
 member of Congress from New York, to assist him. Mr. Living- 
 ston wrote to General Washington on the 22d day of June. 1780, 
 and stated that General Howe (probably on account of his dis- 
 missal of the New York militia), would not inspire the confidence 
 in them essential for engaging their efficient service, and said "If 
 I might presume so far, I should beg leave to submit to Your Ex- 
 cellency whether this post might not be safely confided to Gen- 
 eral Arnold, who is the favorite of the militia, and who will 
 agree perfectly with our governor. ' ' 
 
 On the 30th of June General Arnold visited the camp at "West 
 Point. General Howe wrote that day to General Washington, 
 " I have taken General Arnold round our works, and he has my 
 opinion of them and of many other matters. I have long wished 
 to give it to you. but I could not convey it by letter." General 
 Howe had always, to a most extraordinary degree, enjoyed Gen- 
 eral Washington's esteem and confidence, and upon the solicita- 
 tion for the appointment of Arnold he refused to make it, except 
 that General Howe might prefer to resume his position in the line 
 of the army. General Howe signifying his preference. General 
 Washington acceded to the importunities of Arnold's friends, and 
 on the 3d day of August. 1780, Major-General Arnold was ordered 
 to take command of West Point and its dependencies. And 
 scarcely a month passed before Arnold was guilty of his base 
 treachery and Major Andre was captured. The result is well 
 known. He was tried by a court-martial, of which General Howe 
 was a conspicuous member, and was convicted and hung. 
 
 General Howe was then placed in command of a division on 
 the east side of the Hudson, where he remained until January 10, 
 1781. At this time a mutiny broke out among the Pennsylvania 
 troops, and by order of General Washington he was sent with 
 five battalions to quell the disturbance. A similar occurrence 
 took place in the New Jersey line on the 22d, and General Wash- 
 ington dispatched General Howe to Ringwood, in that State, to 
 quell the mutiny there. Both of these missions were performed 
 with great promptness, and a few of the leaders having been so 
 speedily and fairly tried, condemned, and executed that a vote of 
 thanks was returned by General Washington, in behalf of the 
 country, to General Howe and his troops, and Congress likewise 
 passed resolutions thanking him for these services. 
 
 On the 21st of July. 1781, while still in New York, he was or- 
 dered to reconnoiter the enemy's position at King's Bridge, which 
 task was performed entirely to the satisfaction of General Wash- 
 ington. The long struggle of America for freedom was now 
 drawing to a close. Lord Cornwallis, finding it impossible longer 
 to withstand the aggressive movement of the Americans, sur- 
 rendered his sword to Washington on the 19th of October, 1781, 
 at Yorktown. And on the 18th of the following month Major 
 Craig and his forces left the Cape Fear, and with him disappeared 
 the last vestige of British dominion in North Carolina. Gen- 
 eral Howe still remained in the service of the Government. The 
 Continental Congress was in session in Philadelphia in June, 1783. 
 Owing to the failure of Congress to levy revenue, which was due 
 5587 
 
15 
 
 to the want of power, a defect in the Articles of Confederation, 
 the Congress, while .a session, was attacked by a clamorous mob 
 and compelled to disperse. 
 
 For their protection, General Howe was sent with five battalions 
 to suppress the mob. This was successfully accomplished, and 
 was the last act performed by him of importance while in the 
 Army. Soon afterwards he was mustered out of the service, 
 holding then the rank of major-general of the Continental Arm v. 
 On September 23, 1783, Congress passed a resolution of thanks i 
 General Howe and the officers and soldiers of his command. 
 Before retiring from the Army he took an active interest in form- 
 ing the Order of the Cincinnati, and was one of the general officers 
 designated at the Cantonment of the American Army June 19, 
 1783, to establish that society, and he was the first officer of the 
 North Carolina Chapter which he afterwards formed. 
 
 He had given six years' continued service to his country, and 
 during all that time he never asked or accepted one moment's re- 
 cess. To use his own language: *' For this service I have sacri- 
 ficed all other considerations, however interesting, endearing, or 
 heartfelt they might have been." In the spring of 1785 he re- 
 turned to his home on the Cape Fear, ripe with honors and the 
 gratitude of his country. At Fayetteville he was received with 
 public ovation, and the popular homage extended him was un- 
 paralleled in that day, except in the single instance of that given 
 to George Washington. He immediately applied himself to his 
 former occupation of tilling the soil, but was not long allowed to 
 remain quiet at his home. During the summer of the year 1785 
 he was elected by his people to represent them in the legislature, 
 where he took his seat at Newbern on the 19th of November. 
 
 On the 17th of March. 1786, he was sent to select a site for a light- 
 house on the Cape Fear River, and, with Mr. Benjamin Smith and 
 the commissioners of pilotage, fixed the location at Baldhead. 
 Again during this year he was a candidate for the legislature 
 from Brunswick. At this time in North Carolina the judiciary 
 was in great disrepute. At Wilmington a court was being held by 
 Judges Spencer, Ashe, and Williams. In the words of Mr. Archi- 
 bald McLean , a brilliant lawyer of that day ' ' the most shameful 
 partiality disgraced the bench." The question of the extent of 
 pardon which should be granted to the Loyalists, who had lately 
 been in arms against the Continentals, or adhering to the British, 
 giving them aid and comfort, was greatly agitated among the 
 people, especially in reference to the confiscation acts. General 
 Howe, being a man of broad and liberal culture, favored magna- 
 nimity and advocated the restoration of the Loyalists to their 
 property rights and granting general amnesty. He warred against 
 proscription, which filled the air. He met with violent opposition 
 at the polls from the narrow-minded and illiberal. 
 
 In a letter written by Archibald McLean to James- Iredell on 
 the 3d August, 1786, he says: 
 
 General Howe will, I believe, be returned from Brunswick, though op- 
 posed with great assiduity. He openly avows the most liberal principles 
 and execrates the judges and other officers. 
 
 Notwithstanding the opposition he was triumphantly elected, 
 thus establishing the fact that the conservative spirit existed and 
 was in the ascendency among the people of North Carolina even 
 in that day, and for which they have ever been and are still justly 
 renowned. 
 
 5587 
 
16 
 
 The legislature was to convene at Fayetteville on the 18th No- 
 vember, 1786. General Howe set out for the capital, and on his 
 way was taken sick. He stopped at the residence of Gen. Thomas 
 Clark, his old friend and comrade in arms, on the Cape Fear 
 River. He became ill, and there continued in declining health 
 until he died. On the 14th December. 1786, Judge Alfred Moore, 
 one of the associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United 
 States, wrote to James Iredell that '• General Howe is at the very 
 verge of the grave: it is supposed that he will die in a few days; 
 he has only got as far as General Clark's.'* A few days after- 
 wards he expired, at the age of 56 years, and was buried on Grange 
 Farm, now a portion of Columbus County, N. C. 
 
 Not even a stone marks his last resting place, and nothing but 
 a small hillock exists to show that even a grave was ever there. 
 What a commentary upon the gratitude of his countrymen! 
 
 Thus ended the career of one who did more to bring about the 
 crisis which caused the Revolution than any one man in North 
 Carolina. 
 
 He was possessed of versatile talents. 'He was the life of social 
 gatherings. On these occasions it is said of him that his imagi- 
 nation fascinated, his repartee overpowered, and his conversation 
 was enlivened by strains of exquisite raillery. 
 
 He was of noble impulses and liberal views. He was an eloquent 
 speaker and logical debater. He was a power in politics and was 
 great as a soldier, and having attained the highest rank in the 
 American army, he is easily distinguished as the greatest man 
 North Carolina furnished to the American Revolution, and one of 
 the most aggressive leaders for liberty and independence in all 
 the colonies, in the preservation of whose fame every American 
 citizen should take a just pride, and the American Congress should 
 cheerfully erect a monument to make the name of Robert Howe 
 immortal, that his example may be emulated by all future genera- 
 tions. 
 
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