USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Wilkes-Barre > A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. I > Part 97
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Pitt was now organizing his grand scheme for expelling the French from Canada, t and he sought for merit wherever it was to be found. Wolfe wrote to Pitt, offering his services for the American campaign, and by Christmas it was settled that he should command the force to be sent np the St. Lawrence against Quebec, the enemy's capital in the New World. January 12, 1759, the rank of "Major General in America" was conferred upon Wolfe, and he was given, so far as possible, carte blanche in the choice of his chief staff-officers. Two of these, selected by him immediately, were Isaac Barré and Guy Carleton.} Barré's abilities had from the very first commanded the respect of Wolfe. Jannary 13, 1759, Barré was promoted Captain in the regular establishment and appointed "Deputy Adjutant General and Major in America." On the 4th of the following May he was promoted to the post of "Adjutant General in America."
February 17, 1759, Wolfe, accompanied by Barré and other officers, sailed from Spithead in the flag-ship of Admiral Saunders, and after a
* See page 297, next to the last paragraph.
See page 297, last paragraph, and page 482, second paragraph.
He had taken part in the siege of Louisbourg as Lieutenant Colonel under Amherst. December 30, 1758, he was appointed "Quartermaster General and Colonel in America." For a brief sketch of his life see a subsequent chapter.
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voyage of ten weeks arrived at Halifax, whence they proceeded to Louis- bourg, the place of rendezvous for the forces which would compose Wolfe's cominand. In the beginning of June the expedition sailed from Louisbourg, through the Gulf of St. Lawrence into the river of the same name. The navigation of the river was difficult and tedious, for its shoals were intricate, its storms were destructive and its currents were powerful and rapid. Fire-ships were floated down upon the fleet by the French, and on one occasion five of the largest vessels of the fleet were nearly brought into collision while trying to make headway against strong winds and stronger currents. On the 27th of June Wolfe landed his forces on the Isle of Orleans, about four miles down the river from the city of Quebec. The whole Province of Quebec was in consterna- tion. The French "had concentrated quite 14,000 men in and about the towering city ere Wolfe came with scarcely 9,000, and their fortifica- tions stood everywhere ready to defend the place. For close upon three months the English struck at their strength in vain, first here and then there, in their busy efforts to find a spot where to get a foothold against the massive stronghold-Montcalm holding all the while within his defenses to tire them out; until at last, upon a night in September which all the world remembers, Wolfe inade his way by a path which lay within a deep ravine upward to the Heights of Abraham."*
"After the lapse of almost a century and a-half the memory of that exploit is not dimmed. Once more we behold the busy but noiseless embarkation ; again we feel the breathless silence which reigns over the dark river ; again we see the intrepid ascent of its lofty and rocky bank" -a feat of such frightful risk as in war has scarcely a parallel. At the day-dawn of September 13, 1759, Wolfe found himself on the Plains of Abraham, where Montcalm, his supplies thus cut off, had no choice but to give battle. "Few actions in modern warfare have been more widely chronicled, more thoroughly analyzed or more permanently committed to fame than that. Hardly ever was there so dramatic a battle ; hardly ever have such momentous consequences hung upon the issue of one. Everything about it was dramatic."t Wolfe's forces in their entirety consisted of ten battalions of Regulars (including the 47th Regiment of Foot mentioned on page 604, and the 60th Regiment of Foot, or the "Royal American Regiment," mentioned on page 346), three companies of grenadiers from the garrison at Louisbourg, three com- panies of light infantry and six companies of New England Pro- vincials. These forces were divided into three brigades commanded, respectively, by Colonels George Townshend,§ James Murray and
* Woodrow Wilson's "A History of the American People," II : 94.
+ Augustus C. Buell's "Sir William Johnson," page 195.
# According to an article by George A. Wade, published in The Pall Mall Magazine a few years ago, the British regiment with the most "distinctions" is "The King's Royal Rifle Corps"-the "Gallant 60th." It has thirty-four "distinctions." These are not inscribed on its colors, because "rifle" regiments do not carry colors ; but they stand to the credit of the command and are engraved on the regimental coat-of- arms. This "crack" regiment was designated the "60th" two years after the formation of its first bat- talion. Its second battalion was not formed until 1795; in 1805 a third battalion was formed, and in 1807 a fourth. Until 1814 the regiment wore a scarlet uniform with blue facings, but in that year this was altered to a green uniform with scarlet facings. The regiment was under fire for the first time in 1757, and the first of its long roll of "distinctions" was won the following year at the siege of Louisbourg, pre- viously mentioned, under the command of Colonel Monckton (mentioned on the next page). Its first great glory, however, was won on the Plains of Abraham, where it was foremost in the van under the command of its Lieutenant Colonel. Wolfe was so delighted with the valor of the men of the "60th" that he gave the regiment the motto "Celer et Audax," which it has borne ever since. The "60th" went through the Indian Mutiny, and earned the praises of the chief British officers.
¿ GEORGE TOWNSHEND, born in 1724, was the eldest son of the third Viscount Townshend. He was at the battle of Fontenoy, took part in the suppression of the Jacobite rising of 1745, and fought at Cullo- den. Some years later he resigned his commission in the army, but in 1758 it was restored to him and he was detailed to command a brigade under Wolfe in the Quebec expedition. When Wolfe fell in the battle
DEATH OF GENERAL, WOLFE. Photo-reproduction of an engraving after the original painting by Benjamin West. Plate loaned by The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society.
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Robert Monckton .* However, only about 5,000 of the troops took part in the battle on Abraham's Plains.
Early in the engagement Wolfe was wounded in the wrist by a inusket-ball, but, binding up the wound with a handkerchief, he con- tinued to give his orders with his usual calniness. After a short time he was wounded again, this time in the groin; but of this he took little heed-bidding those about him say nothing concerning his wounds lest his soldiers should grow faint-hearted. He then went forward to some high ground where there was an advance-post of the Louisbourg grena- diers, and at their head he charged the enemy. Here a third bullet struck him in the breast. He staggered and sat on the ground, where- upon Lieutenant Brown of the grenadiers, an officer of artillery and two private soldiers carried him in their arms about one hundred yards to the rear, disencumbered him of his arms and accouterments and laid him on the ground. "Don't grieve for me," he said to those around him. In a few minutes Barré and Monckton, who had been wounded a short time before, came up, and Wolfe asked eagerly how the battle went. He was told that the French had given way everywhere and were being pursued to the walls of the town. Just then was heard the cry : "They run ! See how they run !" The dying hero asked with some emotion, "Who run?" "The enemy," replied an officer. Sup- ported by Barré, Wolfe raised himself up on hearing this news, smiled, and feebly said : "God be praised ! Now I die contented," and from that instant the smile never left his face till he died.t
The news of the glorious death of Wolfe at the age of thirty-two years, and of the fall of Quebec, reached London in the very week in which the Parliament met. Says Macaulay : "All was joy and triumph. Envy and faction were forced to join in the general applause. Whigs and Tories vied with each other in extolling the genius and energy of Pitt. His colleagues were never talked of or thought of. The House of Commons, the nation, the Colonies, our allies, our enemies, had their eyes fixed on him alone."
The battle of Quebec was unfortunate for Barré. A severe bullet wound which he received in his right cheek marred his personal appear- ance for ever and totally destroyed the sight of his right eye, while the death of Wolfe withdrew from him the protection and support of a patron and friend. While recuperating from his wound Barré made a on Abraham's Plains-which was at a critical moment of the engagement-Colonel Townshend had to take command of the British forces. He received the formal surrender of Quebec, and was appointed to succeed Wolfe as commander in Canada. In 1767, on the death of his father, he succeeded to the latter's title and estates. The same year he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ; in 1787 he was created a Marquis, and in 1793 became a Field Marshal. He died in 1807.
* ROBERT MONCKTON, born in England in 1726, served in the army in Germany as early as 1743, and in Flanders in 1745. December 20, 1757, he was appointed "Colonel-commandant of the 60th ('Royal American') Regiment," mentioned on the preceding page. March 11, 1759, he was appointed second in command in Wolfe's expedition. In the battle on Abraham's Plains, September 13th, he was severely wounded in the breast, and was incapacitated for further service at that time. October 24, 1759, he was appointed Colonel of the 17th Regiment of Foot, and in the following December left Quebec for New York. Early in 1760 he was appointed to succeed General Stanwix (mentioned on page 346) in command of the troops in Pennsylvania and to the south, with headquarters at Philadelphia. (See page 390.) In February, 1761, he was promoted Major General, and the next month was appointed Governor of New York. In 1763 he returned to England, where, in 1770, he was promoted Lieutenant General. He died in 1782.
+ BENJAMIN WEST, the eminent American painter, mentioned on page 139, knew Isaac Barré well and met him frequently in London during the years 1765-1790. In 1771 West painted his well-known pic- ture, the "Death of General Wolfe"-which is now in the collection of paintings at Grosvenor House, London, and not in the British Museum as erroneously stated in the note on page 139. By the courtesy of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society we are enabled to present herewith a photo-illustration of an engraving after this painting, concerning which we learn from Mr. Miner's paper (mentioned on page 570) the following : "Leaning over the General [Wolfe], holding him tenderly in his arms while the surgeon, Colonel Adair, staunches the flow of blood with a cloth, is Barré. On Barré's right kneels Capt. Henry Smith, while behind him is Colonel Williamson. Opposite this group stands brave Colonel Monckton, who, shot through the lungs, is just falling backwards into the arms of two of his brother officers. He has a handkerchief pressed upon the wound in his breast." * * *
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journey through parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Later he joined the immediate command of General Amherst, previously mentioned, and continued with him-presumably as a staff-officer-dur- ing the campaign of 1760 .* After fourteen years of service Barré thought himself justified in applying to Pitt for advancement, and accordingly in April, 1760, he wrote to the latter; but Pitt seldom favored such applications, and his answer was unsatisfactory-Barré's request being refused on the ground that "senior officers would be in- jured by his promotion." In the latter part of September, 1760, Am- herst sent Barré to England with despatches to the Government relative to the capture of Montreal (on the Sth of September), and the other ill- portant events of the campaign then nearly ended.
With Barré's return to England a new epoch in his life began. On the Plains of Abraham he had lost his greatest friend. With Pitt's refusal of his application for promotion his hope of advancement in the military service had vanished. But he was now to find in Lord Fitzmaurice, t his former companion-in-arms, a more powerful patron, and in Parlia- inent a wider field for his ambition and talents. Walpole says that it was the custom of Lord Fitzmaurice at that period to collect a knot of young orators at his house, and that Barré, who was one of the com- pany, soon overtopped the others. However this may be, when Lord Fitzmaurice succeeded to the title and estates of his father, Lord Shel- burne, in 1761, he nominated Barré to represent in Parliament the family borough of Chipping Wycombe. Barre was duly elected, and by suc- cessive re-elections he sat in Parliament for the borough mentioned from
* See page 298, third paragraph ; page 482, third paragraph, and page 601.
+ WILLIAM PETTY, Lord FITZMAURICE, the eldest son of the first Earl of Shelburne, was born at Dublin, Ireland, May 20, 1737. He succeeded his father as the second Earl of Shelburne in 1761. He was President of the Board of Trade in 1763, and from 1766 to 1768 occupied, with great and general approba- tion, the post of Secretary of State for the Home Department. In March, 1782, under the Premiership of the Marquis of Rockingham (who had just succeeded Lord North as Prime Minister), Lord Shelburne-who stood very close to the King-was appointed one of the Secretaries of State; but in the following July, on the death of Rockingham, the King appointed Shelburne Prime Minister, which post he held until the next year. In 1781 he was created first Marquis of Lansdowne. He died May 7, 1805.
In the "Memoirs of Sir Nathaniel William Wraxall" (1772-1784) it is stated (II : 60): "No individual in the Upper House [in 1781-'82] attracted so much national attention from his accomplishments, talents, and extensive information on all subjects of foreign or domestic policy, as the Earl of Shelburne. In the prime of life, and in the full vigor of his faculties, he displayed, whenever he rose to speak, so intimate a knowledge of the European courts as proved him eminently qualified to fill the highest official situa- tion. His acquaintance with the Continent was minute and accurate, the result of ocular inspection on many points, corrected by reflection and improved by correspondence or communications with foreigners of eminence, whom he assiduously cultivated and protected. Mr. [Charles James] Fox himself was far inferior to Lord Shelburne in these branches of information. Nor was that nobleman less versed in all the principles of finance and of revenne than in the other objects of political study that forin a statesman. His house, or, more properly to speak, his palace, in Berkeley Square, which had formerly been erected by the Earl of Bute, formed at once the center of a considerable party, as well as the asylum of literary taste and science.
"It is a fact that, during the latter years [1779-'82] of Lord North's Administration, Lord Shelburne retained three or four clerks in constant pay and employment under his own roof, who were solely occu- pied in copying State papers or accounts. Every measure of finance adopted by the First Minister passed, if I may so express myself, through the political alembic of Shelburne House, where it was examined and severely discussed. There, while [John] Dunning [see page 609, post, for a more extended reference to him, and for his portrait] and Barré met to settle their plan of action as leading members of the Op- position in the House of Commons, [Richard] Jackson [see page 411, ante]-who likewise sat in the same assembly, for New Romney, one of the Cinque Ports, and the variety of whose information had acquired him the name of 'Omniscient Jackson'-furnished every species of legal or general knowledge. Dr. Price, aided by Mr. Baring, produced financial plans, or made arithmetical calculations, intended to controvert and overturn or to expose those of the First Lord of the Treasury ; while Dr. [Joseph] Priestley-who lived under the Earl of Shelburne's personal protection-prosecuted in the midst of London his philosoph- ical and chemical researches. [For a sketch of Dr. Priestley's life see a subsequent chapter.]
"In his person, manners and address the Earl of Shelburne wanted no external quality requisite to captivate or conciliate mankind. Affable, polite, communicative, and courting popularity, he drew round him a number of followers or adherents. His personal courage was indisputable. Splendid and hospit- able at his table, he equally delighted his guests by the charms of his conversation and society. In his magnificent library-one of the finest of its kind in England-he could appear as a philosopher and a man of letters. With such various endowments of mind, sustained by rank and fortune, he necessarily excited universal consideration, and seemed to be pointed out by Nature for the first employments. But the con- fidence which his moral character inspired did not equal the reputation of his abilities. His adversaries accused him of systematic duplicity and insincerity. They even asserted that, unless all the rules of physiognomy were set at defiance, his very countenance and features eloquently indicated falsehood. In order to fix upon him so injurious an imputation they gave him the epithet of 'Malagrida,' from the nanie of a Portuguese Jesuit well known in the modern history of that kingdom."
For a portrait of Lord Shelburne see page 609, post.
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December 5, 1761, till 1774, and for Calne from 1774 till 1790, when, in consequence of a disagreement with his patron, he no longer sought re- election.
When Barré took his seat in the House of Commons on the 5th of December, 1761, Pitt liad resigned from the Cabinet and Lord Bute (see note, page 530) had become the most influential of the Ministers. Bute quickly and unhesitatingly usurped the chief management of public affairs in the Cabinet, and the sole direction of the House of Lords- thereby provoking the jealousy and resentment of the King's veteran Minister, the Duke of Newcastle, who theretofore liad distributed the patronage of the Crown. Bute carefully cultivated the friendship of George Grenville (mentioned on page 532), who was a malcontent, hated the war and was unfriendly to Pitt, who, he said, had brought division and unhappiness into his (Grenville's) family. He seemed event to look upon Pitt's marriage to his sister as an injury to himself.
About a month before the meeting of Parliament in the Autumn of 1761 it was found that the Government had not a single speaker in the House of Commons upon whom it could rely. There was literally no- body who would venture to withstand the eloquence and invective of Pitt, who, driven out of the Cabinet, was now in the ranks of the Opposition. The recollection of Pitt as an adversary-his scorn, liis satire and his vehemence-still rankled in the breast of many a victim. Bute expected much of George Grenville. A message was sent to hurry him from Wotton. Every flattery was blandished upon him. He was far too valli- able a servant to the King to be allowed to retire fromn active politics. He was offered the leadership of the House of Commons and the office of Secretary of State for the Northern Department. The leadership he accepted forthwith, but the Secretaryship he declined at that time- consenting, however, some seven months later, to take it. Before the meeting of Parliament the adhesion of another powerful supporter was secured in the person of Charles James Fox, whose services were pur- chased by the promise that, at an early date, his wife should be made a peeress. The negotiations with Fox were conducted by Lord Shelburne, who was then perhaps the most sincere friend possessed by Bute. He was seriously convinced of the necessity of peace among the warring factions, and was much more consistent than Bute in its pursuit.
Such was the condition of affairs when Barré entered upon his career in the House of Commons. Much was expected during that session. Scarcely ever had matters of greater importance been placed before Parliament. In the Commons the Government was supported by a large majority, but it was for the most part "a timid and dull herd." Pitt's eloquence awed them. His sarcasin scared them. None dared to enter the lists against him11.
Barré, however, within five days after he had taken his seat and only a few days before the Christmas recess, broke the spell. He attacked Pitt with great fierceness of language. He overwhelmed him with abuse and his measures with reproaches. Pitt was a profligate Minister, the execration of the people of England, asserted Barré. "There he would stand, turning up his eyes to Heaven, that witnessed his perjuries, and laying his hand in a solemn manner on the table-that sacrilegious hand, that had been employed in tearing out the bowels of his mother country." Pitt maintained a haughty but discreet silence. Fox and a
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few others applauded the speech, but the Members of the House, gener- ally, were disgusted. It was too savage, even for bitter partizans. Horace Walpole was a witness of the incident. As he approached the House the tones of a new voice struck upon his ear, and as he passed the door the figure of a new speaker stood before his eyes. The House -which for the previous few years had scarcely ventured on a great debate, and which Pitt had tamed into such absolute submission that, as Walpole himself had once remarked, a "No!" was as likely to be heard from the House of Commons as from an old woman-presented a scene of the most violent confusion. Walpole describes Barré as being, at that time, a swarthy, massive, middle-aged inan, of a military figure ; a bullet, lodged loosely in his cheek, distorted his face and imparted a savage glare to his right eye. But, unprepossessing as was his appearance, Walpole admits that his diction was both classic and eloquent. "The harsh chord which Barré first struck, however, never ceased to vibrate. Through his Parliamentary career his speeches were marked by re- morseless severity."
For some time after his first display in the House Barré does not seem to have been a frequent speaker. A second attack on Pitt in 1762 received the most marked disapproval, and Barre's voice was almost drowned by the shuffling, talking and coughing of his audience. In all probability this was the last act of hostility which he displayed towards Pitt, as a rapid change in the relation of parties was soon to effect a union that remained unaltered till death. In March, 1763, by appoint- ment of Prime Minister Bute, Barré became Adjutant General of the British forces, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and a month or so later he was appointed Governor of Stirling Castle-the two posts being worth £4,000 a year. At nearly the same time Lord Shelburne became President of the Board of Trade. About this period the posi- tion of Bute had become most embarrassing. Fox, his ablest supporter -hated in the House of Commons, and in wretched health-was grad- ually withdrawing to his old friends. Bute had ventured to impose an unpopular tax. The city of London remonstrated, mobs were appre- hended, and, as Bute had already suffered too much violence at the hands of the people not to dread a personal encounter, he resigned his office and was succeeded by George Grenville, previously mentioned.
One of the first acts of the Grenville Administration was the arrest under a "General Warrant" of John Wilkes, and his prosecution (fully described on page 532, et seq.). There was just then, as previously in- timated, considerable popular dissatisfaction with the Government, but prior to the Wilkes episode there had been no tangible question upon which public opposition could, with any plausibility, unite. The pros- ecution of Wilkes and the legality of General Warrants supplied the want. During the Summer of 1763 Lord Shelburne resigned his office and joined the Opposition, and when Parliament met in November (see page 538) Shelburne, carrying Barré with him, had entered into a close and, as it proved, a lasting alliance with Pitt. Wilkes' privilege as a Member of Parliament alinost at once occupied the attention of both Houses, and although neither Shelburne nor Barré took any part in the debates on the various questions which arose in their respective Houses in connection with this mixed subject, they voted against the Govern- ment. To the King, who considered that officers of the army were also
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politically servants of the Crown, this was an unpardonable offense, and lie immediately determined on making an example. Barré was relieved of his office as Governor of Stirling Castle, and both lie and Shelburne were dismissed from the army. (See page 611.)
Elliot, in his article, "Colonel Barré and his Times," previously referred to, says :
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