or kept quiet in
semi-concealment waiting until the power of Britain should restore order
and good government to the colonies. But Duche, feeling that he was in
somewhat of a public position, argued out the whole subject in a long
letter to General Washington, calling on him in the name of God and
humanity to put an end to the frightful state of affairs so mutually
destructive to the best interests of both the colonies and England.

He was horrified he said to find that rather than give up the idol
independence the rebels "would deluge this country in blood." In short
he was horrified at the Krugerism of Washington who intended to make
England "pay a price that would stagger humanity." As to the rebel army
its existence depended on one man. Most of its officers were from "the
lowest of the people." "Take away those who surround your person, how
few are there that you can ask to sit at your table." The rebels had
hoped for aid from France: but after three years of waiting it had not
come and there were no signs of it. The whig party in England was
growing smaller. The whole English nation, "all orders and ranks of men
are now unanimous and determined to risk their all on the contest."

"Under so many discouraging circumstances, can virtue, can honor,
can the love of your country prompt you to persevere. Humanity
itself (and sure I am humanity is no stranger to your breast) calls
upon you to desist. Your army must perish for want of common
necessaries, or thousands of innocent families must perish to
support them. Wherever they encamp the country must be
impoverished. Wherever they march the troops of Britain will pursue
and must complete the devastation which America herself has begun."

"Perhaps it may be said, 'it is better to die than to be slaves.'
This indeed is a splendid maxim in theory: and perhaps in some
instances, may be found experimentally true. But where there is the
least probability of a happy accommodation surely wisdom and
humanity call for some sacrifices to be made to prevent inevitable
destruction."

It reads almost as if you had written it yourself, does it not? It
raised the whole question fairly and squarely, the whole question of the
moral right of a naturally separated people to struggle for independence
to the bitter end, the last ditch, extermination or whatever name you
choose to give it, or as in the case of Ireland, th