92 CHARLES LKK 



next day Lee, having recovered his self-possession and 

 thought of a line of defence, wrote to Washington 

 demanding an apology for his language on the battle- 

 field. Washington replied that he believed his words 

 to have been fully warranted by the circumstances, and 

 added that a court-martial would soon afford General 

 Lee an opportunity for explaining his conduct " Quite 

 right," answered Lee; "you cannot afford me greater 

 pleasure than in giving me the opportunity of showing 

 to America the sufficiency of her respective servants. 

 I trust that the temporary power of office, and the tin- 

 sel dignity attending it, will not be able, by all the 

 mists they can raise, to obfuscate the bright rays of 

 truth." l Washington answered by placing Lee under 

 arrest He was tried by court-martial on three charges : 

 (i) Disobedience of orders in not attacking the 

 enemy. (2) Misbehaviour before the enemy in mak- 

 ing an unnecessary, disorderly, and shameful retreat. 

 (3) Gross disrespect to the commander-in-chief. On 

 the 1 2th of August he was found guilty on all three 

 charges, and suspended from all command in the army 

 for the term of one year. 



For a long time Lee's conduct at Monmouth seemed 

 quite unintelligible. The discoveries since made re- 

 garding his behaviour in captivity do not yet clear it up, 

 though they make it seem susceptible of the worst in- 

 terpretation. If we suppose that he was actually in 

 collusion with Clinton, the simplest supposition is that 

 he intended to wreck the army; and certainly few 

 things could be better calculated to do so than throw- 

 ing a mass of disorderly fugitives in the face of the 

 advancing reinforcements. But I believe the true 



1 Lee Papers, 11-437- 



