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The Life of Gouverneur Morris Index < Prev      Page 45      Next > in others, will be a great bar to their coming to extremities, though their leaders use every treasure to bring them into the field.  I have the honor to be, &c. ‘THOMAS GAGE.’ There is not probably on record a more remarkable document than this letter, as showing to what degree the British rulers in this country were ignorant of the state of opinion among the people, and the spirit with.  which they were animated.  From such sources how was it possible, that the nation or the Ministry in England should be correctly informed, or have any just conceptions of the true condition of affairs in America? By this letter we may judge of the tenor of General Gage's despatches to his government, upon which they were to found their decisions and adopt their [treasures.  Almost while he was writing, ‘that fear and want of inclination’ would prevent the Americans from ‘coming to extremities,’ they met in the field a large detachment of the British army at Lexington and Concord, and two months afterwards the battle of Bunker's Hill was fought; and the ‘new-fangled legislature,’ puzzled as they were, had assembled and organized a force sufficient to shut up the British commander and all his troops within the lines of Boston.[12] In addition to their correspondence with other colonies, the < Prev      Page 45      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 45. 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