"See Conway was educated in france a temperamental army joined the continental army during spring."
"He had a good assessment of the situation and he was damn right and if not Hamilton nothing would have worked for Washington.Conway had a low opinion of Washington 's military talent and presented his views to Gates "
"He wrote after Saragoza right?"
"Yes that letter was later leaked to Washington and grew irate replied rabidly to Gates."
"What did he say actually?"
"In the letter he said "Heaven has been determined to save your country or weak general and bad counsellors would have ruined"
"Oh yeah so I could realize why Hamilton had said about him and not hid his contempt when he says "There does not exist a more villainous calumniator or incendiary."
"Exactly.So when Washington got hold of this letter he was irate and blew his top and gates tried to avoid the embarrassment of being caught red-handed and disloyalty searched for the culprit who breached and leaked the letter.His colleague James Wilkinson did not exonerate Robert Troup rather than Hamilton as suspected by Gates.Gates had said "Colonel Hamilton was left alone an hour in this room during which time he took Conway 's letter out of that closet and copied it and the copy has been furnished to Washington".
"Implicated himself too hurried statement"
"Hence he started battle against Hamilton who was still recuperating at Peekskill and had planned to disgrace Hamilton and penalized both the receiver and thief.On December 8 he wrote the senseless letter to implicate Hamilton without proper investigation.He was brutal and mean when he says ",I conjure your excellency to give me all the assistance you can in tracing out the author of the infidelity which put extracts from general Conway's letters to me into your hands."He also said that "those letters have been stealingly copied".Then he concluded it was his power "to do me and United States a very important service by detecting a wretch who may betray me and capitally injure the very operations under your immediate direction"
"Was Hamilton exonerated?"
"Of course he was exculpated and it turned out that the culprit was the bombastic James Wilkinson who had fingered Robert Troup and Hamilton.A drunkard Wilkinson paused at Reading, Pennsylvania for boozing and drunkenness and was the one who briefed lord Stirling about Conway's letter to Gates.Then Stirling spread the story to his friend Washington and it often annoyed Hamilton when he says of Gates "I am his enemy personally"for an unjust impersonation of his character.I think the do called Conway cabal actually was begun from this fall out with an implicit intention to overthrow Washington either through war or formal pact.It almost succeeded "
"How?"
"Why did they appoint him as the first president of board of war?"
"When?"
"Late November.It acquired extensive powers to supervise Washington and when Washington protested Conway was promoted to inspector general.That was mid December."
"You have more proofs?"
"Even Hamilton's dear friend John Laurens in January 1778 alerted his own father to a conspiracy against Hamilton.But Washington was lucky like Hamilton that Henry Lauren was the president of the Congress assured his son with the golden words "I will attend to all their movements and have set my face against every wicked attempt however specious."This saved Washington's supremacy and Horatio Gates too gradually lost his reputation on the battle field for the attempted mutiny .Gates and Conway too had disagreement in aftermath of the cabal and Wilkinson also challenged before the matter or dueling was settled.But Conway persisted in maligning Washington and it was settled by duel between General John Cadwalader who fired through Conway's mouth and had no regret.Then he boasted "I have stopped the damned rascal 's lying tongue at any rate" who was lying almost dead on the ground in agony.Though he managed to survive but his career died in the continental army."
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