THE SOLDIER OF FORTUNE 71 



be expected to acquiesce in having another than its 

 own general in the next place. Accordingly Ward was 

 appointed first of the major-generals and Lee second. 

 The British adventurer, who had cherished hopes of 

 receiving the chief command, was keenly disappointed. 

 For the present he repressed his spleen against Wash- 

 ington, but made no secret of his contempt for Ward, 

 whom he described as "a fat old gentleman who had 

 been a popular churchwarden, but had no acquaintance 

 whatever with military affairs." When Lee was in- 

 formed of his appointment, he begged leave, before 

 accepting it, to confer with a committee of Congress 

 with regard to his private affairs. The committee be- 

 ing immediately appointed, he made it a condition of 

 his entering the American service that he should be 

 indemnified by Congress for any pecuniary loss he 

 might suffer by so doing, and that this reimbursement 

 should be made as soon as the amount of such loss 

 should be ascertained. Congress at once assented to 

 this condition, and Lee accepted his appointment. Up 

 to this moment he had retained his commission as 

 lieutenant-colonel in the British army. Three days 

 after obtaining definite promise from Congress, he 

 wrote to Lord Barrington, the secretary of war, in the 

 following characteristic vein : 



" My Lord : Although I can by no means subscribe 

 to the opinion of divers people in the world, that an 

 officer on half-pay is to be considered in the service, 

 yet I think it a point of delicacy to pay a deference to 

 this opinion, erroneous and absurd as it is. I there- 

 fore apprise your lordship, in the most public and 

 solemn manner, that I do renounce my half-pay from 

 the date hereof. At the same time I beg leave to 



