signal services he had rendered his country; services
infinitely superior to those you so much boast of; he stood high, as a
military character, even in France, and after your prosecution, he was
continued in command by Congress; appointed first, by the
commander-in-chief, to the command of the left wing of the army, and
afterwards to that important post of West Point, where his treacherous
conduct exceeded, I fancy, even your own idea of his baseness. To what,
then, do your insinuations amount? They cannot criminate me, without an
implied censure on Congress and the commander-in-chief. But why contaminate
my name, by connecting it, in this instance, with such a wretch? when you,
yourself, at his trial, with a half-shamed face, seemed to apologize for
being his prosecutor, and became his fulsome panegyrist. It consisted,
however, with that artifice and cunning which has ever been the sum of your
_abilities_, and the whole amount of your _wisdom_.

Your remarks on my letter of the 10th December, 1777, are so inconsistent,
that I shall bestow a few observations on them. "So strong and virulent,"
you say, "was my antipathy to the constitution, and such my enmity to those
who administered it, that you believe I would have preferred _any_
government to that of Pennsylvania, if my _person_ and _property_ would
have been equally secure;" and yet it seems, in the next sentence you say,
"but it was our lot to meet again, a few days before the battle of
Monmouth; here we were again united in _confidence_ and _danger_." If you
really thought I would prefer _any government_ to that of Pennsylvania, why
did you then take so much pains to show, that we again united in
"_confidence_ and _danger_," at the battle of Monmouth, so many months
after I had discovered that virulent antipathy, and which now hath extorted
such gross reflections?

You say, my breast was burning with disappointed ambition; but how does
this appear, when, immediately upon the formation of the new government, I
was appointed the first of three brigadiers, which created me commanding
officer of the militia. Could my ambition be gratified further? But to
obviate every objection, let me suppose you meant, that I wished to rise to
power in the civil line,--which, however, has never been insinuated
before,--let me here call to your memory, how easy the task was for _any
character_ to rise to the first offices of government. I confess, I do not
think so meanly of mysel