general Greene, who, soon after assuming command of this department of the continental forces, was unwilling to lose the services of an officer so distinguished for all those trials of military character which produce practical utility. The battle of Guilford court-house furnished brigadier Stevens an opportunity of reviving the despondent hopes of the south, and warding off evils, with which he had been unluckily beset at Camden. The North Carolina militia formed the first line; Stevens's brigade of Virginia militia the second. So soon as the enemy approached the first line, within one hundred and forty yards, a scattered fire commenced, when this line threw down their arms, and fled to the second with precipitation. Stevens, possessing that happy presence of mind, so necessary in action to draw benefit even from calamity, directed his troops to open their ranks, and permit them to pass; and, to prevent the panic's infesting his command, he gave out that they had been ordered to retreat upon the first fire. At this battle he took the precaution to station a body of picked riflemen forty yards in the rear of his brigade, with positive orders to shoot down the first man who attempted to break the ranks or escape. He received here a severe wound in the thigh, though he did not quit the field until he had rendered great services, and brought off his troops in good order: general Greene bestowed on him marked commendation. The siege of York, and the capture of the British army under lord Cornwallis, soon closed the important scene of the revolution. It was here that general Stevens preserved and increased his well-earned honours. The commander in chief repeatedly assigned him important duties, which called for the best efforts of valour and skill; these were faithfully executed; and it is confidently asserted, that no officer possessed a larger share of his respect and confidence. During all this period, he was a zealous patriot in the civil department of the government. From the foundation of the state constitution, until the year 1790, he was a member of the senate of Virginia; always useful, esteemed, and respected. He was at Charlottesville, in the legislature, when Tarleton invaded the commonwealth, and dispersed that body; his plan was, to arm the citizens, meet Tarle ton at the river below the village, and fight him. This counsel was not executed, and he narrowly escaped capture, by the more elegant equipment of a person flying a short distance before him. The character of general Stevens may be given in a few words: No man on earth possessed the cardinal virtues in a higher degree; firm, patient, and deliberative; with a sound judgment, singleness of heart, unblemished and incorruptible integrity; honest patriotism, which despised all state tricks; an unbounded and immoveable courage. For the sphere of practical utility and public benefit he was well fitted; born with little brilliant embellishment, he had all the qualities for real and substantial service; without regarding the influence of faction and party, but loving the general principles of civil liberty, his feelings were always on the side of his country. His heart was the abode of that patriotism, which, spurning parties, cleaved to the constitution of the nation, as a holy ark, which contains at once the evidence of our glory, and the charter of our liberties. He died at his seat in Culpepper county, Virginia, on the 17th day of August, 1820. WARREN, JOSEPH, a major-general in the American army, during the revolutionary war, was born in Roxbury, a town which bounds Boston, Massachusetts, in 1740. In 1755, he entered college; where he sustained the character of a youth of talents, fine manners, and of a generous, independent deportment, united to great personal courage and perseverance. An anecdote will illustrate his fearlessness and determination at that age, when character can hardly be said to be formed. Several students of Warren's class shut themselves in a room to arrange some college affairs, in a way which they knew was contrary to his wishes, and barred the door so effectually, that he could not, without great violence, force it; but he did not give over the attempt of getting among them, for perceiving that the window of the room in which they were assembled was open, and near a spout which extended from the roof of the building to the ground, he went to the top of the house, slid down the eaves, seized the spout, and when he had descended as far as the window, threw himself into the chamber among them. At that instant the spout, which was decayed, and very weak, gave way and fell to the ground. He looked at it without emotion, said it had served his purpose, and began to take part in the business. He was educated at Harvard college, and received his first degree in 1759. Directing his attention to medical studies, he, in a few years, became one of the most eminent physicians in Boston. But he lived at a period when greater objects claimed his attention, than those which related particularly to his profession. His country need ed his efforts, and his zeal and courage would not permit him to shrink from any labours or dangers. His eloquence and his talents as a writer, were displayed on many occasions, from the year in which the stamp act was passed, to the commencement of the war. He was a bold politician. While many were wavering with regard to the measures which should be adopted, he contended that every kind of taxation, whether external or internal, was tyranny, and ought immediately to be resisted; and he believed that America was able to withstand any force that could be sent against her. From the year 1768, he was a principal member of the secret meeting or caucus in Boston, which had great influence on the concerns of the country. With all his boldness, and decision, and zeal, he was circumspect and wise. In this assembly the plans of defence were matured After the destruction of the tea, it was no longer kept a secret. He was twice chosen the public orator of the town, on the anniversary of the massacre, and his orations breathed the energy of a great and daring mind. It was he, who, on the evening before the battle of Lexington, obtained information of the intended expedition against Concord, and at ten o'clock at night despatched an express to Messrs. Hancock and Adams, who were at Lexington, to warn them of their danger. He him self, on the next day, the memorable 19th of April, was very active. It is said in general Heath's memoirs, that a ball took off part of his ear-lock. In the confused state of the army, which soon assembled at Cambridge, he had vast influence in preserving order among the troops. After the departure of Hancock to congress, he was chosen president of the provincial congress in his place. Four days previous to the battle of Bunker's, or Breed's Hill, he received his commission of major-general. When the intrenchments were made upon the fatal spot, to encourage the men within the lines, he went down from Cambridge, and joined them as a volunteer, on the eventful day of the battle, June 17th. Just as the retreat commenced, a ball struck him on the head, and he died in the trenches, aged thirty-five years. He was the first victim of rank that fell in the struggle with Great Britain. In the spring of 1776, his bones were taken up and entombed in Boston, on which occasion, as he had been grand master of the freemasons in America, a brother mason, and an eloquent orator, pronounced a funeral eulogy. In this action, the number of Americans engaged amounted only to fifteen hundred. The loss of the British, as acknowledged by general Gage, amounted to one thousand and fifty-four. Nineteen commissioned officers were killed, and seventy more were wounded. The battle of Quebec, in 1758, which gave Great Britain the province of Canada, was not so destructive to British officers, as this affair of a slight intrenchment, the work only of a few hours. The Americans lost five pieces of cannon. Their killed amounted to one hundred and thirty-nine. Their wounded and missing to three hundred and fourteen. Thirty of the former fell into the hands of the conquerors. They particularly regretted the death of general Warren. To the purest patriotism and most undaunted bravery, he added the virtues of domestic life, the eloquence of an accomplished orator, and the wisdom of an able statesman. Thus was cut off, in the flower of his age, this gallant hero, loved, lamented, the theme of universal regret; a loss, any time deeply, but then, most poignantly felt. Though he did not outlive the glories of that great occasion, he had lived long enough for fame. It needed no other herald of his actions than the simple testimony of the historian, that Warren fell, foremost, in the ranks of that war which he had justified by his argument, supported by his energy, and signalized by his prowess. The monument erected by his fellow-citizens, on the spot where he poured out his latest breath, commemorates at once his achievements, and a people's gratitude. Though untimely was his fall, and though a cloud of sorrow overspread every countenance at the recital of his fate, yet if the love of fame be the noblest passion of the mind, and human nature pant for distinction in the martial field, perhaps there never was a moment of more unfading glory offered to the wishes of the brave, than that which marked the exit of this heroic officer. Still, who will not lament that he incautiously courted the post of danger, while more important occasions required a regard to personal safety. Perhaps his fall was useful to his country, as it was glorious to himself. His death served to adorn the cause for which he contended, excited emulation, and gave a pledge of perseverance and ultimate success. In the grand sacrifice, which a new nation was that day to celebrate in the face of the world, to prove their sincerity to heaven, whose providence they had invoked, the noblest victim was the most suitable sacrifice. There are few names in the annals of American påtriotism more dearly cherished by the brave and good; few that will shine with more increasing lustre, as the obscurity of time grows darker, than that of general Warren. He will be the personal representative of those brave citizens, who with arms hastily collected, sprang from their peaceful homes to resist aggression, and on the plains of Lexington and the heights of Charlestown, cemented with their blood the foundation of American liberty. He was endowed with a clear and vigorous understandIng, a disposition humane and generous; qualities which, graced by manners affable and engaging, rendered him the idol of the army and of his friends. His powers of speech and reasoning, commanded respect. His profes sional, as well as political abilities, were of the highest arder. He had been an active volunteer in several skir |