we have been obliged to decline, that in so doing, we have endeavoured to exercise the most rigid impartiality. We are not afraid to challenge any of our competitors, to produce an Index pointing out a greater portion of the dulci, blended with the utile. At the same time, we may be allowed to remark, that while we have not been parsimonious, in rendering our Miscellany, what those whose taste and judgment we respect, would wish it to be; we have been frugal for bur subscribers, by sparing them the expense of a Supplement. THE UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE. No. XIV..... VOL. III.] For JANUARY 1805. A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF SIR ROBERT GOONS. AN [With his Portrait.] N author of fome celebrity has faid, that we feldom fee the fame man a good fighter and an able writer. This oblervation, however, will never grow into an axiom. There are too many exceptions to it in antient as well as in modern days, from Xenophon down to the perfon of our prefent fubject. Among the Romans, belides Cæfar, there were many able generals who diftinguished themfelves not merely for their accuracy, but for the elegance of their narrations. The fact is, that by far the greater number of thofe perions intended for the military profeflion enter very young into the army, in order to obtain early rank, in which cafe it is obvious that they must be deficient in that academical groundwork which fhould qualify them to write with confidence, and a profpect of commendation. The great Turenne entered into the profeflion of arms before he had learnt to write a billet-doux. Frequently he has been heard to fay, that he would gladly cede a portion of his military fame for the advantages arifing from a due cultivation of letters. It is, indeed, to be lamented that the capacity to write is not oftener joined with the readiness to fight; we fhould then be likely to have more exact Fanno's of military affairs, more accurate narratives of a campaign or a fiege, than when undertaken by penmen who have thought proper to keep at a refpectable diftance from the contending armies. In the German and French army lifts we thall find many officers of rank, even as high up as commanders of large forces, who have fignalized themfelves for their bittorical as well as warlike talent. The Ruffian arms have not been without a pen to celebrate their achievements; and but for a Count de Lacy, the Emperor at the head of his army against the Poles in Ingria, and his Marchal Schremetof's exploits, as well as thofe of Prince Repnin, might have scarcely been known a few leagues from the fcene of action. The campaign of 1792, fo full of events, and fo influential in the affairs of the French revolution, have been better unVOL. III. derstood by the hiftory of General Money; As Colonel (now General) Tarleton, by his "Hiftory of the Campaigns of 1730 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America," in this way greatly offufcated the military characters of Lord Cornwallis and Lord Rawdon (as the latter then was); and in this fame way Marthal de Camp Money did a violent and undeferved injury to the honeft fame of the Marquis La Fayette. In this narrator's dathing or rather flashing manner of writing, after furpriting the friends of General Dillon (who fo early and fo fhockingly fell in the conflict) by reprefenting him either as a poltroon or a traitor, he fpeaks of the young and noble French general who fo much attracted the efteem of his fellow foldier, Wafhington, as follows: “ I muft not here omit a circumftance which deferves attention. La Fayette had drawn back his army from Longwy to Sedan, on the approach of the Duke of Brunfwick's forces. Whoever obferves this manoeuvre with the eye of a foldier, will be inclined to fufpect ether that La Fayette meant to betray the caule in which he was engaged, or that his profeffional knowledge may be called in question." The phrafe Whoever beholds this with the eye of a joldier, impofes a kind of noli profequi upon the mind of every reader, efpecially of every one but a military reader, and he is at once trepanned into a belief that the writer cannot be far from the truth, he is fo far from hesitation. Unfortunately for these intrepid writers, their books now and then fall under the eye of legicians, of men who (contrary to the A leffons usually imbibed by the foldier gree, to impugn the conduct of Lord from his fuperior) will think for them- Cornwallis. The celerity of the move felves; and fuch perfons will naturally ments of our commander of the flying fay, If La Fayette had entered into a legion must often raise a great duft: it good understanding with the enemy as a might for a moment envelope his fuperiorstraitor to France, would that enemy have and rival commanders in a cloud, but it treated him with the long continued and could not blind the clear-fighted at home, cruel rigor he received at their hands? who were able to discover an abfolute Reafon and common feufe forbid fuch a contradiction in the writer's own account. belief, and circumftances, which never He fays, "no letter, order, or intelliutter falfehoods, are more to be relied on gence, from head quarters reached Tarleat all times than facts, though uttered in ton after this reply, previous to the dethe most positive manner. Thefe are the feat on the 17th; and after that he found writers who contribute to leffen the credit Earl Cornwallis on Turkey Creek," &c. which should be due to the historian, and &c. Then how can he speak of a concerted this is the kind of writing which fometimes point for his lordship to arrive at? Did our brings hiftory into difgrace; and well might active colonel confider his defire, that it be faid, by the perfon who criticifed the Lord Cornwallis might acquire as high a work of the commander of the British ftation as poflible on the river, an abfolute legion ferving in America, that "the command? Did his zeal in the caule, his Lieutenant-Colonel's conclufions are not thirst for renown, betray him into a noalways logically deduced;" and it might tion that a fuperior officer would move well be added, not warranted by mili- with his larger army at the will of an intary fcience. Having fubftantiated our ferior commander, to fill the measure of objections to the reatoning of the French fuch a tyro's fame, at the hazard of enmilitary hiftorian, it is poilible as much dangering his own? Thefe are the overmay be expected from us with regard to fights, the blemishes, which let down the our own general and hiftorian, and the value and dim the luftre of military hi inftance we thall produce is that wherein tory. be comments on his own difaftrous defeat at the battle of Cowpens. On the 14th, Earl Cornwallis inform ed Tarleton that Leslie had furmounted his difficulties, and that he imagined the enemy would not pafs the Broad-river, though it had fallen very much. Tarleton then antwered, that he would try to cross the Pacolet, to force them, and defired Earl Cornwallis to acquire as high a station as poffible, in order to stop their retreat. No letter, order, or intelligence, from head-quarters reached Tarleton after this reply, previous to the defeat on the 17th; and after that event he found Earl Cornwallis on Turkey Creek, ncar twenty-five miles below the place where the action had happened. The distance between Wynnetborough and King'smountain, or Wynnefborough and Little Broad-river, which would have anfwered the fame purpofe, does not exceed fixtyfive miles. Earl Cornwallis commenced his march on the 7th or 8th of January, It would be mortifying to defcribe the advantages that might have refulted from his lordthip's arrival at the concerted point, or to expatiate upon the calamities which were produced by this event.' Now it is eafy to fee that this paffage in his hiftory is intended to stifle any prejudice which might arife against him from that difaftrous affair, and, in a great de Money laid himself under an unfa vourable prepoffeffion with his reader by an er gratia flourish, which took away from the refpect we bear the foldier who fights from principle. In his preface, he aligns no other reafon for ferving in the armies of France, than that he loved tile profeffion, and went there merely to inprove himself in it. Giving no reafon at all would have been better. War can only be contemplated without horror on the ground of its neceffity, or on the plea of telf-defence. Upour the principles of humanity and the Chriftian religion, it is a deteftable trade; aud we profefs ourfelves ignorant of the anatomical conftruction of that man's mind who can love fuch a calling, and follow it upon that fcore. Our historian, Tarleton, has had no fuch prejudice to operate against the work of his hand. When he fought againft liberty, he might well enough think he was fighting against rebellion alfo; and, therefore, he loft nothing in the opinion of his countrymen and readers on the ground of confiftency and principle. The part he has taken to perpetuate the practice and horrors of flavery are fins which he has fallen into as a member of parliament, as the reprefentative of atown which has flourished and grown wealthy by the obnoxious traffic which philofophers as well as philanthropi |