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The Life of Gouverneur Morris Index < Prev      Page 82      Next > ent temperaments of the General, and the members of the Congerss, they went on together with as much harmony as could be expected.  They agreed, and acted in unison, on all essential points, or at least so far, that he was able to execute his plans, without any embarrassing opposition.  They were totally at variance, however, as to one subject, and that was the supplying of the ships in the harbor with provisions, which the Congress persisted in doing, and with which the General forbore to interfere, since it did not obstruct nor retard his schemes for defensive preparations. ‘The Governor, and the captain of the man-of-war,’ said he, in a letter to General Washington, ‘had threatened perdition to the town, if the cannon were removed from the batteries and wharves, but I ever considered their threats as idle menaces, and even persuaded the town to be of the same way of thinking.  We accordingly conveyed them to a place of safety, in the middle of the day, and no cannonade ensued.[20]  Captain Parker publishes a pleasant reason for his past con-duct.  He says, that it was manifestly my intention, and that of the New England men under my command, to bring down destruction on this town, so hated for their loyal principles, but that he was determined not to indulge us, and so remained quiet out of spite.  The people here laugh at his nonsense, and begin to despise the menaces, which formerly used to throw them into convulsions.  To do them justice, the whole show a wonderful alacrity, and in removing the cannon, men and boys of all ages worked with the greatest zeal and pleasure.  I really believe that the generality are as well affected as any on the continent. < Prev      Page 82      Next > From The Life of Gouverneur Morris: With Selections from His Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers; Detailing Events in the American Revolution, The French Revolution, and in the Political History of the United States, by Jared Sparks, Volume 1, Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1832, p 82. Some minor edits may have been made, but an attempt has been made to preserve the original spelling. Although some effort has been made to correct the limitations of OCR technology, if you find an error please report it to jvinci@colonialhall.com.     Designed and Edited by John Vinci Last modified August 20, 2006