The Right Thing To Do

To lead men into battle against the well disciplined British Army during the Revolutionary War, it was absolutely necessary to possess strong leadership qualities. It could be argued that the key leadership quality that was needed to inspire men to do brave things was integrity. Men determined if a leader had integrity based upon the choices he made, and if those choices were based upon a strong moral compass. If so, then men believed their leader to be honorable and could trust him in perilous situations to do the right thing. 

As we previously reviewed, Governor Patrick Henry felt that Lieutenant White was such a leader of men when he wrote to General Washington and described White in this manner, "I have only to say that I believe him a worthy young man & a good Officer".  Henry also eluded that Lieutenant White was "just" in dueling with Lieutenant Green. In 18th century understanding, this meant that White was honorable and chose to do the right thing. But in hindsight, was it? By following his gentleman's sense of duty to defend his honor, Lieutenant Elisha White found himself in dire straits. He faced a general court martial for killing Lieutenant John Green, per the order of General Washington. Specifically, Lieutenant White willfully disobeyed the below regulation which was passed by Continental Congress as part of the Articles of War, adopted to help govern the Continental Army. 

Article XI: No officer or soldier shall use any reproachful or provoking speeches or gestures to another, nor shall presume to send a challenge to any person to fight a duel: And whoever shall, knowingly and willingly, suffer any person whatsoever to go forth to fight a duel, or shall second, promote, or carry any challenge, shall be deemed as a principal; and whatsoever officer or soldier shall upbraid another for refusing a challenge, shall also be considered as a challenger; and all such offenders, in any of these or such like cases, shall be punished at the discretion of a general court-martial.

Wow! This regulation made it very clear that Continental Congress viewed the culture of dueling as counterproductive to the success of the Army. They were so concerned about duels of honor that they specifically addressed not only the act of dueling itself, but the mercurial behavior of challenging someone to a duel, being a supportive second to a duel, and even belittling someone who refused a challenge! Add killing of a fellow officer and being "absent without leave", and well, Lieutenant White's outlook must have appeared very bleak! Or, am I viewing his situation as grim through the lens of my modern day sensitivities? Possibly.

Just ten months prior to Lieutenant White's arrest, General George Washington penned his General Orders dated January 28, 1778 while at Valley Forge. These orders addressed a variety of matters which included the fate of another officer, Lieutenant Shugart, who had challenged Lieutenant Laudermilk to a duel. Although Shugart had been found guilty and stood ready to be dishonorably discharged, General Washington chose to restore Shugart's rank. But Washington did include some strong words of caution about his decision so that it would not be viewed as a green light for dueling: 

"...will not be construed into his giving countenance to a practice, not only directly repugnant to our own Articles of War but discouraged by all Military Nations as subversive of good order, discipline and harmony."

Since Lieutenant White's violations of the Articles of War were more numerous and serious than Shugart's, White must have lived through a court martial which surely picked away at his honor, and then certainly faced a sentence to be dishonorably discharged. But it is impossible to know for sure based upon available records. To date, no details of Lieutenant White's court martial have surfaced. What we do know is that Lieutenant White was not allowed to follow his sense of duty to continue leading his company of men in the 1st Virginia Regiment. Rather, he was sent home to Virginia and supported the Continental Army in the Recruiting Services. 

Library of Virginia, online, White, Elisha. N.p. Print.

In 1833, fifty-five years after the arrest of Lieutenant White at West Point for the killing of Lieutenant Green, an application for bounty land was submitted to the Virginia Land Office based upon Lieutenant White's military service during the Revolutionary War. The above affidavit was submitted as supporting evidence of White's service as part of the application and provides us with a glimpse of what may have occurred after Lieutenant White's arrest. It reads:

It is known to many old persons now living that Capt White was an officer in the C Line and whilst at Valley Forge killed Capt Green in a duel, which circumstance excited a prejudice in the army against him & he was sent on to Virginia retained as a recruiting officer until his death in the year 1780 or 1781.

January 17th 1833

signature mark for Rev. Charles Talley

The word "prejudice" leaves the impression that there was more than just Col. John Green affecting White's military career, and that the honor White attempted to defend remained forever elusive. For someone who had a great sense of duty and was in search of restoring his honor by returning to his regiment, the "prejudice" must have been humiliating. Reading between the lines, White's punishment for killing Lieutenant Green was to give him a desk job, removed from all inspirational leadership and battle command. And this dishonor was in view of White's home community, who according to Talley, knew of his calamity. 

In the same bounty land file is another, much less legible, affidavit made by Susan Cocke Cornick. 

I Susan Cornick formerly Susan Cocke hereby certify that Theodocia was the widow of Capt Elisha White at the time of her marriage with my father Colo Richard Cocke I frequently heard my mother state that Captain White was an officer in the Virginia Continental Line & was with the army at the North and ____ he was sent back to Virginia by Genl Washington to recruit for the army & ______ engaged in the recruiting service and died some time in the year 1781. Capt White left a son Elisha C. White who is his only heir at law. 

Susan's specific mention of General Washington sending Lieutenant White back to Virginia to recruit for the Virginia Continental Line brings up the possibility that this was Washington's way of  saving White from a dishonorable discharge. Remember, Washington had previously saved Lieutenant Shugart from a court ordered dishonorable discharge by reinstating his rank and returning him to his regiment. But apparently, the prejudices toward Lieutenant White for having killed Lieutenant Green were so great, that Washington was unable, or unwilling, to do the same for White. At the time, finding enough recruits for the army was an issue and there was a need for recruiters in Virginia. So, perhaps General Washington saw sending White to Virginia as a Recruiting Officer as a way to fulfill that need as well as administer a form of punishment to White for the death of young Lieutenant Green. Although Lieutenant White continued to serve the cause of liberty, he had been found by his superior officers to no longer possess the qualities needed to be an effective leader of men. 

Lieutenant White lived at a time when the social custom of dueling was de rigueur, but this custom was in conflict with the adopted Articles of War . As a result, White had to pull out his moral compass and decide what was the right path to follow. He could either follow the acceptable social customs and duel, or he could follow the Articles of War and decline to duel. White chose the socially accepted custom over military law as being the right thing to do. But was it?

 How did the choice to duel affect the rest of Lieutenant Elisha White's life? Here's what we know. 

copyright©2023 Deborah Thurman Parks