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CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH    MAKING  TOYS    FOR    POCAHONTAS. 


STORIES  OF  THE  OLD  DOMINION 


FROM  THE  SETTLEMENT 
TO    THE  END    OF   THE  REVOLUTION 


BY 


JOHN   ESTEN   COOKE 


ACXnOR   OK    "  I-EATHER   STOCKING    AND   SILK 


PIIOFKSSOR    PRESSENSEE 


C/^T----, 


NEW    YOIJK 

11  A  n  p  F,  R  .t   i;  i:  o  T  II  K  K  s,  r  u  in,  i  s  ii  e  R  s 

V  M  A  N  K  I,  I  N      S  g  i;  A  K  K 

1  s  7  5) 


By  JOHN  ESTEN   COOKE. 


Stories  of  tLe  Old  Dominion 12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50 

Henry  St.  John,  Gentleman 12mo,  Cloth,    1  50' 

Leather  Stocking  and  Silk 12mo,  Cloth,    1  50 

Mr.  Grantley's  Idea 3 2 mo.  Paper,        25 

Professor  Pressensee 32rao,  Paper,        25 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 


Any  of  the  above  works  sent  by  mail,  postage  prepaid,  to 
any  part  of  the  United  States,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


Copyright,  1879,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 


TO  MY  BOYS 

EDMUND   PENDLETON    COOKE 

AND 

ROBERT  POWEL  PAGE  COOKE 

These  Stones  from  the  History  of  Virginia 

are 

Pciiicatci) 

The  Briars,  Virginia,  1879. 


9626'^4. 


A  FEW  WORDS  TO  MY  0^yN  AND 
OTHER  BOYS. 


In  these  stories  I  mean  to  tell  you  some  interesting 
incidents  in  the  history  of  Virginia,  which,  in  former 
times,  was  called  the  "  Old  Dominion," 

Many  of  these  I  look  upon  as  more  striking  than  fic- 
tion— that  is,  than  stories  which  are  not  true,  and  only 
written  to  amuse  people.  You  cannot  find  them  easily 
in  the  long  histories  of  Virginia ;  and  when  you  do  find 
them,  little  is  said  about  many  of  them,  and  that  little 
is  buried  in  words.  I  do  not  mean  to  speak  ill  of  the 
histories,  but  I  nmst  say  they  are  not  very  interesting  to 
me.  As  much  time  is  taken  to  tell  us  what  is  dull  and 
commonplace,  as  to  relate  the  striking  events  which 
everybody  should  know  about. 

This  is  wrong,  I  think.  There  is  wheat  and  there  is 
cliaff,  and  if  you  mix  them  both  together  the  wheat  is  of 
no  value.  It  is  better  to  clean  up  the  wheat  and  skim 
the  cream  from  the  milk  of  history — that  is,  dwell  on 
the  interesting  scenes,  and  say  little  of  the  unimportant 
ones. 

This  I  mean  to  try  and  do  in  my  book.  I  shall  aim 
to  tell  you  the  most  striking  events  in  the  annals  of 
the  "Old  Dominion,"  and  leave  the  rest  to  take  care 
of  themselves.     There  arc  plenty  such  incidents.     Vir- 


8  TO    MY    OWN    AND    OTHER    BOYS. 

ginia  history  is  full  of  remarkable  scenes,  and  she  has 
produced  some  of  the  greatest  men  M'ho  have  lived  in 
America.  By  telling  you  of  these  I  hope  to  interest 
you,  and,  what  is  better  still,  to  inform  and  improve 
you. 

I  call  my  stories  a  book,  but  I  wish  you  to  feel  as  if 
I  were  talking  to  you  like  an  old  gentleman  in  his  arm- 
chair, with  his  young  ones  gathered  around  him.  Easy 
talk  of  this  sort  is  often  better  than  long  words ;  but 
you  must  not  think  that  I  talk  carelessly,  without  mind- 
ing what  I  say.  I  wish  all  to  listen  to  me — even  the 
"grown-up  children,"  as  men  and  women  are  sometimes 
called;  and  with  these  I  must  be  careful.  They  will 
know  if  I  am  telling  the  precise  truth,  and  I  can  only 
say  I  have  made  every  effort  to  do  so.  I  have  written 
a  number  of  books  in  my  life,  and  this  has  been  one 
of  the  hardest  of  them — for  nothing  is  more  difficult 
than  to  be  simple. 

This  is  all  I  have  to  say  before  beginning  my  stories, 
which  are  meant  for  my  own  boys,  and  for  any  others 
who  will  read  them.  I  even  hope,  as  I  have  said,  that 
o-rown-up  persons  will  like  them,  and  here  and  there 
meet  with  something  which  will  be  new  to  them. 


CONTENTS. 


About  my  Storiks Page  7 

I. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  SMITH. 

I.  How  he  made  himself  a  Soldier 17 

II.  His  Fight  with  Three  Turks 20 

III.  Is  taken  Prisoner,  and  Kscai)es 26 

IV.  Sails  for  Virginia 29 

V.  The  Settlers  at  Jamestown S2 

VI.   lie  Visits  Powhatan <!(> 

VII.  Pocaliontas 40 

Vlil.   He  Exi)lores  the  Ciiesapeake 47 

IX.    His  Last  Meeting  with  Pocahontas 50 

X.  His  Death r.* 

II. 

WHY  VIRGINIA  WAS  CALLED  THE  ''OLD  DOMINION:' 

I.  Richard  Lee's  Visit  to  Breda ;'>6 

11.   The  Sunender  to  Parliament GO 

III. 

THE  GREAT  REBELLION  IX  VTRGINIA. 

I.  Sir  William  Rcrkeley  and  Bacon <]r> 

IF.  Tiie  Scene  in  front  of  the  State-house 71 

III.  Tlic  Fight  at  Bloody  Kmi 73 

IV.  The  Battle  at  Jamestown "i^t 

V.  The  Death  and  Burial  of  Bacon  77 

V!.  The  Clovernor's  Cruelty 71) 

TV. 

THE  K NIGHTS  OF  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE. 

I.   Alexander  Spotswood ■'^2 

II.  The  March  of  the  Knights H-'> 

III.  Over  the  Mountains ^'^ 

IV.  The  Horseshoe "-'2 


CONTENTS. 

V. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  THE  TOUNG  SURVEYOR. 

I.  George  and  Lord  Fairfax Page     94 

IF.  The  Ride  beyond  tlie  Blue  Kidge 101 

III.  Back  to  Greenway  Court 107 

VI. 

WASHINGTON  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

I.  He  Visits  the  Chevalier  de  St.  Pierre 110 

II.  Tlie  Indian  Guide 114 

III.  On  the  Raft  in  the  Ice 117 

IV.  The  Surrender  at  Great  Meadow 119 

VII. 

BRADDOCK  AND  HIS  SASH. 

I.  At  Cumberland 123 

H.  The  March 126 

III.  The  Battle 130 

IV.  The  Retreat 135 

VIII. 

POINT  PLEASANT,  AND  THE  DEATH  OF  CORNSTALK. 

I.  Andrew  Lewis  and  his  Men 140 

II.  The  Battle  with  the  Indians 14.5 

III.  Cornstalk 149 

IV.  Cornstalk  and  his  Son 153 

IX. 

PATRICK  HENRY,  THE  "■MAN  OF  THE  PEOPLE.'' 

1.  His  Early  Years 158 

II.  His  First  Speech 162 

III.  In  the  Burgesses 167 

IV.  In  the  Convention 173 

X. 

THOMAS  JEFFERSON,  THE  "PEN  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.'' 

I.  His  Youth  and  Marriage 180 

IL  The  Declaration 184 

HI.  His  Old  Age,  and  Death 187 

XI. 

A  PALL  AT  THE  CAPITOL. 

J.  In  the  Capitol 193 

II.  Henry,  Pendleton,  and  Jefferson 197 


CONTENTS.  XI 

III.  Mason,  Lee,  and  otliers Page  109 

IV.  'I'he  Council-chamher 202 

V.  The  Ball 203 

XII. 

LORD  DUXMOIiE  AND  THE  GUNPOWDER. 

I.   Robbing  the  Magazine 205 

II.  Tiie  Battle  uf  Great  Bridge 211 

III.  Lord  Dunmores  Flight 214 

XIII. 

ELIZABETH  ZANE:   THE  STORY  OP  A  BRAVE  GIRL. 

I.  The  Border  People 219 

II.  The  Fort  at  Wheeling 223 

in.  The  Attack  of  Girty 227 

IV.  The  Keg  of  Gunpowder 230 

V.   M'Ciilloch's  Leap 231 

XIV. 

TIIE  FATE  OF  COLONEL  ROGERS. 

I.  How  I  found  out  this  Story 230 

II.   Down  La  Uelle  Kivieie 238 

III.  The  Surprise 242 

XV. 

THE  CAPTURE  OF  VINCENNES. 

I.  George  Rogers  Clarke 245 

IF.  Kaskaskia 247 

III.  The  Drowned  Lands  of  the  Wabash 251 

1\'.  Vincennes 253 

XVI. 

JOHN  MARSHALL,  THE  CHIEF-JUSTICE. 

I.   Lieutenant  of  "  Minute-men  " 257 

II.  The  Old  (ientlernan  and  the  Turkey 2(10 

III.   Marshall  and  the  Sceptics 203 

XVII. 

JOHN  R.iNDOLril  OF  ROANOKE. 

I.  The  Boy  and  his  Mother 207 

II.    l{:ind()lph  and  Patrick  Henry .• 271 

in.    How  he  looked  in  Old  Age.' 273 

I\'.    Ills  Character 275 


XU  CONTENTS. 

XVIII. 

ROSEWELL,  AND  SELI3I  THE  ALOERINE. 

I.  Governor  Page  and  his  House Page  278 

II.  The  Wild  Man's  Story 280 

III.  His  Portrait 283 

XIX. 

MORGAN,  THE  ''THUNDER-BOLT  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONS 

I.  His  House  and  his  Battle 289 

II.  The  Old  Soldier 294 

XX. 

CORNWALLIS,  AND  ''THE  ROT''  LAFAYETTE. 

I.  Arnold  the  Traitor  in  Virginia 298 

II.  Phillips,  and  his  Death 307 

III.  Tarleton 310 

IV.  Cornwallis  and  Wayne 315 

XXI. 

THE  SURRENDER  AT  YORKTOWN. 

I.  In  the  Tr.ip 319 

II.  The  Sea-fight 323 

III.  The  Attack 327 

IV.  The  Attempt  to  Escape 329 

V.  The  Surrender,  and  Washington's  Farewell  to  his  Generals  ...  331 

A  Last  Word  to  the  Boys 3.35 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Captain  John  Smith  makisg  Toys  for  Pocahoxtas Froutkpiece 

Captain  John  Smith 18 

Holland  in  the  Oldhn  Time 20 

Ship  in  a  Storm 21 

Flight  of  the  Saracens 23 

Form  of  Raleigh's  Ships 31 

Chesapeake  Bay 32 

Jamestown 34 

Indians 37 

Poisoned  Arrows 38 

Pocahontas  Interceding  for  John  Smith 44 

Pocahontas 4G 

Marriage  of  Pocahontas C2 

LoG-CAItlN 57 

The  King  at  Boscobel 02 

Jamestown  Island 67 

Bacon  Addressing  the  Council GO 

Indians  Fighting 74 

Bloody  Kln 75 

Blackdkard,  the  Pirate 84 

A  River  View 88 

Young  Washington's  Mimtaky  Aspirations 9(5 

Residence  of  the  Washington  Family 08 

Greenway  Court 1 02 

Indian  with  S<;alp 1  no 

f)HI0  RiVKK 112 

Washington  on  his  IIomewaud  Journey 118 

Benjamin  Franklin 1 24 

<»N  the  MAHfH 127 


1 4  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Military  Encampment 129 

Braddock's  Defeat,  1755 138 

Indian  Council 141 

In  tue  Mountains 143 

An  Indian  Attack 149 

Portrait  of  Patrick  Henry 159 

Patrick  Henry's  Statue 161 

Hanover  Court-house 167 

Stamp  Act  Riots 170 

St.  John's  Church 174 

"  Give  me  Liberty,  or  Give  me  Death  " 177 

Thomas  Jefferson 180 

Raleigh  Tavern 182 

monticello 183 

The  Apollo  Room 186 

University  of  Virginia 190 

Thomas  Jefferson's  Statue 191 

The  Old  Capitol 193 

Remains  of  Guard-house 194 

Richard  Henry  Lee 200 

Peyton  Randolph 201 

Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia 206 

Minute-man 208 

The  Old  Magazine 209 

Culpeper  Flag 210 

View  of  Great  Bridge 213 

Gwyn's  Island 215 

Spanish  Fort 239 

American  Flag 240 

George  Rogers  Clarke 246 

John  Marshall 257 

Old  Tavern 264 

John  Randolph 267 

Daniel  Morgan 289 

Flag  of  Morgan's  Rifle  Corps 291 

Montgomery's  Monument 292 

Gates's  Head-quarters  at  Saratoga 295 

Benedict  Arnold 299 

John  Andre  301 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  15 

PAGE 

Captcre  of  Andre ...  304 

Andre's  Moscment 306 

Lafayette 308 

bolusgbrook 309 

corswallis 311 

General  Anthony  Wayne 314 

Le  Comte  De  Grasse 319 

Washington  as  Commander-in-chief 322 

View  at  Yorktown 325 

CoRNWAXLis's  Cave 327 

Nelson  House 328 

Surrender  of  Cornwallls  at  Yorktown 331 

Moore  House 332 

Mount  Vernon 333 


STORIES  OF  THE  OLD  DOMINION. 


THE  ADVEXTURES   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN 

SMITH. 

I. 

YiRGixiA  was  founded  by  Captain  Joliii  Sinitli,  and 
I  oiiglit  to  begin  my  stories  witli  an  account  of  his  won- 
derful adventures. 

At  that  time  nearly  all  tlic  Western  world  was  called 
Virginia.  This  name  was  given  to  it  in  honor  of  Queen 
ElizabetlijWho  was  never  married,  and  therefore  was  called 
the  "Virgin  Queen."  The  country  was  known  to  be  rich, 
and  adventurous  Englishmen  attempted  to  settle  it;  but 
for  a  long  time  these  attempts  all  failed.  The  Indians 
drove  away  the  settlers,  but  the  i)lan  was  not  abandoned; 
and  at  last,  in  I)ecemV)er,  IGOG,  three  small  vessels  sailed 
from  England  to  establish  a  colony  in  Virginia. 

Among  the  men  in  the  ships  was  a  young  soldier  of 
remarkable  character.  lie  was  not  quite  twenty-eight, 
but  he  had  scon  many  countries,  and  fought  in  nearly  ev- 
ery part  of  Europe.  His  liCc  from  boyhood  liad  been  a 
series  of  romantic  adventures,  and  he  was  destined  soon, 
as  I  will  show  you,  to  meet  with  more  adventures  still  in 
Virginia,  ^'ou  must  have  heard  of  this  celebrated  man 
— Captain  J(»hn  Smith.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  United 
States,  wf  may  say,  as  Janjcstown  was  the  first  English 


18 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


settlement  in  the  New  World,  and  everything  about  him 
is  interesting.  In  addition  to  this,  he  was  so  brave  and 
devoted  to  his  duty  that  his  life  is  an  example  for  boys 
to  follow.  I  will  therefore  tell  you  his  story;  and  his 
adventures  were  so  singular  that  they  are  certain  to  in- 
terest you. 

He  was  born  at  a  town  called  Willoughby,  in  England, 
in  the  month  of  January,  1579.     Nothing  is  known  about 


CAPTAIN   JOHN   SMITH. 


his  parents,  except  that  they  died  when  he  was  a  child, 
and  he  was  left  alone  in  the  world  without  any  one  to 
take  care  of  him.  But  young  John  Smith  was  not  cast 
down  by  his  lonely  situation.  He  was  a  brave  and  inde- 
pendent boy,  and  resolved  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  He  was  fond  of  adventure,  as  most  boys  are;  so, 
while  he  was  still  a  youth,  he  wandered  away  to  Holland, 
a  country  of  ICnrope,  and  spent  some  years  of  military  ser- 


THE  ADVENTUKES  OF  CAPTAIX  JOHN  SMITH.      19 

vice  in  an  Englisli  army  there.  Tliis  made  hira  long  to 
become  a  soldier.  lie  tlierefore  came  back  to  Willougliby 
and  set  about  training  himself;  and  you  will  be  interested 
in  hearing  how  he  did  so. 

Instead  of  passing  his  time  in  idleness  with  other  young 
men  in  the  town  of  Willonghby,  he  went  out  to  the  woods 
near,  and  built  a  sort  of  house  for  himself  of  the  boughs 
of  trees.  In  this  he  intended  to  live,  and  as  to  supporting 
himself,  be  meant  to  shoot  deer  and  live  on  the  venison. 
He  then  got  together  as  many  books  as  he  could  on  war- 
like matters,  and  retiring  to  his  "Bower,"  as  he  called  it, 
set  about  studying  them.  By  this  means  he  taught  him- 
self the  art  of  war;  but  as  he  knew  that  a  soldier  must 
fight  with  his  own  hands,  he  resolved  also  to  learn  how  to 
use  every  sort  of  weapon.  At  that  time  men  fought  on 
horseback  often,  and  one  of  the  most  important  of  their 
weapons  was  the  lance.  This  was  a  long  wooden  affair 
with  a  sharp  iron  point,  and  soldiers  held  the  head  straight 
in  front  of  them,  to  strike  their  enemies  as  they  rode 
against  them  at  full  gallop.  Young  John  Smith  had  a 
horse  and  lance,  and  ho  now  practised  to  make  himself 
skilful.  This  he  did  by  suspending  a  ring  to  the  bough 
of  a  tree,  after  which  he  went  off  to  some  distance  and 
rode  at  it  at  full  gallop,  pointing  his  lance  at  the  ring,  in 
order  to  carry  it  off  from  the  bough.  By  repeating  this 
over  and  over,  he  at  last  became  expert  in  it,  and  then  he 
knew  he  could  strike  an  enemy  on  horseback.  lie  also 
practised  with  his  sword  to  make  his  eye  keen  and  his 
wrist  tough,  and  fired  at  the  trees  with  liis  pistol  to  be- 
come an  export  marksman.  By  this  moans  he  grew  to  be 
a  skilful  soldier;  and  thi-n  he  set  out  in  search  of  advent- 
ures. 

These  adventures,  ho  know,  would  not  be  wanting,  if  ho 
only  had  a  brave  heart  to  seek  thoin.      War  was  going  on 


20 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


HOLLAND   IN  THE   OLDEN    TIME. 


with  the  Turks  in  Eastern  Europe,  and  all  good  soldiers 
were  welcome  there,  to  help  the  Christians.  So  Smith  set 
forth  gayly  with  the  design  to  fight  hard,  and,  if  he  could, 
make  a  name  for  himself. 

II. 
Wherever  young  John  Smith  went,  something  singular 
happened  to  him.  His  life  was  crowded  with  strange  ad- 
ventures; and  though  I  cannot  tell  you  the  whole  of  them, 
I  will  relate  the  chief  ones,  which  will  give  you  a  good 
idea  of  them  all. 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN   JOHN   SMITH. 


21 


lie  crossed  the  Channel  between  England  and  France ; 
but  as  soon  as  he  had  landed  on  the  other  side,  three 
Frenchmen  who  had  come  over  with  him  in  the  ship  took 
advantage  of  him.  They  saw  that  he  was  a  mei-e  boy,  and 
stole  a  small  trunk  containing  his  money  and  clothes.  This 
left  him  in  great  distress,  as  he  was  in  a  strange  country, 
without  friends;  but  he  kept  up  his  courage,  and  soon 
showed  that  lie  could  take  care  of  himself.  The  French- 
men had  escaped ;  but  he  afterward  met  one  of  them,  and 
as  he  knew  him  at  once,  he  drew  his  sword  and  ran  it 
through  his  breast,  killing  him.  lie  then  wandered  on, 
meeting  many  kind  persons  on  the  way  who  helped  him. 


and  at  last  came  to  the  city  of  Marseilles,  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea. 

You  know  that  his  plan  was  to  go  and  help  the  Chris- 
tians to  fight  the  Turks,  so  he  went  on  board  a  ship  bound 
for  Home,  which  was  <jn  his  way.     A  strange  adventure 


22  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

now  happened  to  him.  The  ship  set  sail,  but  soon  a  vio- 
lent storm  arose,  and  the  vessel  was  tossed  about  and  in 
danger  of  being  wrecked.  On  board  were  some  Roman 
Catholics  going  to  Rome,  and  they  soon  discovered  that 
Smith  was  a  Protestant,  or  lieretic,  as  their  term  was  for 
anybody  who  was  not  a  Roman  Catholic.  This  brought 
them  bad  luck,  they  said,  and  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 
to  get  rid  of  him ;  so  they  seized  him  and  threw  him  into 
the  sea.  The  waves  were  running  very  high  at  the  time, 
and  there  was  great  danger  of  his  being  drowned.  But 
he  was  an  excellent  swimmer,  and  struck  out  for  the  near- 
est land.  This  was  a  small  island,  called  the  Isle  of  St. 
Mary's,  off  the  coast  of  Nice,  and  here  the  waves  threw 
him  on  shore.  As  the  weather  was  cold,  he  nearly  froze, 
and  he  had  nothing  whatever  to  eat.  But  another  ship  at 
last  came  in  sight,  and  Smith  made  signals  of  distress  by 
waving  to  them.  They  saw  him,  and  a  boat  was  sent, 
which  took  him  on  board  the  ship,  where  he  was  overjoy- 
ed to  find  that  the  captain  was  an  old  friend  of  his.  The 
ship  was  bound  for  Egypt;  but  as  Smith  was  in  search  of 
adventures,  he  did  not  care  for  that.  He  agreed  to  go  to 
Egypt,  and,  as  usual,  something  happened  to  him  on  the 
way.  They  met  with  an  enemy's  ship,  and  Smith's  friend 
the  captain  attacked  it.  A  sharp  fight  took  place,  but  the 
enemy's  ship  was  captured ;  and  as  yx)ung  Smith  had 
fought  bravely,  he  received  about  two  thousand  dollars 
in  gold  as  his  share  of  the  "  prize-money." 

This  made  him  quite  rich,  and  he  determined  to  go  on 
and  fight  the  Turks.  His  friend  the  captain  put  him 
ashore  in  Italy,  and  he  set  out  joyfully  for  Transylvania, 
east  of  Austria,  where  the  fighting  was  then  going  on.  He 
had  to  pass  through  a  rough  wild  country,  but  he  did  so 
safely,  and  at  last  reached  the  Christian  army,  and  was  en- 
rolled as  a  soldier  in  it. 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN   JOHN    SMITH. 


23 


He  was  now  among  strangers  who  knew  nothing  about 
him,  but  they  soon  saw  tliat  the  young  Englishman  was  a 
man  of  brains  as  well  as  courage.  '  There  was  a  fortress 
called  Oliuipach,  in  which  some  Christians  were  besieged 
by  the  Turks,  and  the  rest  of  the  Christian  army  came  to 
assist  their  friends.  The  trouble  was  to  get  a  message  to 
the  people  in  the  fort,  but  Smith  thought  of  a  means  of 
making  signals  to  answer  the  purpose.    This  was  done  by 


FLiaUT  OF  TUE  BABACEN8. 


raising  and  lowering  large  flaming  torches  fi-om  the  to]> 
of  a  hill  at  night;  ami  by  this  means  he  spelled  out  a 
whole  sentence,  which  was  understood  by  the  Christians  in 
the  fortress.  The  restdt  of  this  was  that  ihe  Turks  were 
attacked  on  both  sides  and  defeated  ;  and  Smith  was  made 
a  captain,  and  given  a  company  of  horsemen  caUed  the 
"Fiery  Dragoons." 


24  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

This  probably  filled  the  young  man  with  delight,  and 
he  longed  to  show  that  he  was  ready  to  fight  hard.  He 
soon  had  an  opportunity.  The  Turks  had  shut  themselves 
up  in  a  fortress  called  Regal,  and  the  Christians  surround- 
ed the  fortress  and  besieged  them.  As  no  fighting  was 
o-oino-  on,  the  times  grew  tedious,  and  a  Turkish  lord 
named  Turbashaw  sent  out  word  that  he  was  ready  to 
fight  any  Christian  soldier  who  would  meet  him.  This 
ofier  was  accepted,  and  the  Christian  soldiers  drew  lots 
who  should  fight  him.  The  lot  fell  on  John  Smith ;  and 
when  the  day  came  he  rode  forward  to  meet  his  enemy. 
Turbashaw  was  ready,  and  presented  a  splendid  appear- 
ance. His  rich  armor  was  covered  with  jewels,  and  two 
large  wings  made  of  eagles'  feathers  sprung  from  his 
shoulders.  Martial  music  went  before  him  as  he  came  out 
of  the  gates  of  llegal,  and  a  great  crowd  of  Turkish  sol- 
diers and  ladies  was  seen  on  the  walls.  The  two  enemies 
then  rushed  upon  each  other;  but  the  fight  was  a  very 
brief  one.  Smith's  lance  pierced  the  Turk's  forehead,  and 
he  was  hurled  back  dead  from  his  horse.  Smith  then  leap- 
ed to  the  ground  and  cut  ofl"  his  head,  and  the  whole  Chris- 
tian army  burst  forth  into  shouts  of  triumph. 

A  second  Tuik  then  appeared  to  revenge  his  friend. 
His  name  was  Grualgo,  and  he  and  Smith  rode  at  each 
other.  Both  their  lances  were  shivered,  but  Smith  fired 
his  pistol  and  broke  his  enemy's  arm.  He  fell  from  his 
horse,  and  Smith  once  more  leaped  down,  and  struck  ofl* 
his  head  as  he  had  struck  oft'Turbashaw's. 

The  young  soldier  was  now  in  high  spirits,  and  sent  a 
challenge  to  the  Turks.  If  any  of  them  would  meet  him, 
he  said,  they  might  have  the  heads  of  their  friends,  and 
his  own,  too,  if  they  overcame  him.  The  challenge  was 
accepted  by  a  famous  Turk,  called  Bonnymulgro.  It  was 
agreed  that  they  were  to  fight  hand  to  hand  with  their 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN   JOHN    SMITH.  25 

swords,  pistols,  and  battle-axes ;  and  on  the  day  appoint- 
ed jxi'eater  crowds  than  before  assembled  to  see  the  two 
champions  meet.  They  rushed  at  full  gallop  on  each  oth- 
er, firing  their  pistols,  and  then  began  to  fight  hand  to 
hand  with  their  battle-axes.  Bonnyniulgro  was  a  power- 
iiil  man  and  a  dangerous  enemy.  He  struck  Smith  so 
heavy  a  blow  on  the  head  that  he  reeled  in  his  saddle  and 
dropped  his  axe.  At  this  a  loud  shout  rose  from  the 
Turks  on  the  walls,  and  they  shouted  louder  still  as  they 
saw  Smith  wheel  his  horse  and  fly,  with  the  big  Turk  after 
him.  But  this  was  only  pretence  with  the  young  soldier. 
As  soon  as  Bonnyniulgro  caught  up  with  him  and  raised 
his  axe  to  beat  out  his  brains,  Smith  suddenly  wheeled  his 
horse,  and  ran  his  sword  through  the  Turk's  breast.  He 
fell  from  the  saddle,  but  tried  to  fight  still.  But  Smith 
cut  him  down,  and  struck  o9"  his  head,  which  he  held  up 
by  the  hair  to  show  that  the  combat  was  ended. 

This  was  the  last  of  the  fighting.  There  were  no  more 
challenges,  and  the  whole  Christian  army  escorted  Smith 
in  triumph  to  the  general's  tent.  The  three  fine  horses  of 
the  dead  Turks  were  led  in  front,  and  the  ghastly  heads 
of  the  warriors  carried  aloft  on  the  points  of  pikes.  In 
this  manner  they  came  to  the  tent  of  the  general,  and  he 
made  his  appearance,  and  embraced  Smith  in  his  arms. 
He  tlien  gave  him  a  fine  hoi'se  and  sword,  and  made  him 
a  major;  and  the  Grand  Duke  Sigismund,  who  was  carry- 
ing on  the  war,  sent  him  his  portrait  in  a  golden  frame. 
He  also  promised  Smith  a  reward  of  three  hundred  ducats, 
or  about  two  thousand  dollars,  a  year,  and  told  him  lie 
might  wear  on  liis  "coat  of  arms,"  as  it  was  called,  three 
Ttirks'  heads,  in  memory  of  his  exploits. 

Whether  he  ever  received  the  money  I  do  not  know,  as 
princes  often  forget  such  things;  l;ut  for  this  he  probably 
did  not  fare.     He  had  fought  for  fame,  and  not  in  order 


26  STOKIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

to  be  paid  for  it ;  and  he  no  doubt  looked  upon  the  honor 

and  glory  he  had  won  as  far  better  than  the  golden  ducats. 

I  will  now  go  on,  and  soon  finish  with  his  adventures  in 

Europe. 

III. 

John  Smith  was  now  a  distinguished  young  soldier,  but 
he  was  soon  to  find  that  war  is  not  entirely  made  up  of 
triumphal  processions  and  rich  rewards  and  success. 

A  day  came  when  ill-fortune  befell  him.  In  a  book 
which  he  afterward  wrote  he  speaks  of  "  the  dismal  bat- 
tle of  Rottenton,  in  the  valley  of  Veristhorne,  where  the 
soldiers  of  Christ  and  his  Gospel  did  what  men  could  do; 
and  when  they  could  do  no  more,  left  there  their  bodies 
in  testimony  of  their  minds  " — by  which  he  means  that 
the  Christians  fou2;ht  as  long  as  thev  could,  and  fell  in- 
stead  of  retreating,  in  order  to  show  tliat  they  were  in 
earnest  in  making  war  on  tlie  Turks.  They  were  defeat- 
ed in  this  "dismal  battle,"  and  young  John  Smith  was 
wounded  and  left  on  the  field.  He  lay  there  until  night, 
when  some  prowling  thieves,  who  had  come  to  rob  the 
dead  bodies  of  anything  they  found  upon  them,  heard  him 
groaning  from  the  pain  of  his  wound,  and  stopped.  He 
had  on  a  very  rich  suit  of  armor,  and  from  this  they  sup- 
posed that  he  was  some  great  lord.  They  therefore  did 
not  kill  him,  but  resolved  to  carry  him  away,  and  keep 
him  prisoner  until  he  jDaid  a  large  ransom  for  his  free- 
dom again. 

John  Smith  did  not  tell  them  that  they  were  mistaken 
in  tins,  as  his  life  depended  on  his  saying  nothing.  They 
then  carried  him  to  a  city  called  Axiopolis,  and  here  they 
found  that  he  was  only  a  poor  soldier.  He  was  there- 
fore sold  in  the  slave-market  as  a  common  slave,  and  was 
bought  by  a  Turk  named  Bogall,  who  sent  liim  as  a  pres- 
ent to  a  lady  in  Constantinople  named  Charatza  Tragabig- 


THE    ADVEXTUEES    OF    CAPTAIX   JOHN    SMITH.  27 

zanda.  On  the  way  be  was  driven  along,  chained  by  the 
neck  to  other  Christian  prisoners,  and  at  last  they  reach- 
ed Constantinople.  Charatza  received  him  kindly,  and 
soon  became  very  much  attached  to  him.  Smith  found 
that  his  master,  Bogall,  had  written  a  letter  pretending 
iliat  he  had  made  the  young  man  prisoner  liimself,  by 
which  he  hoped  to  persuade  Charatza  that  he  was  a  great 
soldier;  but  Smith  told  her  the  triilh.  At  last  she  grew 
so  fond  of  him  that  she  determined  to  make  a  Turk  of 
him  and  marry  him.  He  was  in  danger,  however,  in  Con- 
stantinople, so  she  sent  him  to  a  brother  of  hers,  called 
the  Tymor  of  Xalbritz,  living  on  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of 
Azov,  requesting  him  to  treat  Smith  kindly  for  her  sake. 

This  by  no  means  pleased  the  Tymor.  He  thouglit  it 
highly  absurd  in  his  sister  to  take  so  much  interest  in  a 
slave.  So  he  stripped  off  Smith's  clothes,  and  ordered  him 
to  put  on  coarse  sheepskins.  He  next  shaved  his  head, 
and  jmt  an  iron  ring  around  his  neck,  after  which  he  or- 
dered him  to  go  to  work  among  the  rest  of  his  slaves. 

His  situation  was  now  very  miserable.  He  Avas  the 
"  slave  of  slaves  "  to  all  the  rest,  he  says.  He  therefore 
determined  to  take  the  first  opportunity  to  escape.  At  last 
this  opportunity  came.  His  work  sometimes  took  him  to 
a  lonely  barn  on  the  Tyraor's  large  estate,  where  his  busi- 
ness was  to  thresh  out  grain  with  his  flail.  One  day  ho 
was  thus  engaged,  witli  no  other  person  with  him,  wlicn 
the  Tymor  rode  up  to  ilu;  barn.  He  was  in  a  very  bad 
humor;  and  at  such  times,  you  know,  people  like  to  have 
some  one  to  quarrel  with.  As  he  looked  upon  Smith  as 
only  a  miserable  slave,  he  began  to  curse  him  and  ofler 
liim  every  insijlt.  This  excited  the  young  soldier's  anger, 
and  he  looked  around.  Not  a  soul  was  in  sight,  and  he 
had  in  his  hand  his  heavy  flail,  which  consisted  of  two 
pieces  of  wood  joined  by  a  leatlier  tliong,  and  was  (piite 


28  STOKIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

a  dangerous  weapon.  At  last  the  Tymov,  after  cursing 
him  for  some  time,  struck  him  with  his  riding- whip ;  at 
which  John  Smith  sjirung  upon  him  and  dashed  his  brains 
out  Avith  his  flail. 

The  great  thing  now  was  to  get  away,  and  the  young 
fellow  did  not  hesitate.  He  stripped  the  clothes  from  the 
Tymor's  dead  body,  and  then  took  off  his  own  coarse  sheep- 
skins. He  next  put  on  the  Tymor's  suit,  and  hid  the  body 
under  the  straw ;  after  which  he  leaped  on  the  dead  man's 
horse  and  rode  off"  at  full  gallop.  He  meant  to  make  his 
way  to  Russia,  where  he  knew  he  would  be  safe,  but  he  did 
not  know  the  route.  Day  after  day  he  wandered  about, 
not  daring  to  ask  his  way  of  anybody,  and  nearly  starved. 
But  at  last  he  saw,  along  the  road  which  he  was  travelling, 
a  number  of  wooden  crosses,  and  by  this  he  knew  that  he 
had  at  last  found  his  Avay.  The  crosses  showed  that  he 
was  coming  to  a  Christian  country.  He  followed  the 
road  joyfully,  and  at  last  reached  a  Russian  fortress;  and 
here  he  saw  that  he  had  nothing  more  to  fear.  He  was 
received  with  the  greatest  kindness,  as  the  Turks  and 
Russians  were  enemies ;  the  iron  ring  was  struck  from  his 
neck;  and'  at  last  he  went  on  his  way  toward  Austria, 
"  drowned  in  joy,"  he  says,  at  his  deliverance. 

His  sufferings  Avere  now  over.  His  old  friends  met  him 
in  the  Avarmest  manner,  and  the  Grand  Duke  Sigismund 
made  him  a  present  of  three  or  four  thousand  dollars  in 
gold  as  some  recognition  of  his  serA'ices.  He  then  set  out 
for  Paris,  and  then  for  Spain,  Avhere  he  embaiked  on  a 
ship  to  go  and  fight  the  JNIoors  in  Barbary.  What  he 
heard  of  the  war  there,  however,  disgusted  him,  and  he 
resolved  that  he  Avould  take  no  part  in  such  heathen  pro- 
ceedings. He  therefore  left  the  Mediterranean  and  made 
his  Avay  back  to  England,  Avhich  he  reached  without  fur- 
ther adventures. 


TUE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH.  29 


IV. 

Young  John  Smith  was  now  only  a  little  more  than 
twenty,  but  he  was  already  a  famous  man.  He  had  left 
liis  home  at  Willoughby  a  poor  unknown  boy,  and  had 
come  back  a  distinguished  young  soldier. 

All  London  was  talking  of  tlie  brave  young  fellow  who 
liad  passed  through  so  many  Avonderful  adventures.  They 
even  made  his  life  the  subject  of  plays  in  the  theatres,  for 
lie  says  that  "  his  fatal  tragedies  were  acted  on  the  stage." 
It  is  therefore  highly  probable  that  he  made  the  acquaint- 
ance, among  other  people,  of  the  great  dramatist  Sliak- 
speare,  who  was  always  looking  out  lor  men  of  remarka- 
ble characters.  At  that  time  the  "Mermaid,"  and  otlicr 
London  taverns,  were  full  of  swaggering  soldiers  returned 
from  the  wars.  They  walked  about  rattling  their  swords, 
curling  their  mustaches,  and  boasting  of  their  exploits, 
wliile  in  some  quiet  corner  jMr.  William  Shakspeare,  as  lie 
was  called,  looked  at  them  witli  a  quiet  smile  on  his  lips,  ^ 
and  listened  to  all  they  said.  We  know  that  this  was  his 
liabit,  as  he  has  drawn  the  portraits  of  a  number  of  such 
persons  in  his  plays.  He  made  fun  of  them;  but  if  he 
knew  Smitli,  lie  must  have  seen  that  Jie  was  a  very  dilfer- 
ent  sort  of  person.  Xo  doubt  he  did  know  him,  as  I  have 
already  said,  and,  if  so,  lie  must  have  had  a  great  respect 
for  him.  Tlie  rest  were  swaggerers  and  boasters,  passing 
their  time  in  drinking  and  idleness,  while  Smith  did  noth- 
ing of  tlie  sort,  and  was  a  brave,  modest  young  soldier. 

Young  John  Smitli  soon  found  tliat  London  was  no 
])lace  for  a  man  like  hiiiisclf.  He  could  not  remain  idle, 
and  his  restless  disposition  made  him  long  for  new  ad- 
ventures. He  had  seen  life  in  Europe  and  Asia,  and  now 
turned  liis  tlioughts  to  America.  Tiiis  was  discovered, 
you  know,  by  Columbus,  in  the  year  1492,  but  little  was 


30  '  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

known  of  it,  except  that  it  was  a  wonderful  country.  The 
strangest  and  most  exciting  stories  Avere  told  about  it. 
Now  and  then  sailors  had  visited  it ;  and  when  they  came 
back  they  reported  that  the  earth  was  full  of  gold  and 
precious  stones,  and  that  the  rivers  ran  over  golden  sands. 
More  sinirular  things  still  were  believed  about  the  New 
World,  as  it  was  called.  There  was  said  to  be  a  fountain 
there  which  made  old  people  young  again,  if  they  only 
bathed  in  it.  It  was  called  the  "Fountain  of  Youth,"  and 
many  people  really  believed  in  it.  The  gold  attracted 
others  ;  and  the  educated  people,  who  knew  that  the  Foun- 
tain of  Youth  was  mere  folly,  were  just  as  anxious  to  see 
the  country  settled  as  the  rest. 

In  fact,  tlie  whole  world  of  Europe  at  that  time  was  ex- 
cited in  the  highest  degree.  There  had  been  a  great 
movement  called  the  Reformation,  and  everybody's  mind 
was  in  a  sort  of  ferment.  People  longed  for  something- 
new:  they  were  tired  of  old  times  and  things.  Tlie  world 
was  like  a  man  wlio  has  had  a  long  sound  sleep,  and  gets 
up  strong  and  refreshed,  and  ready  to  begin  some  great 
business.  The  rulers  of  England  saw  this,  and  they  deter- 
mined to  take  advantage  of  it.  For  this  they  had  two 
main  reasons.  One  Avas  to  increase  the  power  of  England 
and  get  ahead  of  the  French  and  Spaniards,  who  were 
looking;  toward  this  new  world :  and  another  was  to  con- 
vert  the  Indians  to  Christianity.  They  were  earnest  about 
this  latter  thing,  little  as  was  afterward  done ;  but  they 
^had  at  heart  first  the  enlargement  of  English  territory. 
Amono;  these  great  men  was  the  famous  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
leigh,  who  was  so  eager  for  such  voyages  that  people 
called  him  the  "  Shepherd  of  the  Ocean."  And  all  these 
persons  Smith  no  doubt  knew. 

He  was  quite  ready  to  sail  for  the  western  land  as  soon 
as  an   expedition   was  ready;  and  this  event  soon  took 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN*    JOHN    SMITH. 


31 


KOriM   OF    BALEIOH  S   SHIPS. 


place.     James  I.,  who  was  king  of  England  now,  granted 
the  right  to  Sir  Thomas  Gates  and  others  to  form  a  set- 
ilenient  in  the  Xew  World;  and  in  December,  1606,  the 
tliree   small   ships    which    I    liave 
mentioned  set  sail  for  the   shores 
of  America. 

John  Smith  was  on  board  one 
of  the  vessels,  and  I  will  soon  tell 
you  what  happened  to  him.  First 
I  will  speak,  however,  of  the  voy- 
age, which  was  over  what  was  call- 
ed the  "old  ti'ack."  The  ships,  with 
one  hundred  and  five  men  in  them, 
crossed    the   ocean   in   safety,  and 

reached  the  West  India  Islands.  They  then  sailed  north- 
ward along  the  coast  of  Florida  and  the  Carolinas,  looking 
tor  a  good  harbor.  When  they  reached  the  mouth  of 
Chesapeake  Bay  they  were  tossed  by  a  violent  storm,  but 
managed  to  get  in  without  being  wrecked.  This  was  in 
April,  1607,  and  some  time  was  spent  in  looking  for  a 
place  of  settlement.  Before  them  was  a  broad  river,  which 
was  calle<l  the  Powhatan  V)y  the  Indians,  and  this  they 
sailed  up,  delighted  with  the  beautiful  ])rospcct  before 
them.  Spring  had  come,  and  all  was  fresh  and  attractive. 
The  shores  were  covered  with  green  trees,  and  white- 
winged  water-fowl  skimmed  the  waves.  The  skies  were 
blue,  and  the  birds  wcvii  singing,  and  the  weary  storm- 
tossed  sailors  m\ist  have  thon^ht  that  thev  were  near  a 
peaceful  liarbor  at  last,  i)erhaps  not  far  fiom  the  wonder- 
ful Founlain  of  Youth. 

Some  Imlians  came  down  to  the  shore  and  stared  at  the 
ships  as  they  sailed  by;  but  they  went  on  up  the  broad 
current  until  they  reached  a  sort  of  island  close  to  the 
shore,  where  they  resolved  to  stop.     Here  the  ships  cast 


32 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


anchor  on  the  13th  of  May,  1607,  and  the  new  settlement 
was  called  Jamestown,  in  honor  of  the  king. 

To-day  an  old  ruined  church  is  still  standing  on  this 
spot,  to  show  where  Virginia  began. 


V. 


In  a  short  story  like  this  I  cannot  tell  you  everything, 
you  know — that  would  make  my  book  too  long.     I  shall 


CHESAPEAKE   BAT. 


only  relate  a  few  incidents  of  tliose  old  times;  but  these 
will  prove  interesting,  I  think,  and  will  show  you  how 
bravely  Smith  struggled  for  the  good  of  the  colony. 

The  English  sailors  were  now  in  that  famous  "virgin 
land  "  they  had  heard  so  much  of,  and  had  nothing  to 
look  to  but  the  help  of  God  and  their  own  arms  to  guard 
them.      Some   persons  have  supposed  that  they  were  a 


THE    ADVEXTUKES    OF   CAPTAUST   JOHJf    SMITH.  33 

rougli,  irreligious  set,  only  greedy  for  gold.  But  this  is 
not  true.  As  soon  as  they  landed  at  Jamestown  and 
pitched  their  tents,  they  stretched  an  old  sail  between 
four  trees  to  shade  thera  from  the  sun,  and  under  this  they 
held  religious  services  night  and  morning.  They  had  a 
minister  with  them,  and  his  pulpit  was  a  bar  of  wood  nail- 
ed to  two  trees.  Here  he  held  regular  prayers,  and  preach- 
ed two  sermons  every  Sunday,  and  every  three  months  ad- 
ministered the  Holy  Communion.  A  regular  church  was 
afterward  built,  and  a  bell  was  placed  in  it ;  and  when  this 
bell  rang,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  four  in  the  af- 
ternoon, every  man  stopped  work,  and  knelt  down  and 
said  his  prayers. 

I  tell  you  this  to  show  you  that  the  colonists  were  not 
bad  men.  They  had  many  faults,  but  they  respected  re- 
ligious things,  and  did  not  forget  that  "the  end  of  this 
voyage  was  the  destruction  of  the  devil's  kingdom  " — that 
is,  to  live  good  lives  themselves  and  convert  the  Indians 
to  Christianity.  They  did  not  work  hard  enough,  and 
were  too  anxious  to  pick  up  the  gold  they  expected  to 
find  ;  but  they  began  in  the  right  manner,  by  attending 
to  their  religious  duties,  you  see. 

One  great  reason  why  they  were  lazy  was  the  character 
of  the  men  who  led  them.  Most  of  these  were  perfectly 
worthless,  and  John  .Smith  was  almost  the  only  man  among 
lliem  worthy  of  any  respect.  But  he  could  do  nothing  for 
the  settlers.  He  had  been  arrested  by  the  leaders,  while 
the  ships  were  crossing  the  ocean,  on  some  foolish  charge 
tliat  he  intcndcil  1o  make  himself  kino;  of  Virtxinia,  and 
iron  fetters  were  ])lace(l  upon  his  wrists.  These  they  now 
had  to  remove.  King  James  I.  had  not  told  any  one  th(> 
names  of  the  "councillors"  who  were  to  rule  over  the  col- 
ony. The  paper  containing  their  names  was  sealed  up  in 
a  box,  which  was  not  to  be  opened  tnitil  tlw  ships  reach- 

0* 


34 


STOKIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


ed  Virginia.  But  the  time  liad  now  corae :  the  box  was 
opened,  and  the  name  of  John  Smith  was  found  among 
those  who  were  to  be  councillors,  or  leaders.  They  there- 
fore released  him, but  refused  to  let  him  sit  in  the  council; 


JAMESTOWN. 


SO  he  found  that  he  had  no  more  authority  than  the  poor- 
est of  the  settlers. 

But  in  this  world  brains  and  courage  will  show  them- 
selves, in  spite  of  everything.  The  colonists  soon  saw 
that  Smith  had  more  sense  and  energy  than  all  the  worth- 
less council  put  together.  From  the  first  he  was  the  real 
loader  in  the  colony.     His  martial  figure  was  seen   mov- 


TllK    ADVKXTURES    OF    CAPTAIX    JOIIX    SMITH.  So 

ing  about  everywhere.  The  settlers  felt  that  he  was  a 
true  soldier,  and  the  man  to  look  to.  And  this  is  a  good 
opportunity  to  tell  you  what  his  appearance  and  charac- 
ter were  at  that  time. 

Any  one  could  see  at  a  glance  that  John  Smith  was  a 
thorough  soldier.  He  was  just  twenty-eight,  and  a  hand- 
some, brave -looking  man.  His  forehead  was  broad  and 
high,  and  his  bright  eyes  looked  everybody  straight  in  the 
face.  He  wore  long  mustaches  and  a  full  beard,  and  his 
dress  was  martial.  It  consisted  of  a  steel  hauberk,  which 
was  a  soi-t  of  armor  covering  the  body  down  to  the  hips, 
and  liis  boots  came  to  his  knees,  and  the  tops  turned  over. 
Around  his  waist  was  buckled  a  belt,  from  which  hung 
his  heavy  broadsword  ;  and  he  generally  carried  a  car- 
bine, that  is,  a  short  gun  with  a  large  barrel.  He  had  to 
use  this  carbine  more  than  once,  as  you  will  see,  against 
llie  Indians;  and  one  look  at  him  showed  that  he  was 
ready  to  fight  witli  it  or  any  other  weapon.  He  was  po- 
lite and  friendly,  but  he  was  not  a  man  to  be  tiifled  witli. 
He  had  come  to  do  hard  work,  and  he  meant  to  do  it. 
His  bold  off-hand  manner  sliowed  that  he  was  a  soldier, 
and  i)eoplc  were  forced  to  res|)cct  him,  whether  they  liked 
hitn  or  not.  The  best  and  bravest  of  the  colonists,  how- 
ever, liked  hiiM  very  much,  for  they  saw  tliat  he  was 
worthy  of  it.  He  was  not  only  a  resolute  and  unselfish 
man,  but  liad  no  vices  whatever.  He  never  uttered  an 
oath,  or  played  cards,  or  drank,  and  did  not  even  use  to- 
bacco, which  was  ihcii  the  fashion  as  now.  He  was  con- 
tent to  live  roughly  and  <1()  his  duty,  ami  never  seemed 
to  be  thinking  of  his  own  jileasuie  in  llie  least.  He  hated 
idleness,  and  set  an  example  by  working  himself  In  fact, 
hard  work  and  hard  lltrhting  seemed  to  be  his  idea  of  the 
li^^lit  way  of  living  in  this  woiM.  If  he  said  he  would  do 
a  thing,  lie  always  kept  liis  word  ;  and  :i  man  who  estab- 


36  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION, 

lishes  that  character  is  looked  up  to  and  trusted.  His 
"  old  soldiers,"  as  the  men  called  themselves,  loved  him, 
and  had  the  highest  respect  for  him ;  and  you  will  see 
that  these  old  soldiers  who  fought  under  him  and  shared 
his  hardships  were  right  when  they  said  that  he  was  one 
of  the  bravest  and  truest  of  men. 

Rough  houses  of  felled  trees  were  soon  built  at  James- 
town; and  then  Smith  began  to  think  what  it  would  be 
better  to  do  next.  The  councillors  were  a  poor  set,  and 
nobody  had  any  respect  for  them.  They  passed  their 
time  in  idling  and  eating  and  drinking,  and  seemed  to 
have  no  idea  of  the  dangers  all  around  them.  They  had 
seen  little  of  the  Indians,  and  very  foolishly  paid  no  at- 
tention to  them.  Besides  this,  nothing  was  done  to  raise 
corn  for  food;  and  Smith  looked  on  in  astonishment  at 
such  childish  folly.  He  knew  that  the  woods  were  full 
of  Indians,  who  would  soon  attack  them.  He  also  knew 
that  the  food  in  the  ships  would  not  last  forever.  He 
therefore  resolved  to  go  and  explore  the  country,  and  find 
what  they  had  to  expect  by  making  the  Indians  a  visit. 

With  a  small  party  of  men  Smith,  therefore,  rowed  up 
James  River,  as  they  had  called  it,  to  visit  the  emperor 
of  the  Indian  tribes,  who  lived  in  that  direction. 

VI. 

The  name  of  the  Indian  emperor  was  Powhatan.  He 
was  an  old  and  famous  monarch,  Avho  ruled  over  all  the 
Indians  of  tidewater  Virginia,  amounting  at  that  time  to 
about  eight  thousand  in  number. 

The  Indians  were  a  strange  people,  and  not  at  all  like 
other  savages — those  of  Africa,  for  instance.  They  were 
tall  and  powerful,  and  as  brave  and  cool  as  they  were 
bloody.  They  were  very  fond  of  hunting  and  war,  and 
when  they  were  going  into  battle,  painted   their  naked 


THE    ADVEJJTURES    OF    CAPTAIX    JOHJ^    SMITH. 


37 


bodies  in  a  frightful  manner.  As  to  their  arms,  these  were 
bows  and  arrows,  and  a  sort  of  hatchet  made  of  flint,  which 
they  called  a  "  tomahawkee ;"  and  they  lived  in  Avigwams 
or  rouo'h  locr-cabins.  Wigwams  were  made  by  bending 
together  the  heads  of  saplings,  and  tying  them  with  bark. 
Skins  were  then  stretched  around  them,  and  a  hole  was 
left  at  the  top  to  allow  the  smoke  to  rise.  The  food  of 
the  Indians  was  game,  chiefly  deer  and  wild  turkeys  or 
ducks,  and  their  bread  was  made  of  corn-meal,  as  they  had 
no  wheat.  They  smoked  tobacco  in  long  stone  pipes,  and 
when  any  one  visited  them  in  their  wigwams  or  cabins, 
they  would  take  a  whiff"  and  then  pass  the  pipe  to  their 
guest,  which  was  looked  upon  as  a  proof  of  friendship. 
They  had  a  sort  of  money  made  of  shells,  which  tlicy 
strung  on  a  string;  and 
their  clothes  were  deer  or 
raccoon  skins,  rarely  worn 
except  in  winter. 

This  will  give  you  some 
idea  of  these  singular  peo- 
ple ;  but  I  ought  not  to  for- 
get to  say  that  they  also 
had  a  sort  of  religion.  They 
believed  in  a  god  of  their 

,  INDIANS. 

own,  whose  name  was  (Jkec, 

or  Kiwasa,  and  thought  the  tliiindcr  was  his  voice,  and 
tlic  lightning  the  flash  of  his  eyes.  They  also  believed  in 
a  future  world  of  happiness  or  misery.  If  they  were  good, 
they  expecte<l  to  go  to  the  "  hai)py  hunting-grounds"  of 
heaven  ;  and  if  they  were  bad,  to  a  great  fire  in  which  they 
would  burn  forever.  They  were  savage,  and  when  they 
look  their  enemies  prisoners,  either  killed  or  burned  them 
by  tying  them  naked  to  a  stake  in  the  ground,  and  i)iling 
wood  around  them;  but  they  were  not  entirely  bad.    The 


..^%* 


38 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


men  were  dignified,  and  bore  pain  without  a  word,  and  the 
women  were  often  pure  and  aflfectionate.  All  were  brave, 
and  they  Avould  not  allow  any  one  to  rnle 
over  them  Avho  was  not  as  brave  as  thein- 
st'lves:  and  the  old  emperor,  Powhatan, 
was  obeyed  and  respected  because  he  was 
a  man  of  dauntless  courage. 

You  will  meet  with  this  remarkable  old 
emperor,  Powhatan,  hereafter.  I  will  only 
say  now  that  he  had  many  places  of  res- 
idence throughout  the  country,  where  he 
lived  at  different  seasons,  and  that  his 
summer  resort  was  near  the  Falls  of  James 
Ja-  River,  just  below  where  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond now  stands.  It  was  a  little  village 
of  about  twelve  cabins,  on  a  hill  opposite 
three  islands  in  the  river,  and  the  spot  is 
still  called  "Powhatan"  after  him.  Here 
Smith  and  his  companions,  who  had  come 
upi  from  Jamestown,  found  the  old  em- 
])eror;  and  he  pretended  that  he  was  very 
glad  to  see  them.  He  was  a  tall,  strong 
old  man,  clad  in  a  royal  robe  of  skins,  with 
moccasins  (a  sort  of  shoe  decorated  with  beads)  on  his  feet, 
and  on  his  head  he  wore  a  plume  of  feathers.  Thus  clad, 
he  received  the  white  people,  surrounded  by  his  many 
wives,  and  a  hundred  bowmen,  who  always  guarded  his 
person  night  and  day. 

Their  meeting  was  friendly,  as  I  have  said,  and  they 
talked  by  means  of  signs.  What  took  place  during  the 
interview  we  are  not  informed,  but  Smith  soon  found  that 
liL'  had  a  cool  and  cunning  old  enemy  to  deal  wuth.  Hav- 
ing finished  his  visit,  he  and  his  men  rowed  back  down  the 
river;  but  they  had  no  sooner  reached  Jamestown  than 


1^ 

POISONED   ARROWS. 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH.  39 

tliey  found  how  treacherous  the  Indians  were.  In  their 
absence  the  savages  had  made  an  attack  on  the  place.  No 
doubt  Powhatan  had  sent  them  as  soon  as  he  heard  from 
his  spies  that  Smith  was  coming  up  the  river.  One  of  the 
settlers  liad  been  killed  by  an  Indian  arrow  and  several 
wounded  ;  but  a  cannon-shot  Avas  fired  into  the  band  from 
one  of  the  ships,  and  this  made  such  a  noise,  as  it  crashed 
tiirough  the  woods,  that  the  Indians  fled  and  did  not  return. 

John  Smith  now  became  every  day  more  and  more  the 
head  of  everything.  The  worthless  "Council"  were  the 
lace  of  the  clock  for  people  to  look  at,  but  he  was  the 
mainspring  which  moved  the  works.  He  was  the  master- 
mind, and  everybody  could  see  it.  The  hot  summer  had 
made  them  all  sick,  and  the  Council  were  doing  nothing; 
so  Smith  resolved  to  take  things  into  his  own  hands.  Tiiis 
he  did  at  once.  lie  demanded  a  trial  on  the  charges 
against  him,  and  forced  them  to  acquit  him.  He  then 
took  his  place  in  the  Council,  and  made  every  one  go  to 
work.  Not  long  afterward  he  went  on  an  expedition 
down  the  river,  but  on  his  return  found  that  some  of  the 
coimcillors  meant  to  run  off  with  one  of  the  ships  to  Eng- 
land. 

Smith  made  short  work  of  them.  He  aimed  the  cannon 
in  tlie  furt  at  Jamestown  against  the  ship,  and  sent  word 
that  if  they  tried  to  escape  he  would  fire  upon  them  and 
sink  them.  This  brought  them  to  their  senses.  A  short 
light  took  place,  in  wliich  one  of  their  party  was  killed, 
and  then  they  came  ashore  and  surrendered.  A  chanore 
was  maijc  in  the  Council,  another  president  being  elected; 
and  as  cool  wcatlier  now  came,  the  colonists  grew  well. 
The  river  was  full  of  wild-dncks,  whicli  come  to  feed  at 
this  season,  and  these  supplied  fresh  food  for  the  colonists. 
Smith  had  also  obtained  corn  from  the  Indians  for  bread  ; 
so  tlie  prospect  before  (hem  w;is  ("jir  brighter  than  before. 


40  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

VII. 

We  come  now  to  the  flimous  rescue  of  John  Smith  by 
Pocahontcas,  the  daughter  of  Powhatan;  and  of  this  I  will 
give  you  an  account. 

One  of  the  orders  of  King  .James  was  tliat  the  New 
World  should  be  carefully  explored,  and  all  the  informa- 
tion possible  obtained  of  it.  Smith  always  remembered 
this;  and  as  he  had  gone  some  distance  np  James  Kiver, 
he  now  determined  to  explore  another  river  not  far  above 
Jamestown. 

This  was  the  Chickahominy,  and  he  set  out  to  visit  it 
about  the  beginning  of  winter.  With  a  few  men  he  row- 
ed up  and  entered  the  wide  mouth  of  the  stream,  and  then 
went  on  until  it  grew  so  narrow  and  shallow  that  his  boat 
could  go  no  farther.  He  did  not  know,  probably,  that  the 
"  Chickahominies"  were  the  most  daring  and  warlike  of 
all  the  tribes;  but  he  soon  found  that  they  were  danger- 
ous enemies.  Some  came  down  to  the  bank  of  the  river, 
and  professed  to  be  very  friendly.  They  made  signs  that 
if  he  wanted  a  smaller  boat  to  go  higher  up,  they  Avould 
supply  one,  and  also  guides  to  show  him  the  way. 

Smith  accepted  the  offer,  and  the  skiff  or  canoe  was 
brought.  He  got  into  it,  with  two  of  his  men  and  two  of 
the  Indians;  and  then  ordering  the  rest  of  his  men  not  to 
leave  the  big  boat  and  go  ashore,  set  ofi"  in  his  canoe  to 
explore  the  stream  higher  up.  He  was  soon  out  of  sight 
behind  the  tangled  vines  and  undergrowth,  the  place 
where  he  left  them  being  near  the  great  AVhite  Oak 
Swamp  ;  and  then  the  men  disobeyed  him  and  went  on 
shore.  The  Indians  attacked  them  at  once,  driving  them 
back  to  the  boat,  and  taking  one  of  them  prisoner.  He 
was  at  once  put  to  death,  and  then  the  Indians  liastened 
np  the  river  in  pursuit  of  Smith. 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIX  JOHX    SMriH.  41 

They  soon  found  him.  He  had  gone  on  up  the  Chicka- 
liominy,  forcing  his  way  through  tlie  vines  and  low-hang- 
ing boughs,  until  he  was  near  an  Indian  place  called  Ora- 
pax.  Here  he  stopped  and  landed,  and,  taking  one  of  the 
Indian  guides,  set  out  on  foot  to  look  at  the  country.  He 
had  ordered  the  two  men  in  the  canoe  to  keep  a  sharp 
lookout,  but  they  foolishly  disobeyed  him.  They  were 
cold,  and  kindled  a  fire,  beside  which  they  lay  down  and 
went  to  sleep.  The  Indians  in  pursuit  found  them  and 
killed  them  at  once,  and  then  they  went  on  to  put  an  end 
to  Smith. 

He  was  going  through  the  woods  with  his  guide,  an  In- 
dian boy,  when  a  flight  of  arrows  came  from  the  under- 
growth, and  the  Indians  rushed  upon  him.  His  situation 
seemed  desperate.  He  was  alone  in  the  heart  of  the 
woods,  far  from  help,  and  surrounded  by  the  savages; 
but  he  was  a  cool  man,  and  not  disposed  to  lose  his  cour- 
age. He  saw  that  his  only  hope  was  to  get  back  to  the 
boat;  so  he  tied  the  Indian  boy  to  his  left  arm,  as  a  protec- 
tion from  the  arrows,  and  hastened  back  in  the  direction 
of  tlie  river.  He  fired  his  carbine  at  the  Indians,  and  this 
startled  them  so  much  that  he  would  probably  have  es- 
caped. But  he  did  not  know  the  danger  of  the  swamp 
he  was  hurrying  through.  The  ground  was  soft  and 
treacherous,  and  before  he  knew  it  he  sank  to  his  waist. 
Tiie  Indians  then  rushed  u])on  him,  and  in  a  moment  dis- 
armed iiim  and  took  hini  prisoner. 

Things  now  looked  hopeless.  Smith  was  in  the  power 
of  his  enemies,  and  had  very  little  doubt  that  they  would 
at  once  put  him  to  death.  Their  chief  was  named  Ope- 
chancanough,  and  at  first  he  seemed  to  have  made  some 
impression  on  this  warrior.  He  had  a  small  pocket-com- 
pass with  him,  and  this  he  explained  to  him,  and  made 
liini  a  present  of  it.      Hut  they  soon  bound  liim  to  a  tree, 


42  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

and  the  bows  were  bent  to  shoot  him,  when  Opechanca- 
nough  waved  the  compass  around  his  head,  and  ordered 
them  to  stop. 

Smith  was  then  unbound  and  taken  to  Orapax,  where 
the  Indian  women  and  children  danced  around  him  with 
Avild  shrieks.  The  band  then  set  out,  and  travelled  day 
after  day  toward  the  Potomac.  They  walked  in  single 
file,  with  Smith  in  their  midst,  and  an  Indian  guard  beside 
him  kept  their  bows  bent  ready  to  shoot  him  if  he  at- 
tempted to  escape.  As  they  passed  through  village  af- 
ter village,  the  women  and  children  shrieked  and  danced 
around  him  as  they  had  done  at  Orapax ;  and  this  march 
seems  to  have  been  a  sort  of  triumphal  procession,  to  show 
that  they  had  made  prisoner  the  great  leader  of  the  "  Pale 
Faces." 

At  last  they  reached  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  River, 
and  then  they  marched  back  toward  the  royal  residence 
of  the  emperor  Powhatan.  This  was  on  the  banks  of 
York  River,  in  what  is  now  Gloucester  County.  The  In- 
dian name  for  it  was  Werowocomoco,  and  Powhatati  spent 
his  winters  there  to  enjoy  the  fish  and  oysters,  as  his 
summers  were  passed  near  the  Falls  of  James  River,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  cool  breezes. 

Smith  was  now  once  more  in  ])resence  of  this  famous 
old  warrior,  and  saw  him  surrounded  by  his  woodland 
court.  The  hundred  bowmen  of  his  guard  were  grouped 
around,  and  he  was  lying  down  in  his  large  wigwam,  in 
the  midst  of  his  wives.  On  his  head  he  wore  a  rich  plume 
of  feathers;  a  string  of  beads  was  around  his  neck,  and 
he  was  wrapped  in  a  large  robe  of  raccoon  skins.  At  his 
head  sat  one  Indian  girl  and  another  at  his  feet.  These 
were  his  favorite  wives,  and  quite  young,  as  the  Indian 
women  often  married  when  they  were  only  twelve  or  thir- 
teen.    They  wore  dresses  of  fur,  wliieh  were  highly  orna- 


THE   ADVEXTUKES   OF   CAPTAIN   JOHN   SMITH.  45 

mentecl,  and  their  arms  and  shoulders  were  painted  a  deep 
red.  In  their  straight  black  hair  they  Avore  plumes  of 
sea-fowls,  and  white  bead  necklaces  around  their  necks, 
probably  pearls  from  oysters.  Other  women  were  ranged 
around  the  wigwam,  in  which  was  a  fire,  and  behind  were 
a  crowd  of  warriors,  mIio  uttered  a  wild  yell  as  Smith  was 
brought  in. 

Powhatan  looked  at  him  keenly,  and  gave  an  order  to  a 
young  Indian  princess  near  him.  She  was  the  "  Queen  of 
Appomattox,"  and  brought  him  a  wooden  basin  to  wash 
his  hands  in.  This  he  did,  and  she  then  presented  him 
with  a  bunch  of  feathers  in  place  of  a  towel;  and  then 
meat  and  corn-bread  were  set  before  him,  while  Powhatan 
consulted  with  his  warriors  what  to  do  with  liim. 

His  fate  was  soon  decided.  The  Indians  hated  the 
whites;  and  as  they  had  the  leader  of  them  in  their  power, 
llicy  determined  at  once  to  put  him  to  death.  At  an  or- 
der from  Powhatan,  Smith  was  therefore  seized,  and  his 
arms  were  bound  together  behind  him.  A  large  stone 
was  tlien  brought  in  and  his  head  was  laid  upon  it;  and 
at  another  order  from  the  emperor  a  tall  savage  raised  a 
club  to  beat  out  his  brains.  In  another  moment  the  club 
would  have  fallen,  and  Smith  would  have  died  cruelly;  but 
a  kind  Providence  watched  over  him.  An  Indian  girl  of 
twelve  or  thirteen  sprang  toward  him.  From  her  dress, 
it  was  i)lain  that  she  ranked  as  a  princess.  The  plume  in 
lier  black  liair  was  similar  to  that  worn  by  Powliatan,  and 
her  moccasins  were  embroidered  like  the  old  emperor's. 
On  licr  arms  were  bracelets  of  shells,  and  from  her  shoul- 
ders fell  a  robe  of  doeskin,  covered  with  the  plumage 
of  birds,  ami  lined  with  down  from  ihc  l)i'C'asts  of  wiM 
jii'^fons. 

Tliis  girl  was  I'ocahontas,  or  "  nright-Streaiii-bc'twceii- 
two-IIills,"  as  her  name  meant  in  the  English  language, 


46 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


and  she  was  the  fiivorite  daughter  of  the  old  emperor. 
She  was  filled  with  pity  for  the  poor  prisoner,  and  ran  and 
clasped  her  arms  around  him,  looking  up  to  her  father 
with  beseeching  eyes  as  she  did  so.  The  heavy  club  did 
not  fall.  The  blow  would  have  killed  Pocahontas,  as 
Smith's  head  was  clasped  to  her  breast ;  and  Powhatan 
ordered  that  the  prisoner's  life  should  be  spared.     He  was 

therefore  unbound,  and 
found  himself  free  ;  and 
Powhatan  soon  showed 
him  that  he  had  noth- 
ing to  fear.  He  enter- 
tained him  in  a  very 
friendly  manner,  and 
not  long  afterward  al- 
lowed him  to  return  to 
Jamestown.  And  that 
was  the  fortunate  end- 
ing of  this  famous  ad- 
venture. 

I  have  related  it  with- 
out exaggerating  any- 
thing— that  is,  making 
it  out  finer  or  greater 
than  it  really  was.  Po- 
cahontas was  only  a  child,  but  acted  nobly,  and  like  a  true 
woman.  There  was  no  especial  reason  w^hy  she  should 
rescue  the  young  Englishman.  He  was  a  perfect  stranger, 
and  she  must  have  heard  that  he  was  a  dangerous  enemy. 
Nevertheless,  she  risked  her  life  for  him,  and  she  deserves 
our  love  and  respect.  Looking  back  to  those  far-oiF  times 
now,  we  can  see  the  brave  girl,  and  the  fearless  young  sol- 
dier whom  she  saved  ;  and  Virginia  is  fortunate  in  having 
two  such  figures  on  the  threshold  of  her  history. 


POCAHONTAS. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  SMITH.      47 

Pocahontas  often  came  to  Jamestown  afterward,  we  are 
told,  with  her  "wild  train"  of  Indian  boys  and  girls,  and 
gambolled  abont  in  the  market-place  and  on  the  grass,  She 
was  a  mere  child,  full  of  high  spirits,  and  there  was  no  rea- 
son why  she  should  not  do  so.  But  she  was  a  woman  in 
her  feelings  too,  and  showed  it  in  times  of  trial.  Once 
Powhatan  determined  to  attack  the  English;  but  Poca- 
hontas overheard  him  consulting  with  his  warriors  about 
it,  and  stole  otf  through  the  woods  at  night,  in  the  midst 
of  a  violent  storm,  to  tell  them  of  the  danger  to  which  they 
were  exposed.  She  then  stole  back  in  the  same  way ;  and 
when  Powhatan  came  he  found  them  ready  for  him,  so 
he  gave  up  the  idea  of  attacking  them. 

This  is  nearly  all  we  know  of  Pocahontas,  or  "  IMatoa," 
as  her  otlier  name  was,  when  she  was  a  little  girl  and 
proved  herself  so  good  a  friend  to  the  English.  As  I  have 
said,  she  deserves  our  love  and  respect  for  her  devotion 
and  courage ;  and  among  all  the  legends,  as  tliey  are  call- 
ed, of  history  there  is  none  more  beautiful  than  her  rescue 
of  Smith. 

VI I  r. 

T  cannot  follow  Jolin  Smith  through  all  his  adventures 
in  \'iiginia.  You  will  one  of  these  days  read  the  long 
books  in  which  thoy  are  related.  With  a  few  more  words, 
I  will  pass  on  to  other  stories  I  have  to  tell  you. 

He  and  Powhatan  had  many  dealings  witli  each  otlier. 
Sometimes  they  bargained  about  swapping  a  grindstone 
for  some  corn.  At  oilier  times  they  visited  each  other, 
though  Powhatan  would  not  come  to  Jamestown ;  and 
they  had  numerous  battles.  At  last  Powhatan  grew  tired, 
and  said  li6  wished  to  live  in  peace.  What  he  said  to 
Smith  showed  how  much  sense  he  had,  or  liow  cunning 
he  was. 

"I  liave  seen  two  generations  of  my  iieoj)le  dii',"  llie  old 


48  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

copper-faced  emperor  suid, "  and  not  a  man  of  these  two 
generations  is  alive  now  but  myself.  I  know  the  differ- 
ence between  peace  and  war  better  than  any  man  in  my 
country.  I  am  now  grown  old,  and  must  die  soon.  Why 
will  you  take  by  force  what  you  may  have  quietly  by 
love?  Why  will  you  destroy  us  who  supply  you  with 
food  ?  What  can  you  get  by  war '?  I  am  not  so  simple  as 
not  to  know  that  it  is  much  better  to  eat  good  meat,  sl^ep 
comfortably,  live  quietly  with  my  wives  and  children,  and 
laugh  and  be  merry  with  the  English,  and  trade  for  their 
copper  and  hatchets,  than  to  run  away  from  them,  and  to 
lie  cold  in  the  woods,  feed  on  acorns,  roots,  and  such  trash, 
and  be  so  hunted  that  I  can  neither  eat  nor  sleep.  In 
these  wars  my  men  must  sit  up  watching,  and  if  a  twig 
breaks  they  cry,  '■Here  comes  Captain  Smith  P  So  I  must 
end  my  miserable  life.  Take  away  your  guns  and  swords, 
the  cause  of  all  our  jealousy,  or  you  may  all  die  in  the 
same  manner !" 

John  Smitli,  no  doubt,  listened  to  this  speech  quietly, 
without  putting  any  great  faith  in  the  old  fellow's  words. 
He  knew  him  too  well  to  trust  him;  but  perhaps  the  old 
emperor  was  sincere.  He  probably  saw  that  Smith  was 
too  brave  a  soldier  to  be  defeated,  and  that  the  best  thing 
would  be  to  make  peace  with  him.  This  is  not  opposed 
to  what  we  knoAV  of  Powhatan,  He  was  a  long-headed  old 
ruler,  and  not  a  mere  stupid  savage.  An  Englishman 
named  Ralph  Hamor  paid  him  a  visit  once,  on  the  Pamun- 
ky,  and  gives  us  a  very  good  idea  of  him.  He  was  hos- 
pitable and  liberal  after  his  wild  wood  fiishion.  He  grew 
angry  at  something,  but  went  away  and  got  over  it ;  and 
when  something  amused  him  he  laughed  heartily.  He 
was  a  real  king,  and  governed  all  around  him :  the  only 
person  who  gave  him  any  trouble  was  Smith. 

I  cannot  tell  you,  as  I  have  said,  all  Smith's  adventures 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH.  49 

wiili  Powhatan  and  the  rest.  Once  he  had  a  single-hand- 
ed fight  with  his  old  enemy  Opechancanough,  and  caught 
liim  by  his  hair  and  dragged  him  off  prisoner.  At  another 
time  he  fought  and  captured  an  Indian  giant  named  Pas- 
pahey;  and  I  might  go  on  and  tell  you  of  other  exploits 
of  liis,  if  I  had  the  time. 

His  most  important  act,  however,  was  his  exploration  of 
the  great  Chesapeake  Bay.  He  made  two  voyages  in  an 
open  boat,  going  at  least  three  thousand  miles,  and  drew 
a  map  of  the  whole  country,  which  was  so  true  that  it  has 
never  needed  any  correction.  He  went  up  all  the  great 
rivers,  fighting  the  Indians  wherever  he  met  with  them, 
and  landed  and  cooked  his  dinner  where  the  city  of  Bal- 
timore now  stands.  He  then  came  back  and  went  up  the 
Potomac,  past  the  city  of  Washington,  and  up  the  Rappa- 
hannock and  all  the  rivers  along  the  coast. 

One  day  he  came  very  near  losing  liis  life.  The  boat 
ran  on  a  sand-bank,  and  he  saw  some  strange-looking  fish 
in  the  water.  They  were  odd-looking  creatures,  with  long 
tails  like  a  saw,  and  Smith  stuck  the  point  of  his  sword 
into  one  of  them,  and  attempted  to  take  it  in  his  hand. 
As  he  did  so,  the  fish  writhed  its  sliarp  tail  around  and 
stung  him  in  his  wrist.  Soon  the  place  turned  blue,  and 
his  arm  began  to  swell.  The  swelling  went  on  growing 
worse  and  extending  toward  his  shoulder;  and  at  last  he 
was  convinced  that  he  was  going  to  die.  He  was  so  cer- 
tain of  this  that  he  picked  out  a  spot  on  the  shore  where 
he  told  his  men  they  must  bury  him.  But  the  swelling  at 
last  went  down.  It  was  rubbed  with  a  certain  oil,  and 
finally  disappeared;  and  in  memory  of  the  incident  Smith 
called  the  place  "Stingray  Point,"  a  name  it  bears  still. 

Soon  afterward  the  brave  boatmen  got  back  safely  to 
Jamestown.  They  had  made  a  rcmarkabh'  voyage,  and 
wlion  people  heard  of  it  in  England  they  wondered  at  it. 

3 


50  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

But  this  was  only  one  of  Smith's  remarkable  exploits  and 
adventures  in  the  New  World.  He  had  many  others, which 
you  will  read  of  when  you  are  older.  In  spite  of  all  his 
exertions  for  the  good  of  the  colony,  there  were  some  base 
persons  who  hated  him,  and  even  tried  to  destroy  him. 
An  attempt  was  made  to  poison  him  by  these  wretched 
creatures,  and  at  another  time  a  plot  was  formed  to  mur- 
der him. 

All  this  he  would  not  have  cared  for,  as  he  was  a  fear- 
less man,  and  knew  that  he  was  doing  his  duty.  But  at 
last  a  painful  accident  brought  his  career  in  Virginia  to 
an  end.  As  he  was  rowing  down  James  River  one  day, 
a  bag  of  gunpowder  in  his  boat  exploded,  and  he  was  ter- 
ribly burned.  He  was  all  in  flames,  as  his  clothes  had 
caught  fire,  and  the  pain  was  so  fearful  that  he  leaped 
into  the  water  to  extinguish  the  fire.  In  this  he  succeed- 
ed, but  he  came  near  being  drowned,  and  his  men  could 
scarcely  get  him  into  the  boat  again  and  take  him  home. 
He  at  last  reached  Jamestown  ;  but  his  burns  were  terrible. 
There  was  no  surgeon  to  dress  them,  and  be  determined 
to  go  back  to  England  and  find  one.  As  a  ship  was  about 
to  sail,  he  embarked  upon  the  vessel ;  and  that  was  the  last 
of  John  Smith  in  Virginia. 

He  had  come  over  in  the  spring  of  1607,  and  went  back 
in  the  autumn  of  1609.  It  seemed  a  very  short  time — not 
three  years  in  all ;  but  in  this  time  he  had  laid,  broad  and 
deep,  the  foundations  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia. 

IX. 

I  must  not  end  my  story  of  the  adventures  of  John 
Smith  without  telling  you  the  fate  of  Pocahontas,  and  of 
Smith's  last  meeting  with  her.  Everything  concerning 
this  devoted  girl  is  interesting,  and  I  will  proceed  to  tell 
you  what  became  of  her. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  SMITH.      51 

Some  years  passed,  and  the  little  girl  of  thirteen  was 
now  a  maiden  of  seventeen  or  eighteen,  and  quite  good- 
looking,  as  her  portrait,  which  was  taken  soon  afterward, 
shows.  She  had  straight  black  hair  (for  the  hair  of  the 
Indians  never  curled),  bright  black  eyes,  regular  features? 
and  was  not  too  brown  to  be  very  pretty.  She  often  came 
to  Jamestown,  as  I  have  told  you,  and  remained  friendly 
to  the  English.  But  they  requited  her  for  this  in  a  very 
poor  way.  While  she  was  on  a  visit  to  some  of  her  friends 
toward  the  Potomac,  she  was  betrayed  by  them  for  a  cop- 
per-kettle to  the  English,  and  taken  back  prisoner  to 
Jamestown.  Their  object  seems  to  have  been  to  hold  her 
as  a  hostage,  as  it  is  called,  and  thus  make  her  father  re- 
main quiet.  Slie  was  kept  for  some  time,  and  a  young 
gentleman  named  John  Kolfe  became  very  much  in  love 
with  her,  and  she  with  him. 

Kolfe  scarcely  knew  what  to  do.  The  Indians  were 
looked  upon  as  an  inferior  race  of  people,  and  mere  hea- 
thens; and  at  that  time  it  was  considered  a  sin  to  inter- 
marry with  such  persons.  Rolfe  was  tliercfore  much  trou- 
bled, and  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  who  was 
then  governor.  He  knew,  he  said,  tliat  in  the  Bible  men 
were  forbidden  to  marry  "strange  wives"  who  were 
heathens,  l)ut  that  Pocahontas  was  ready  to  become  a 
Christian.  lie  loved  her,  he  said,  and  he  was  acting  for 
the  good  of  the  colony  and  tlie  glory  of  God.  He  was 
sincere  in  this,  lie  declared,  and  he  gave  a  high  character 
to  Pocaliontas.  His  words  were:  "Likewise  adding  liere- 
iinto  her  great  ajijK'arance  of  love  to  me,  Iier  desire  to  be 
taught  and  instructed  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  her  capa- 
blencss  of  understanding,  her  aptness  and  willingness  to 
receive  any  good  impression,  and  also  the  spii'itual  besides 
her  own  incitements  stirring  me  up  licicunto." 

There  is  no  reason  to  believe  tliat  John  Rolfe  was  not 


52 


STOEIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 


honest  in  Avhat  he  wrote.  Every  word  came  from  his 
heart,  as  any  one  who  read  his  letter  could  see ;  and  those 
who  knew  him  spoke  of  him  as  a  "discreet  gentleman" 
and  a  man  of  high  character.  The  governor  gave  his 
consent,  and  soon  afterward  Pocahontas  became  a  Chris- 
tian, and  was  baptized  at  Jamestown  under  the  name  of 
Rebecca.  She  and  Rolfe  were  then  married,  and  he  went 
Avith  her  to  England,  where  she  was  called  the  "Lady  Re- 


MAHKIAGE   OF   POCAUONTAS. 


becca,"  and  treated  like  a  princess.  It  is  even  said  that 
King  James  looked  upon  her  as  the  daughter  of  a  real  em- 
peror, and  grew  angry  at  one  of  his  plain  subjects  having 
married  into  a  royal  family. 

In  England,  about  three  years  afterward,  Pocahontas 
again  met  with  John  Smith,  lie  paid  her  a  visit,  and  they 
talked  together  for  two  or  three  hours.  She  was  then 
twenty-one  and  he  was  thirty-seven;  and  though  they 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH.  53 

were  thus  both  tolerably  young  people  still,  it  seemed  an 
age  since  they  had  last  met.  They  must  have  remembered 
old  times  in  Virginia,  where  they  knew  each  other  so  well ; 
and  Pocahontas  was  ready  to  meet  him  with  the  same  joy 
and  aifection  as  before.  But  Smith  would  not  allow  this, 
or  permit  her  to  call  him  "  fjither,"  as  she  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  doing.  It  is  probable  that  he  had  heard  of 
the  king's  foolish  ideas,  and  thought  that  there  might  be 
trouble.  He  therefore  addressed  her  as  "Lady  Rebecca," 
and  treated  her  with  great  respect. 

At  this  Pocahontas  covered  her  face  with  her  bands  and 
began  to  cry.  It  was  unkind  in  him,  she  said,  in  a  faltering 
voice,  to  speak  so  coldly  to  her.  In  Virginia  she  bad  call- 
ed him  father,  and  he  had  called  her  his  child,  and  she 
meant  to  call  him  father  still.  What  had  become  of  him 
all  this  time?  she  asked:  they  had  told  her  he  was  dead. 
She  murmured  these  low  words  from  behind  her  hands, 
which  she  never  took  away  from  her  face.  And  that  is  all 
wc  know  of  her  last  meeting  with  John  Smith. 

Some  persons  have  supposed  that  when  he  left  Virginia, 
she  loved  him  and  expected  to  marry  him,  as  the  Indian 
girls  became  wives  often  when  they  were  very  young.  It 
is  also  said  that  the  friends  of  Uolfe  knew  this,  and  there- 
fore told  her  that  Smith  was  dead,  in  order  to  induce  her 
to  ijive  up  the  idea.  Of  this  nothing  is  known  at  this  far- 
off  time.  Smith  was  young  and  haiidsotne,  and  Pocahon- 
tas saved  his  life;  so  it  is  not  improbable  that  she  had 
formed  a  deep  affection  for  him. 

The  meeting  I  have  spoken  of  was  their  last.  About  a 
year  afterward  she  and  her  husband  were  about  to  sail  for 
Virginia,  when  Pocahontas  was  taken  ill,  and  soon  after- 
ward dicil.  She  left  one  son,  whose  name  was  Tiiomas 
Itolfe.  He  returned  to  Virginia,  where  he  afterward  mar- 
ried ;  and  amonf»  his  descendants  were  the  great  orator 


54  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

John  Randolph  of  Roanoke,  and  some  of  the  most  respect- 
able people  in  Virginia. 

Such  was  the  end  of  this  "  tender  virgin,"  as  John  Smith 
calls  her  in  a  letter  to  the  king.  She  was  only  a  child  of 
twelve  or  thirteen,  he  says,  when  she  saved  his  life,  and 
he  adds:  "Her  compassionate,  pitiful  heart  of  my  desper- 
ate estate  gave  me  much  cause  to  respect  her ;  she  haz- 
arded the  beating  out  of  her  brains  to  save  mine ;  .  .  .  and 
during  the  time  of  two  or  three  years  she,  next  under  God, 
was  the  instrument  to  preserve  this  colony  from  death, 
famine,  and  confusion." 

Could  praise- be  much  higher  than  this?  If  we  think 
of  Pocahontas  and  of  what  she  did — of  her  "  aptness  and 
willingness  to  receive  any  good  impression,"  and  her  "de- 
sire to  be  taught  and  instructed  in  the  knowledge  of  God" 
— we  have  before  us  a  very  beautiful  character  to  love  and 

admire. 

X. 

I  have  thus  related  the  chief  events  in  the  life  of  the 
brave  soldier  John  Smith,  and  with  a  few  more  words 
will  go  on  with  other  stories. 

He  continued  to  make  voyages,  and  received  from  King 
James  I.  the  title  of  "Admiral  of  New  England;"  but  at 
length  he  went  into  retirement,  and  spent  his  last  days  in 
quiet.  He  died  in  1631,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two,  and  was 
buried  in  St.  Sepulchre's  Church,  in  the  city  of  London. 
His  grave  was  just  in  front  of  the  chancel,  and  two  flat 
stones  were  placed  in  the  floor  above  it.  On  one  of  these 
was  carved  his  coat-of-arms,  with  the  three  Turks'  heads 
upon  it ;  and  on  the  other  these  words  were  cut, 

"here  lies  one  conquered  that  hath  conquered  kings." 

Under  this  was  a  prayer  that  when  God  came  to  judge 
him  he  might  "with  angels  have  his  recompense."     And 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH.  55 

there  the  dust  of  the  brave  soldier  remains  to  the  present 
day. 

My  story  must  liave  shown  you  the  true  character  of 
John  Smitii.  He  lived  in  a  remarkable  age,  and  was 
one  of  the  foremost  men  oi'  his  time.  The  Middle  or 
Dark  Ages,  as  they  are  called,  were  giving  way  to  the 
modern  world,  and  John  Smith  seemed  to  have  in  his 
character  what  was  best  in  both.  He  was  a  romantic  sol- 
dier, but  a  man  of  business  also.  He  loved  fame,  but  was 
ready  for  the  hardest  work.  We  find  him  talking  at  one 
moment  with  dukes  and  princes,  and  then,  axe  in  hand, 
cutting  down  trees  to  build  ))alisades.  He  was  ready  to 
fight  the  Turks,  or  to  bargain  with  Powhatan  for  a  grind- 
stone. In  all  this  he  showed  his  2:ood- sense  and  readi- 
ness  to  do  his  duty.  He  looked  to  Heaven  to  help  him 
always,  but  he  meant  to  do  his  best  also  to  help  himself; 
and  this  makes  him  a  noble  example. 


56  STOKlJiS    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


why  virginia  wa&  called  the  ''old 
dominion:' 

I. 

Virginia  received  the  name  of  the  "  Old  Dominion " 
about  fifty  years  after  the  settlement  at  Jamestown.  What 
led  to  it  was  somewhat  curious;  and  as  you  ought  to  know- 
about  the  events,  I  will  tell  you  what  they  were  in  a  very 
few  words. 

The  colony  went  on  increasing  in  these  first  years,  in 
spite  of  every  difficulty,  as  to  wliich  I  will  say  more  when 
I  come  to  my  next  story.  I  need  only  tell  you  now  that 
at  the  middle  of  the  century — that  is  to  say,  about  the 
year  1650 — there  were  twenty  thousand  people  in  Virginia, 
and  the  land  was  prosperous.  Many  persons  of  high  char- 
acter had  come  over  after  the  death  of  Charles  I.,  for  fear 
of  being  persecuted  by  their  enemies  in  England ;  and  I 
will  show  you  how  much  courage  they  exhibited  in  times 
of  trial,  which  were  now  near. 

The  trouble  srrew  out  of  affiiirs  in  England.  About 
1640  a  srreat  stru^o-le  took  place  there  between  King 
Charles  I.  and  the  Parliament.  They  complained  that 
the  king  was  a  tyrant,  and  he  charged  them  with  rebellion 
and  treason ;  and  the  result  Avas  that  a  bloody  war  began, 
which  for  some  time  was  doubtful.  At  last  the  king  was 
defeated  and  made  prisoner  by  the  Parliament,  when  they 
went  through  the  form  of  trying  him,  and  beheaded  him 
in  front  of  his  palace  in  London. 

A  new   government  was  now  established,  and  Oliver 


■VVUr    VIRGINIA    WAS    CALLED    THE    ''OLD    DOMINION." 


57 


Cromwell,  the  leader  of  the  Parliament  party,  was  made 
"Lord  Protector  of  England."  He  was  a  man  of  great 
genius,  and  made  a  powerful  ruler;  but  the  Virginians 
were  by  no.  means  pleased  at  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
gained  his  power.  Many  of  them  were  "  Cavaliers,"  as 
they  were  called,  and  had  fought  for  King  Charles,  and 
the  Virginians  generally  were  in  favor  of  royal  authority. 
They  were  proud  enough,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  fight 
for  their  rights,  against  the  king  or  anybody  else,  as  you 


LOG-CAIIIN. 


will  sec  when  you  have  read  a  few  pages  farther;  but 
they  looked  upon  the  execution  of  Charles  I.  as  murder, 
and,  like  brave  men,  openly  said  so,  in  spite  of  Cromwell 
and  the  Parliament,  who  ruled  affairs  with  an  iron  hand 
everywheic. 

I  will  now  give  you  llie  ])roof  of  tliis.  Charles  was 
executed  in  the  month  of  January,  IfUO;  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing October  the  Virginia  IJurgcsses  passed  a  law  which 

3* 


58  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

I  will  tell  you  of.  In  this  law  they  said  that  if  any  one 
went  about  in  Virg-inia  cleclarinsr  that  the  execution  of 
"the  late  most  excellent  and  now  undoubtedly  sainted 
king,"  Charles  I.,  was  justifiable,  such  persons  should  be 
arrested  and  punished  as  traitors,  just  as  if  they  had  taken 
part  in  the  king's  death.  And  in  the  law  there  is  another 
very  remarkable  passage.  It  speaks  of  "his  sacred  majesty 
that  now  is"  and  threatens  with  bloody  punishment  any- 
body w^ho  denied  "the  inherent  right  of  his  majesty  that 
now  is  to  the  colony  of  Virginia." 

You  may  not  understand  what  these  words,  "  his  maj- 
esty that  now  ?\s,"  meant,  and  I  will  explain  them.  The 
friends  of  royal  rule  believed  that  kings  were  entitled  to 
authority  by  birth,  and  that  if  one  died  or  was  put  to 
death,  the  next  heir  began  to  reign  from  that  hour.  He 
mio-ht  not  be  able  to  assert  his  claim  and  make  himself 
king,  but  he  was  the  true  king  for  all  that,  Avherever  he 
was;  and  this  was  the  meaning  of  the  law  passed  by  the 
Burgesses.  Charles  I.  had  a  son,  who  had  been  driven  out 
of  England,  He  was  a  careless  young  fellow,  very  good- 
hearted,  but  rather  worthless,  who  was  lurking  at  this 
time  in  Holland.  He  was  only  about  eighteen,  and  scarce- 
ly had  clothes  to  wear,  such  was  his  poverty ;  but  home- 
less as  he  was,  and  almost  an  object  of  charity,  the  fol- 
lowers of  his  father  looked  upon  him  as  the  real  King 
of  England. 

In  this  feeling  the  Virginians  shared,  you  see ;  and  in 
spite  of  the  great  Parliament,  they  said  what  they  thought. 
I  have  shown  this  by  quoting  the  words  of  the  law  passed 
by  the  House  of  Burgesses.  They  spoke  of  the  boy  who 
was  lurking  and  dodging  about  in  Europe  as  "his  maj- 
esty that  now  is,''"'  and  denounced  the  penalty  of  treason 
against  any  one  who  denied  that  he  was  the  true  King  of 
Eno-land  and  Virginia.     This,  of  course,  was  a  dangerous 


WHY    VIRGINIA    WAS    CALLED    THE    "  OLD    DOMINION."    59 

proceeding.  Oliver  Cromwell  was  one  of  the  most  pow- 
erful rulers  of  Europe— for  he  ruled  from  the  very  begin- 
ning— and  was  a  bitter  enemy.  Scarcely  a  man  in  all 
England  dared  to  whisper  tliat  the  execution  of  Charles  I. 
was  unjustifiable;  and  as  to  asserting  that  his  son  was 
entitled  to  the  throne,  they  knew  that  short  work  would  be 
made  of  any  one  who  did  so.  Parliament  hated  the  very 
name  of  Charles,  and  hunted  down  his  friends  everywhere; 
and  it  was  in  the  midst  of  all  this  that  the  Virginia  Bur- 
gesses stood  up  for  the  young  man  in  exile.  An  offer  was 
even  made  to  him  that  if  he  would  come  over,  the  Vir- 
ginians would  fight  for  him  ;  and  I  will  tell  you  how  and 
by  whom  this  offer  was  made. 

Tlie  name  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia  at  that  time  was 
Sir  William  Berkeley,  of  whom  I  will  have  more  to  say 
when  I  come  to  my  story  of  Bacon's  Rebellion.  I  need 
only  tell  you  here  that  this  Sir  William  was  a  fiery  old 
Cavalier,  and  he  resolved  to  send  and  invite  young  Charles 
II.,  as  he  called  him,  to  Virginia.  No  law  was  passed  by 
the  Burgesses  giving  him  authority  to  do  so,  but  his  de- 
sign was  certainly  well  known  to  the  leading  Virginians, 
among  whom  was  Colonel  Richard  Lee,  a  planter  on  the 
Potomac,  who  was  as  strong  a  Cavalier  as  Sir  William 
Berkeley. 

liichard  Lee  set  sail,  and  visited  young  Charles  IT.  at  a 
place  called  Breda,  in  Holland.  Here  he  had  a  long  con- 
versation with  the  youth,  and  told  him  how  the  Virginians 
felt  toward  him.  Richard  Lee  never  wrote  down  an  ac- 
count of  his  interview,  or  the  paper  is  now  lost;  but  it  is 
known  that  he  informed  t])e  young  ]irince  that  the  Vir- 
ginians wished  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Parliament, 
and  that  if  he  would  come  over  they  would  espouse  his 
cause,  in  case  there  was  any  hope  of  making  him  king  and 
of  not  destroying  themselves.     That  this  offer  was  made 


GO  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

to  Chavles  we  are  told  by  William  Lee,  sherifl"  of  the 
city  of  London,  and  a  cousin  of  Richard,  who  wrote  it  all 
down,  and  said  he  knew  about  the  visit  to  Breda. 

II. 

Nothing  came  of  the  whole  affair.  Charles  refused  to 
come  over  to  Virginia,  and  I  think  he  showed  more  sense 
by  doing  so  than  people  gave  him  credit  for.  The  at- 
tempt to  make  him  king  in  Virginia  would,  no  doubt,  have 
failed,  and  he  declined  to  accept  the  offer.  But  he  sent 
back  to  Sir  William  Berkeley  a  new  commission — at  this 
time  or  afterward — as  Governor  of  Virginia,  signed  by  him- 
self as  King  of  England ;  and  this  the  Virginians  looked 
on  as  a  real  commission  from  a  real  king. 

Richard  Lee  had  to  come  back  without  succeeding  in 
his  business ;  and  the  English  Parliament  soon  showed  that 
they  were  not  to  be  trifled  with.  They  were  much  too 
powerful  and  determined  to  allow  themselves  to  be  de- 
fied by  a  small  colony  like  Virginia.  There  was  no  one 
in  England  who  was  fearless  enough  to  declare  openly 
that  he  was  in  favor  of  Charles  IL,  and  yet  here  was  Sir 
William  Berkeley  and  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia 
proclaiming  that  he  was  their  king. 

Oliver  Cromwell  and  the  Parliament  resolved  to  put  an 
end  to  the  whole  matter  at  once.  In  1652  an  English 
fleet  was  sent  across  the  water,  and  a  part  of  it  sailed  np 
the  river  to  Jamestown. 

It  seemed  quite  absurd  to  suppose  that  Virginia  could 
resist  the  Parliament,  and  the  strong  force  sent  over,  which 
was  quite  sufficient  to  crush  her.  Certainly  the  English 
commander  had  cannon  enough  to  blow  Jamestown  to 
pieces.  But  in  spite  of  this,  Berkeley  and  the  rest  re- 
solved to  fight.  Now  was  the  time,  if  ever,  to  show  that 
they  were  in  earnest  when  they  said  they  would  fight  the 


WHY    VIRGINIA    WAS    CALLED   THE    "  OLD    DOMIXION.        61 

Pai'liaraent,  and  preparations  were  at  once  made  for  battle. 
The  Virginians  had  Hocked  to  Jamestown,  on  hearing  that 
ships  of  war  were  coming  up  the  river,  and  were  now  fur- 
nished with  muskets  and  ammunition.  Cannon  were  post- 
ed to  rake  the  river  below  the  place,  and  some  Dutch 
ships  were  also  made  use  of  as  a  sort  of  fort.  These  were 
merchant  ships  which  had  brought  cargoes  of  goods  to 
Jamestown ;  and  as  England  and  Holland  were  then  at 
war,  the  Dutchmen  were  afraid  of  losing  their  goods. 
These  were  quickly  moved  on  shore ;  then  cannon  were 
placed  in  the  vessels,  and  they  were  drawn  up  in  a  line 
ready  to  open  fire  as  soon  as  the  enemy  approached. 

They  came  in  sight  at  last,  and  it  seemed  certain  that  a 
battle  would  take  place.  But  none  followed.  A  boat 
came  to  shore,  and  a  message  was  brought  to  Governor 
Bei-keley.  This  was  a  summons  to  surrender  to  the  au- 
thority of  Parliament ;  and  a  promise  was  made,  if  they 
consented  to  do  so,  that  they  should  not  be  interfered  with 
in  any  way.  At  this  a  long  consultation  was  held,  some 
being  in  favor  of  it  and  others  against  it.  But  at  last  it 
was  decided  that  the  terms  offered  should  be  accepted, 
and  a  paper  was  drawn  up  in  whicli  Virginia  agreed  to 
submit.  Tliis  paper  is  quite  remarkable  under  all  the  cir- 
cumstances. The  Virginians  made  their  terms  as  if  they 
were  one  nation  treating  with  another  which  they  were 
not  at  all  afraid  of.  There  is  no  cringing  anywhere  about 
this  paper,  which  is  still  in  existence.  Its  tone  is  proud 
and  resolute.  The  Virginians  declared  in  it  that  they 
were  not  "  forced  nor  constrained  by  a  conquest  of  the 
country"  to  surrender,  but  did  so  of  their  own  accord. 
Hut  tlicy  would  not  be' oppressed.  They  intended  to  en- 
joy every  privilege  belonging  to  English  peoj)le.  No  man 
was  to  be  punished  for  anything  he  had  said  or  done  in 
favor  of  the  king.    Virginia  was  to  have  the  rii^lit  of  trad- 


62 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


ing  freely  with  all  nations.  Governor  Berkeley  was  not 
to  be  interfered  with,  or  bis  property  touched  ;  atid  they 
were  to  have  the  right  to  use  the  Episcopal  Prayer-book 
in  church,  which  at  that  time  the  Parliament  party  hated 
as  bitterly  as  they  hated  the  king. 

These  were  a  few  of  the  tei-ms,  and  none  of  them  were 
objected  to.     There  is  very  little  doubt  that  this  was  in 


THE   KING   AT  BOSCOBEL. 


consequence  of  orders  from  Cromwell.  He  was  a  very 
great  statesman,  and  knew  how  desirable  it  was  for  the 
English  colonies  to  remain  on  good  terms  with  the  Mother 
Country,  as  England  was  called.  Destroying  them  would 
only  have  weakened  the  power  of  England  ;  and  I  suppose 
he  thought  the  Cavalier  feeling  in  Virginia  could  do  no 
great  harm.     Still  there  was  danger  in  humoring  it,  too, 


•WHY    VIRGINIA    WAS    CALLED    THE    "  OLD    DOMIXIOX."    63 

as  Charles  II.  might  come  over,  and  his  friends  might 
then  rise  in  England.  So  Cromwell  is  entitled  to  all  the 
credit  he  deserves  for  acting  like  a  great  ruler  and  a'man 
of  sense. 

The  Virginians  thus  gave  up  to  the  Parliament,  and  Sir 
William  Berkeley  retired  to  his  plantation.    The  Burgesses 
then  went  on  making  laws  and  governing  the  colony  to 
suit  themselves,  just  as  if  they  were  an  independent  nation 
belonging  to  nobody,  and   Parliament  did   not  interfere 
with  them.    At  last  a  great  change  came,  and  the  English 
people  resolved  to  place  young  Charles  II.  on  the  throne. 
Two  years  before  this  was  done,  William  Lee  says  that 
the  Virginians  proclaimed  Charles  II.  King   of  England 
and  Virginia,  though  nothing  is  found  to  prove   this  in 
the  laws  passed  by  the  Burgesses.     It  is  not  very  impor- 
tant.    The  people  wished  to,  if  they  did  not  do  so ;  for  in 
March,  1600,  the   Burgesses  re-elected   old    Sir   William 
Berkeley   "Governor  and   Captain -general  of  Virginia," 
wlio  certainly  proclaimed  him.     And  as  it  was  not  until 
April  of  the  same  year  that  Charles  was  made  King  of 
England,  lie  was  King  of  Virginia  first,  you  see,  after  all. 
It  is  said  that  at  his  coronation — that  is,  when  the  crown 
was  placed  upon  liis  head— he  wore  a  robe  of  Virginia  silk, 
to  show  his  gratitude  for  all  this;  and  after  that  time  the 
kinors  of  England  looked  with  great  favor  on  Virginia.     It 
was  ])roclaimed  on  coins,  that  is,  pieces  of  money,  that  the 
English  kingdom  should  thenceforward  consist  of  "  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Virginia  f  and  on  these  coins 
was  the  inscription,  "A/i  dat  Virginia  qxiartam,^''  which  are 
l/ilin  words,  signifying  "  Sec,  Virginia  makes  the  fourth^ 
One  of  these  coins  is  said  to  be   in   the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society's   collection.      This   was   considered   a 
high  lionor  for  the  little  colony,  to  rank  her  with   such 
great   countries   as   England,  Scotlatul,  and   Trrlnnd  :   but 


04  STOBIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

her  course  in  favor  of  Charles,  when  he  had  scarcely  a 
friend  in  the  world,  showed  that  her  people  were  brave 
and  devoted.  She  was  therefore  generally  spoken  of  as 
the  "  Old  Dominion,"  where  Charles  II.  was  first  pro- 
claimed king  after  the  execution  of  his  father,  and  where 
he  had  dominion — that  is,  "  sovereign  authority" — when 
he  had  none  anywhere  else. 

The  Virginians,  in  fact,  whether  they  were  right  or 
wrong,  had  very  little  opinion  of  the  way  things  went  on 
under  the  Parliament ;  and  the  English  people,  you  see, 
soon  came  to  be  of  the  same  way  of  thinking.  Charles 
II.  was  made  king,  and  Virginia  became  quiet  once  more. 
She  asked  no  favors,  and  received  none.  She  had  acted  on 
principle,  and  that  was  enough ;  and  you  will  soon  see  that 
when  she  was  not  pleased  with  Sir  William  Berkeley,  the 
king's  governor,  the  "  Old  Dominion  "  took  up  arms  against 
him,  as  she  had  taken  them  up  against  the  Parliament. 


THE    GREAT    REBELLION   IN    VIRGINIA.  65 


THE   GREAT  REBELLION  IN  VIRGINIA. 

I. 

Just  one  Ininclred  years  before  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, a  rebellion  or  revolution  took  place  in  Virginia,  which 
resembled  it  in  the  most  striking  manner.  The  Virginians, 
as  you  will  see,  made  war  on  the  English  governor  just 
as  the  Americans  afterward  made  war  on  the  King  of 
England.  Tliey  were  led,  too,  by  a  man  whose  character 
was  very  much  like  Washington's;  and  I  shall  now  de- 
scribe this  remarkable  struggle,  and  how  it  ended. 

Tlie  "  Great  Rebellion,"  as  it  was  called,  broke  out  in  the 
year  1676,  about  seventy  years  after  the  landing  at  James- 
town. At  this  time  Virginia  had  become  a  considerable 
colony.  Only  about  one  hundred  persons,  you  remember, 
had  come  over  at  first ;  but  others  followed  them,  and  in 
three  years  there  were  five  hundred,  and  the  colony  went 
on  increasing  and  prospering.  There  were  times  of  dis- 
tress, when  the  people  nearly  starved,  and  the  Indians 
continued  to  give  them  great  trouble.  At  one  time  Ope- 
chancanough,  Smith's  old  enemy,  fell  upon  them,  and  near- 
ly all  of  them  were  put  to  death.  But  this  did  not  dis- 
courage pcojjle.  iSIore  settlers  came  to  make  their  homes 
in  the  country.  The  number  of  people  grew  larger  and 
larger,  and  the  rich  lands  were  settled  farther  and  farther 
up  the  rivers.  Strong  settlers  went  to  work  in  the  woods, 
and  cut  down  the  oaks  and  pines,  with  wliicli  tliey  built 
lioiises  for  their  lanulies.  Tliey  then  ]tl(Mighcd  the  ground 
and   sowed  wheat,  and  planted   corn   and  tobacco,  keep- 


66  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

ino-  a  o'oocl  lookout  all  the  time  for  Indians.  And  so 
the  country  gradually  grew  in  the  number  of  settlers, 
whose  houses  were  seen  peeping  everywhere  from  the 
trees;  until,  in  the  year  1676,  there  were  no  less  than 
forty  thousand  people  in  Virginia,  of  whom  eight  thou- 
sand were  servants  —  two  thousand  black  and  six  thou- 
sand white. 

Several  governors  had  been  sent,  one  after  another,  to 
rule  over  Virginia.  When  Bacon's  Rebellion,  of  which  I 
am  going  to  tell  you,  broke  out,  the  English  governor  was 
Sir  William  Berkeley — the  same  who  had  sent  Richard 
Lee  to  invite  Charles  II.  to  Virginia.  He  was  a  high- 
tempered  old  ruler,  not  altogether  bad,  by  any  means,  but 
very  cruel  and  revengeful  in  his  disposition,  and  so  de- 
voted to  the  King  of  England,  as  I  have  shown  jou,  that 
he  was  always  thinking  how  he  could  please  him.  He 
seemed  to  like  the  Virginians,  and  they  liked  him,  but 
they  were  not  much  pleased  at  his  high-handed  manner 
of  making  them  obey  every  order  that  came  across  the 
ocean.  They  did  not  mind  old  Sir  William's  living  easily 
and  in  luxury  at  his  estate,  called  "  Green  Spring,"  not  far 
from  Jamestown,  where  he  had  fine  horses  and  carriages, 
and  large  numbers  of  servants,  and  ate  his  dinner  off  sil- 
ver plate,  and  was  a  Sort  of  king  in  a  small  way.  The 
Virginians  themselves  were  fond  of  that  style  of  living, 
and  may  have  liked  old  Sir  William  all  the  better  for  in- 
viting guests  to  his  house  and  entertaining  them  well. 
But  what  they  did  not  like  was  his  habit  of  deciding  ev- 
erything in  favor  of  England  and  against  Virginia.  They 
also  complained  that  he  would  not  protect  the  families 
living  up  the  rivers  toward  the  mountains  from  the  sav- 
ages. The  Indians  were  not  yet  entirely  subdued,  and 
would  make  sudden  attacks  on  the  women  and  children, 
and   put  them    to  death ;   and   as  Sir  William   Berkeley 


THE    GREAT    REBELLIOX    IX    VIBGIXIA. 


6' 


seemed  resolved  to  do  nothing  for  the  people,  they  at  last 
determined  to  take  the  matter  into  their  own  hands. 

An  opportunity  for  this  soon  came,  and  the  Virginians 
found  a  leader  who  just  suited  them.  His  name  was  Na- 
thaniel Bacon ;  and  as  I  have  given  you  some  idea  of  the 
character  of  Governor  Berkeley,  I  will  now  say  a  few 
words  of  the  man  who  was  going  to  give  bim  so  much 
trouble.  Bacon  was  born  in  England,  like  many  other 
persons  who  lived  in  Virginia,  and  had  come  over  to  the 


MULu^L^ 


-•tUlUM. 


Vf- 


wrrrr 


IT  I 


^'' 


JAMESTOWN    ISLAND. 


colony  only  a  short  time  before.  Here  he  owned  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  land  and  a  number  of  servants,  and 
ranked  very  high  among  the  planters,  as  they  were  called. 
He  was  about  forty-five,  and  in  many  ways  quite  a  re- 
markable man.  As  you  will  soon  see,  he  was  extremely 
brave  and  determined  ;  but  besides  this,  he  seems  to  liave 
been  a  very  fine  ]>ublic  speaker,  and  very  popidar  with  his 
friends  and  neighbors,  from  his  polite  and  cordial  manners. 


68  STOKIES    OF   TUE    OLD    DOMINION. 

Although  he  was  a  new-coraer,  as  it  was  called,  he  was 
made  a  member  of  the  "  King's  Council ;"  and  as  only  the 
oldest  and  ablest  planters  were  generally  aj^pointed  to 
this  council,  this  was  a  high  compliment  to  Bacon.  No 
doubt  old  Sir  William  thought  he  was  an  Englishman  in 
his  feelings,  and  would  support  him  in  his  doings  against 
the  Virginians.  But  he  was  very  much  mistaken.  Bacon 
determined  to  oppose  him,  and  take  the  Virginia  side;  and 
his  friends,  who  saw  how  brave  he  was,  resolved  to  have 
him  for  their  leader. 

Trouble  soon  began.  Rebellions  or  revolutions  gener- 
ally begin  with  some  small  matter;  and  so  it  was  on  this 
occasion.  Bacon  had  a  plantation  near  the  Falls  in  James 
Rivei-,  where  the  city  of  Richmond  now  stands,  and  one 
day  he  heard  that  the  Indians  had  attacked  the  plantation, 
and  killed  his  overseer  and  one  of  his  servants.  This  high- 
ly excited  him,  and  he  resolved  to  act  at  once.  He  sent 
word  to  his  neighbors  to  meet  him  and  march  on  the  In- 
dians ;  and  on  the  day  appointed  a  large  number  of  them 
assembled. 

Bacon  then  addressed  them,  and  spoke  of  the  wrongs 
done  them  by  the  governor.  He  was  an  enemy  of  the 
Virginians,  he  said,  and  Avould  not  protect  them  from  the 
Indians.  These  barbarous  savages  were  killing  the  women 
and  children,  and  yet  the  governor  would  not  fight  them  ; 
but  if  he  would  not,  he,  ISTathaniel  Bacon,  would.  Then  he 
asked  his  neighbors  if  they  were  ready  to  march  with  him, 
and,  if  so,  whom  they  would  choose  for  their  leader. 

At  this  they  uttered  a  shout,  and  declared  that  they 
were  ready.  He  should  be  their  leader,  they  declared,  and 
Bacon  accepted  the  command.  First,  however,  he  re- 
solved to  send  to  Sir  William  Berkeley  to  obtain  his  leave, 
and  one  of  the  men  was  sent  to  ask  the  governor  for  a 
commission,  as  it  Avas  called.     This  the  governor  refused, 


THE    GREAT    KEBELHOX    IX    VIRGINIA.  71 

and  the  messenger  came  back  without  it.  Bacon,  no  doubt, 
expected  tliis,  and  had  made  up  his  mind.  He  told  his 
friends  that  as  to  himself  he  was  ready  to  march  without 
any  commission.  He  would  take  all  the  risk,  and  any  who 
wished  to  go  with  him  could  do  so. 

This  was  followed  by  another  shout,  and  tlie  men  mount- 
ed their  horses.  Bacon  took  command,  and  the  whole  body 
set  forward.  They  marched  up  James  River,  and  into  the 
woods  near  the  Falls,  and  here  they  found  the  Indians  and 
attacked  them.  The  result  was  a  complete  victory  over 
tlicm.  They  were  all  killed  or  driven  off  And  then  Ba- 
con and  his  men  marched  back  homeward  in  triumph. 

But  while  they  were  fighting  up  the  river  a  great  ex- 
citement had  taken  place  at  Jamestown.  Governor  Berke- 
ley was  enraged  when  he  heard  that  Bacon  had  marched 
in  defiance  of  him.  So  he  issued  a  proclamation  that  Ba- 
con and  his  men  were  all  traitors,  and  got  together  a  body 
of  troops  to  attack  them.  Nothing  occurred,  however.  Sir 
William  set  out,  but  found  that  there  was  trouble  behind 
him.  The  Virginians  everywhere  sympathized  with  Ba- 
con, and  were  ready  to  rise  in  arms  ;  so  the  old  governor 
changed  his  mind,  and  marched  back  again  with  his  forces 

to  Jamestown. 

If. 

This  was  a  great  triumph  for  Bacon,  and  all  Virginia 
nearly  was  in  his  favor.  The  old  governor  was  obliged 
to  submit,  and  said  lie  had  no  objection  to  what  tlie  peo- 
ple demanded.  They  might  make  any  new  laws  they 
wished,  as  far  as  he  was  concerned ;  and  so  a  new  House 
of  Burgesses  was  at  once  elected. 

Bacon  was  chosen  one  of  the  members,  as  lie  was  now 
extremely  |»f>]>ular,  and  set  out  down  James  Kiver  in  liis 
sail-boat  for  Jamestown.  I'ut  the  governor  was  ready. 
As  soon  as  he  arrived  lie  had  liim  arrested  and  brought 


72  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD  DOMINION. 

into  the  State -bouse.  Here  Sir  William  and  the  king's 
council  were  waiting  to  receive  him,  and  a  stormy  inter- 
view followed.  We  know  how  high- tempered  the  old 
governor  was,  and  he  received  Bacon  fiercely.  But  that 
had  no  effect  upon  him.  He  w-as  too  cool  a  man  to  cower 
before  Sir  William's  anger,  and  discussed  the  w'hole  mat- 
ter with  bira  in  a  very  plain  manner.  He  knew  that  be 
bad  acted  illegally,  be  said,  in  fighting  without  the  com- 
mission, and  was  ready  to  say  so,  if  the  commission  was 
now  given  to  him.  To  this  the  governor  at  last  agreed ; 
but  he  did  not  keep  his  word,  and  Bacon  determined  that 
he  would  force  him  to  do  so. 

He  accordingly  left  Jamestown,  and  went  home  and 
told  his  neighbors  how  matters  stood.  He  was  resolved 
to  have  the  commission,  be  said,  and  they  said  they  would 
assist  him.  In  a  short  time  about  four  hundred  planters 
assembled,  and  at  the  head  of  them  Bacon  marched  toward 
Jamestown.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  he  drew  up  his  forces, 
on  the  State-house  green,  and  then  sent  word  to  Sir  Wil- 
liam Berkeley  that  he  had  come  for  bis  commission. 

This  greatly  enraged  the  old  governor.  He  was  quite 
as  brave  as  Bacon,  and  rushed  out  in  front  of  the  men. 
Tearing  open  bis  ruffled  shirt  so  as  to  leave  his  breast 
naked,  be  exclaimed,  violently, 

"  Here,  shoot  me — 'fore  God,  a  fair  mark  ! — shoot !" 

But  Bacon  bad  no  intention  of  hurting  the  governor. 
He  advanced  toward  him  and  bowed,  and  said, 

"No,  may  it  please  your  Honor,  we  will  not  hurt  a  hair 
of  your  head  or  any  other  man's.  We  have  come  for  a 
commission  to  save  our  lives  from  the  Indians,  which  you 
have  so  often  promised,  and  now  we  Avill  have  it  before 
we  go." 

There  was  then  great  confusion,  and  an  angry  scene 
followed.     But  Bacon  stood  firm,  and  declared  that  be 


TUE    GEEAT    REBELLION    IX    VIRGIKIA.  73 

would  not  go  without  the  paper;  so  the  governor  was 
obliged  at  last  to  submit.  lie  consented  to  what  Bacon 
demanded,  and  he  received  his  commission,  when  he  mount- 
ed his  horse  again  and  marched  his  men  out  of  Jamestown. 

III. 

This  act  of  Bacon's  was  open  defiance,  you  see,  of  the 
king's  authority,  for  Sir  William  was  his  representative  in 
the  colony.  Tlie  governor  was  a  brave  old  fellow,  and 
resolved  to  fight;  so  he  suddenly  left  Jamestown,  and 
crossed  York  River  to  Gloucester,  where  be  raised  his  flag, 
and  called  on  his  friends  to  assemble. 

But  Bacon  was  quite  as  resolute  as  he  was.  He  was 
not  afraid  to  make  war  on  the  king  himself,  though  he 
risked  his  head  in  doing  so ;  and  at  once  set  out  with  a 
small  army  to  fight  Sir  William.  When  the  governor 
heard  of  this  he  fled  across  Chesapeake  Bay  to  Accomac, 
and  Bacon  was  in  possession  of  the  whole  country. 

He  and  his  men  then  acted  like  true  patriots.  A  new 
House  of  Burgesses  was  ordered  to  assemble,  and  in  the 
mean  while  they  pledged  themselves  not  to  lay  down  their 
arms.  As  Sir  William  had  sent  to  England  for  soldiers  to 
fight  for  him,  they  bound  themselves  to  fight  these  soldiers, 
as  they  had  fought  the  governor;  and  they  signed  a  pa- 
per to  tliis  effect,  whose  date  was  August,  1G76.  This  was 
just  one  Imndred  years  before  the  American  declaration 
of  Independence,  you  sec,  and  there  is  not  much  diflference 
between  the  two  pa])er.^. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this,  Bacon  heard  that  the  Indians 
were  making  trouble  again,  so  he  resolved  to  march  at 
once  and  put  an  ejid  to  them.  The  tribes  which  murdered 
the  settlers  lived  in  the  neighborliood  of  the  present  city  of 
Richmond,  and  Bacon  soon  reached  the  spot  and  jircpared 
to  attack  tlieni. 

4 


74 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


They  had  built  a  strong  stockade,  or  fort,  on  a  lofty  hill 
east  of  the  city,  and  in  this  they  had  placed  their  women 
and  children,  and  were  ready  to  fight.  Their  bravest  war- 
riors were  in  the  log-fort,  and  they  knew  that  the  battle 
would  decide  everything.  It  was  a  very  strong  position, 
with  a  steep  descent  in  front;  but  Bacon  rushed  up  at  the 
head  of  his  men,  and  a  desj^erate  fight  followed.     The  In- 


INDIANS    FIGHTING. 


dians  did  their  best,  but  the  Virginians  were  too  strong  for 
them.  They  captured  the  fort,  and  either  killed  or  made 
prisoners  of  all  the  Indians  who  did  not  fly.  It  was  a 
bloody  aifiiir,  and  blood  ran  down  the  hill,  it  is  said,  into  a 
small  stream  at  the  foot,  which  is  called  "Bloody  Run"  to 
this  day. 

This  was  the  last  of  the  Indian  troubles  in  Eastern  Vir- 
ginia.    They  never  fought  again,  and  Bacon  was  looked 


THE    GREAT    REBELLION    IX    VIRGINIA.  75 

upon  as  the  deliverer  of  the  country.     But  a  new  enemy- 
was  waitino:  for  him,  to  strike  him  in  the  rear.    Sir  William 


BLOUDY    BUN. 


Berkeley  had  collected  troops  in  the  lower  counties,  and 
Bacon  now  heard  that  he  was  again  in  possession  of  James- 
town, wilh  eighteen  ships  in  the  river,  and  an  army  of 
about  eight  hundred  men. 

IV. 

Bacon  lost  no  time.  lie  had  resolved  to  fight  the  old 
[Tovernor  until  one  or  the  other  got  the  best  of  it,  and  he 
set  out  at  once  for  Jamestown. 

On  the  way  he  did  what  he  had  no  right  to  do.  A  num- 
ber of  prominent  men  had  sided  with  Sir  William,  and  Ba- 
con stopped  at  their  plantations,  and  took  their  wives  pris- 
oners. They  were,  no  doubt,  permitted  to  ride  in  their 
carriages,  as  the  men  moved  on,  but  their  arrest  was  a 
very  unjustifiable  proceeding.  Bacon  sent  word  to  their 
luisbands  at  Jamestown  that  he  had  taken  the  ladies  pris- 
oners, and  would  hold  them  as  liostages  for  the  good  be- 
havior of  the  gentlemen.     This  was  quite  unworthy  of  a 


76  STORIES    OF    THK    OLD    DOMINION". 

high-toned  man  like  Bacon,  but  he  certainly  did  it ;  and  as 
I  am  telling  you  a  true  story,  I  have  no  intention  of  omit- 
ting the  incident. 

He  marched  on  steadily,  with  his  lady -prisoners,  and 
soon  found  that  Sir  William  Berkeley  was  ready  for  him. 
The  old  governor  was  in  high  spirits,  for  he  was  brave  and 
determined.  Two  friends  of  Bacon,  named  Bland  and  Car- 
ver, had  attempted  to  cross  to  Accomac  and  capture  him ; 
but  he  had  caught  and  hung  them,  and  hoped  soon  to 
catch  and  hang  Bacon  himself.  His  ships,  armed  wi^ 
cannon, were  in  the  river  near  the  town;  his  soldiers  were 
drawn  up  in  Jamestown  ready  to  fight;  and  it  was  plain 
that  a  battle  would  soon  take  place. 

The  sun  was  just  setting  when  Bacon  and  his  men  ar- 
rived.    It  was  the  month  of  September,  when  the  leaves 
of  the  trees  are  just  beginning  to  turn  red  and  yellow,  and 
the  moon  was  shining.     Bacon  lost  no  time,  but  went  to 
work  at  once.    A  long  ditch  was  dug,  and  the  earth  thrown 
up  in  front  so  as  to  form  a  breastwork.     Trees  were  then 
cut  down,  and  laid  one  on  the  other  so  as  to  strengthen 
the  works  against  cannon  balls,  and  the  whole  was  soon 
finished.     While  the  men  were  working,  the  governor  did 
not  fire  his  cannon  at  them  from  Jamestown  or  from  the 
ships.     He  was  afraid  he  would  kill  the  ladies  whom  Ba- 
con had  taken  prisoners,  and  a  very  discreditable  story  is 
told  of  their  treatment.     It  is  said  that  they  were  placed 
in  front  of  the  men  while  they  were  building  the  earth- 
work ;  and  if  so.  Bacon  acted  in  a  manner  unworthy  of  him. 
No  civilized  nation  makes  war  on  women  any  more  than 
on  children,  and  to  endanger  these  ladies'  lives  was  not 
like  a  soldier.     They  Avere  not  to  blame  because  their 
husbands  had  sided  with  Sir  William  Berkeley,  and  per- 
haps the  story  was  made  up  by  Bacon's  enemies.     I  hope 
it  was  untrue,  and  that  the  ladies  were  soon  sent  back 


THE    GUEAT    KEBELLION    IN    VIRGINIA.  "77 

home,  and  that  the  men  were  allowed  to  fight  the  matter 
out  among  themselves. 

The  night  passed  quietly,  but  in  the  morning  old  Sir 
William  marched  out  to  attack  Bacon.  He  had  about 
eight  hundred  men,  and  Bacon's  numbers  were  probably 
about  the  same.  Tlie  battle  began  at  once,  and  it  must 
have  been  a  hard  tight.  There  is  no  full  account  of  it ; 
but  we  know  enough  about  it  to  feel  certain  that  some 
historians  are  very  foolish  in  sayins:  that  Sir  William's 
men  were  "degraded"  people  who  would  not  fight,  while 
Bacon's  men  \?is4;e  the  "very  chivalry  of  Virginia,"  and 
rode  right  over  their  enemies.  The  fact  was  that  a  large 
number  of  the  bravest  gentlemen  of  the  colony  had  sided 
with  Sir  William,  because  they  thought  it  wrong  to  take 
up  arms  against  the  king's  authority  ;  and  they  no  doubt 
fought  just  as  bravely  as  their  opponents.  It  is  true, 
liowever,  that  Bacon  won  the  victory.  After  fighting- 
hard,  old  Sir  William  found  that  Bacon  was  too  strong 
for  him,  and  he  retreated  from  the  field,  on  which  many 
of  his  soldiers  lay  dead  or  groaning  from  their  wounds. 

There  was  no  course  left  for  him  now  but  to  fly.  This 
was,  no  doubt,  "gall  and  wormwood"  to  him,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it.  There  was  danger  that  he  would  fall 
into  the  "rebel"  Bacon's  hands,  wlien  every  one  would 
laugh  at  him;  so  he  hastened  to  take  refuge  on  board  his 
ships.  Ilis  troops  hurried  after  him,  in  the  midst  of  the 
cheers  of  the  "rebels;"  and  then  the  ships  set  sail  down 
the  river,  followed  by  cannon  balls  which  Bacon  fired  at 
them  from  the  hills  near  Jamestown. 

V. 

The  capital  of  Virginia  was  now  in  Bacon's  hands,  and 
he  set  it  on  fire  and  burned  it  to  ashes. 

Why  this  was  done  it  is  hard  to  say.     They  pi'obably 


78  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

meant  to  show  that  they  had  conquered  Sir  William  Berke- 
ley, or  it  may  have  been  done  to  prevent  him  from  ever 
returning  to  it  as  governor.  It  was  a  great  pity  to  thus 
burn  the  old  town  which  John  Smith  and  the  early  set- 
tlers had  built ;  but  fire  was  set  to  it,  and  no  one  made  the 
least  objection.  Two  gentlemen  in  Bacon's  army,  named 
Lawrence  and  Drummond,  had  houses  in  the  place,  but 
they  set  fire  to  them  with  their  own  hands;  and  soon  the 
fiimous  old  place  was  nothing  but  a  heap  of  ashes. 

All  now  seemed  over  with  Governor  Berkeley  and  liis 
people,  but  new  enemies  suddenly  made  their  appearance. 
An  army  of  a  thousand  men  was  marching  from  toward 
the  Rappahannock  against  Bacon,  and  he  set  forward,  with- 
out loss  of  time,  to  meet  them.  But  no  battle  took  place. 
Instead  of  fighting,  the  men  of  the  two  armies  shook 
hands.  The  up-country  men  then  returned  to  their  homes, 
and  Bacon  led  his  army  back  toward  James  River. 

He  was  now  master  of  Virginia,  and  might  easily  have 
declared  himself  governor.  His  men  would  have  made 
him  their  ruler  at  a  single  word,  but  he  had  too  much  re- 
spect for  the  law  to  agree  to  that;  and  if  he  had  been 
elected  he  would  never  have  been  governor.  His  life  was 
near  its  end,  and  he  M-as  destined  to  die  in  the  very  hour 
of  his  triumph. 

He  had  caught  a  fever  while  directing  the  men  how  to 
work  in  the  trenches  at  Jamestown  ;  and  at  last  he  grew 
so  ill  that  he  saw  his  last  hour  was  approaching.  He 
had  gone  to  Gloucester  County,  probably  to  pursue  Sir 
William  Berkeley ;  and  here  he  grew  worse  and  worse, 
and  at  last  expired. 

This  was  a  terrible  blow  to  his  followers.  They  feared 
that  old  Sir  William  would  now  win  back  all  he  had  lost, 
and  even  dig  up  Bacon's  body  and  hang  it  upon  the  gal- 
lows.    They  therefore  resolved  to  conceal  his  grave.     He 


TUE    GREAT    REBELLION    IX    VIRGINIA.  19 

was  buried  by  night,  in  a  lonely  spot ;  and  althougli  we 
have  no  description  of  the  scene  which  took  place,  we  may 
imagine  it.  His  friends,  no  doubt,  dug  a  grave  secretly 
with  their  own  hands,  and  then,  when  it  was  dark,  placed 
the  dead  man's  body  in  a  wagon,  and  took  it  to  the  spot 
and  buried  it.  If  it  was  by  moonlight,  or  even  if  the  stars 
were  shining,  it  must  have  been  a  strange  and  solemn 
sight.  Xo  doubt  some  clergyman  was  present  and  read 
prayers  over  the  grave  when  the  body  was  lowered  into 
it,  while  his  friends  stood  around  with  their  hats  off  and 
their  heads  bent  down  in  sorrow.  Large  stones  were  then 
laid  on  the  coffin,  the  grave  was  filled  up,  and  the  grass 
was  smoothed  down  in  order  to  conceal  it. 

This  was  done  so  carefully  that  Bacon's  grave  Avas 
never  discovered,  and  the  wrath  of  Sir  William  Berkeley 
was  not  expended  upon  his  enemy.  He  had  the  living  to 
take  revenge  on,  as  I  will  show  you  in  ending  my  story; 
but  Bacon  he  could  not  reach.  The  body  of  that  brave 
soldier  was  sleeping  in  the  woods  of  Gloucester,  and  the 
great  trees  guarded  the  secret  of  his  resting-i)lace. 

vr. 

The  "Great  Kebellion,"  as  Sir  William  Berkeley  called 
it,  was  now  over.  When  a  famous  leader  dies,  it  is  hard 
to  find  any  one  to  take  his  place;  and  as  soon  as  news 
came  that  Bacon  was  dead,  his  men  returned  to  their 
homes  in  despair.  A  {aw  kept  up  a  show  of  resistance, 
but  ihey  soon  gave  way  like  the  rest,  and  Sir  William 
Jk-rkeley  marched  back  in  triumph. 

I  liave  told  you  tJie  character  of  this  fiery  old  ruler. 
He  was  brave  and  determined,  and  had  some  other  good 
(jualities;  but  he  was  narrow-minded  and  cruel,  and  hated 
the  "rebels"  bitterly  for  defeating  him;  so  he  resolved 
to  take  a  bloody  revenge  upon  them. 


80  STOEIES    OF   THE    OLD   DOMINION. 

Every  friend  of  Bacon's  whom  he  could  lay  his  hands 
on  was  put  to  death.  Thomas  Hansford,  a  brave  young 
planter,  was  one  of  these.  He  was  captured,  and,  after  a 
pretended  trial,  was  at  once  hung,  although  he  begged 
them  to  shoot  him.  Another  was  Captain  Wilford,  Avho 
fought  hard  not  to  be  taken  prisoner,  and  had  one  of  his 
eyes  put  out  by  a  bullet.  When  some  one  spoke  of  this 
he  said  it  was  no  matter,  as  Sir  William  Berkeley  would 
have  him  led  to  the  gallows ;  and  he  too  was  soon  hung. 
Another  was  Major  Cheeseman,  whose  wife  knelt  before  Sir 
William  and  begged  her  husband's  life,  telling  him  that 
she  had  persuaded  him  to  join  Bacon,  In  rej)ly  to  all  her 
tears  and  prayers,  the  governor,  it  is  said,  offered  her  a 
vulgar  insult,  instead  of  pitying  her;  and  Major  Cheese- 
man  soon  afterward  died  in  prison.  A  more  important 
prisoner  still  was  William  Drummond,  one  of  Bacon's 
warmest  friends.  Sir  William  Berkeley  hated  him,  and 
felt  a  cruel  triumph  when  he  was  brought  before  him. 

"Mr.  Drummond,"  said  tlie  governor,  in  a  sneering  voice, 
"  you  are  very  welcome  !  I  am  more  glad  to  see  you  than 
any  man  in  Virginia  !  Mr.  Drummond,  you  shall  be  hang- 
ed in  half  an  hour!" 

Drummond  was  tried  at  once;  and  as  there  was  no  trou- 
ble in  proving  that  he  had  been  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
"rebels,"  he  was  found  guilty  and  at  once  hung.  The 
governor  hated  him  more  than  all  the  rest,  and  his  prop- 
erty was  at  once  seized  ;  but  the  King  of  England,  as  soon 
as  he  heard  of  this,  ordered  it  to  be  restored  to  Mrs.  Drum- 
mond, his  widow. 

These  were  a  few  of  the  victims  of  Sir  William's  cruel- 
ty. Altogether  more  than  twenty  persons  were  hung; 
and  Charles  II.  exclaimed  when  he  heard  of  it, 

"That  old  fool  has  hanged  more  men  in  that  naked 
country  than  I  did  for  the  murder  of  my  father !" 


THE    GUEAT    REBELLION    IX    VIRGINIA,  81 

All  the  changes  in  the  laws  made  by  Bacon  were  now 
repealed,  and  Governor  Berkeley  found  no  enemies  to  op- 
pose him.  But  he  felt  ill  at  ease.  The  people  of  Virginia 
hated  him  for  his  cruelty,  and  he  had  scarcely  a  friend  in 
the  whole  colony.  He  therefore  resolved  to  visit  England, 
fearing,  it  seems,  that  he  had  as  few  friends  there,  and 
thinkino-  that  it  would  be  better  to  go  and  defend  himself 
He  therefore  sailed  for  England,  and  his  departure  was  a 
joyful  event.  The  Virginians  fired  cannon  and  illuminated 
their  houses,  and  he  never  afterward  returned  to  the  col- 
ony. When  he  got  to  England  the  king  refused  to  see 
him,  and  this  filled  him  with  so  much  mortification  that 
he  soon  afterward  died.  And  that  was  the  end  of  old  Sir 
William  Berkeley. 

lie  and  Bacon  were  two  remarkable  men,  but  Bacon 
was  by  far  the  greater.  He  was  a  fearless  soldier,  and  a 
true  lover  of  his  country,  lie  had  nothing  to  win  by  fight- 
ing and  everything  to  lose,  for  the  governor  Avould  have 
liung  him  and  seized  upon  all  liis  property  if  he  had  de- 
feated him.  But  his  duty  was  ])lain  to  him.  The  Vir- 
ginians were  oppressed,  and  he  meant  to  risk  his  life 
against  their  oppressor. 

This  Avas  acting  precisely  as  George  "Washington  did 
a  hundred  years  afterward.  One  succeeded,  the  other 
failed  ;  but  the  man  who  does  his  duty  is  as  great  in  fail- 
ure as  in  success.  Nathaniel  Bacon  did  his,  and  has  left 
a  noble  name  in  history. 

4* 


82  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD   DOMINION. 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE. 

I. 

I  WILL  now  relate  a  romantic  little  incident  which  oc- 
curred in  the  summer  of  1*714,  about  thirty  years  after  Ba- 
con's death.  This  was  the  ride  beyond  the  mountains  of 
the  "  Horseshoe  Knights,"  as  they  were  afterward  called  ; 
and  I  will  give  you,  in  the  first  place,  a  short  account  of 
the  man  who  led  them. 

He  was  Alexander  Spotswood,  Governor  of  Virginia  at 
the  time,  and  his  life  had  been  adventurous.  He  was  born 
on  board  a  ship,  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  in  1676,  and 
it  is  not  known  how  this  singular  event  happened.  But 
there  seems  to  be  no  doubt  about  the  truth  of  the  state- 
ment, and  he  may  have  sailed  about  with  his  father,  who 
probably  commanded  the  ship,  and  thus  acquired  while  he 
was  young  his  love  of  adventure.  As  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough,  he  became  a  soldier  in  the  English  army  under 
Marlborough,  who  was  then  fighting  the  French  ;  and  at 
a  great  battle,  called  Blenheim,  he  distinguished  himself 
by  his  bravery,  and  was  Avounded  by  a  cannon-ball.  This 
occurred  when  he  was  about  twenty-eight  years  of  age ; 
and  as  he  was  sent  over  to  be  Governor  of  Virginia  when 
he  was  only  thirty-four,  you  will  see  that  he  must  have 
shown  that  he  was  a  man  of  strong  sense  and  firm  char- 
acter. He  looked  older  than  he  really  was,  for  that  mat- 
ter. His  portrait  is  still  to  be  seen  in  an  old  countrA-house 
in  Virginia,  with  a  picture  of  the  field  of  Blenheim  in  the 
background;  and  this  jjortrait  shows  that  he  was  a  tall. 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE.      83 

Strong  man,  with  many  wrinkles  in  his  forehead,  and  a  de- 
termined expression  of  countenance,  which  expressed  his 
character. 

As  soon  as  Spotswood  reached  Virginia,  he  set  to  work 
to  improve  everything,  and  make  the  country  as  prosper- 
ous as  possible.  He  had  a  curiously  shaped  magazine 
built  ill  Williamsburg,  the  capital  of  the  colony,  to  hold 
gunpowder  to  use  in  case  of  war;  and  this  is  still  stand- 
ing, lie  then  built  a  good  house  for  the  governors  to 
live  in,  and  sent  word  to  the  few  Indian  tribes  left  that 
they  might  bring  their  boys  to  the  college  of  "William 
and  I\Iary,"  at  Williamsburg,  if  they  wished,  where  they 
would  be  educated  free  of  expense.  He  next  set  about 
making  iron  for  the  use  of  the  Virginia  people. 

This  was  very  important.  Iron,  you  know,  is  a  metal 
that  no  one  can  do  without,  as  axes,  ploughs,  and  hundreds 
of  other  useful  implements  are  made  of  it.  The  Virgin- 
ians, like  everybody  else,  required  it,  but  they  were  obliged 
to  send  to  England  for  it;  and  as  England  always  aimed 
to  make  as  much  as  she  could  out  of  her  colonies,  they  had 
to  pay  a  very  liigh  price  for  all  that  they  bought.  You 
now  see  why  Governor  Spotswood  was  anxious  to  show 
them  how  tlioy  mi^ht  make  iron  for  themselves,  and  not 
send  to  England  and  ))ay  so  much  for  it.  When  iron  is 
in  the  ground  it  is  mixed  with  earth  and  stones;  and  bo- 
fore  it  is  of  any  use  it  is  necessary  to  cleanse  it,  which  is 
done  by  melting  it  in  large  furnaces  built  for  the  purpose. 
Spotswood  knew  that  there  was  an  abundance  of  iron  in 
the  soil  of  the  colony,  and  built  the  furnaces,  which  jirovcd 
perfectly  successful.  They  were  the  first  ever  seen  in 
America,  and  made  him  (piite  famous;  and  the  people 
gave  liim  the  name  of  the  "Tubal-cain  of  Virginia,"  an 
explanation  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  I>ook  of  (Jenesis. 
These  exertions  for  the  good  of  the  countrv  made  (tov- 


84 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION, 


eriior  Spotswood  very  poi^ular.  He  was  a  determinetl 
ruler,  and  had  more  thau  one  quarrel  with  the  House  of 
Burgesses,  who  were  as  hard-headed  as  himself.  But  he 
was  very  much  respected,  for  the  Virginians  saw  plainly 
that  he  was  resolved  to  put  down  evil-doers  and  have  the 
laws  obeyed ;  as  he  showed,  among  other  things,  by  his 
treatment  of  a  bloody  marauder  named  Blackbeard, 

Blackboard  was  a  pirate  who  sailed  along  the  shores  of 
the  Carolinas  and  Virginia,  attacking  any  ships  he  met, 
and  killing  all  who  were  on  board  of  them  ;  after  which 


BLACKBEARD,  THE   PIRATE. 


the  goods  in  them  were  seized  and  the  ships  were  burned. 
This  had  gone  on  for  some  time,  and  at  last  Spotswood 
grew  tired  of  it.  He  therefore  sent  a  ship-of-war  to  at- 
tack Blackbeard,  or  John  Theach,  as  his  real  name  was,  and 
the  two  vessels  came  in  sight  of  each  other  oflf  the  coast. 
Blackbeard  now  saw  what  was  before  him.     He  knew  he 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE.      85 

must  fight,  and  that  if  he  was  captured  he  would  be  hung 
in  chains  to  a  gallows ;  he  therefore  determined  to  die 
first.  He  ordered  one  of  his  men  to  stand  with  a  lighted 
match  near  the  magazine  of  powder  in  the  ship;  and  if  the 
Virginians  boarded  them  and  got  the  better  in  the  fight, 
he  was  to  set  fire  to  the  powder  and  blow  up  all  together. 
The  fight  then  began.  The  two  vessels  came  up  side  by 
side,  and  the  Virginians  leaped  on  board  the  pirate  ship, 
armed  with  their  cutlasses.  Blackbeard  and  his  men  met 
them  and  fought  dtjsperately,  but  in  vain.  He  himself  was 
in  front,  but  his  foot  slipped  in  the  blood  on  the  deck,  and 
as  he  staggered,  one  of  his  enemies  cut  him  down  and 
struck  off  his  head.  At  this  the  rest  lost  heart  and  sur- 
rendered. Blackboard's  head  was  stuck  on  the  bowsprit 
of  the  Virginia  vessel,  and  it  returned  home  in  triumph, 
where  the  rest  of  the  pirates  who  had  been  captured  were 
soon  afterward  executed. 

This  is  only  one  instance  of  Governor  Spotswood's  way 
of  dealing  with  people  who  would  not  respect  the  laws 
and  defied  his  authority.  I  might  tell  you  other  incidents 
of  the  same  sort,  but  this  must  suflice.  I  will  now  come 
to  the  expedition  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  which 
conferred  on  him  and  his  friends  the  name  of  "  Sir  Knicrhts 
of  the  Golden  Horseslioe." 

II. 

It  may  surprise  you  to  hear  that  at  that  time  people 
thought  that  the  Mississippi  River  rose  in  the  Blue  Ridge. 
In  fact,  nothing  was  known  certainly  about  the  great  coun- 
try beyond  the  mountains.  They  called  it  "Orange  Coun- 
ty;" an<l  it  was  a  very  large  county  indeed,  you  sec,  as  it 
extended  from  the  Blue  Ridge  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

There  were  only  vague  rumors  about  it — that  it  was 
filled  with  great  forests  and  lofty  mountains;   that  tlie 


86  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

valleys  were  green  and  fertile,  and  traversed  by  beautiful 
rivers;  and  perhaps  the  ignorant  still  believed  that  the 
famous  "  Fountain  of  Youth  "  might  be  found  somewhere 
there.  Now  and  then  some  hunter  would  wander  off  into 
this  unknown  country,  and  when  he  returned  would  tell 
Ills  friends  that  nothing  was  like  it.  It  was  filled,  these 
men  declared,  with  Indians  and  wild  animals,  and  alto- 
gether was  the  most  remarkable  country  that  the  sun 
ever  shone  upon. 

All  this  highly  excited  Alexander  Spotswood.  He  was 
a  man,  as  I  have  told  you,  of  adventurous  character,  and 
he  longed  to  explore  this  splendid  land.  It  was  his  duty, 
lie  felt,  as  Governor  of  Virginia,  to  discover  whether  the 
land  was  so  rich,  in  order  to  settle  it;  and  at  last  he  re- 
solved that  he  would  set  out  and  visit  it  himself,  and  find 
whether  the  reports  about  it  were  true. 

He  might  easily  have  sent  a  party,  with  some  intelligent 
man  at  the  head  of  it,  to  report  to  him  all  about  it.  But 
this  did  not  suit  him.  He  resolved  to  go  in  person,  as  I 
have  said,  and  to  make  a  holiday  excursion  of  the  expe- 
dition. He  was  well  acquainted  with  the  planters,  old  and 
young,  and  he  now  sent  them  word  that  he  was  going  to 
march  to  the  mountains  :  if  any  one  wished  to  go  with 
him  he  would  be  welcome,  and  the  governor  would  be 
glad  to  have  the  pleasure  of  his  company. 

This  excited  the  young  Virginians  and  filled  them  with 
delight.  They  Avere  fond  of  horseback  exercise  and  hunt- 
ing, and  a  number  sent  word  that  they  would  be  ready  at 
the  time  appointed.  A  day  in  August  (1714)  was  fixed 
by  Spotswood,  and  the  party  assembled  at  Williamsburg, 
prepared  for  their  long  ride.  Every  arrangement  had 
been  made.  Mules  were  ready,  with  pack-saddles  strapped 
upon  their  backs,  in  which  were  baskets  of  provisions  and 
bottles  of  wine  and  other  liquors.     These  were  to  follow 


THE    KNIGHTS    OF    THE    GOLDEX    HORSESHOE.  87 

tliein  in  cliarge  of  servants;  and  all  was  now  ready,  when 
tliey  suddenly  discovered  that  they  had  forgotten  a  very 
important  matter. 

This  was  to  shoe  the  horses.  You  may  tliink  it  some- 
what strange  that  such  a  thing  had  been  lost  sight  of,  but 
at  that  time  it  was  tlie  fashion  generally  to  ride  horses 
barefooted^  as  it  is  called.  One  reason  for  this  was  prob- 
ably the  scarcity  and  high  price  of  iron,  which  people  could 
not  afford  to  use  for  shoeing  horses ;  and  there  was  anoth- 
er reason  still.  The  roads  of  Lower  Virginia  were  soft  and 
sandy  at  that  time,  as  they  are  now,  and  often  you  might 
ride  for  miles  without  seeing  a  single  stone.  There  was 
notliing,  therefore,  to  make  shoeing  really  necessary,  as  the 
soft  sand  did  not  hurt  the  horses'  feet:  but  now,  when 
Spotswood  and  his  friends  intended  to  cross  the  moun- 
tains by  pathways  full  of  rocks,  it  became  necessary  to 
have  their  riding-horses  shod.  This  was  at  once  done; 
and  the  little  incident  Avas  the  explanation,  as  you  will 
see,  of  the  name  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe. 

We  can  imagine  what  an  interesting  sight  the  party  of 
horsemen  presented  as  they  rode  along  "Duke  of  Glouces- 
ter Street,"  as  the  main  street  of  Williamsburg  was  called, 
with  men,  women,  and  children  flocking  to  the  doors  and 
windows,  and  waving  handkerchiefs  as  they  passed  by, 
Tliey  were  all  mounted  on  spirited  horses,  and  carried 
their  guns,  as  they  expected  to  hunt  on  the  way;  and  be- 
hind followed  the  mules  with  their  packs,  in  charge  of  the 
servants. 

Spotswood  rode  at  the  head  of  the  party,  with  his  erect 
military  beaiing,  learned  in  tlic  wars,  and  clad,  like  the 
rest,  in  the  line  costume  of  that  time,  Avhen  people  dressed 
far  more  picturesquely  than  now;  and  there  is  very  little 
doubt  that  lie  was  in  as  high  spirits  as  the  I'cst  of  the 
l)arty.     He  was  in  the  bloom  of  life,  fjr  he  was  onlv  about 


88 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


thirty-eight,  enjoyed  excellent  health,  and  saw  the  pros- 
pect before  him  of  an  adventurous  march  into  an  unex- 
plored wilderness,  which  just  suited  him.  We  need  not 
be  surprised,  therefore,  to  be  told  by  one  of  the  party,  who 
afterward  wrote  an  account  of  the  expedition,  that  Spots- 


A   RIVER  VIEW. 


wood  was  bright,  and  pleased  with  everything  from  first 
to  last,  on  the  wliole  long  ride. 

As  the  little  band  rode  on,  they  were  joined  here  and 
there  by  others,  who  had  also  determined  to  go  on  the 
expedition.  The  party  thus  increased  in  numbers  as  it 
moved  on,  like  a  snowball  rolled  in  the  snow,  and  they  at 
last  came  to  a  place  called  Germanna,  on  the  Rapid  Ann 


THE    KXIGHTS    OF   THE    GOLDEN   HORSESHOE.  89 

River,  ou  the  edge  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  "  Spot- 
sylvania Wilderness." 

Here  the  governor  had  established  a  colony  of  Germans 
to  work  his  iron  furnaces,  and  had  built  a  house  for  him- 
self and  his  family  to  live  in  during  the  summer  months, 
when  the  lower  country  was  unhealthy.  I  would  like  to 
give  you  a  full  account,  if  I  had  time,  of  a  visit  made  to 
this  little  village  of  Germanna  by  a  famous  old  planter  of 
James  Kiver,  named  Colonel  William  Byrd.  He  tells  all 
about  the  place,  and  the  governor's  house,  where  a  tame 
deer,  on  seeing  him,  leaped  against  a  fine  tall  mirror  in  the 
drawing-room,  thinking  it  was  a  window,  and  smashed  it 
to  pieces.  But  what  he  said  of  Spotswood  himself  was 
more  interesting  than  what  iiappened  to  the  mirror,  and 
shows  that  the  brave  soldier  was  a  kind-hearted  man. 

He  and  Colonel  Byrd  had  known  each  other  Avell  before 
Spotswood  was  married,  as  he  was  at  this  time ;  and  it 
seems  that  the  governor  had  then  laughed  at  people  who 
showed  too  great  fondness  for  their  wives  and  children. 
Xow  he  was  just  as  bad,  or  ratlier  as  good,  as  the  rest. 
He  never  spoke  to  his  wife  or  children  Avithout  smiling 
and  using  some  fond  expression;  and  Colonel  Byrd  said, 
with  a  laugh,  that  he  must  have  changed  his  opinion  on 
this  subject  since  he  was  married.  To  this  Spotswood 
loplicd  tliat  he  thought  it  was  his  duty  to  be  as  kind  as 
possil)le  to  his  wife,  as  he  had  brought  her  so  far  from  all 
her  friends  into  such  a  wilderness.  And  this  shows,  as  I 
have  said,  that  he  was  a  warm-hearted  man,  however  stern 
and  determined  he  was  as  a  soldier  and  a  ruler. 

III. 

After  resting  at  Germanna,  the  party  of  horsemen  again 
sot  out,  and  rode  on  in  the  direction  of  the  Blue  Bidge 
Mountains. 


90  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 

Every  one  seemed  to  enjoy  himself.  The  season  of  the 
year  was  deliglitful,  for  August  in  Virginia  is  a  month 
when  the  air  is  j^leasant,  and  the  blue  sky  is  filled  with 
white  clouds,  drifting  on  befoi'e  the  wind  like  ships  with 
all  sails  set.  The  woods  were  in  full  leaf;  the  streams 
were  laughing  and  the  birds  singing;  and  in  the  midst 
of  all  these  beautiful  sights  and  sounds,  the  horsemen 
wound  their  way  along,  laughing  and  talking  with  each 
other.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  they  would  stop  in  some 
green  glade  of  the  woods,  to  rest  and  pasture  their  horses ; 
and  then  the  baskets  on  the  pack -mules  would  be  un- 
strapped by  the  servants,  the  contents  spread  on  the 
grass,  and  everybody  would  gather  around  and  eat  their 
dinner  with  an  appetite  sharpened  by  their  long  ride  since 
mornincj. 

Frequently,  while  on  the  march,  some  one  of  the  party 
would  ride  into  the  woods,  and  the  rest  would  lose  sight 
of  hitn.  But  soon  they  would  hear  him  fire  his  gun,  and 
he  would  come  back,  holding  in  his  hand  a  fat  pheasant 
or  some  other  game,  which  he  would  hand  to  the  servants 
for  supper.  At  night  the  party  would  halt  in  some  favor- 
able spot,  and  hobble  their  horses  by  tying  their  legs  to- 
gether with  ropes,  after  which  they  would  turn  them  loose 
to  graze,  certain  that  the  hobbles  would  prevent  them 
from  wandering  off  very  far.  Tlien  supper  would  be 
spread  on  the  grass,  everybody  would  sup  heartily,  and, 
wrapping  their  cloaks  around  them,  Spotswood  and  his 
friends  would  stretch  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  sleep 
as  soundly  and  sweetly  as  if  they  were  at  home  in  their 
beds.  Some  of  these  times  you  will  read  all  about  this 
in  the  account  given  by  one  of  the  party;  but  I  have 
here  told  you  pretty  much  all  that  he  says  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  passed 
their  time  on  the  expedition. 


THE    KNIGHTS    OF    THE    GOLDEN    HORSESHOE.  91 

At  last  they  reached  the  Bhie  Riclge  Mountains,  and 
toiled  on  up  the  steep  sides,  covered  with  forest-trees,  to 
the  top.  It  is  not  known  precisely  where  they  ascended 
the  mountains,  but  it  is  supposed  that  the  spot  Avas  near 
what  is  called  Rockfish  Gap,  where  the  Chesapeake  and 
Ohio  Railroad  now  passes  through.  Some  persons  assert 
that  the  party  went  on  and  crossed  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains also;  but  there  is  no  proof  of  this,  and  no  reason  to 
believe  it,  as  they  never  said  that  they  crossed  two  ranges 
of  mountains,  and  would  not  have  forgotten  the  Blue 
Ridge,  which  they  must  have  reached  first.  From  the 
summit,  which  they  now  stood  upon,  they  saw  beneath 
them  a  wild  and  lovely  landscape,  through  which  wound 
the  Shenandoah,  whose  name  signifies,  in  the  Indian  lan- 
o-uao-e,  "The  Daughter  of  the  Stars."  To  the  right  and 
left  the  Blue  Ridge  extended  far  out  of  sight,  clothed 
with  oaks,  ])ines,  and  other  forest-trees ;  while  in  front, 
across  the  valley,  was  seen  the  long  blue  line  of  the  Alle- 
shanies,  like  a  wave  of  the  ocean. 

The  sight  before  them  must  have  filled  Spotswood  and 
his  friends  with  delight;  and  they  carved  their  names  on 
the  rocks,  to  mark  the  spot  to  which  they  had  ascended. 
There  wore  two  peaks  of  the  mountain  near,  and  one  of 
these  was  named  "  Mount  George,"  in  honor  of  the  King 
of  England,  and  the  other  "Mount  Alexander,"  in  honor 
of  Spotswood.  Tlio  party  then  drank  the  king's  health, 
and  rode  down  the  western  side  of  the  mountain  into  the 
Shenandoah  Valley. 

They  did  not  Jiioct  willi  any  romantic  incidents — fights 
with  Indians  or  bears,  or  anything  of  the  sort.  The  wild 
animals  seen  were  chiefly  deer;  or  a  herd  of  huge  elks, 
such  as  then  lived  in  tlic  region,  may  have  galloped  off 
into  the  thick  woods  as  the  hoofs  of  the  horses  clattered 
on   the  rocky  paths.     No  advent urcs  befell   them    in  the 


92  STORIES    OF   TUE    OLD    DOMINION. 

valley ;  and  after  enjoying  a  sight  of  its  fertile  lands,  the 
party  recrossed  the  Blue  Ridge,  entered  the  low  country, 
and,  going  joyously  on  their  way,  as  before,  reached  their 
homes  on  tidewater. 

IV. 

This  little  expedition  pleased  every  one  who  took  part 
in  it,  and  the  discovery  of  so  fine  a  country  was  very  im- 
portant. Spotswood  therefore  resolved  to  commemorate 
his  long  ride  by  establishing  what  is  called  an  Order  of 
Knighthood. 

You  probably  know  what  this  means.  Knights  in  for- 
mer times  were  brave  men  who  went  about  seeking  ad- 
ventures, and  they  belonged  to  various  "  orders,"  which 
were  regarded  with  great  respect.  Governor  Spotswood 
therefore  determined  to  form  a  Virginia  Order  of  Knight- 
hood ;  but  he  must  have  been  puzzled  at  first  to  find  a 
name  for  it.  At  last,  however,  he  decided  what  this  name 
should  be.  He  remembered  the  shoeing  of  the  horses  at 
Williamsburg  before  the  party  set  out,  and  thought  the 
best  name  for  them  would  be  "Sir  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Plorseshoe."  He  therefore  fixed  upon  that  title,  and  sent 
to  England  for  a  number  of  small  golden  horseshoes,  one 
of  which  he  presented  to  each  of  his  companions.  There 
was  a  motto,  in  Latin,  cut  upon  them — ''''Sic  jurat  trcms- 
cendere  inontes^''  signifying,  "Thus  we  swear  to  cross  the 
mountains;"  and  one  of  them,  set  with  garnets,  a  species 
of  jewel,  is  still  to  be  seen,  it  is  said,  somewhere  in  Virginia. 

When  the  King  of  England  heard  of  Spotswood's  ex- 
pedition, he  made  him  Sir  Alexander  Spotswood ;  but  I 
am  sorry  to  say  the  governor  was  obliged  to  pay  for  the 
golden  horseshoes  out  of  his  own  pocket.  He  requested 
the  king  to  see  that  the  shoes  were  paid  for  in  London, 
but  not  the  least  notice  was  taken  of  this.     It  may  have 


THE    KNIGHTS    OF   THE    GOLDEN    HOESESHOE.  93 

been  that  the  king  thouglit  it  rather  i)resamptuous  in  him 
to  be  establishing  an  order  of  knighthood  without  per- 
mission ;  or  he  may  have  grudged  the  money,  of  which 
kings,  even,  are  often  much  in  want.  However  that  may 
be,  he  refused  to  pay ;  so  Sir  Alexander  did  so,  and  was 
thus  the  real  founder  of  the  "Order." 

Spotswood  never  returned  to  England.  Besides  his 
house  at  Gerraanna,  he  had  another  near  Yorktown,  which 
was  called  "Temple  Farm;"  and  here  he  spent  his  last 
days  in  quiet,  with  his  wife  and  children.  You  will  re- 
member how  Colonel  Byrd  laughed  at  him  for  treating 
his  wife  with  so  much  tenderness;  but  it  was  a  good-nat- 
ured laugh,  and  the  old  "Master  of  Westover,"  as  Byrd 
was  called,  must  have  respected  him  all  the  more  for  it. 
The  Virginia  people  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  Spots- 
wood,  for  during  the  thirteen  years  in  which  he  had  been 
governor  lie  had  showed  that  the  good  of  the  country  was 
nearest  to  his  heart. 

He  died  at  "Temple  Farm,"  where  his  old  house  is  still 
standing;  but  for  a  long  time  it  was  not  known  where  be 
was  buried.  At  last,  nearly  a  hundred  years  afterward, 
some  broken  stones  in  an  old  enclosure  near  the  house 
were  removed,  and  on  these  stones  were  found  letters 
which  sliowed  that  the  little  enclosure  was  once  a  grave- 
yard. The  ]>ieces  were  put  together,  and  at  last  some- 
thing was  made  of  them  : 


o 


'Sir  Alexander  Spotswood, 
17—." 

This  much  was  read  upon  iho  fragments  of  stone;  and  it 
thus  became  plain  that  the  small  enclosure  was  the  burial- 
place  of  the  brave  Spotswood.  He  was  one  of  the  best 
governors  that  Virginia  ever  had,  and  his  bones  were  laid, 
you  see,  in  the  land  he  loved  so  well. 


94  STOKIES    OF  THE    OLD   DOMINION. 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON,    THE    YOUNG     SUR- 
VEYOR. 

I. 

My  stories  are  not  only  meant  to  inform  and  interest 
you,  but  to  show  you  how  the  great  men  of  Virginia  did 
their  duty  always,  and  especially  how  their  characters 
came  to  be  shaped. 

There  is  one  of  these  men  who  rises  above  all  the  rest, 
and  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  greatest  human  beings 
who  have  lived  in  this  world.  I  mean  George  Washing- 
ton, who  is  called  the  "  Father  of  his  Country ;"  and  it  is 
extremely  interesting  to  see  how  he  passed  his  boyhood 
and  early  manhood.  He  was  no  better  than  other  peo- 
ple in  many  things.  He  had  quick  and  excitable  pas- 
sions, which  he  soon  found  he  had  to  control,  or  they 
would  control  him.  But  he  had  the  highest  sense  of 
duty,  and  determined  to  make  a  good  and  useful  man 
of  himself;  and  in  this  story  I  mean  to  show  you  how  he 
set  about  it. 

He  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  who  lived  in  Westmoreland 
County,  Virginia,  and  was  born  on  the  twenty-second 
of  February,  1V32.  His  father,  Augustine  Washington, 
had  large  landed  possessions  on  the  banks  of  the  Poto- 
mac, and  was  well  to  do  in  the  world;  but  as  often  hap- 
pened at  that  time,  when  people  did  not  think  so  much 
of  show,  he  lived  in  a  small  plain  house,  and  here  George 
was  born.  While  he  was  still  a  child  his  fi\ther  moved 
to  another  house   in  Staiford  County,  on   the  Rappahan- 


Cf'.>.'  ^ 


10UNG   WASHINGTON  S   MILITARY   ASPIRATIONS. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTOX,  THE  YOUNG  SURVEYOR.     97 

nock  River,  where  he  sent  George  to  what  is  called  an 
"old  field-school" — a  sort  of  log-house,  generally  with 
only  one  room,  where  children  were  taught  to  read  and 
write  and  cipher.  "While  he  was  at  school,  George  is  said 
to  have  been  very  fond  of  playing  at  soldiering  with  the 
rest  of  the  boys,  which  he  probably  gained  a  liking  for 
from  listening  to  the  talk  of  his  elder  brother  Lawrence, 
who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  West  Indies. 

When  his  father  died,  which  he  did  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine,  George  was  left  to  the  care  of  his  mother.  But  he 
could  not  have  had  a  better  person  to  look  after  hiui. 
"Mary,  the  Mother  of  Washington,"  as  she  is  called,  was 
•a  lady  of  the  highest  character,  with  a  very  strong  mind, 
and  as  pious  as  she  was  intelligent.  She  determined  to 
make  her  boy  a  good  man,  and  taught  him  to  love  God, 
and  kneel  beside  her  and  say  his  prayers  night  and  morn- 
ing. She  also  taught  him  always  to  tell  the  truth  and 
do  Ills  duty  in  everything.  These  lessons  of  his  mother 
while  he  was  still  a  small  bo)'  were  the  main  cause  of  his 
becoming  afterward  so  great  a  man. 

He  was  very  fond  of  out-door  pleasure,  riding  and  hunt- 
ing, and  games  that  require  skill  and  bodily  strength. 
Tliese  made  him  grow  tall  and  strong.  It  is  said  that  he 
once  threw  a  stone  across  the  Kappahannock  River,  at  the 
city  of  Fredericksburg;  and  there  are  very  few  men  who 
could  do  as  much,  lie  did  not,  liowever,  neglect  improv- 
ing his  mind,  and  learning  everything  that  would  prove 
useful  to  him  in  his  after-life.  He  kept  a  book  in  which 
he  wrote  down  wise  maxims  and  lulcs  to  follow:  he  also 
taught  himself  how  to  keep  accounts,  and  all  about  sur- 
veying land,  which,  as  you  will  sec,  soon  became  of  the 
greatest  use  to  liim,  and  had  a  very  important  influence 
upon  his  career  in  life. 

When  George  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  a  tall, 

5 


98 


STOKIES    OF    TUE    OLD    DOMINION. 


robust  boy,  and  longed  to  lead  the  life  of  a  soldier  or  sail- 
or. He  thought  that  he  would  like  being  a  sailor  the  bet- 
ter of  the  two;  and  as  his  brother  Lawrence  was  rich  and 
influential,  he  had  not  much  trouble  in  having  George  ap- 
pointed a  midshipman  in  the  English  navy.  But  his  poor 
mother  grieved  at  the  thought  that  she  was  going  to  be 
separated  from  her  boy,  and  might  never  see  him  again. 
He  had  persuaded  her  to  let  hina  go,  and  she  had  consent- 
ed ;  but  she  could  not  conceal  her  tears  when  the  time  ar- 


RESIDENCE   OF  THE   WASHINGTON   FAMILY. 


rived.  When  George  came,  in  his  tine  new  uniform  of  a 
midshipman,  to  tell  her  good-bye,  she  covered  her  face  with 
her  hands  and  cried ;  and  at  this  the  boy  gave  way.  He 
could  not  bear  to  distress  his  mother,  and  at  once  gave  up 
the  idea  of  leaving  her.  He  took  off  his  fine  uniform,  re- 
signed his  commission  as  a  midshipman,  and  stayed  at 
home  to  take  care  of  his  mother. 

Instead  of  going  away  as  a  brave  young  sailor,  George 
went  back  to  school,  and  the  time  passed  on  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age.  He  often  went  to  see  his  brother 
Lawrence  at  his  house,  called  "  Mount  Vernon,"  on  the 
Potomac  River,  and  was  a  greajt  favorite  with  everybody 


GEORGE    AVASHINGTOX,  THE    YOUNG   SUEVEYOR.  99 

there.  Lawrence  had  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  William 
FairfaXj-a  rich  Englishman,  who  lived  at  a  place  called 
"Belvoir,"  not  far  from  Mount  Vernon;  and  here  the 
boy  met  with  an  old  English  lord  of  singular  character, 
named  Thomas,  Lord  Fairfax,  a  cousin  of  William  Fair- 
fax. 

Lord  Fairfax  was  a  very  curious  old  man,  and  his  life 
had  been  an  interesting  one.  He  was  born  in  England, 
and  when  he  was  a  young  man,  went  up  from  his  home 
in  the  country  to  live  in  the  great  city  of  London,  where 
lie  moved  in  the  highest  society,  and  was  one  of  the  finest 
dressed  young  men  of  his  day.  He  did  not  pass  all  his 
time,  however,  in  idleness  and  visits  to  ladies.  He  be- 
came acquainted  with  many  authors,  and  among  the  rest, 
with  a  famous  one  named  Addison,  who  wrote  a  number 
of  papers  under  the  title  of  the  Spectator.  These  papers 
were  very  much  admired  at  the  time,  and  are  admired 
still  for  the  bcauliful  style  in  which  they  are  written. 
Young  Fairfax  offered  to  help  Addison,  and  wrote  some 
of  the  Spectator  papers  for  him.  And  now  one  of  the 
main  things  that  people  remember  the  rich,  finely  dressed 
young  lord  by,  is  that  he  assisted  the  poor,  shabbily  dress- 
ed Mr.  Addison  in  writing  his  Spectator. 

Lord  FairHix  soon  met  with  a  lady  who  pleased  him, 
and  they  were  at  last  engaged  to  be  married.  But  the 
lady  treated  him  very  badly.  She  saw  that  another  per- 
son of  higher  rank  was  ready  to  marry  her,  and  refused 
to  keep  her  word  with  young  Fairfax.  This  distressed 
him  deeply,  and  he  went  back  to  liis  home  in  the  country, 
resolved  never  to  marry  anybody,  which  he  never  did. 
And  I  will  now  tell  you  what  brought  him  to  Virginia. 

Hi.s  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Lord  Culpcpor,  who 
had  been  at  one  time  (iovernor  of  Virginia.  While  lie 
was   living    in    Virginia,  Lord   C'ul|»e])cr   found   how   rich 


100  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION". 

the  laud  was  between  the  Potomac  and  Rappahannock 
rivers;  and  when  he  returned  to  England  he  aeked  the 
king  to  give  him  all  this  land,  which  was  then  only  partly 
inhabited — proraisiug  that  he  would  have  it  settled  and 
cultivated.  To  this  the  king  consented,  and  Culpeper 
received  what  was  called  a  patent  for  the  whole  country 
— which  did  not  at  all  please  the  Virginians,  and  was  one 
of  the  great  causes  of  complaint  leading  to  Bacon's  Ile- 
bellion,  about  which  I  have  told  you.  When  Lord  Cul- 
peper died,  his  daughter  inherited  the  land;  and  as  Lord 
Fairfax  was  her  son,  he  became  the  owner  of  it  after  her 
death.  His  cousin,  William  Fairfax,  of  Belvoir,  had  man- 
aged his  great  property  for  some  time,  but  at  last  Lord 
Fairfax  determined  to  cross  the  ocean  to  look  after  it 
himself.  He  did  so;  and  this  accounts  for  his  living  with 
his  cousin  at  Belvoir,  where  young  George  Washington 
made  his  acquaintance. 

I  have  told  you  this  story  of  Lord  Fairfax  because  he 
had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  fortunes  of  the  youth  who 
afterward  made  so  great  a  name  for  himself.  If  he  had 
not  met  with  Lord  Fairfax,  Washington's  whole  life  would 
probably  have  been  different.  The  old  Englishman  put 
him  in  the  way  of  making  a  man  of  himself,  and  gaining 
the  reputation  which  led  to  his  being  appointed  command- 
er-in-chief of  the  American  armies  in  the  Revolution.  And 
I  will  now  tell  you  how  he  did  so. 

Belvoir  was  a  pleasant  house  to  visit  at;  and  as  Mrs. 
Lawrence  Washington  was  a  daughter  of  William  Fair- 
fax, you  know,  the  two  families  were  on  the  most  intimate 
terms.  When  George  was  at  Mount  Vernon  he  often 
went  to  Belvoir,  as  I  have  said,  and  he  and  Lord  Fairfax 
soon  became  great  friends.  The  old  Englishman,  who 
was  a  tall,  gaunt,  near-sighted  man,  was  very  fond  of 
hunting,  and  liked  to  have  George  go  with  him.     So  they 


GEORGE    -SVASIIIXGrOX,  THE   YOUXG    SURVEYOR.        101 

often  rode  out  fox-hunting  together,  and  Lord  Fairfax 
came  to  like  the  boy  very  much.  Pie  saw  that  he  was  a 
stout,  manly,  intelligent  young  fellow,  with  a  great  desire 
to  make  himself  useful  in  some  way;  and  this  gave  him 
the  idea  of  appointing  George  to  survey  his  wild  lands 
beyond  the  Bine  Kidge  Mountains. 

These  lands  were  of  very  great  extent,  as  they  reached 
as  far  up  as  the  head-waters  of  one  branch  of  the  Poto- 
mac River;  but  large  as  they  were,  they  were  of  no  great 
value  unless  they  were  surveyed  and  laid  off  to  be  sold  or 
rented  to  such  people  as  wished  to  settle  on  them.  Per- 
haps you  do  not  know  exactly  what  is  meant  by  survey- 
ing. It  means  measuring  land,  which  is  generally  done 
by  means  of  a  chain,  and  laying  it  off  into  tracts,  which 
are  then  marked  by  catting  gashes  in  the  bark  of  certain 
trees,  or  describing  other  trees  or  prominent  objects  as 
landmarks  in  a  book  carried  for  the  [)urpose.  When  you 
grow  older  you  will  understand  the  use  of  the  compass 
and  the  calculation  of  angles  in  surveying;  but  this  is  all 
I  can  say  of  it  at  present. 

Lord  Fairfax  wished  very  much  to  have  his  lands  in 
the  Valley  of  Virginia  thus  surveyed,  and  ])roposed  to 
young  George  Washington  that  he  should  undertake  the 
work.  The  boy  at  once  consented.  Nothing  could  have 
pleased  him  better  than  an  occupation  of  this  sort.  He 
loved  the  open  air  and  horseback  riding;  he  would  have 
an  opportunity  to  explore  a  ]tictui'esque  and  beautiful 
country,  full  of  Indians  and  wild  animals;  and  he  set 
about  at  once  making  preparations  for  liis  expedition. 

11. 

•  It  was  a  fine  day  in  early  spring  of  the  year  1748  when 
George  set  out  on  his  ride  to  the  valley.  Tie  had  a  com- 
panion, George  William  Fairfax,  a  son  f.f  William  of  IJcl- 


102 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


voir,  who  was  about  twenty-two  years  of  age,  aud  they 
rode  along  in  high  spirits  toward  the  mountains. 

George  was  at  an  age  when  the  world  seems  full  of 
enjoyment.  He  was  just  sixteen,  and  in  high  health,  and 
no  doubt  felt  delighted,  as  boys  will,  at  the  thought  of  be- 
ing his  own  master  and  meeting  with  all  sorts  of  advent- 
ures. He  had  brought  his  gun  with  him  to  hunt,  and  his 
surveyor's  instruments  were  packed  in  a  leather  valise 


GUEENWAT   COURT. 


beliind  his  saddle.  I  have  myself  seen  these  instruments, 
which  his  family  still  have;  and  it  was  interesting  to  look 
at  them,  and  remember  that  they  were  used  by  so  great 
a  man  when  he  was  young  and  unknown  to  the  world. 

The  two  friends  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge   at  Ashby's 
Gap,  and  forded  the  bright  waters  of  the  river  Shenan- 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  THE  YOUXG  SURVEYOR.    103 

doah.  They  then  turned  a  little  to  the  left,  and  made 
their  way  toward  "Green way  Court."  This  was  a  sort 
of  lodge  built  by  Lord  Fairfax  in  the  woods,  and  after- 
ward his  place  of  residence.  It  was  a  house  with  broad 
stone  gables,  and  a  roof  sloping  down  over  a  long  porch 
in  front.  On  the  top  of  the  roof  were  two  belfries  with 
bells  in  them,  which  were  meant,  it  is  said,  to  give  the 
alarm  to  all  the  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  when  the 
Indians  were  coming  to  attack  them.  Some  fast  rider 
would  bring  the  news;  then  the  bells  would  be  rung,  and 
every  man  would  prepare  for  the  Indian  attack.  Green- 
way  Court  was  thus  a  famous  place  in  the  e3'cs  of  every 
one,  and  business  with  Lord  Fairfax's  manager  broujjht 
a  great  many  people  to  the  spot.  To  direct  these  visi- 
tors, a  white  post,  with  an  arm  pointing  in  the  direction 
of  tlic  place,  was  set  up  at  some  distance  from  it.  When- 
ever this  post  fell,  from  the  wood  decaying  or  by  any  ac- 
cident, another  was  erected  in  its  place  ;  and  one  stands 
in  the  very  spot  to-day,  in  the  middle  of  the  village  of 
White  Post,  which  takes  its  name  from  it. 

George  and  his  friend  came  in  sight  of  the  white  post, 
and  soon  reached  Greenway  Court,  where  they  were  hos- 
l)ilably  received  by  Lord  Fairfax's  manager;  and  then, 
after  a  short  rest,  they  began  to  survey  the  lands  along 
tiie  banks  of  the  Shenandoah  River. 

This  must  have  been  a  deliglitful  employment  to  tliem. 
The  spring  was  just  opening,  and  the  leaves  beginning  to 
bud  iti  the  woods.  The  sun  was  shining  briglitly,  the 
birds  were  chirping,  and  on  every  side,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  were  long  blue  ranges  of  mountains,  like  higli 
walls  |>lacc'd  tliorc  to  guard  the  beautiful  Valley  of  tlie 
Sheiiand(jali.  Tliis  country  is  very  attractive  now,  with 
its  green  wiioat-fiehls  or  waving  corn,  and  its  clumps  of 
trees,  in  the  midst  of  which  are  seen  old  houses,  the  abodes 


104  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

of  happy  families;  but  it  was  far  more  striking  and  pict- 
uresque at  that  time.  Old  people,  whose  memories  went 
a  long  way  back,  said  that  in  former  times  the  land  wa? 
covered  with  majestic  forests  and  broad  prairies.  In  these 
prairies,  they  said,  the  grass  was  so  tall  that  a  man  on 
horseback  could  tie  the  heads  together  across  the  saddle 
in  front  of  him,  and  the  whole  beautiful  expanse,  waving 
in  the  wand,  was  bright  with  flowers. 

Surveying  itself  is  hard  work,  but  the  free  open-air  life 
that  surveyors  lead  makes  it  very  attractive.  This  life 
was  highly  agreeable  to  George  and  his  friend.  They 
worked  faithfully  all  day,  and  at  night  stopped  at  the 
rude  house  of  some  settler  in  the  woods;  or,  if  no  house 
was  seen,  they  built  a  fire,  wrapped  themselves  in  their 
cloaks,  and  slept  in  the  open  air.  They  went  on  in  this 
manner  until  they  reached  the  Potomac  River.  They  then 
rode  up  the  stream  and  over  the  mountains  until  they 
reached  what  is  now  called  Berkeley  Springs,  or  "  Bath," 
where  they  camped  out,  as  usual,  under  the  stars.  There 
were  no  houses  there  then,  but  a  town  was  built  in  course 
of  time,  and  Washington  often  spent  a  part  of  the  sum- 
mer there  long  years  afterward  with  his  family,  to  bathe 
in  and  drink  the  mineral  waters,  which  are  good  for  the 
sick. 

George  and  his  friend  did  not  meet  with  many  advent- 
ures, but  they  had  a  sight,  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives, 
of  the  savages.  They  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  settler 
one  day,  and  were  soon  afterward  surprised  by  the  sudden 
appearance  of  a  band  of  Indians.  They  were  about  thirty 
in  number,  with  their  half-naked  bodies  covered  with  paint, 
which  signified  that  they  had  been  at  war  with  their  ene- 
mies, and  one  of  them  had  a  scalp  hanging  at  his  belt. 
Perhaps  you  do  not  know  what  a  scalp  means,  so  I  M'ill 
explain  it.     When  the  Indians  killed  any  one,  they  made 


INDIAN    WITH   SCALP. 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON,  THE    YOUNG    SUKVEVDK.        107 

a  deep  cut  with  a  knife  around  the  forehead  and  behind 
the  head  of  the  corpse,  and  then  tore  off  the  whole  skin 
from  the  head,  with  the  hair  upon  it.  Sometimes  they 
thus  scalped  their  enemies  before  they  were  dead,  and  it 
was  so  painful  that  scarcely  any  one  ever  lived  after  it. 
The  scalp  was  then  hung  to  the  belt ;  and  the  Indians  were 
proud  of  it  as  a  proof  of  victory  over  their  enemies. 

George  and  his  friend  must  have  been  shocked  at  see- 
ing the  bloody  scalp,  but  the  Indians  soon  made  them 
laugh.  Some  liquor  was  given  them,  and  they  executed 
their  war-dance,  as  they  called  it.  One  of  them  stretched 
a  deer-skin  over  an  iron  pot  and  drummed  upon  it,  while 
another  rattled  a  gourd  with  a  horse's  tail  tied  to  it,  in 
which  were  some  shot.  While  this  was  going  on,  one  of 
the  savages  leaped  up  and  began  to  dance  and  turn  and 
tumble  about  in  the  most  ridiculous  manner,  while  the 
rest  yelled  and  whooped  around  a  large  fire  which  they 
had  built.  Altogether  it  was  a  singular  sight,  and  the 
two  young  men  must  have  looked  on  with  wonder  at  such 

strange  doings. 

III. 

Several  weeks  were  sjKMit  by  the  young  surveyors  in 
this  wild  country,  during  which  they  were  busy  attending 
to  their  duties.  They  cooked  their  meat  by  holding  it 
to  the  fire  on  forked  sticks,  and  chips  served  for  dishes. 
Sometimes  it  rained  heavily,  and  they  were  drenched.  At 
one  time  some  straw  on  which  they  were  sleeping  caught 
fire,  and  they  woke  just  in  time  to  save  themselves  from 
being  burned.  Sometimes  they  slept  in  houses,  but  this 
was  not  much  better  than  the  open  air.  "  I  have  not  slejjt 
above  tliree  or  four  nights  in  a  bed,"  George  wrote  to  one 
of  his  friends;  "but  after  walking  a  good  deal  all  the  day, 
I  have  lain  down  before  the  lir<'.  on  a  little  straw,  or  fod- 
der, or  a  bear-skin,  whichever  was  to  be  liad,  w  itii   man, 


108  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    BOMINIOX. 

wife,  and  children,  like  dogs  and  cats;  and  happy  is  he 
who  gets  the  berth  nearest  the  fire." 

In  the  month  of  April  the  two  young  men  recrossed  the 
mountains,  and  again  reached  Greenway  Court.  Here  they 
found  good  beds  and  every  comfort,  and  rested  after  their 
long  ride.  I  have  visited  Greenway  Court;  and  while 
walking  over  the  green  lawn  under  the  old  locust-trees 
in  front  of  it,  and  looking  at  the  old  stone  gables  with 
the  belfries  on  the  roof,  I  thought  of  the  bright  boy  of 
sixteen,  with  his  brown  curls  and  rosy  cheeks,  who  once 
looked  at  the  same  objects  and  sat  on  the  same  porch 
there  before  my  eyes.  The  old  house  should  have  been 
taken  good  care  of,  from  these  associations  with  the  youtli 
of  Washington,  But  Greenway  Court  is  gone!  It  was 
pulled  down  for  some  reason,  and  no  human  eye  will  ever 
look  upon  it  again ;  so  I  thought  I  would  give  you  this 
description  of  it,  just  as  it  looked  when  I  saw  it  about  ten 
years  ago. 

Soon  afterward  George  and  his  friend  crossed  the  Blue 
Ridge  and  returned  home.  Lord  Fairfax  was  higlily 
pleased  with  what  they  had  done,  and  George  was  no 
doubt  very  much  gratified.  He  was  paid  for  his  work  in 
surveying  at  the  rate  of  about  three  dollars  and  a  half  a 
day  when  he  was  only  riding  aroimd,  and  about  seven 
dollars  a  day  when  he  was  regularly  engaged  in  survey- 
ing. This  was  the  first  money  that  he  liad  ever  earned  in 
his  life,  and  he  must  have  enjoyed  spending  it,  as  he  knew 
that  he  had  worked  for  it.  Another  subject  of  gratifica- 
tion to  him  was  the  good  opinion  Lord  Fairfax  formed  of 
him  from  the  manner  in  which  he  had  executed  his  duties. 
The  old  Englishman  now  knew  how  valuable  his  property 
was,  and  what  a  fine  country  the  valley  was  for  hunting; 
so  he  removed  to  Greenway  Court,  and  spent  his  last  years 
there. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  THE  YOUNG  SURVEYOR.    109 

I  have  only  one  other  incident  to  relate  of  Lord  Fairfax, 
which  took  place  just  before  his  death.  He  was  an  Eng- 
lishman, and  opposed  to  the  Revolutionary  war ;  but  he 
continued  to  live  in  Virginia,  at  Green  way  Court.  At 
last  the  year  1781  came,  and  Lord  Fairfax  grew  very  ill. 
He  was  at  Winchester  at  the  time,  which  is  not  far  from 
Greenway ;  and  one  day  he  heard  the  people  shouting  and 
cheering  in  the  streets.  He  asked  his  old  servant  what 
it  all  meant,  and  he  told  him  that  the  people  were  shout- 
ing because  Lord  Cornwallis,  the  great  English  general, 
had  surrendered  to  General  Washington  at  Yorktown. 
At  this  the  old  lord  groaned. 

"Take  me  to  bed,  Joe,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice;  "it  is 
time  for  mc  to  die  !" 

And  you  no  doubt  understand  what  the  old  English- 
man meant.  He  had  been  the  friend  of  young  Geoi'ge 
W^ashington,  and  brought  him  on  in  life;  and  now  this 
same  young  fellow  had  defeated  the  great  Lord  Cornwal- 
lis, and  compelled  England  to  give  up  America.  It  was 
time  for  him  to  die,  therefore,  he  said ;  and  soon  afterward 
he  expired,  greatly  mourned,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  by 
Washington. 

This  was  the  end  of  old  Lord  Fairfax.  His  life  was 
a  sad  one,  in  P]»ite  of  his  great  wealth,  for  his  last  days 
were  spent  in  the  lonely  forests  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge, 
without  wife  or  children  to  cheer  his  declining  years.  I 
never  heard  that  Washington  visited  him  there  in  these 
latter  years.  The  boy  with  the  rosy  cheeks  and  the  curly 
locks,  who  had  stopped  at  Greenway  Court,  was  now  the 
grave  commander-in-chief  of  the  American  army,  and  had 
no  time  to  spare.  But  he  must  have  wished  to  visit  the 
old  house  again,  and  its  master,  who  had  been  the  friend 
of  his  boyhood. 


110  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


WASHINGTON  IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

I. 

It  is  SO  interesting  to  follow  George  Washington 
through  these  first  years  of  his  career,  that  I  will  go  on 
now  and  tell  you  of  an  expedition  which  he  made  at  this 
time  into  the  "  Great  Woods,"  as  they  were  called,  beyond 
the  Ohio  River. 

Both  the  English  and  the  French  claimed  this  country. 
The  English,  you  know,  had  settled  at  Jamestown  in  1607, 
but  the  French  had  possession  of  Canada  long  before,  and 
it  was  now  a  question  to  whom  the  western  country  be- 
longed. It  was  full  of  English  and  French  hunters,  who 
traded  with  the  Indians ;  and  it  became  a  great  point  with 
both  sides  to  secure  the  friendship  of  the  savages,  in  case 
fighting  broke  out,  as  it  probably  would. 

This  led  to  the  expedition  I  now  mean  to  tell  you  about. 
Governor  Dinwiddle  of  Virginia  and  the  Governor  of  Can- 
ada were  watching  each  other;  and  at  last  Dinwiddle  re- 
solved to  send  the  French  a  message.  This  message  was 
to  the  effect  that  the  western  country  belonged  to  Eng- 
land, and  that  as  the  French  had  no  right  to  it,  they  were 
not  to  build  their  forts  on  it.  The  person  to  be  sent  was 
also  to  make  friends  of  the  Indians ;  and  for  this  impor- 
tant expedition  Governor  Dinwiddle  selected  young  George 
Washington. 

The  events  here  spoken  of  took  place  in  the  year  1753, 
when  Washington  was  twenty-one  years  old.  It  was  a 
proof  of  the  confidence  placed  in  him,  to  choose  so  young 


WASHIXGTOlN    IX    THE    WILDERNESS.  Ill 

a  man  for  a  mission  requiring  the  utmost  prudence  and 
sood-sense,  as  well  as  courage.  But  Washinofton  was  now 
very  well  known.  He  had  not  done  much,  but  had  im- 
pressed every  one  with  a  high  opinion  of  his  character.  A 
proof  of  this  is  that  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  three  years  be- 
fore this  time,  he  had  been  appointed  adjutant-general  of 
one  of  the  military  districts  of  Vii'ginia.  In  performing 
his  duties  as  such,  he  must  have  shown  that  he  was  a  ca- 
pable person,  as  he  was  now  selected  by  the  governor  to 
carry  his  important  message  into  the  wilderness. 

He  set  out  on  the  very  day  he  received  his  commission 
from  the  governor  at  Williamsburg.  At  Winchester  bis 
party  was  waiting.  It  consisted  of  three  white  hunters 
and  two  friendly  Indians,  and  a  Mr.  Gist,  who  was  an  ex- 
])eriencod  woodsman.  As  the  weather  was  very  cold  (the 
month  being  November),  small  tents  were  packed  on  horses, 
which  were  intrusted  to  the  white  men  ;  and  thus  equip- 
ped the  party  set  forward  and  reached  the  Monongahela. 

The  point  Washington  aimed  for  was  an  Indian  vil- 
lage called  Logstown,  a  little  below  where  the  city  of 
Pittsburg,  in  Pennsylvania,  at  present  stands.  As  the 
river  flowed  in  that  direction,  it  would  enable  him  to 
float  the  tents  and  baggage  down  in  canoes;  so  some  of 
these  were  procured  and  the  loads  placed  in  them,  in 
charge  of  some  of  the  men,  while  the  rest  of  the  party 
Ibllowed  along  the  bank. 

They  at  last  reached  the  Forks  of  the  Ohio  near  Pitts- 
burg. The  weather  was  intensely  cold,  but  Washington 
stopped  to  look  at  the  position,  lie  saw  at  a  glance  how 
strong  it  was,  and  that  it  was  the  very  place  for  a  fort; 
which  was  a  proof  of  liis  good-sense,  for  Fort  Dnqucsnc 
was  afterward  erected  there  l»y  the  French. 

At  last  he  reached  I^ogstown,  and  here  he  had  a  long 
talk  with  the  "Half  King"  of  the  Indians,  whose  name 


112 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


was  Tanacharisson.  The  object  of  this  talk  was  to  per- 
suade him  to  promise  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
French;  l»nt  Tanacharisson,  although  he  was  friendly  to 
the  English,  was  afraid  to  do  so,  and  evaded  making  any 
promises.  He  was  full  of  polite  speeches,  after  the  In- 
dian fashion ;  but  the  French  commander,  he  said,  was  at 


OHIO  liivEK. 


a  fort  near  Lake  Erie,  and,  if  Washington  wished,  he  would 
go  with  him  to  see  this  commandant. 

Washington  accepted  his  offer,  and  set  out  with  Tana- 
charisson and  other  Indians,  who  guided  him  to  a  place 
called  Venango.      Here   a  cunning   old  French   captain, 


WASHINGTON    IX    THE    AVILDERXESS.  113 

named  Joncaire,  met  them,  and  set  plenty  of  drink  before 
them.  The  object  of  this  was  to  make  Wat^hington  drunk, 
and  induce  him  to  talk  freely;  but  the  plan  did  not  suc- 
ceed, and  he  soon  left  Captain  Joncaire,  and  pushed  on 
with  the  Indians  toward  the  fort  near  Lake  Erie. 

After  a  long  and  freezing  ride  he  reached  the  fort,  and 
was  courteously  received.  Tlie  commandant  was  an  old 
French  officer,  called  the  Chevalier  de  St.  Pierre,  with  a 
silvery  head,  and  clad  in  a  fine  uniform.  He  made  the 
young  Virginian  a  low  bow,  and  invited  him  into  the  fort, 
and  Washington  then  handed  him  a  letter  which  he  had 
brought  from  Governor  Dinwiddle.  This  the  chevalier 
received  with  another  polite  bow,  and  then  he  retired  to 
read  it. 

Two  days  then  passed,  and,  on  one  pretence  or  other, 
the  old  chevalier  delayed  giving  an  answer  to  the  letter. 
Washington  soon  saw  what  this  meant.  The  chevalier 
was  extremely  polite,  but  he  was  quite  as  cunning,  and 
during  all  this  time  was  endeavoring  secretly  to  persuade 
Tanacharisson  to  remain  friendly  to  the  French,  Wash- 
ington found  this  out,  and  was  very  angry ;  but  the  smil- 
ing old  Frenchman  informed  him  that  he  was  mistaken 
in  supposing  any  such  thing;  and  at  last  he  gave  him  a 
reply  to  Governor  Dinwiddle's  letter.  This  showed  that 
the  chevalier  was  a  good  soldier  as  well  as  a  diplomatist. 
He  informed  his  Excellency  Governor  Dinwiddie  that  he 
would  send  his  letter  to  the  INIarquis  Duqucsne,  in  Can- 
ada; but  as  to  giving  up  the  country,  he  could  not  and 
would  not  do  so :  he  was  ordered  to  hold  it,  and  he  meant 
to  obey  his  orders. 

This  was  all  Washington  cuuld  obtain  from  liini,  and 
he  now  prepared  to  set  out  on  his  return.  Tlic  old  Clieva- 
lier  de  St.  Pierre  was  both  j)olitc  and  cunning  to  the  last. 
He  furnished  Washington  with  plenty  of  canoes  to  carry 


114  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

his  baggage,  and  a  quantity  of  provisions,  but  secretly 
tried  to  persuade  Tanacliarisson  not  to  return  with  him. 
But  in  this  he  failed.  Tanacharisson  went  back  with 
Washington  in  the  canoes,  which  were  rowed  down  French 
Creek.  The  horses  followed  by  land.  And  that  was  the 
last  they  saw  of  the  old  Chevalier  de  St.  Pierre. 

II. 

The  boating  expedition  down  French  Creek  was  a  diffi- 
cult affair.  It  was  full  of  floating  ice,  and  several  times 
the  canoes  were  nearly  staved  to  pieces.  Now  and  then 
the  men  were  obliged  to  jump  into  the  water  and  drag 
them  over  shallows ;  and  once  they  found  that  a  bend  in 
tlie  river  was  so  full  of  broken  ice  that  they  were  com- 
pelled to  take  the  canoes  on  their  backs,  and  carry  them 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  they  could  find  open  water 
again.  At  last  they  reached  Venango,  where  they  parted 
with  Tanacharisson  and  the  rest  of  the  Indians,  and  Wash- 
ington determined  to  push  on,  on  foot,  for  Virginia. 

He  was  induced  to  do  this  by  tlie  terrible  condition  of 
the  roads.  They  were  now  almost  impassable.  The  wa- 
ter and  snow  in  them  had  frozen,  and  at  every  step  the 
horses  broke  through  and  stumbled,  and  more  than  once 
fell  beneath  their  riders.  It  was  plain,  therefore,  to  Wash- 
ington that  he  would  never  reach  Virginia  if  he  depend- 
ed upon  the  horses  to  carry  him  there;  so  he  and  his 
friend  Gist  strapped  knapsacks  on  their  backs  to  carry 
their  provisions  and  papers,  took  their  rifles,  buttoned  up 
.their  overcoats,  and  pushed  into  the  woods,  leaving  the 
rest  of  the  men,  with  the  horses,  to  come  on  in  the  best 
manner  they  could. 

The  long  and  danarerous  march  of  Washinjjton  and  his 
single  companion  then  began.  The  obstacles  before  them 
were  enough  to  dishearten  them.     It  was  the   depth  of 


WASHINGTON   IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  115 

winter,  and  the  weather  was  freezing.  They  were  in  the 
heart  of  the  wilderness,  which  was  covered  with  snow, 
and  could  only  guess  at  their  way ;  and,  what  was  worse 
than  all,  they  were  surrounded  by  hostile  Indians,  the 
friends  of  the  French.  Perhaps  in  all  Washington's  long 
life  he  was  exposed  to  no  peril  greater  than  on  this  occa- 
sion. It  seemed  veiy  doubtful  indeed  whether  he  and 
Gist  would  ever  return  alive  to  Virginia. 

But  they  pushed  forward  fearlessly,  and  Providence 
watched  over  them.  They  ate,  when  they  were  hungry, 
some  of  the  provisions  carried  in  their  knapsacks,  and 
at  night  slept  by  a  fire  in  the  woods.  All  day  long  the 
steady  tramp  continued  through  the  desolate  woods,  and 
at  last  they  reached  a  place  bearing  the  gloomy  name  of 
Murdering  Town,  where  they  came  upon  a  band  of  In- 
dians. As  soon  as  he  saw  these  Indians,  Gist,  who  was 
an  old  woodsman,  began  to  suspect  them.  IIo  did  not 
like  their  looks,  and  their  side  glances  excited  his  suspi- 
cion. He  therefore  strongly  advised  Washington  not  to 
stop,  but  to  push  on ;  and  as  one  of  tlie  Indians  offered 
himself  as  a  guide,  his  offer  was  accepted,  and  he  accom- 
panied them. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  Gist  was  right  in  his  sus- 
picions. The  first  thing  the  Indian  guide  did  was  to  offer 
to  carry  Washington's  gun.  This  he  was  far  too  wise  to 
consent  to,  and  refused,  which  made  the  Indian  sulk3^  He 
had  evidently  hoped  to  induce  Washington  to  give  up  his 
gun,  and  his  next  attemi)t  was  to  get  the  two  men  in  liis 
power.  Night  was  coming,  and  they  looked  about  for  a 
place  to  build  a  camp-fire;  but  the  Indian  advised  them 
against  tliis.  There  were  some  Ottawa  Indians  in  the 
woods,  lie  said,  who  would  certainly  come  upon  them  :iiicl 
murder  them;  but  his  own  cabin  was  near,  and  if  they 
would  go  with  him  they  would  be  safe. 


116  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

This  was  very  suspicious,  and  they  resolved  to  be  on 
their  guard.  The  good-sense  of  this  was  soon  seen.  They 
refused  the  Indian's  offer,  and  went  on  looking  for  water, 
near  which  they  meant  to  encamp.  The  Indian  guide  was 
walking  ten  or  twenty  yards  in  front  of  them,  when,  just 
as  they  came  to  an  open  space  where  the  glare  of  the  snow 
lit  up  the  darkness,  the  Indian  turned  and  levelled  his  gun 
at  Washington  and  fired.  The  bullet  did  not  strike  him, 
and  the  Indian  darted  behind  a  tree.  But  Washington 
rushed  upon  him  and  seized  him  before  he  could  escape. 

Gist  came  up  at  once,  and  was  eager  to  put  the  guide 
to  death.  But  for  some  reason  Washington  would  not 
consent  to  this.  He  took  the  Indian's  gun  away  from  him, 
and  soon  afterward  they  reached  a  small  stream,  where 
they  made  tlie  guide  build  them  a  fire  to  camp  by  for 
the  night.  Gist  was  now  very  uneasy.  He  knew  tlie 
Indians  much  better  than  Washington  did,  and  told  him 
that  if  he  would  not  put  tlie  guide  to  death  they  must  get 
away  from  him.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  the  Indian  was 
told  he  could  go  to  his  cabin,  if  he  chose,  for  the  night. 
As  to  themselves,  they  would  camp  in  the  woods,  and  join 
him  there  in  the  morning,  which  they  could  easily  do  by 
following  his  tracks  in  the  snow. 

The  guide  was  glad  to  get  away,  and  was  soon  out  of 
sight;  Gist  followed  him  cautiously,  listening  to  his  foot- 
steps breaking  the  dry  twigs  in  the  woods.  As  soon  as 
he  was  sure  that  the  Indian  was  gone,  he  came  back  to 
Washington  and  told  him  that  if  he  valued  his  life  he 
had  better  get  away  from  this  spot,  as  he  was  certain  that 
the  guide  meant  to  bring  other  Indians  to  murder  them ; 
so  they  again  set  forward  through  the  woods. 

When  they  had  gone  about  half  a  mile  they  kindled 
another  fire,  but  did  not  lie  down  to  sleep.  The  fire  was 
only  to  deceive  the  Indians.     Instead  of  going  to  sleep. 


WASHINGTON    IN    THE    WILDERNESS.  117 

Washington  and  Gist  set  out  again,  and  travelled  all  that 
night  and  the  next  day  without  stopping.  They  knew 
that  their  lives  depended  on  getting  away  quickly  from 
that  dangerous  country.  And  at  last  they  reached  the 
banks  of  the  Alleghany,  a  little  above  the  present  city  of 

Pittsburg. 

III. 

They  had  expected  to  cross  to  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Alleghany  on  the  ice,  but  this  they  now  found  was  impos- 
sible. Instead  of  presenting  a  level  floor  of  ice  from  bank 
to  bank,  the  river  was  only  frozen  about  fifty  yards  from 
each  shore,  and  the  channel  in  the  middle  was  open  and 
full  of  drifting  ice.  It  came  down  in  large  masses,  and 
there  was  no  possibility  of  crossing  ;  so  the  two  travellers 
lay  down  for  the  night,  to  consider  what  they  would  do 
in  the  morning. 

There  seemed  no  hope  of  crossing  except  by  means  of 
a  raft,  that  is,  by  binding  logs  together  in  some  manner, 
and  floating  over  upon  them.  This  they  resolved  to  at- 
tempt. As  soon  as  daylight  came  they  began  the  work. 
Gist  probably  had  a  hatchet  with  him,  as  woodmen  gener- 
ally carried  one,  and  trees  were  cut  down  and  tied  togeth- 
er with  grape-vines.  Tliis  rough  raft  was  then  dragged 
to  the  edge  of  tlie  ice,  and  tlie  two  men  got  upon  it  and 
pushed  it  into  tlie  water.  This  was  done  by  means  of 
long  poles,  whidi  they  had  cut  for  tlie  ])urposc;  and  soon 
the  raft  was  driving  on  into  the  midst  of  the  broken  ice. 

Their  situation  soon  became  dangerous.  The  current 
was  strong,  and  in  spite  of  all  they  could  do  to  force  the 
raft  across,  the  ice  swept  it  down,  and  they  could  not 
rcacli  the  shore.  P]very  exertion  was  made  to  steady  it, 
and  in  attempting  to  do  so  Washington  mot  with  a  very 
dangerous  accident.  He  was  leaning  on  his  long  ])ole, 
resting  on  the  bottom  of  the  river,  which  was  about  ten 


118 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


feet  deep,  wlien  the  ice  crashed  against  it,  and  he  was 
thrown  into  the  water.  Few  things  are  more  perilous 
than  this.  The  water  was  freezing  cold,  and  he  no  doubt 
had  on  his  heavy  overcoat,  and  this  clogged  his  move- 
ments and  threatened  to  sink  him  with  its  weight.  And 
here  let  me  stop  a  moment  to  give  you  some  advice  which 
may  save  your  life  some  day.     Never  ford  a  deep  stream 


WASHINGTON   ON   HIS   HOMEWARD   JOURNEY. 


on  horseback  or  otherwise  with  an  overcoat  on.  First 
take  it  off,  with  your  arms,  if  you  carry  any ;  then  you 
may  swim  out  if  an  accident  happens.  If  you  do  not, 
you  will  probably  be  drowned. 

Fortunately  Washington  succeeded  in  getting  back  on 
the  raft,  in  wliich  Gist  no  doubt  assisted  him.  They  were 
then  swept  along,  and  gave  up  all  attempts  to  reach  the 


WASHINGTON    IN    THE    WILDERNESS.  119 

shore,  where  they  had  intended  at  first  to  do.  At  last 
they  saw  a  chance  for  safety.  The  ice  drove  the  raft 
near  a  small  island,  and  they  managed  to  get  upon  it. 
The  raft  was  then  carried  away,  and  disappeared  in  the 
floating  ice,  and  they  found  themselves  on  firm  ground 
again. 

But  their  situation  seemed  nearly  as  bad  as  ever,  if  not 
worse.  They  were  upon  a  small  island  which  had  no  fuel 
upon  it,  it  seems,  for  we  are  told  that  they  could  not  make 
a  fire.  The  shore  was  still  at  some  distance,  and  they  had 
no  means  of  reaching  it ;  and  the  cold  was  so  intense  that 
Gist  had  his  hands  and  feet  frozen.  It  was  a  miserable 
night,  and  they  must  have  remembered  it  for  years  after- 
ward. They  lay  down  in  their  overcoats  and  shivered 
through  the  dark  hours,  until  at  last  day  came  and  they 
looked  around. 

Providence  had  befriended  them.  The  floating  blocks 
of  ice  had  frozen  together  during  the  night,  and  they  saw 
that  there  was  a  solid  pathway  to  the  shore.  They  reach- 
ed it  without  trouble,  though  his  frozen  feet  must  have 
given  Gist  intense  pain  in  walking;  and  then  they  set 
forward  again  with  brave  hearts  toward  the  South.  Soon 
their  troubles  were  over.  Tliey  reached  without  further 
accident  the  house  of  a  trader  whom  they  knew,  on  the 
Monongahcla  Iliver,  and  he  received  them  cordially  and 
supplied  all  tlieir  wants. 

Wasliington  then  bought  a  horse,  as  his  own  were  far 
behind;  and  sixteen  days  afterward  he  was  hundreds  of 
miles  distant,  in  "Williamsburg,  informing  Governor  Din- 
widdle of  tlie  results  of  his  expedition. 

IV. 
Tl)is   adventurous  journey   through   the  Great  Woods 
crave  Washington   a  higli   reputation.     It  was  seen  that 


120  STOKIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

he  was  a  man  who  could  be  depended  upon,  and  in  the 
next  spring  (1754)  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  officers 
to  command  an  expedition  against  the  French. 

I  have  not  time  to  give  you  a  full  account  of  this  ex- 
pedition; but  as  it  is  well  to  know  the  main  facts,  I  will 
tell  you  these  before  I  finish  my  story  of  Washington's 
adventures  in  the  wilderness. 

The  old  Chevalier  de  St,  Pierre's  letter  to  Dinwiddle 
was  not  at  all  satisfactory,  and  the  governor  determined 
to  send  a  body  of  troops  and  drive  the  French  out  of 
the  country.  This  was  approved  of  by  everybody,  and 
Washington  was  appointed  to  command  a  part  of  them. 
In  April  he  was  ready,  and  marched  to  Cumberland,  then 
called  Wills'  Creek;  but  here  he  heard  unwelcome  news. 
Some  Virginians  had  gone  in  front  to  build  a  fort  at  the 
forks  of  the  Ohio,  on  the  very  spot  .selected,  you  may  re- 
member, by  Washington  on  his  way  to  visit  the  Chevalier 
de  St.  Pierre.  The  force  sent  was  small,  and  they  were 
suddenly  attacked  by  several  hundred  French  and  In- 
dians, who  easily  captured  them.  The  French  then  set 
about  finishing  the  fort  for  themselves,  after  which  they 
marched  toward  Virginia,  to  attack  the  forces  sent  against 
them. 

This  was  the  news  received  by  Washington,  and,  at 
the  head  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  he  advanced  to 
meet  the  enemy.  On  the  way  he  was  joined  by  his  old 
acquaintances.  Gist  and  Tanacharisson,  who  told  him  that 
a  large  body  of  French  and  Indians  were  not  far  off.  He 
therefore  halted  at  a  place  called  the  Great  Meadows, 
and  threw  up  an  earthwork.  This  he  called  Fort  Neces- 
sity, and  here  he  waited. 

Tanacharisson,  with  some  Indians,  then  went  forward 
into  the  woods,  and  soon  came  back  and  reported  that 
they  had  found  a  force  of  Frenchmen   a  few   miles  oflT. 


WASUIXGTON    IX    THE    AVILUERXESS.  121 

They  numbered  oirfy  about  fifty,  he  said,  and  Washington 
determined  to  advance  quietly  and  take  them  by  surprise. 
This  was  done,  and  a  fight  followed.  Tlie  French  were 
posted  behind  rocks,  but  the  Virginians  attacked  and  de- 
feated them,  killing  several,  among  whom  was  their  com- 
mander, De  Jumonville. 

All  were  now  in  high  spirits,  and  other  forces  joined 
them.  "Washington  had  four  hundred  men,  and  he  march- 
ed forward  to  otter  the  French  battle.  On  the  way,  how- 
ever, he  received  intelligence  which  made  him  hesitate. 
The  enemy  had  been  re -enforced  heavily,  and  were  ad- 
vancing to  attack  him.  He  therefore  retreated  again  to 
Fort  Necessity,  and  the  French  and  Indians,  to  the  num- 
ber of  about  nine  hundred,  soon  appeared  in  front  of  it. 
They  were  commanded  by  an  otticer  named  De  Villiers, 
a  brother-in-law  of  De  Jumonville's,  and  the  fighting  at 
once  began.  Tlic  Yii'ginians  fought  well,  but  were  op- 
posed to  more  than  double  their  number.  They  Avere 
also  suffering  for  food,  and  the  rain  was  pouring,  and 
they  could  not  see  the  French  and  Indians,  who  were 
concealed  in  the  w'oods. 

All  this  was  very  discouraging.  They  could  not  vent- 
ure far  into  the  woods  for  fear  of  being  surrounded,  and 
they  could  not  stand  a  siege,  as  they  had  no  provisions. 
After  fighting  for  some  time,  the  French  demanded  their 
surrender;  and  as  the  terms  were  favorable, Washington 
consulted  with  his  officers,  and  resolved  to  accept  them. 
He  agreed  to  surrender,  and  did  so  on  July  the  Fourtli 
(lTo4).  llis  men  marched  out  of  Fort  Necessity,  leaving 
their  cannon  behind  theni,  and  the  Frencli  were  thus  mas- 
ters of  the  whole  country. 

This  was  what  is  known  in  history  as  the  "Surrender 
at  Great  ^^eadows."  It  was  not  a  very  glorious  affair, 
as   the  Virginians   had   four   liiindred  men,  if  the   enemy 

6 


122  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMIJNIOX. 

had  nine  hundred.  But  I  suppose  Washington  did  what 
was  most  prudent.  He  certainly  did  not  act  from  fear, 
for  his  whole  life  proves  that  he  never  had  any ;  and  the 
Governor  and  House  of  Burgesses  approved  of  his  course, 
and  thanked  him  for  what  he  had  done. 

The  events  here  related  will  show  you  what  Wash- 
ington's character  was,  and  why  so  much  confidence  was 
placed  in  hitn.  Although  quite  a  young  man,  he  was  cool 
and  determined,  as  he  clearly  showed  in  his  dealings  with 
Joncaire  and  St.  Pierre,  and  afterward  in  the  expedition 
I  have  just  spoken  of  If  he  had  been  thoughtless  and 
hot-headed,  as  young  men  are  apt  to  be,  he  would  have 
failed  in  everything,  and  i)erhaps  shed  his  men's  blood 
for  nothing  at  Great  Meadows.  But  he  seems  to  have 
acted  as  coolly  as  he  afterward  did  when  he  was  a  gray- 
haired  general.  He  saw  what  was  the  best  to  do,  and 
he  did  it  to  the  best  of  his  ability ;  and  to  say  that  is 
the  same  as  saying  that  he  was  a  great  man  even  then. 


BRADDOCK  AND  HIS  SASU.  123 


BRAD  DOCK  AND   HIS   SASH. 

I. 

TuERE  was  one  other  evciiL  in  the  old  "  Frencli  War," 
as  it  was  called,  which  I  must  relate.  It  was  a  remarka- 
ble incident,  which  many  persons  long  remembered,  and 
went  by  the  name  of  "  ]>raddock's  Defeat." 

I  have  told  you  of  the  surrender  at  Great  Meadows  in 
1754.  When  the  news  reached  England  it  caused  great 
excitement.  At  last  the  long  dispute  between  France  and 
England  had  ended  in  fighting,  and  troops  were  sent  over 
to  make  war  on  the  Frenchmen.  These  troops  were  first 
to  march  and  capture  Fort  Duquesne  ;  then  they  were 
to  move  on  and  attack  the  other  French  strongholds  one 
after  another;  and  as  no  one  supposed  that  they  could  be 
defeated,  it  was  expected  that  the  whole  country  would 
be  in  possession  of  the  English  by  the  end  of  the  year. 

This  was  a  fine  plan  to  write  down  upon  paper,  but 
much  harder  to  carry  out.  The  English  soldiers  knew 
nothing  whatever  about  fighting  in  the  woods,  and  the 
ffcneral  wlio  commandt.'d  thcjn  was  so  headstrong  that  he 
would  take  advice  from  no  one  His  name  was  General 
Braddock,  and  he  was  about  forty  years  of  age.  lie  was 
a  stout,  bluff,  red-faced,  obstinate  soldier,  with  the  highest 
possible  opinion  of  himself  and  his  men,  but  very  little 
respect  for  the  "  provincials,"  as  he  called  the  Americans. 
He  did  n(»t  look  u]iiiu  them  as  soldiers,  and  swore  that  his 
"regulars"  would  show  tin  iii  liuw  to  fight.  The  provin- 
cials, he  said,  might  <lodge  behind  trees,  if  they  chose,  but 


124  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 

he  meant  to  march  straight  forward,  with  his  drums  and 
trumpets  sounding,  and  make  an  end  of  the  French  be- 
fore the  autumn.  Of  this  there  could  be  no  doubt.  Fort 
Diiquesne  would  not  keep  him  more  than  three  or  four 
days ;  then  he  meant  to  march  on  and  attack  Fort  Niaga- 
ra, then  another  fort  called  Frontenac.  And  that  would 
be  the  end  of  the  matter. 

Among  the  persons  to  whom  he  talked  in  this  manner 
was  the  celebrated  Benjamin  Franklin.  He  had  come 
from  Pennsylvania  to  see  Braddock  on  business,  and  wore 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 


a  Quaker  coat  and  hat,  and  was  as  cool  and  cautious  as 
the  Englishman  was  boastful. 

"To  be  sure,  sir,"  Franklin  now  said  to  Braddock,  in 
reply,  ^^  if  you  arrive  well  before  Duqiiesne  with  these  fine 
troops,  the  fort  can  probably  make  but  a  short  resistance." 

The  trouble,  however,  Franklin  went  on  to  say,  was  to 
get  there  safely.  The  Indians  would  help  the  French,  and 
waylay  the  English  in  the  woods  probably ;  and  if  they 
did  not  look  out  carefully,  the  line  of  soldiers  would  be 
"cut  like  a  thread  into  several  pieces." 


BRADDOCK    AND    HIS    SASH,  125 

But  Bi-addock  only  laughed,  and  sneered  at  the  idea 
that  a  Quaker  could  tell  him  anything  about  military 
matters. 

"These  savages  may  be  indeed  a  formidable  enemy  to 
raw  American  militia,^''  he  replied,  "but  upon  the  king''s 
regular  and  discij)lined  troops^  sir,  it  is  impossible  to  make 
any  impression  !" 

Braddock  had  iMtclligcncc  enough,  however,  to  know 
that  it  would  be  better  to  have  some  one  with  him  who 
knew  the  country  toward  Fort  Duquesne;  and  he  was 
informed  that  a  young  soldier,  living  at  a  place  called 
"Mount  Vernon,"  was  well  acquainted  with  it.  TItis  was 
AVashington,  and  Braddock  sent  him  an  invitation  to  come 
to  Alexandria,  where  the  English  had  landed,  and  see  him. 
Washington  rode  over  at  once.  J^raddock  offered  him  a 
])lace  on  his  staff,  and  the  young  soldier  accepted  it,  and 
)»romised  to  go  on  the  expedition. 

The  great  trouble  now  was  to  procure  wagons  to  con- 
vey the  munitions  and  provisions.  The  troops  had  gone 
forward  to  Fort  Cumberland,  but  could  not  move,  Brad- 
dock said,  without  wagons;  and  whenever  he  spoke  of 
these  wagons,  lie  cursed  and  swore  in  the  most  violent 
maimer.  In  fact,  liraddock  swore  at  everything.  AVhen 
he  set  out  for  Ciiniberland,  he  swore  at  the  roads;  when 
he  spoke  of  the  ))rovincials,  he  swore  at  theui;  and  when 
nothing  in  particular  annoyed  him  at  tlie  moment,  he 
swore  at  tlic  country  in  general. 

This  will  give  you  some  idea  of  General  Braddock's 
character.  lb-  was  a  bra\e  man  and  a  nr'^'d  soldier,  but 
very  high-tempered  and  ilomineering.  lb'  ciiuld  not  con- 
trol his  anger  when  he  became  excited,  and,  what  was 
worst  of  all,  he  liad  an  extravagant  opinion  of  Iiis  own 
judgment.  Washington  observed  this,  and  must,  have  felt 
very  nielanchnly  as  to  the  fate  of  the  expedition.     He  saw 


126  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

that  Braddock  would  take  no  advice,  and  that  something 
unfortunate  would  probably  happen.  He  had  accepted 
Braddock's  offer,  however,  to  go  with  him,  and  did  not 
mean  to  turn  back.  They  set  out  from  Alexandria,  and 
went  to  Frederick,  in  Maryland.  Then  Braddock,  who 
travelled  in  a  fine  coach,  guarded  by  a  troop  of  cavalry, 
travelled  through  muddy  roads  to  Winchester,  which  was 
near  Greenway  Court.  Whether  he  visited  Lord  Fairfax 
there  is  uncertain.  But  Washington  did :  he  obtained 
fresh  horses  at  Greenway,  and  then  rejoined  General  Brad- 
dock, who,  after  a  short  halt  at  Winchester,  continued  his 
way  through  the  mountains  to  Cumberland. 

Here  his  army  awaited  him,  and  were  drawn  up  in  line 
to  receive  him.  His  coach,  with  its  cavalry  guard,  passed 
rapidly  along  the  line,  in  the  midst  of  the  roll  of  drums, 
and  a  salute  of  seventeen  pieces  of  artillery  was  fired  to 

welcome  him. 

ir. 

Many  weeks  passed  at  Cumberland  before  the  little 
army  was  in  order  to  march.  It  consisted  of  about  two 
thousand  men,  and  Braddock  drilled  it  carefully  and  es- 
tablished rigid  discipline.  Washington  saw  that  the  gen- 
eral was  a  thorough  soldier,  and  would  be  obeyed.  Drunk- 
enness was  punished  by  close  confinement,  and  theft  by 
cruel  whipping.  Some  Indians  who  came  with  their  wives 
and  daughters  to  the  camp  were  ordered  away  at  once, 
and  Braddock's  firm  hand  Avas  felt  everywhere. 

All  this  proved  very  instructive  to  Washington,  and  he 
witnessed  the  military  ceremonies  which  were  observed 
with  deep  interest  —  the  regular  guard -mountings,  the 
drills  and  reviews,  and  the  burial  of  an  ofiicer  one  day, 
when  a  guard  of  honor  marched  beside  the  coftin,  on 
which  lay  the  dead  man's  sword  and  sash,  with  their  guns 
reversed,  and  fired  a  salute  over  the  grave. 


BKADDOCK  AND  HIS  SASH. 


121 


At  last  the  wagons,  which  General  Braddock  had  sworn 
so  often  about,  were  obtained,  and  the  array  set  out  on  its 
march.  It  had  to  penetrate  the  "Shades  of  Death,"  as 
the  Great  Woods  were  cdled ;  and  this  proved,  as  Wash- 
ijigton  had  told  Braddock,  a  "  tremendous  undertaking." 
Bodies  of  men  had  to  be  sent  in  front  to  cut  a  road  for 
the  wagons  through  the  woods;  and  day  after  day  the 
army  toiled  along,  watched  by  parties  of  Indians  from  the 


=^**s^. 


U.N    Tilt  MADCII. 


surrounding  hills,  ready  to  attack  it  on  the  first  opportu- 
nity. 

At  last  Washington  lost  his  ])ationce.  It  seemed  ut- 
terly absurd  to  liim  tliat  the  army  should  be  delayed  by 
this  long,  cumbrous  train  r)f  wagons,  loaded  down,  lor  the 
most  part,  with  the  baggage  of  the  English  officers,  which 
they  refused  to  leave  behind.  He  therefore  went  to  (len- 
cral  Braddock,  and  told  him  that  the  wagons  must  be  left 
to  come  on,  while  the  army  marched  forward.  He  could 
carry  the  powder  and  i)rovisions  on  pack-horses;  and  if 


128  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMIXIOX. 

this  was  not  clone,  tliey  would  not  reach  Fort  Duquesne 
until  the  French  had  collected  a  large  army  to  receive 
thera. 

Rash  and  impatient  as  Braddock  was,  he  saw  the  good- 
sense  of  this  advice.  He  began  to  understand  that  there 
were  some  things  which  the  provincials  could  teach 
him,  and  ordered  Washington's  views  to  be  carried  out. 
Twelve  hundred  men  and  ten  pieces  of  cannon,  with  the 
stores  on  pack-horses,  advanced  in  front,  commanded  by 
Braddock,  and  the  rest  followed  with  the  slow  wagon- 
train  under  Colonel  Dunbar. 

The  twelve  hundred  men  now  advanced  steadily  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Duquesne.  On  the  way  an  incident  oc- 
curred which,  again  showed  how  obstinate  General  Brad- 
dock was,  and  how  little  he  kncAV  about  fighting  in  the 
woods.  A  well-known  hunter  and  woodsman  named 
Captain  Jack,  or  "  Black  Rifle,"  joined  the  troops  with 
some  of  his  men,  and  ofiered  Braddock  his  services.  Cap- 
tain Jack  was  a  wild-looking  hunter,  with  a  long  rifle,  and 
dressed  in  deer -skin.  He  informed  the  general  that  he 
and  his  men  were  well  acquainted  with  Indian  fighting, 
and,  if  he  wished,  they  would  scout  in  front,  and  report 
whether  they  discovered  any  enemies. 

General  Braddock  ought  certainly  to  have  had  sense 
enough  to  accept  this  ofter.  Why  he  did  not  it  is  hard 
to  say,  unless  he  was  determined  to  show  that  he  did  not 
require  assistance  from  anybody.  At  all  events,  he  re- 
ceived Captain  Jack's  ofter  very  coldly,  telling  him  that 
"there  was  time  enough  for  making  arrangements,  and 
that  he  had  experienced  troops,  on  whom  he  could  rely 
for  all  purposes."  He  then  made  Captain  Jack  and  his 
men  a  bow,  to  show  them  that  he  had  said  all  that  he  had 
to  say,  and  that  was  the  end  of  it.  They  left  without 
further  words;  but  if  Braddock  had  accepted  their  ser- 


BRADDOCK    AND    HIS    SASH. 


129 


vices,  it  is  probable  that  the  fate  of  the  Avhole  expedition 
Mould  have  been  diifeient. 

Tliey  were  now  approaching  Fort  Duquesne,  and  had 
seen  few  signs  of  Indians.  Sometimes  they  came  on  a 
pile  of  black  brands  in  the  M'oods  where  some^  one  had 
been,  and  one  day  a  French  officer  was  shot  as  he  was 
out  hunting.  But  the  woods  seemed  nearly  deserted,  and 
no  enemy  was  seen. 

At  last  Braddock  halted  on   the  Monongahela  River, 


MIMTAnt    ENCAMI'MKNT. 


about  fifteen  miles  from  I'orl  l)ii(|ucsnc.  He  was  on  the 
same  side  of  the  river,  but  found  he  would  have  to  cross 
it,  as  a  steep  mountain  just  in  front  of  iiim  ran  down  into 
the  water,  and  left  no  road  for  tlie  cannon.  There  was, 
however,  a  good  ford  near  his  camp,  and  another,  he  heard, 
about  five  miles  farther  on.  I>y  crossing  at  these  l)e  could 
advance  straight  on  the  fort;  and  he  made  all  his  arrange- 
ments to  do  so  at  davlight  on  the  next  morning. 

G* 


130  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD   DOMINIOX. 

That  was  the  last  night  on  earth  for  many  of  the  brave 
fellows  in  the  little  army.  Death  was  coming  upon  them 
swiftly.     And  I  will  now  relate  what  took  place. 

Iir. 

At  daylight  the  army  was  drawn  up  and  roadv  to 
march.     It  was  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  July,  1755. 

The  force  was  the  advance,  you  know,  of  twelve  hun- 
dred men  and  ten  pieces  of  artillery.  They  were  partly 
English  regulars  and  partly  Virginians,  and  at  the  word 
they  inarched  down  to  the  ford  and  crossed  without  trou- 
ble. The  regulars  went  in  front,  though  Washington  had 
strongly  advised  Braddock  to  allow  the  Virginians  to  go 
before.  These  "Rangers,"  as  they  were  called,  were  far 
better  acquainted  with  fighting  in  the  Avoods,  he  said, 
than  the  English  regulars.  But  this  only  irritated  Brad- 
dock.  He  gave  a  very  short  answer,  and  would  not  make 
any  change.  And  what  he  now  did  was  still  worse.  In- 
stead of  advancing  in  silence,  so  as  to  surprise  the  ene- 
my, as  he  should  have  done,  he  ordered  tlie  drums  to  be 
beaten  and  the  fifes  to  be  blown,  as  if  he  was  anxious 
to  inform  the  French  that  he  was  coming.  In  this  man- 
ner the  English  marched  on,  in  their  bright  red  uniforms, 
and  with  their  muskets  glistening  in  the  sun.  The  flags 
floated,  the  cannon  rumbled,  the  drums  and  fifes  "were  in 
full  blast;  and  Washington  afterward  told  his  friends  that 
it  was  the  finest  sight  he  had  ever  looked  upon  in  his  life. 

They  were  soon  at  the  second  ford,  and  found  that 
there  was  no  trouble  in  crossing  here  either.  The  water 
was  shallow,  and  the  men  waded,  and  were  followed  by 
tlie  cavali-y  and  cannon.  The  drums  were  beating  still 
and  the  fifes  sounding  shrilly;  so  if  the  FrencH  had  not 
known  of  Braddock's  approach,  they  would  have  known 
it  novr. 


BRADDOCK  AND  HIS  SASH.  131 

Before  them,  beyond  the  river,  tliey  saw  a  plain ;  and 
as  Braddock  knew  that  he  Avas  near  the  enemy,  he  made 
liis  ])reparations  for  battle.  A  part  of  the  array  was  to 
advance  in  front  nnder  Colonel  Gage,  and  Braddock 
himself  was  to  follow  with  the  reserve  or  main  bod}', 
■which  was  to  sni)port  the  advance  if  it  was  attacked. 
Flanking  parties  were  then  sent  out  on  both  flanks  of 
the  army,  which  at  once  moved  forward  toward  Fort  Dn- 
quesne. 

Tlie  name  of  the  ofiicer  in  command  of  the  fort  at  this 
time  was  De  ContreccEur.  As  the  whole  country  was  full 
of  reports  about  the  expedition,  he  knew  that  Braddock 
was  coming  to  attack  him.  This  lie  was  very  much 
afraid  of  Ilis  force  was  not  large,  and  he  feared  that  he 
would  not  be  able  to  defend  the  place,  but  be  compelled 
to  retire  and  give  it  up  to  the  English.  But  this  did  not 
suit  a  young  French  officer  in  the  fort,  named  Ue  Beau- 
jeu.  He  oflered  to  take  a  party  of  French  and  Indians 
and  march  to  meet  Braddock,  and  to  this  De  Contrecceur 
consented.  De  Bcaujeu  accordingly  selected  his  men, 
and,  placing  liimself  at  the  head  of  them,  set  forward  to 
meet  and  fight  the  i^nglish. 

The  bloody  encounter  followed  very  soon.  I  have  men- 
tioned the  plain  over  which  the  J-Cnglisli  were  marching. 
Beyond  this  plain,  in  fiont,  was  a  rising  ground,  Ijchind 
which  were  woods;  and  on  each  side  of  tlic  army,  as  it 
marched  up  the  liill,  were  two  ravines  or  liollows  full  of 
bushes  antl  trees. 

Here  the  battle  took  place.  Colonel  Gage  was  march- 
ing up  steadily,  with  liis  men  in  close  order,  and  followed 
l)y  I>rad<lock  willi  the  reserve,  wIumi  suddenly  a  licnvy 
fire  was  opened  upon  liim  from  tlie  right,  left,  and  front 
at  the  same  moment.  These  were  De  Beaujeu's  men, 
Frenclmien   and   Indians,  whom  he  had  concealed   in    the 


132  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

brushwood,  and  he  himself  leaped  forward,  in  his  fine 
frino-ed  huntinoj-sliirt,  in  front  of  all.  A  bullet  struck  him 
as  he  did  so,  and  he  fell  dead;  but  this  did  not  discourage 
his  men.  They  poured  a  hotter  fire  still  into  the  dense 
mass  of  redcoats  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  every  shot 
seemed  to  kill  a  man. 

All  was  now  uproar  and  confusion.  The  surprise  was 
complete,  and  the  English  officers  lost  all  control  of  the 
men.  They  were  huddled  uj)  like  sheep,  and  only  fired 
at  random ;  and  still  the  fatal  fire  from  the  front  and  the 
two  ravines  continued  to  destroy  them. 

Braddock  galloped  to  the  front  and  waved  his  sword, 
ordering  the  men  to  fire  and  charge.  His  voice  was  loud 
and  his  face  furious,  but  the  panic- struck  regulars  did 
not  seem  to  hear  him.  This  sudden  attack  confused  them 
so  much  that  they  seemed  to  have  lost  their  wits;  and 
Washington  rode  up  to  Braddock  and  said  if  he  did  not 
order  them  to  scatter  they  woitld  all  be  killed.  At  this 
Braddock  grew  furious. 

"What!"  he  exclaimed,  "a  Virginia  colonel  teach  a 
British  general  how  to  fight !" 

Even  in  that  perilous  moment  he  thus  showed  his  preju- 
dice against  the  provincials.  lie  resolved  to  form  line  of 
battle,  and  march  in  solid  column  on  the  enemy.  And  all 
this  time  the  French  and  Indians  were  scattered  through 
the  woods,  every  man  behind  his  tree,  taking  dead  aim 
at  the  huddled-up  regulars,  and  killing  them  one  by  one. 
They  were  worse  than  hornets,  buzzing  and  stinging,  and 
as  difficult  to  get  at:  and  the  youngest  boy  can  see  that 
Washington's  advice  ought  to  have  been  followed.  But 
Braddock  would  not  follow  it.  His  soldierly  pride  was 
aroused  at  the  idea  that,  with  his  fine  British  regulars,  he 
was  to  be  stopped  by  a  body  of  skirmishers  or  sharp- 
shooters  dodfifing    behind  trees;    and    he    rushed    around 


BRADDOCK    AND    HIS    SASH.  133 

on  horseback,  sliouting  liis  orders,  and  calling  for  bis  can- 
non to  clear  tbe  woods  by  firing  grajje-sbot  into  tbem. 

At  last  the  cannon,  which  had  been  in  the  rear,  came 
up  with  the  horses  at  a  gallop,  and  was  nnlinibered,  that 
is,  gotten  ready  for  fighting.  But  it  seemed  nseless  to 
bring  it  up.  The  English  cannoneers  were  no  cooler  than 
the  foot-soldiers.  The  incessant  crack  of  the  enemy's  ri- 
fles, bringing  down  a  man  at  every  shot,  confused  them 
and  filled  them  with  panic,  and  they  seemed  ready  to  de- 
sert their  gnns  and  fly. 

All  would  haye  been  lost  now,  in  the  yery  beginning 
of  the  battle,  but  for  the  Virginia  rangers.  They  knew  the 
Indian  way  of  fighting,  and  at  once  scattered,  and  fought 
from  behind  the  trees:  while  the  resTulars  were  firing  in 
wild  confusion,  without  knowing  what  they  fired  at,  each 
of  tiie  Virginians  picked  out  an  enemy,  and  took  good  aim 
and  put  a  bullet  through  him.  George  Washington,  whom 
they  looked  to  as  their  leader,  did  his  part.  I  haye  men- 
tioned the  panic  which  seized  upon  the  English  cannon- 
eers. They  seemed  to  be  stunned  by  the  bloody  sight 
around  them  and  the  yells  of  the  savages,  and  made  no 
eflfort  to  man  the  gnns.  "Washington  therefore  leaped 
from  his  horse,  wheeled  one  of  the  cannon  with  his  own 
hands,  and  fired  a  round  of  grape-shot  into  the  woods 
whore  the  enemy  was  concealed. 

Wild  yells  were  heard,  and  some  of  the  French  and  In- 
dians ^vere  no  doubt  killed.  But  they  continued  to  fire 
as  hotly  as  ever.  Washington  and  the  English  ofticers 
made  every  effort  to  rally  the  regulars,  but  it  was  impos- 
sible. Tiie  officers  were  on  horseback,  and  were  picked 
out  by  the  Indian  sharp-shooters  as  Ihey  galloped  to  .'inil 
fro,  Braddock  was  as  brave  as  he  was  obstinate  and  im- 
patient. When  it  came  to  fighting,  he  showed  what  a 
true  soldier  lie  was.     He  had  five  horses  shot  under  him. 


134  STOKIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

one  after  another,  and  "Washington  had  two  killed  under 
him  also.  Four  bullets  passed  through  AVashington's 
clothes,  and  nothing  but  Providence  preserved  him.  As 
he  rode  in  front,  rallying  the  men,  he  was  an  excellent 
mark;  and  many  years  afterward  an  old  Indian  said  that 
he  had  done  his  best  to  kill  him.  He  took  dead  aim  at 
Washington,  he  said,  and  tired  at  him.  Jif teen  times,  but 
he  never  could  strike  him. 

The  confusion  and  uproar  went  on  and  grew  Avorse 
and  worse.  Nothing  could  be  done  to  rally  the  panic- 
stricken  English  regulars.  The  brave  English  officers  did 
all  they  could,  but  the  redcoats  did  not  seem  to  hear 
them  ;  and  one  by  one  men  and  officers  were  killed  by 
the  hidden  marksmen,  who  uttered  wild  yells  as  they  saw 
them  fall. 

At  last  Braddock  was  shot.  The  bullet  passed  through 
his  right  arm  and  pierced  his  breast,  and  he  would  have 
fallen  from  his  liorse  had  not  Captain  Stewart,  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Light-horse,  caught  him.  In  his  agony  and  mortifi- 
cation he  uttered  a  deep  groan,  and  asked  them  to  leave 
him  to  die  on  the  field  of  battle.  To  this,  of  course,  they 
would  not  consent.  He  was  hurried  away,  as  everybody 
saw  that  the  army  was  about  to  break,  and  they  placed 
him  in  a  light  wagon,  Avhich  was  driven  hastily  toward 
the  ford  in  their  rear. 

The  fill  of  Braddock  was  the  signal  for  a  disorderly 
flight.  The  English  regulars  gave  up  all  hope  now,  and 
broke  in  confusion.  Men,  cannon,  and  all  rushed  back 
toward  the  river^  hotly  pursued  by  the  French  and  In- 
dians, who  fired  on.  them,  uttering  loud  shouts  and  yells. 
The  Virginians  were  obliged  to  give  way  like  the  rest, 
and  retreated  over  the  battle-field,  which  was  strewed 
with  dead  bodies.  More  than  seven  hundred  of  Brad- 
dock's  men  had  been  killed  or  wounded,  and  sixtj'-two  of- 


liHADDOCK    AXD    HIS    SASH.  135 

ficers  out  of  eiglity-six,  of  wliom  twenty-six  had  been  killed 
on  the  field.  This  was  a  terrible  mortality  in  so  small  a 
force;  and  the  Virginians,  wlio  brought  up  the  retreat, 
lost  more  heavily  than  the  English.  One  of  the  compa- 
nies was  destroyed  almost  to  the  last  man,  and  in  another 
every  officer  was  shot,  down  to  the  lowest  corporal. 

The  only  course  for  the  remnant  of  the  fine  army  to 
pursue  now  was  to  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible.  They 
were  in  the  heart  of  the  Great  Woods,  with  a  triumphant 
enemy  in  ]iursuit ;  and  they  rushed  pell-mell  toward  the 
river,  and  ])lunged  into  the  water.  Many  threw  away 
tlieir  muskets,  and  this  unsoldierly  act  seems  to  have  pre- 
served them  from  destruction.  Tiie  Indians  ])ursuing  them 
stopped  to  pick  up  these  guns,  and,  no  doubt,  also  to  scalp 
the  dead,  as  they  always  did;  and  this  gave  the  English  a 
little  time.  Their  officers  acted  bravely,  as  English  officers 
always  do.  They  managed  to  get  the  flying  troops  over 
the  river,  and  restore  something  like  order  among  them ; 
and  then  the  defeated  army  hurried  on  toward  Virginia. 

It  was  a  terrible  defeat ;  and  to  think  of  it  probably  gave 
poor  Braddock  worse  agony  than  liis  wounds.  lie  did  not 
wish  to  give  up,  even  after  all  was  lost.  Like  the  brave 
soldier  he  was,  he  asked  his  friends  to  take  liim  back  and 
let  him  die  on  the  field,  lighting  to- the  last.  But  this  was 
mere  madness.  lie  had  no  army  to  fight  with.  There  was 
nothing  left  for  him  but  to  do  as  the  rest  had  done — en- 
deavor to  get  away  in  safety. 

IV. 
ITow  to  get  the  wounded  general  oflT,  however,  was  the 
dittifulty.  Me  was  so  badly  wounded  that  it  was  impossi- 
l>lc  for  him  to  ri<lc  u|)on  horseback.  Even  the  jolting  of 
the  light  wagfMi  in  which  he  had  been  takou  across  the 
river  was  more   than   ho   could   bear;  but  at    last  a  plan 


130  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

was  devised  for  carrying  him  away  without  giving  him 
pain.  This  was  to  employ  a  sash,  which  he  wore,  as  a  sort 
of  liammock.  At  tliat  time  soldiers'  sashes  were  made 
very  large  and  strong.  They  were  of  close -woven  silk, 
and  though  thin  and  fine  in  texture,  would  bear  a  great 
strain  upon  them.  Braddock  wore  an  uncommonly  large 
one;  and  his  friends  now  took  it  oif  and  tied  the  ends  to 
the  saddles  of  two  horses,  thus  forming  a  hammock  or 
swinging-bed.  In  this  the  wounded  soldier  was  placed ; 
and  as  the  silk  was  elastic,  the  movement  of  the  horses  as 
they  were  led  along  did  not  give  him  pain. 

I  ought  to  tell  you,  before  going  on,  that  this  incident 
rests  on  tradition :  but  there  are  no  good  grounds  for 
doubting  it,  for  two  reasons.  One  is  that  the  men  present 
reported  that  it  was  done,  and  another  that  the  red  sash  is 
yet  in  existence,  or  was  some  years  since.  It  was  kept  by 
some  one,  and  in  the  year  1846  was  sent  to  General  Tay- 
lor, who  was  then  fighting  the  Mexicans,  to  be  presented 
to  "  the  bravest  man  in  his  army."  The  old  general  look- 
ed at  it,  and  saw  the  figures  "ITOV"  woven  in  the  silk, 
and  told  the  other  generals  about  it.  One  of  these,  Gen- 
eral Gaines,  said  it  was  no  doubt  true  that  Braddock 
had  been  carried  oif  in  it,  as  sashes  were  often  used  for 
that  purpose  in  old  times,  and  General  Ripley  had  been 
laid  in  one  when  he  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Lundy's 
Lane.  I  suppose  this  statement  is  true,  and  the  tradition 
also,  and  that  Braddock  was  thus  carried  along ;  and  so  I 
will  go  on  and  finish  my  story. 

It  was  ii  sorrowful  march  through  the  Great  Woods 
toward  Virginia.  The  fine  army  which  had  advanced  so 
bravely,  with  drums  beating  and  flags  flying,  was  now 
only  a  ci'owd  of  fugitives  listening  for  the  yells  of  the  In- 
dians behind  them,  and  hurrying  along  to  reach  a  place  of 
safety.     Why  the  French  did  not  follow  them   and   cut 


BRADDOCK    AXB    Ills    SASH.  137 

lliem  to  pieces  it  is  hard  to  say.  It  seems  that  they 
misjlit  have  done  so,  but  for  some  reason  they  did  not. 
This  may  liave  been  for  fear  tliat  the  English  had  fresh 
troops,  and  might  hiy  a  trap  for  the)n.  Some  fresh  men 
did  come  to  lielp  them  from  the  force  which  had  remained 
in  rear  under  Colonel  Dunbar.  Washington  galloped  back 
and  ordered  up  these  troops,  but  it  was  too  late  to  think 
of  doing  anything.  The  only  thing  to  do  -was  to  press 
on  and  get  away  from  the  enemy,  and  the  men  hurried 
along  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Cumberland. 

Poor  Braddock  was  never  to  reach  that  place,  from 
which  he  had  set  out  with  such  high  hopes.  His  wounds 
grew  worse  and  worse,  and  his  strength  failed  more  and 
more,  as  he  went  on.  Very  few  persons  were  with  him. 
His  regulars  seemed  to  liave  forgotten  all  about  him, 
thinking  only  of  their  own  safety;  but  the  English  officers 
and  the  Virginia  Light-horse  stuck  to  him,  resolved  to  tight 
for  him  to  the  last.  The  Virginians,  it  is  stated,  were  "  un- 
remitting in  their  attentions,"  and  proved  better  friends 
than  his  own  men  in  his  time  of  trouble.  He  saw  how  un- 
just he  had  been  to  them  now,  and  told  them  they  had 
fought  gallantly  and  like  true  soldiers.  He  begged  "NV^ash- 
ington's  pardon  for  all  his  ill-humor,  and  to  show  his  re- 
gaid  for  him,  presented  him  with  a  fine  riding-horse,  and 
an  old  soldier  named  I>isho|i,  who  had  been  his  own  body- 
servant. 

As  ho  went  along,  he  kept  groaning  to  liimsolf: 

"Who  would  have  thought  it  !  w  l:o  would  liavc  tliought 
it  !  \\\\\  wo  shall  know  better  how  to  deal  willi  tliem  an- 
oth(;r  time.'' 

He  was  not  to  have  any  more  dealings  with  the  French, 
or  any  one  else.  He  was  about  to  die.  His  wounds  l)o- 
camc  more  and  more  painful,  and  his  strength  was  failing 
fast.     Finally   they   reached   the  Great  Meadows,  where 


138 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


Washington  liad  surrendered,  you  know,  to  De  Villiers 
just  one  year  before.  Here  they  were  obliged  to  stop. 
Poor  Braddock  could  go  no  farther.  His  life  was  ebbing 
away,  and  he  called  his  friends  around  him  and  took  leave 
of  them.     After  this  his  end  soon  came.     Ou  the  13th  of 


iflH:<. 


'I'M'  " 


bBADDOCK's  DEFEAT,  1759. 


July,  four  days  after  the  battle,  his  eyes  closed  and  he  ex- 
pired. 

A  grave  was  dug  near  the  fort,  and  in  this  he  was 
buried.  The  ceremony  took  place  at  night,  and  as  there 
was  no  chaplain  present,  Washington  himself  read  the 
burial-service  over  the  grave.  Everything  was  done  with 
the  utmost  secrecy  to  prevent  the  Indian  scouts,  Avho  were 


BRADDOCK    AND    UIS    SASH.  139 

no  doubt  luvkins;  near,  from  discovering  Braddock's  rest- 
ing-place, as  they  would  no  doubt  have  dug  up  his  body 
to  scalp  it,  if  they  had  known  where  he  was  buried.  The 
Virginians  were  afraid  to  lire  a  salute  above  the  grave, 
which  was  customary,  you  know,  at  the  funeral  of  a  sol- 
dier. This  would  have  been  heard,  and  none  was  fired. 
Before  daylight  the  grave  was  filled  up,  and  the  earth 
smoothed  down  carefully,  in  order  to  conceal  it.  Then 
the  Yiririuians  and  the  Enijlish  officei's,  wlio  had  remained 
fixithful  to  the  last,  took  up  their  sorrowful  liiarch  again 
through  the  forests  toward  Cumberland. 

This  was  the  famous  incident  known  as  "Braddock's 
Defeat."  It  is  an  interesting  story,  I  think,  and  has  an 
important  moral.  Poor  Braddock  was  ruined  by  liis  re- 
fusal to  take  advice.  lie  was  obstinate,  and  had  so  high 
an  opinion  of  his  own  judgment  that  lie  would  not  listen 
to  Washington,  who  knew  far  moi-e  about  fighting  in  the 
woods  than  lie  did.  This  blinded  his  eyes,  and  was  the 
cause  of  his  destruction.  He  was  a  brave  and  generous 
soldier,  but  tliis  did  not  avail  him.  His  fine  ai'my  was 
destroyed,  and  his  friends  had  even  to  conceal  liis  last 
resting-place  from  his  enemies. 


140  .STOKIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 


POINT  PLEASANT,  AND    THE  DEATH   OF 
CORNSTALK. 

I. 

In  October,  1'774,  a  bloody  battle  took  place  between 
the  Indians  and  Virginians  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and 
this  was  followed  some  time  afterward  by  the  murder  of 
the  Indian  leader,  whose  name  was  Cornstalk,  Of  these 
fierce  old  border  scenes  I  will  now  try  to  give  you  a  de- 
scription. 

Many  persons  have  treated  the  Indians  with  injustice — 
I  mean,  in  the  opinions  formed  and  expressed  of  them. 
They  have  been  looked  upon  as  only  blood-thirsty  wild 
animals  full  of  savage  instincts;  but  this  is  only  half  the 
truth  about  them.  They  were  blood-thirsty  enough,  but 
were  men  of  great  courage  and  often  of  generous  traits. 
Thoy  fought  for  Avhat  they  considered  their  rights  —  as 
what  man  will  not? — that  is,  for  the  soil  on  which  their 
forefathers  had  lived  and  hunted  for  many  generations; 
and  it  certainly  is  hard  to  find  any  fault  with  them  for 
that.  The  English  came  to  take  it  away  from  them,  with 
no  better  reason  for  doing  so  than  that  they  were  a  supe- 
rior and  stronger  race,  which  was  no  reason  at  all,  unless 
we  say  that  "  might  is  right."  They  attacked  each  other, 
and  many  cruelties  were  committed,  in  which  the  Indians 
took  the  lead,  in  accordance  with  their  savage  character. 
North  and  South,  war  went  on  with  them,  and  the  two 
races  hated  each  other  bitterly  ;  but  there  were  great  and 
noble  Indians,  as  there  were  great  and  noble  white  men. 


POINT    PLEASANT,  AXD    THE    DEATH    OF    CORNSTALK.     141 

Of  one  of  these  I  mean  to  tell  you  to-day,  and  first  of  a 
liard-fouglit  battle,  in  which  he  was  the  leader  of  the  "Red- 
skins." 

As  I  have  said,  it  was  the  year  1774,  and  war  was  about 
to  begin  between  England  and  the  colonies.  It  was  be- 
lieved at  that  time  that  the  English  governors  had  secret 


INDIAN    COINCIL. 


dealings  with  tlie  Indians  to  make  them  attack  the  colo- 
nists, and  so  prevent  tliera  from  fighting  Enghuid.  Wheth- 
er this  was  true  or  not,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  in  this 
autumn  of  1774  the  Indians  collected  a  hirgc  number  of 
warriors  iti  the  woods  beyond  tlio  Ohio  Kiver,  to  make 
war  on  tlic  \'ii'ginians,  and  tlie  whites  at  once  prepared 
to  meet  them. 

The  name  of  tlie  Englisli  Governor  of  Virginia  at  that 
time  was  Lord  Dunmorc.  Tlie  Virginians  did  not  like  him 
much,  as  he  was  not  very  friendly  to  them  ;  and  in  what 
now  took  place,  they  said  that  he  had  a  secret  understand- 
ing with  the  Indians  to  make  them  attack  wliite  people. 
He,  however,  seemed  to  be  doing  all  in  his  power  to  i)re- 
vent  them  from  injuring  the  Virginians.  He  raised  an 
army,  and  marched  with  a  pait  of  it  toward  the  Indian 


142  STOKIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

country,  as  if  he  intended  to  fight  them ;  but  he  failed  to 
do  SO,  as  you  will  see,  and  many  people  said  that  he  never 
meant  to  do  anything  of  the  sort. 

While  Governor  Dunmore  was  marcliing  with  one  part 
of  liis  army  toward  the  Great  Woods,  where  George  Wash- 
ington had  the  adventures  I  have  told  you  about,  another 
little  army  was  getting  ready  to  march  from  Leuisburg, 
in  Western  Virginia,  not  far  from  what  is  now  the  fjxmous 
White  Sulpliur  Springs,    This  was  commanded  by  a  brave 
soldier  named  General  Andrew  Lewis.      He  was  a  tall, 
powerful  man,  about  forty -five  years  of  age,  with  long 
hair,  and  generally  wore  a  hunting -shirt.     This  was  a 
loose  sort  of  coat,  made  like  a  common  shirt,  but  a  belt 
was  buckled  around  the  waist,  in  which  were  carried  a 
long  knife,  and  sometimes  a  tomahawk,  the  name  of  a 
small  sharp  hatchet  which  the  Indians  and  white  hunters 
used  in  figliting.     When  he  was  dressed  in  his  hunting- 
shirt  and  deer-skin  leggings,  botli  of  which  were  generally 
ornamented  with  fringe,  and  stood,  with  his  head  up  and 
his  long  rifle  in  his  hand,  Andrew  Lewis  was  a  brave-look- 
ing soldier.     A  tall  bronze  statue  of  him  now  stands  in 
the  Capitol  Square  at  Richmond,  and  shows  how  he  look- 
ed.    He  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  all  his  family  came  from 
that  country,  to  escape  being  punished  for  killing  a  power- 
ful man  who  had  acted  very  cruelly  toward  them.     But 
Lewis  was  a  thorough  Virginian  in  his  feelings,  and  when 
Lord  Dunmore  called  on  him  to  march  at  the  head  of  his 
friends  against  the  Indians,  he  set  about  collecting  men  as 
soon  as  possible  for  the  purpose. 

As  everybody  liked  Andrew  Lewis  and  had  the  highest 
opinion  of  him,  his  friends  took  down  their  long  rifles  from 
the  pegs  driven  into  the  log -walls  of  their  houses,  and 
marched  to  Lewisburg,  which  was  then  called  Camp  Un- 
ion, to  meet  him.    He  soon  found  that  he  had  a  little  army 


POl^'T  PLEASANT,  AND  THE  DEATH  OF  COKNSTALK.   143 


IN   THE   MOUNTAINS. 


of  about  eleven  luiiidred  iiicii,  und  in  the  month  of  .Sf|»leni- 
IxT,  1774,  ho  set  out  on  his  march  toward  the  Ohio  River 
to  flight  the  Indians. 

The  country  through  wliicli  Andrew  Lewis  and  liis  men 
now  made  their  way  was  one  of  the  rotiglicst  in  tlie  world. 


144  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

It  was  full  of  woods,  and  swift  rivers  running  between 
ruo-oed  mountains,  over  which  no  paths  had  ever  been  cut. 
The  men  had  to  toil  along  slowly ;  but  they  were  strong 
hunters,  used  to  the  woods,  and  did  not  mean  to  stop  for 
anything.  Their  provisions  and  gunpowder  were  carried 
on  pack-horses — ^just  as  Washington  had  advised  poor  Gen- 
eral Braddoclc  to  carry  his — for  no  wagon  could  be  driven 
through  such  a  country.  At  last,  after  marching  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles,  which  took  them  nineteen  days,  the 
little  army  reached  the  Ohio  Kiver,  at  a  place  called  Point 
Pleasant,  where  the  Great  Kanawha,  or  "  River  of  the 
Woods,"  as  the  name  signified  in  the  Indian  language, 
empties  into  it. 

Nothing  had  yet  been  heard  of  Lord  Dunmore.  As  I 
have  told  you,  he  was  marching  far  off — somewhere  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Duquesne,  or  Fort  Pitt,  as  it  was  now 
called  by  tlie  English,  near  which  Braddock  had  his  un- 
fortunate battle — and  Andrew  Lewis  could  hear  nothing 
about  him.  He  sent  off  "runners,"  as  they  were  called — 
that  is,  hunters  who  knew  the  woods,  and  travelled  rapid- 
ly— to  look  for  Dunmore ;  and,  as  all  of  his  own  men  had 
not  arrived,  he  determined  to  wait  at  Point  Pleasant  until 
he  heard  from  the  Governor.  Soon  afterward  he  received 
a  message  from  Governor  Dunmore  that  he  must  cross  the 
OI)io  River  and  march  forward,  and  he  immediately  got 
ready  to  obey  the  order.  But  the  Indians  Avere  too  quick 
for  him.  They  had  resolved  to  fight  Lewis  before  he  could 
reach  Dunmore,  and  this  brought  on  the  bloody  battle 
about  which  I  am  going  to  tell  you. 

It  was  now  the  month  of  October,  which  is  a  fine  time 
for  hunting,  and  one  morning  two  of  Lewis's  men  went  up 
the  bank  of  the  river  to  shoot  deer.  They  had  gone  about 
two  miles  when  a  large  number  of  Indians  suddenly  rose 
up  from  the  bushes  in  front  and  fired  at  them,  killing  one 


POINT  PLKASANT,  A>D  THE  DEATH  OF  CORNSTALK.   145 

of  them.  The  other  man  ran  back  to  camp  as  swiftly  as 
possible,  and  said  he  had  seen  Indians  enough  to  "  cover 
four  acres  of  ground"  packed  close  together.  When  he 
lieard  this,  Lewis  knew  that  the  Indians  had  come  to  at- 
tack him,  and  made  haste  to  get  his  little  army  ready  to 
receive  them  (October  10th,  1774). 

II. 

Andrew  Lewis  was  a  brave  man,  as  he  show'cd  on  this 
and  many  other  occasions.  Some  people  grow  excited 
when  the  moment  of  danger  a])proaches,  but  this  was  not 
the  case  with  Lewis.  lie  took  his  j)ipe  from  his  pocket, 
filled  it  with  tobacco,  lit  it,  and  began  to  smoke.  He 
then  gave  his  orders  to  the  men. 

These  orders  were  that  they  should  form  two  lines  of 
battle,  the  one  on  the  left  to  be  commanded  by  Iiis  biotli- 
cr,  Colonel  Charles  Lewis,  and  the  one  on  the  right  by 
Colonel  William  Fleming,  while  he  himself  commanded 
the  whole.  It  was  not  very  good  ground  to  fight  upon. 
At  this  si)ot  the  Ohio  and  Kanawha  rivers  form  a  sort 
of  elbow,  and  a  small  stream,  called  Crooked  Run,  ran  into 
the  Kanawha  on  the  right  of  the  Virginians,  while  the 
broad  Ohio  was  on  their  left.  They  were  thus  hemmed 
in  with  a  river  behind  them,  and  there  ^vas  no  road  to 
retreat  if  they  were  defeated,  except  across  Crooked  Kun. 
Lewis  would  not  have  chosen  such  ground  to  figlit  ii|m>ii 
if  he  had  had  his  own  way,  but  iIm'I'c  was  no  help  for  it 
now,  as  the  Indians,  he  knew,  were  close  to  him.  So  he 
ordered  the  men  to  see  that  their  rifles  were  all  loaded, 
and  march  forward  at  once  to  attack  the  savages.  7\t 
this  order  every  man  advanced,  keeping  a  keen  lookout; 
and  when  they  hatl  gone  about  four  hundred  yards  they 
suddenly  found  themselves  face  to  face  with  about  a  tliou- 
sand  Indians. 

1 


146  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

The  battle  at  once  began,  Tlie  Indians  were  command- 
ed by  a  celebrated  old  chief  whose  name  was  Cornstalk, 
who  was  the  "  King  of  the  Northern  Confederacy,"  to- 
ward the  Great  Lakes.  I  will  teli  you  more  about  Corn- 
stalk before  I  finish  my  story ;  at  present  I  must  give  you 
an  account  of  the  battle.  The  Indians  rushed  forward, 
firing  and  yelling.  They  had  excellent  muskets,  given 
them  either  by  the  English  or  the  French,  and  the  Vir- 
ginians soon  saw  that  they  knew  how  to  use  them.  At 
the  first  fire  Charles  Lewis,  the  brother  of  the  general, 
was  killed.  He  fell  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  and  soon  after- 
ward expired ;  and  as  Colonel  Fleming,  commanding  the 
right,  was  wounded  about  the  same  time,  the  men  lost 
heart,  and  fell  back  slowly  toward  the  Kanawha,  behind 
them. 

This  was  a  very  bad  beginning.  Two  of  the  bravest 
of  the  Virginia  officers  and  some  of  the  best  men  were 
killed,  and  it  seemed  that  the  day  was  going  against 
them.  Andrew  Lewis,  however,  remained  cool.  He  or- 
dered up  a  fresh  body  of  men  under  Colonel  Field,  and 
the  firing  became  hotter  than  before.  The  Indians  had 
built  a  log  breastwork  from  Crooked  Run  to  the  Ohio 
River,  and  they  fought  from  behind  this  and  the  trees  in 
the  woods.  The  Vii'ginians  also  took  to  the  trees,  and 
killed  a  number  of  the  savages  by  the  following  strata- 
gem:  To  deceive  the  Indians,  they  would  take  off  their 
hats  and  hold  them  in  sight  at  the  side  of  the  trees. 
Then  some  Indian  would  take  aim  at  the  bat,  supposing 
that  it  Avas  his  enemy's  head,  and  put  a  bullet  through  it, 
when  the  hat  would  be  dropped,  as  if  the  owner  of  it  was 
killed.  Then  the  Indian  who  had  firett  at  it  would  rush 
out  to  scalp  his  enemy,  when  the  Virginian  would  dart 
at  him,  and  dash  his  brains  out  at  one  blow  with  his  tom- 
ahawk.    Several  were  killed  in  this  Avay,  but  the  number 


roINT    PLEASANT,  AM>    TIIK    DEATU    OV    CORNSTALK.     147 

did  not  amount  to  much.  The  Indians  were  still  firing 
steadily  from  behind  their  log  breastwork,  j^elling  in  tri- 
umph whenever  they  saw  any  of  the  Virginians  fall,  and 
General  Lewis  saw  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  attack 
them  in  some  other  wa}'',  or  give  up  the  battle. 

He  soon  determined  what  he  would  do.  I  have  de- 
scribed the  small  streani  called  Crooked  Run,  running 
across  the  risfht  of  the  Virtjinians  into  the  Kanawha. 
The  banks  were  very  high,  and  covered  with  weeds  and 
bushes;  and  Lewis  saw  that  if  he  could  send  a  party  and 
set  in  rear  of  the  Indians  in  that  direction,  he  would  sur- 
prise  and  probably  defeat  them.  It  was  necessary  to  do 
something,  as  night  was  coming,  and  he  would  be  in  great 
danger;  so  he  determined  on  making  this  attempt,  and 
did  so  at  once.  Three  companies  stole  away  secretly 
while  the  fighting  was  going  on  in  front,  and  got  to  the 
Run  without  being  seen  by  the  Indians.  They  then  crept 
along  the  bank  under  shelter  of  the  bushes,  and  in  this 
manner  ecot  in  rear  of  the  Indian  breastwork. 

Lewis  was  wailing  anxicnisly  for  the  signal.  At  last  it 
came.  A  rapid  fire  was  heard  in  the  rear  of  the  Lidians, 
showing  that  the  party  sent  around  had  attacked  them  ; 
and  at  this  sound  Lewis  placed  himself  at  the  head  ol" 
his  men  and  charged  the  l)reastwork.  The  Indians  made 
a  desperate  resistance.  TImv  were  cheered  on  by  old 
Cornstalk,  who  was  heard  sh(»uting,  "  Be  strong !  be 
strouir  !"  —  that  is,  "  liold  fast!"  —  and  wiien  one  of  his 
warriors  exhibited  cowardice  he  buried  his  tomahawk  in 
liis  brains.  JJut  he  could  do  nothing.  The  Virginians 
were  fighting  him  in  fiont,  and  rear;  and  at  tliis  the  In- 
dians lost  heart.  The  fighting  continued  until  sunset,  and 
the  crack  of  rifies  rang  thiough  the  woods  without  ceas- 
ing for  a  moment;  l>iil  at  last  the  Indians  gave  way. 
They  scattered  in  every  direction,  pursued  by  the  white 


148  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMIXIOX. 

hunters,  and,  about  three  miles  up  the  Oliio,  crossed  the 
river  on  rafts,  and  escaped  into  the  Great  Woods,  from 
which  they  had  come. 

It  was  a  bloody  affair.  The  Virginians  lost  sevent}'^- 
five  men  killed  and  one  hundred  and  forty  wounded. 
What  the  Indians  lost  w'as  not  known,  as  they  always 
carried  off  their  dead,  if  possible.  Only  thirty- three  of 
their  dead  were  found ;  but  the  main  thing  was  that  they 
were  defeated  and  driven  from  the  soil  of  Virginia. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant.  And  before  w^e 
leave  the  subject,  perhaps  you  would  like  to  hear  some 
verses  from  a  song,  or  "  Lament,"  as  it  was  called,  written 
concerning  it  by  one  of  the  hunters,  probably,  who  took 
part  in  the  fighting.     These  verses  were  as  follows: 

"  Colonel  Lew  is  and  some  iiolile  cajitaiiis 
Did  down  to  death  like  Uriah  go, 
Alas!  their  heads,  wound  up  in  napkins, 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

"  Kings  lament  their  mighty  fallen 
Upon  the  mountains  of  Gilboa; 
And  now  we  mourn  for  brave  Hugh  Alien, 
Far  from  tlie  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

"Oh,  bless  the  mighty  King  of  heaven 
For  all  his  wondrous  works  below, 
Who  hath  to  us  the  victory  given 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio." 

These  verses  are  rude,  and  not  remarkable  for  their  poe- 
try, but  they  describe  the  feelings  of  the  brave  men  who 
fought  on  that  occasion,  and  you  must  not  laugh  at  them, 
or  find  fault  Avith  the  manner  in  which  they  are  written. 
The  author  of  them  miglit  not  know  much  about  poetry 
and  rhyming,  but  you  can  see  that  he  was  in  earnest,  and 
that  his  heart  was  full  of  sorrow.  This  induced  him  to 
write  his  rude  "Lament,"  as  he  called  it,  in  honor  of  brave 


POINT   PLEASANT,  AND    THE    DEATH    OF    CORNSTALK.     149 

Hugh  Allen,  Charles  Lewis,  and  the  rest  who  had  fallen 
in  defence  of  their  country. 


III. 


As  I  liave  called  my  story  "  Cornstalk  and  the  Battle 
of  Point  Pleasant,"  I  will  now  tell  you  more  about  this 


vs    IM.IAN    AlIA<h. 


great  Indian  warrior,  and  liow  he  came  to  his  dealii  abuul 
three  years  afterward. 

As  General  Andrew  Lewis  had  defeated  ihc  savages, 
ami  killed  so  many  of  ihcni,  lie  thought  the  best  thing  I'or 
him  to  do  was  t,o  march  straight  on  into  the  Indian  coun- 
try and  make  an  end  of  the  matter,  ilis  men  weri'  in  the 
highest  spirits;  and  as  the  Lidians  had  cruelly  nnirdered 
the  Virginia   women   and   cliildrcn   all   along   the   border, 


150  STORIES    OK    THK    OLD    DOMINION. 

they  hated  them,  and  determined  not  to  give  them  any 
rest  until  they  were  all  killed  or  driven  away  into  the 
Great  Woods.  Lewis,  therefore,  set  out  at  once;  but  he 
was  surprised  to  meet  a  messenger  on  the  way  from  Gov- 
ernor Dunmore,  with  an  order  to  him  to  march  back  to 
the  Kanawha  River.  This  made  him  and  his  brave  men 
very  angry.  They  had  just  whipped  the  savages  after 
bloody  fighting,  and  now  Lgrd  Dunmore  ordered  them  to 
go  back,  and  not  finish  the  work.  They  had  heard  the 
charges  made  against  the  governor — that  he  was,  secretl)', 
the  friend  of  tlie  Indians,  and  wanted  them  to  attack  the 
Virginians  —  and  this  made  Lewis  so  suspicious  that  he 
refused  to  go  back.  He  marched  straight  on,  and  on  the 
way  met  the  governor.  High  words  took  place  between 
them,  and  it  is  said  that  Lord  Dunmore  was  so  angry  at 
Lewis's  disobedience  of  his  orders,  that  he  drew  his  sword 
and  threatened  to  kill  him.  If  lie  did  so,  it  is  not  proba- 
ble that  a  man  like  Lewis  felt  very  much  frightened.  But 
Dunmore  was  the  governor,  and  he  could  not  resist.  He 
and  his  men  were  very  much  enraged,  but  as  Dunmore 
told  them  that  he  was  going  to  make  peace  with  the  sav- 
ages, they  had  nothing  more  to  say. 

The  Indians  were  persuaded  to  make  peace  by  the  old 
Avarrior,  Cornstalk,  When  Lewis  drove  him  and  his  peo- 
ple into  the  woods.  Cornstalk  called  the  chiefs  together 
to  consult  upon  what  was  best  to  do. 

"  Well,"  said  the  old  ruler,  "  what  will  you  do  next  ? 
'The  Big  Knife'  is  coming  on  us  now,  and  we  shall  all 
be  killed.     Now  you  must  fight  or  we  are  all  undone." 

The  Indian  cliiefs  who  Avere  squatting  down  around 
him  made  no  answer.  Every  one  looked  sulky,  and  did 
not  seem  to  know  what  to  do. 

"Let  us  kill  all  our  women  and  children,  and  go  and 
fight  till  we  die  !"  Cornstalk  said. 


POINT  PLEASANT,  AXl)  THE  DEATH  OF  COKNSTAHv.   151 

To  this  the  warriors  made  no  more  answer  than  to  what 
he  had  said  at  first.  Cornstalk  looked  at  them  one  after 
another,  waiting  to  hear  what  they  had  to  say,  but  they 
said  nothing  at  all. 

"  \Yell,"  he  said,  "  then  I'll  go  and  make  peace !" 

With  these  words  lie  struck  his  tomahawk  into  a  post  by 
him,  while  the  warriors  grunted  "  Ough  !  ough  !"  meaning 
that  they  agreed  to  what  he  had  said ;  and  a  messenger 
was  sent  to  Lord  Duiniiore  to  say  that  the  Indians  were 
ready  to  make  peace.  The  governor  sent  back  word  that 
he  would  meet  and  talk  with  them,  and  soon  afterward 
tlie  Indian  chiefs  visited  him  at  his  camp  for  that  purpose. 

Cornstalk  was  at  the  head  of  them.  lie  did  not  seem 
to  be  at  all  cast  down  by  liis  misfortunes  in  the  bloody 
battle,  and  stood  up  and  spoke  boldly.  lie  said  that  the 
Indians  were  not  to  blame  for  hating  the  white  people 
and  making  war  on  them ;  and  to  show  how  cruel  the  pale- 
faces had  been  to  the  red-skins,  as  the  savages  were  then 
called,  he  mentioned  wliat  had  liappened  to  an  Indian 
chief  named  Logan,  whose  whole  family  liad  been  murder- 
ed l)y  tlie  white  peojde  in  the  spring  of  that  year;  an<l 
that  was  the  reason  why  Logan  was  not  there  to  talk 
with  llie  rest.  This  was  done,  lie  said,  by  a  Captain  Cresap, 
of  Maryland — which,  however,  is  not  true. 

As  Logan  sent  a  famous  answer  to  Governor  Dunmore's 
invitation  to  him  to  be  ])resent  on  this  occasion,  I  will 
here  tell  you  what  it  was.  When  he  received  the  invi- 
tation, he  look  the  oflicer  who  brought  it  into  the  woods, 
and  tlicy  sat  down  on  a  log.  Logan  then  said,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  that  he  could  not  go  to  meet  Lord  Dunmorc 
and  the  rest  of  the  white  people. 

"I  appeal,"  he  said,  "to  any  while  man,  to  say  if  Ik- 
ever  entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  hi  in  n<> 
meat;  if  he  ever  came  cold  and  naked,  and  he  clothed  him 


152  STOKIKS    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 

not  ?  During  the  course  of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war 
Logan  remained  idle  in  his  cabin,  an  advocate  of  peace. 
Such  was  my  love  for  the  whites  that  my  countrymen 
pointed  as  they  passed,  and  said, '  Logan  is  the  friend  of 
the  white  men.'  I  had  even  thought  to  have  lived  with 
you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one  man.  Colonel  Cresap,  the 
last  spring,  in  cold  blood,  and  unprovoked,  murdered  all 
the  relations  of  Logan,  not  even  sparing  my  women  and 
children.  This  called  on  me  for  revenge.  I  have  sought 
it.  I  have  killed  many.  I  have  fully  glutted  my  ven- 
geance. For  my  country,  I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace. 
But  do  not  harbor  a  thought  that  mine  is  the  joy  of  fear, 
Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will  not  turn  on  his  heel  to 
save  his  life.  Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan  ? — Not 
one  !" 

Logan  made  this  speech,  of  course,  in  the  Indian  lan- 
guage, but  the  officer  understood  him,  and  when  he  went 
back  to  Lord  Dunmore,  repeated  it  in  English,  and  it  was 
printed.  Everybody  was  very  ranch  affected  by  it.  But 
if  Indian  Avonien  and  children  were  murdered  by  the 
whites,  the  Indians  had  begun  doinoj  so  first;  and  though 
that  does  not  justify  the  whites,  it  shows  how  they  came 
to  act  in  so  bloody  and  cruel  a  manner.  Cornstalk  spoke, 
as  I  have  told  you,  of  poor  Logan,  throwing  all  the  blame 
of  the  hatred  between  the  Virginians  and  the  Indians  on 
the  white  people.  Other  speeches  were  made,  and  the 
whole  matter  was  talked  over;  but  at  last  it  was  detei'- 
mined  that  peace  should  be  made,  and  what  is  called  a 
treaty  was  concluded  between  Dunmore  and  the  savages, 
each  side  promising  not  to  go  to  war  any  more.  The 
Indians  then  went  back  to  the  woods,  and  Dunmore  and 
his  army  marched  home  again. 

As  I  shall  not  have  any  more  to  say  of  Andrew  Lewis 
in  this  story,  I  will  tell  you  that  he  afterward  became  a 


POINT  PLEASANT,  AND  THE  DEATH  OF  COKXSTALK.  153 

famous  man,  both  as  a  soldier  and  statesman.  He  was  so 
tall  and  heavy  that  on  one  occasion  the  Governor  of  New 
York  said  that  the  ground  seemed  to  shake  as  he  walked 
along.  He  never  liked  Lord  Duumore  from  the  very  first; 
and  you  will  see,  when  I  come  to  that  part  of  my  book, 
that  when  the  governor  was  driven  away  from  Virginia, 
it  was  Andrew  Lewis  who  drove  him. 

IV. 

I  will  now  tell  you  more  about  Cornstalk,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  and  his  son,  Ellinipsico,  were  cruelly  mur- 
dered by  the  white  people. 

After  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  a  fort  was  built 
there,  and  in  the  fall  of  1777,  three  years  after  the  bat- 
tle, Cornstalk  and  another  Lidian  chief,  named  lledhawk, 
came  to  pay  the  soldiers  at  the  fort  a  visit.  Such  visits 
were  often  made  at  that  time  by  cunning  Lidians,  with 
a  bad  ])urposc.  Sometimes  they  came  to  find  out  how 
many  fighting-men  and  cannon  were  in  the  ibrts,  so  that 
when  they  made  an  attack  afterward  they  might  know 
all  about  it.  At  other  times  their  object  was  to  deceive 
the  white  people,  by  jjretending  that  they  were  friendly 
to  them  and  would  help  them,  after  which  they  would  go 
away  and  join  their  enemies. 

Cornstalk  did  not  make  any  pretences  whatever  on  his 
visit  to  the  fort.  lie  told  them  that  they  knew  he  was 
friendly  to  the  Americans,  who  l)y  this  time  were  at  war 
with  the  English,  and  that  his  own  tribe,  the  Shawnecs, 
did  not  like  the  English  any  better  than  he  did  himself. 
But,  he  went  on  to  say,  the  Indians  in  general  looked  upon 
the  English  as  their  friends,  .md  he  was  afrai<l  he  and  the 
Shawnecs  "  woidd  liave  to  run  wiili  the  stream,"  and 
make  war  on  the  Americans.  He  was  sorry  for  this,  l>nt 
he  could  not  help  it;  and  he  had  come  to  tell  his  friends 


7* 


154  STOKIKS    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

how  it  was,  so  that  they  might  not  think  badly  of  him. 
He  was  not  afraid  to  tell  them  this,  he  said.  It  might  be 
dangerous,  but  he  did  not  care  for  danger. 

"  When  I  was  a  young  man  and  went  to  war,"  said  the 
old  chief,  "  I  thought  that  might  be  the  last  time,  and  1 
would  return  no  more.  Now  I  am  here  among  you ;  you 
may  kill  me,  if  you  please :  I  can  die  but  once,  and  it  is 
all  one  to  me,  now  or  another  time." 

This  showed  how  brave  the  old  warrior  was,  and  how 
little  he  cared  for  his  life.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  a 
crowd  of  soldiers,  but  he  spoke  fearlessly,  in  his  firm  voice. 
He  felt  that  if  he  loas  an  uneducated  savage,  he  was  the 
ruler  of  his  people,  and  spoke  and  acted  like  a  true  king. 

The  old  chief  had  not  many  more  days  to  live.  The 
commander  of  the  fort  told  him  that,  as  he  said  he  would 
be  obliged  to  fight  for  the  English,  he  could  not  allow 
him  to  leave  the  fort.  And  he  and  Redhawk  thus  be- 
came prisoners.  Cornstalk  did  not  complain.  Perhaps 
he  came  to  the  fort  knowing  that  they  would  not  let  him 
go  back  to  his  tribe,  by  .which  means  he  would  be  pre- 
vented from  fighting  against  his  friends,  the  Americans. 
He  did  not  ask  them  to  release  him,  or  grow  angry,  but 
remained  quiet,  talking  over  matters  of  one  sort  or  anoth- 
er very  calmly,  and  making  no  effort  to  escape. 

The  sad  tragedy  of  his  and  his  son's  death  now  took 
place.  This  son's  name,  as  I  have  told  you,  was  Ellin- 
ipsico.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  handsome,  fine-looking 
boy,  with  a  slender  figure,  and  about  seventeen  years  old. 
He  was  very  fond  of  his  father,  and  as.Cornstalk  had  stayed 
away  longer  than  was  expected  by  his  tribe,  Ellinipsico 
came  to  find  if  anything  had  happened  to  him.  Cornstalk 
was  stooping  down,  with  a  piece  ofchalk  in  his  hand,  to 
draw  a  map  of  the  western  country  on  the  floor,  which 
the  officers  of  the  fort  had  asked  him  to  do,  when  he  heard 


POINT    PLEASANT,  AND    THE    DEATH    OF    CORNSTALK.      155 

a  voice  slioutiiig  from  tlie  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  He 
raised  his  head  and  listened.  The  shout  was  repeated, 
and  Cornstalk  told  the  officers  that  it  was  his  boy  EUin- 
ipsico,  as  he  knew  him  by  his  voice.  This  proved  to  be 
true.  The  boy  was  hallooing  for  some  one  to  come  over 
in  a  canoe  and  bring  him  across.  This  was  done,  and  he 
came  up  to  the  fort,  where  he  clasped  his  arms  around  his 
father  in  a  very  aifectionate  manner.  The  old  chief  was 
quite  as  glad  to  see  his  son,  and  they  went  into  another 
room,  where  Cornstalk  slept,  and  were  heard  talking  far 
into  the  night.  Cornstalk  was  no  doubt  askino:  the  news 
in  the  tribe,  and  Ellinipsico  telling  him  everything,  and 
askinsc  whv  he  did  not  return. 

This  was  the  last  night  the  father  and  son  passed  to- 
gether on  earth.  Early  on  the  next  morning  two  of  the 
men  belonging  to  the  fort,  whose  names  were  Gilmore  and 
Hamilton,  crossed  the  Ohio  River  to  hunt  for  deer.  As 
there  had  been  no  trouble  with  Indians  for  some  time, 
they  thought  it  was  safe  to  venture  into  the  woods;  but 
they  soon  found  how  much  they  were  mistaken.  A  band 
of  Indians  were  lying  liidden  in  the  tall  weeds  on  llu' 
bank  of  tlu?  river,  and  as  (iilmore  and  Hamilton  passed 
by,  one  of  the  Indians  levelled  his  gun  and  shot  Gilmore; 
after  which  he  rushed  on  him  artd  scalped  him,  tearing 
ofl'  his  whole  head  of  hair  by  the  roots,  and  the  skin  and 
flesh  with  it.  This  was  the  bloody  manner,  you  know,  in 
which  the  Indians  treated  their  enemies;  and  as  Hamilton 
thought  that  it  would  be  liis  tuiii  next,  he  ran  back  to  the 
bank  of  the  river  and  shouted  to  his  friends  that  Gilmore 
was  killed,  and  they  must  come  ovei-  and  help  him. 

The  men  at  the  fort  could  hear  what  he  said,  and  rush- 
ed toward  a  canoe,  which  was  tied  to  the  bank  not  far 
from  the  fort,  and  Icnpod  into  it.  At  the  head  of  tliem 
was  Captain  John  Hall,  a  relation   of  Gilmorc's,  and  he 


15(5  STUIUES    OF    THE    OLD    JJOMINIOX. 

and  his  men  were  in  a  violent  rage  at  hearing  that  their 
friend  had  been  killed.  The  canoe  shot  across  the  river, 
and  the  men  ran  np  the  bank.  The  Indians  were  nowhere 
to  be  seen,  but  they  found  poor  Gilniore's  body,  scalped 
and  all  bloody,  and  brought  it  to  the  canoe,  in  which  they 
crossed  back  to  the  fort. 

As  they  came  up  the  bank,  carrying  the  dead  body,  it 
was  easy  to  see  that  they  were  full  of  anger  at  the  death 
of  their  comrade.  A  person  who  saw  them  said  that  they 
were  "  pale  with  rage  ;"  and  with  their  guns  in  their  hands 
they  rushed  forward,  exclaiming, 

"  Let  us  kill  the  Indians  in  the  fort !" 

By  this  they  meant  Cornstalk,  his  son  Ellinipsico,  and 
the  chief  Redhawk.  Captain  Arbuckle  and  others  tried 
to  stop  them;  but  they  shouted  out,  as  they  came  up  the 
bank,  that  the  Indians  who  killed  Gilmore  had  come  with 
Ellinipsico  on  the  day  before,  and  therefore  he  and  his 
father  should  die,  A  woman  living  in  the  fort,  who  was 
very  fond  of  Cornstalk,  ran  in  and  told  him  what  the  men 
said.  Ellinipsico  at  once  exclaimed  that  this  was  not 
true,  and  declared  that  no  one  at  all  had  come  with  him. 
As  he  was  only  a  boy,  he  was  very  much  frightened  and 
trembled  all  over.  But  Cornstalk  did  not  show  the  least 
fear.  Only  an  hour  before  he  had  been  talking  with  the 
men  in  the  fort,  and  used  the  words — 

"I  am  here  among  you;  you  may  kill  me,  if  you  please: 
I  can  die  but  once,  and  it  is  all  one  to  me,  now  or  another 
time." 

He  now  encouraged  his  boy  Ellinipsico,  and  told  him 
not  to  be  afraid.  The  pale-faces,  he  said,  were  coming  to 
kill  them,  but  that  was  all  right,  and  the  Great  Man  above 
— by  which  he  meant  God  —  had  sent  him  there  to  be 
killed  and  die  with  his  father.  As  Cornstalk  said  this 
the  furious  soldiers  ruslied  in  at  the  door.     The  old  war- 


POIXT  PLEASANT,  AXD  THE  DEATH  OF  COKNSTALK.  15V 

rior,  who  had  been  quietly  seated,  rose  to  meet  them,  and 
looked  them  straii'lit  in  the  face  without  showing:  the 
least  fear.  As  he  did  so,  they  levelled  their  guns  at  him 
and  fired ;  and  he  fell  and  died,  shot  through  the  body 
with  seven  or  eight  bullets.  Ellinipsico  was  then  shot 
and  killed,  and  so  was  the  chief  Redhawk,  who  tried  to 
hide  in  a  chimney.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  all  lying- 
dead  on  the  floor,  and  that  was  the  end  of  the  great  war- 
rior Cornstalk,  and  his  son  and  friend. 

I  hope  I  need  not  tell  you  that  this  was  a  cruel  mur- 
der, as  neither  Cornstalk  nor  the  others  had  anything  to 
do  with  the  death  of  Gilniore.  Ellinipsico  could  not  have 
brought  the  band  of  Indians  with  hiiu,or  known  that  they 
were  going  to  kill  any  soldiers  belonging  to  the  fort ;  for 
he  must  have  had  sense  enough, to  know  that  tliis  would 
put  Cornstalk's  life  in  danger.  There  is  no  good  reason 
to  believe  that  he  came  with  any  other  purpose  than  to 
see  what  had  become  of  his  father — and  to  kill  him,  and 
the  brave  old  chief  who  was  friendly  to  the  Avhite  people, 
was  a  barbarous  murdei",  and  nothing  else. 

Cornstalk  died,  as  he  said  he  would,  without  fear.  He 
stood  calmly  before  his  furious  enemies,  and  iell  dead 
pierced  by  their  bullets.  But,  jioor  Indian  as  he  was,  lie 
proved  himself  greater  and  braver  than  them  ail. 


158  feXOKlJiS    OF    THK    OLD    DOMINION. 


patrick  henry,  the  ''man  of  the 

people:' 

I. 

We  are  now  nearly  at  the  beginning  of  the  great 
American  Revolntion,  In  this  strnggle  Virginia  was  one 
of  the  foremost  of  the  colonies,  and  her  promptness  was 
due  in  a  large  measure  to  the  determined  character  of  her 
leaders.  Patrick  Henry  was  the  most  famous  of  these, 
and  I  sliall  here  give  yoM  an  account  of  him :  but  first  I 
ought  to  tell  you  how  affairs  were  at  the  moment  when 
he  appeared. 

There  were  many  other  colonies,  you  know,  on  the  soil 
of  America.  Soon  after  the  settlement  at  Jamestown,  a 
party  of  Dutch  and  English  established  New  Amsterdam 
(1614),  now  the  City  of  New  York.  Then  (in  1620)  a  num- 
ber of  English,  who  had  made  a  bargain  with  the  Vir- 
ginia Company,  in  London,  landed  at  Plymouth,  in  New 
England,  and  founded  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts.  Soon 
afterward  (1624)  the  Dutch  and  Swedes  settled  Delaware 
and  Pennsylvania,  and  a  party  of  English  Catholics,  under 
Lord  Baltimore,  founded  Maryland  (1631).  And  so,  step 
by  step,  the  whole  country  along  the  Atlantic  was  settled 
by  white  people,  who  drove  back  the  Indians,  and  eveiy 
year  grew  stronger  and  more  pi'osperous. 

This  may  not  seem  very  interesting;  but  when  you  hear 
of  a  famous  man,  you  like  to  be  told  when  he  was  born, 
and  how  his  early  life  was  passed :  and  it  is  well  to  know 
the  origin  of  nations.     The  United  States  is  now  the  larg- 


PATRICK    HENKY,  THK 


MAN     OF    THK    PKUPLK. 


159 


est  republic  iu  the  world,  and  American  boys  ought  to 
know  how  their  country  had  its  beginning. 

For   about  one  hundred  and  fifty   years  the   colonies 
went  on  prospering ;  and  if  England,  to  whom  they  be- 


POIITRAIT   OF   TATHirK    lIKNtlY. 


longed,  had  treated  them  justly,  they  might  have  remained 
a  part  of  the  IJrilish  Emi)ire.  Tliey  were  strongly  attach- 
ed to  the  "Mother  Country,"  as  they  called  England  ;  but 
instead  of  returning  this  attachment,  and  taking  pride  in 
her  robust  children,  wlu)  were  growing  to  manhood  iit 
the  New  World,  Englaixl  seemed  to  have  no  thought  in 
reference  to  them  but  what  profit  she  could  derive  from 
them.  She  seemed  to  look  down  upon  them,  and  treated 
them  like  inferiors.  To  call  a  man  an  American  was  the 
same  thing  with  them  as  saying  that  Ik;  was  rough  and 
uncivilized  ;  and,  in  i)art.  this  feeling  continued  almost  up 


160  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

to  the  present  time,  when  at  last  it  seems  to  be  changing. 
But,  wliut  was  worse,  they  were  resolved  to  make  all  the 
money  they  could  out  of  the  colonies,  fairly  or  unfairly. 
Laws  were  passed  taxing  them  heavily,  although  they 
were  not  represented  by  any  of  their  own  people  in  the 
English  Parliament;  and  at  last,  in  the  year  1765,  came 
tlie  celebrated  Stamp  Act.  This  directed  that  no  bus- 
iness papers  of  any  sort  should  be  binding  on  any  one 
unless  they  had  a  certain  stamp  upon  them,  and  for  this 
stamp  the  Americans  had  to  pay.  A  tax  was  laid  on 
tea,  glass,  and  other  articles;  and  when  intelligence  came 
that  these  laws  had  been  passed,  a  violent  commotion 
took  ])lace  in  the  colonies. 

Virginia  and  Massachusetts  were  foremost  in  declaring 
that  they  would  not  submit,  and  I  shall  now  tell  you  what 
sort  of  men  led  the  people  in  Virginia.  Patrick  Henry 
was  in  front  of  all,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  followed  him.  I 
shall  therefore  give  yon  an  account  of  these  two  remarka- 
ble men,  and  endeavor  to  show  you  by  what  circumstances 
their  characters  were  shaped,  as  well  as  what  sort  of  per- 
sons they  were. 

I  am  particularly  anxious  to  present  this  familiar  view 
of  them,  as  it  will  show  you  how  they  looked,  and  talked, 
and  acted  among  their  friends  and  neighbors.  You  will 
thus  be  able  to  form  an  idea  of  the  men  as  they  really 
were.  When  we  look  at  their  statues  in  marble  or  bronze 
they  seem  hard  and  cold.  You  fancy  that  they  were  al- 
WJiys  performing  some  grand  public  action.  On  the  Cap- 
itol Square  at  Richmond  are  two  tall  bronze  statues  of 
Henry  and  Jefferson.  The  latter  is  standing,  wrapped  in 
his  cloak,  with  a  pen  in  his  hand ;  and  the  former  is  hold- 
ing up  both  arms,  as  if  delivering  a  speech.  The  pen  in 
Jefferson's  hand  means  that  lie  was  the  author  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  and  Henry  is  represented  as  lie 


PATRICK    HENEY,  TUE    "  MAN    OF   THE    PEOPLE." 


161 


is  supposed  to  have  looked  when  he  exclaimed,  in  one 
of  liis  great  speeches,  "  Give  me  liberty  or  give  me 
death  !" 

You  here  see  the  men  in  their  public  characters ;  and 
in  making  statues  of  them  it  is  right  to  so  represent  them. 
But  this  was  not  all  about  them.  If  we  suppose  that 
tliey  were  always 
making  eloquent 
speeches  or  writ- 
ing great  declara- 
tions, we  are  very 
greatly  mistaken. 
They  were  men 
just  like  other  peo- 
ple. When  they 
were  hungry,  they 
liked  to  eat;  when 
they  were  tired, 
they  liked  to  sleep; 
and  if  anything 
amused  or  grieved 
them,  they  laughed 
and  cried  like  ev- 
erybody else.  It 
is  hard  to  believe 
this  when  we  look 
at  the  grand  stat- 
ues. They  a])|)ear 
cold     aiiil     nii.'ip- 

proachable,  ami  a  boy  is  apt  to  fancy  that  he  never  could 
be  a  great  man.  Hut.  this  is  all  a  mistake.  These  cele- 
brated ])eopl('  had  their  faults  an<l  failings,  ami  little  pe- 
culiarities, like  the  humblest  of  their  species.  JJy  showing 
you  this,  I  niay  convince  you  that  they  are  not  so  far  off, 


rAXniCK    IIENUV  «   STATl'E. 


102  STORIES    OP   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

:ifter  all ;  and  this  may  give  j^ou  courage,  if  yon  are  ever 
called  upon  to  imitate  them. 

I  will  first  tell  you  of  Patrick  Henry.  He  was  the 
greatest  orator  that  Virginia  every  produced — I  might, 
perhaps,  say,  that  ever  lived  in  America.  His  fearless 
character  and  wonderful  genius  render  all  about  him  in- 
teresting ;  and  I  shall  now  relate  some  particulars  of  his 

early  life. 

II. 

Patrick  Henry  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  in  Hanover 
County,  and  was  born  in  May,  1736.  In  his  boyhood  and 
early  manhood  he  was  so  idle  that  he  was  looked  on  as 
o-ood  for  nothing.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  in  hunting 
and  fishing,  or  playing  the  fiddle,  instead  of  helping  on 
his  father's  farm;  and  at  last,  as  his  lamily  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with  liim,  he  was  sent  to  be  a  clerk  in  a  small 
country  store.  Some  time  afterward  he  opened  a  store 
for  himself,  but  soon  failed.  He  then  married  a  young 
lady  of  the  neighborhood,  whose  father  gave  him  a  farm ; 
but  he  failed  a*t  farming,  too,  and  two  years  afterward  the 
farm  was  sold.  He  then  went  back  to  store-keeping,  and 
failed  at  that  again;  and  now  he  was  without  the  means 
of  support  for  himself  and  his  wife. 

This  was  his  own  fault,  as  you  can  easily  see.  He  would 
not  attend  to  his  business.  He  still  passed  his  time  in 
fishing  and  playing  the  fiddle,  and  the  consequence  was 
that  he  succeeded  at  nothing  which  he  undertook.  A 
stout,  healthy  young  man  may  fail  in  store -keeping,  but 
he  ought  not  to  fail  on  a  farm.  If  he  is  industrious  and 
follows  liis  plough,  he  can  always  make  a  support  for  his 
family.  But  Patrick  Henry  was  too  lazy  to  do  so.  So 
he  fell  into  debt,  his  farm  had  to  be  sold,  and  he  found 
liimself  without  a  home. 

Sometiiing,  he  now  saw,  had  to  be  done.     His  friends 


PATRICK    IIEXRY,  THE    ".MAX    OF    THE    PEOPLE."        163 

could  not  support  liim,  and  no  doubt  he  was  too  proud  to 
consent  to  that,  lie  therefore  resolved  to  study  law,  and 
borrowed  some  old  law-books,  wliicli  he  began  to  read ; 
and  six  weeks  afterward  he  applied  for  a  license  to  prac- 
tise law.  This  seemed  quite  absurd.  The  old  judge  to 
whom  he  applied  found  that  he  knew  almost  nothing  of 
law,  and  was  unwilling  to  give  him  his  license.  As  Pat- 
rick Henry  promised  liim,  however,  that  he  would  go  on 
studying,  he  at  last  consented.  Tlie  license  was  granted 
him,  and  he  set  up  at  Hanover  Court-house  as  a  lawyer, 

None  of  his  friends  had  the  least  idea  that  he  would 
ever  do  anything  in  his  profession.  They  knew  how  idle 
and  ignorant  he  was,  and  no  doubt  supposed  that  the  law- 
office  would  soon  be  shut  up,  just  as  his  store  had  been. 
There  was  nothing  about  him  to  show  that  he  would  suc- 
ceed. His  appearance  was  as  ungainly  as  possible.  He 
had  a  stooping  figure,  and  was  awkward  in  all  his  move- 
ments. He  wore  faded  old  clothes,  leather  breeclics,  and 
yarn  stockings,  and  his  maimer  of  speaking  was  quite  as 
rough  as  his  dress.  As  an  instance  of  this,  he  i)ronounced 
"natural,"  "learning,"  and  "earth" — Jiaii^rcd,  laj'?im\  and 
airt/i ;  for,  when  he  and  one  of  his  friends  were  disjniting 
one  day  about  the  advantages  of  education,  lie  exclaimed  : 
"A^(^<<7Vrt^  parts  arc  better  than  all  the  laridn''  on  airthP'' 
No  one  could  suppose  that  a  person  who  spoke  in  this 
illiterate  manner  would  ever  turn  out  to  be  a  great  pub- 
lic speaker;  and  his  fVicnds  and  neighbors  had  a  lower 
opinion  of  him  still  as  a  lawyer.  He  was  so  ignoi-anl  that 
he  could  not  write  the  simplest  law-paper;  so  lie  got  no 
business  to  attend  to,  and  was  I'cduccd  to  the  greatest 
distress.  He  liad  to  help  to  keep  a  tavern  belonging  to 
his  father-in-law  at  the  court-house,  to  earn  his  daily  bread  ; 
and  the  whole  prospect  before  him  was  as  gloomy  as  any 


one  can  imagme. 


104  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

But  the  time  was  near  when  a  great  change  was  to 
take  place  in  his  fortunes,  and  of  this  I  will  now  tell  you, 
A  lawsuit  was  brought  by  the  clergymen  of  the  Episco- 
pal church  in  Hanover  County  to  recover  money  which 
they  said  was  due  them  for  preaching  in  their  parishes. 
When  you  grow  older  you  will  read  all  about  this  famous 
lawsuit.  It  turned  upon  the  question  whether  the  "par- 
sons," as  they  were  called,  should  be  paid  for  their  ser- 
vices in  money  or  tobacco,  which  was  then  used  as  cur- 
rency, like  gold  and  bank-notes;  and  the  King  of  England 
had  decided  in  one  way,  and  the  Virginia  House  of  Bur- 
gesses in  another,  x\s  the  king's  decision  was  in  favor  of 
the  parsons,  they  brought  a  lawsuit  to  get  their  pay— and 
there  seemed  nothing  to  do  but  to  pay  them.  All  the 
old  lawyers,  who  examined  the  question,  gave  it  up  at 
once ;  when  the  report  suddenly  spread  that  young  Pat- 
rick Henry  was  going  to  "  plead  against  the  parsons." 

When  this  became  known,  everybody  began  to  laugh. 
It  seemed  absurd  that  an  ignorant  youth  should  attempt 
to  do  what  the  old  lawyers  could  not.  He  was  oidy 
twenty-seven,  and  almost  unacquainted  with  law.  Be- 
sides this,  he  had  never  made  a  public  speech  in  his  life, 
and  it  was  known  that  there  would  be  a  crowd  to  hear 
how  the  case  would  be  decided.  Everybody  predicted 
that  he  would  make  a  complete  failure;  and  though  the 
people  wished  him  good- luck,  as  they  were  against  the 
parsons,  they  expected  that  the  whole  affair  would  be 
quite  ridiculous. 

At  last  the  day  came,  and  a  great  crowd  assembled  at 
Hanover  Court-house.  The  court  was  opened,  and  Pat- 
rick Henry  came  across  the  street  from  the  tavern  where 
he  lived,  and  took  his  seat  behind  the  bar.  The  sight  be- 
fore him  was  enough  to  frighten  a  young  man  unaccus- 
tomed to  public  speaking.     The  court-house  was  crowded 


PATEICK    UENRY,  THE    "  MAN    OF    THE    PEOPLE,"        165 

with  people,  and  tlie  twelve  men  of  the  jury  were  ready. 
On  a  raised  platform  opposite  sat  the  magistrates  and  a 
large  number  of  tlie  clergy,  or  parsons;  and  these  were 
waiting,  with  a  feeling  of  triumph,  for  the  decision  which 
they  were  certain  would  be  in  their  favor. 

All  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  poorly  dressed* young  law- 
yer, and  he  hung  his  head  and  seemed  confused,  Ilis 
friends  felt  as  if  he  had  placed  himself  in  a  very  ridicu- 
lous position;  but  it  was  too  late  to  think  of  that  now, 
and  the  counsel  for  the  clergymen  opened  the  case.  He 
said  that  there  was  no  doubt  at  all  about  the  law  of  the 
matter.  His  majesty  the  King  of  England  had  decided 
it,  and  so  had  the  courts.  All  that  was  to  be  done  now 
was  for  the  jury  to  fix  the  amount  of  damages — that  is 
to  say,  liow  much  money  was  to  be  paid  the  clergymen. 
And  then  the  speaker  took  his  seat,  and  Patrick  Henry 
rose  to  reply  to  him. 

Every  sound  was  now  hushed,  and  every  eye  was  fixed 
upon  the  young  man.  He  seemed  to  feel  this,  and  to  be 
almost  too  much  confused  to  utter  a  word.  His  voice 
could  scarcely  be  heard,  and  his  liead  liung  down  as  though 
lie  were  ashamed  of  liinisclf  and  liis  presumjition.  His 
friends  felt  for  liim,  and  were  almost  tempted  to  leave  the 
court-house,  in  order  not  to  be  present  ami  witness  his 
humiliation. 

Very  soon,  however,  a  change  took  jdace  in  Patrick 
Henry's  whole  appearance.  He  seemed  gradually  to  bo- 
come  accustomed  to  the  sound  of  his  own  voice,  and  his 
tones  grew  firmer  and  louder.  As  he  went  on,  he  became 
more  and  more  excited,  and  soon  his  eyes  began  to  Hash, 
and  his  voice  to  fill  the  whole  rouit-house.  He  seemed 
scarcely  1o  be  the  same  man,  and  carried  every  listener 
along  with  liiin  ;  and  they  saw,  from  his  treatment  of  the 
case,  that  he  knew  just  what  he  was  about.     He  scarcely 


166  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

touched  the  question  of  the  hiw,  as  he  knew  that  it  was 
against  him.  He  addressed  himself  to  the  jury,  and  told 
them  they  had  to  decide  between  the  King  of  England 
and  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses.  The  Burgesses 
were  their  own  people,  and  the  king  a  stranger  to  them. 
He  had  no  i>ght  to  issue  his  orders  to  them — 

Here  the  old  lawyer  who  was  for  the  clergy  started  up, 
exclaiming, 

"The  gentleman  has  spoken  treason  !" 

But  Patrick  Henry  did  not  stop.  It  never  did  any 
good,  as  people  afterward  found,  to  try  to  frighten  him. 
Tlie  interruption  only  made  liim  more  violent  in  his  de- 
nunciation. He  repeated  what  he  had  said,  and  declared 
that  the  parsons  were  no  better  than  the  king.  Men  who 
led  such  lives  as  they  did  had  no  right  to  be  demanding 
the  people's  money  :  and  his  expressions  grew  so  violent 
at  last  that  the  clergy  rose  in  a  body  and  indignantly  left 
the  court-room. 

Henry  then  ended  his  speech  in  the  midst  of  great  ex- 
citement, and  soon  afterward  the  jury  retired  to  consult 
upon  their  verdict.  This  was  awaited  with  breathless  in- 
terest. The  law  was  wholly  in  favor  of  the  parsons,  as 
the  king's  order  could  not  be  disobeyed ;  but  the  jury 
could  fix  any  amount  of  damages  they  chose — or  at  least 
they  did  so,  as  everybody  soon  perceived.  They  came 
back  at  length  and  gave  in  their  verdict.  It  was  one 
penny  damages  —  about  two  cents;  and  no  sooner  had 
the  crowd  heard  this  than  they  uttered  a  shout  of  delight. 
All  was  uproar  and  confusion.  The  old  lawyer  who  rep- 
resented the  clergy  rose  and  exclaimed  that  the  verdict 
was  against  the  law,  and  demanded  that  the  jury  should 
be  sent  back.  But  his  voice  could  scai'cely  be  heard.  The 
crowd  was  shouting,  and  gathering  with  delight  around 
Patrick  Henry.     At  last  they  caught  him  np  a,nd  placed 


PATltlflC    UENKY,  THE 


"max  of  the  people."      1G7 


him  on  their  slioulclcrs,  and  bore  him  out.  And  in  this 
way  he  was  carried  in  triumph  around  the  grounds  of  tiie 
old  court-house,  the  crowd  clieering  and  shouting  in  liis 
honor. 

The  scene  of  this  great  event  remains  ahnost  unchanged 
to  this  day.  Tiie  old  court-house  is  still  standing  in  its 
grassy  yard ;  and  I  have  visited  it,  and  looked  Avith  deep 
interest  at  the  old  colonial  building  where  the  voice  of 
young  Patrick  was  first 
raised  against  England. 

This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  Ills  great  career. 
On  the  day  before  he 
was  almost  unknown, 
but  now  he  was  famous. 
There  is  no  doubt  that 
everytliing  happened 
just  as  I  have  related. 
His  friends  and  neigh- 
bors wondered  at  his 
genius  and  eloquence;  and  when  they  wished  to  pay  a 
compliment  to  any  public  speaker  .'iltcrward,  exclaimed, 
"lie  was  almost  erpial  to  Patrick  Ileniy  when  ha  pled 
against  the  parsons !" 

Ileiny  soon  obtained  a  ]il('nly  of  law  ))ractice.  His 
dark  days  had  passed,  ainl  1  wo  years  afterward  he  was 
elected  to  the  Burgesses.  Here  he  made  his  great  speech 
against  the  Stamp  Act,  and  "started  the  ball  of  revolu- 
tion." 

III. 

As  the  scene  which  took  place  on  this  occasion  was 
quite  a  remarkable  one,  I  will  describe  it. 

You  will  remember  what  T  said  about  the  English  law 
called  the  "Stamp  Act,"  which  ordered  that  the  Ameri- 


IIAKOVEIt   COCRT-IIOUSE. 


1G8  STOEIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 

cans  slioiild  not  transact  Idisiness  unless  all  the  papers 
had  a  certain  stamp  upon  them.  As  you  have  been  told, 
this  produced  a  great  excitement  in  the  colonies.  It  was 
regarded  as  an  open  attempt  to  make  them  the  slaves  of 
England,  as  they  were  not  represented  by  any  of  their 
own  people  in  the  Parliament  Avhich  made  the  law;  and 
when  the  stamps  came  over,  they  Avere  so  angry  that  they 
seized  upon  them  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  and  burn- 
ed them. 

In  Virginia  the  excitement  about  the  stamps  was  very 
great.  Some  people  said  that"  as  the  colonies  belonged 
to  England,  and  the  king  had  authority  over  them,  they 
ought  not  to  refuse  to  obey  the  law,  but  to  write  a  peti- 
tion asking  the  king  to  change  it,  and  that  this  petition 
should  be  as  respectful  as  possible.  But  others  said  that 
such  petitions  would  be  of  no  use.  They  had  been  tried 
over  and  over,  and  the  best  thing  to  do  now  was  to  tell 
the  king  plainly  that  no  one  on  earth  had  the  right  to  tax 
Virginians  except  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses. 

The  Burgesses  soon  met  at  Williamsburg.  It  was  in 
the  year  1*765,  two  years  after  Patrick  Henry's  great 
speech  against  the  parsons ;  and,  as  I  have  told  you,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  House.  Everybody  soon  saw  that 
there  would  be  an  excited  time.  The  people  everywhere 
were  talking  about  the  Stamj:)  Act,  and  the  Bui-gesses 
knew  that  something  would  have  to  be  done.  They  were 
generally  rich  men,  with  large  farms,  and  lived  in  great 
style.  They  loved  England,  for  the  Virginia  people  had 
never  forgotten  that  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  were 
Englishmen  ;  and  they  were  proud  of  their  blood.  They 
were  quite  willing  that  the  King  of  England  should  con- 
tinue to  reign  over  them,  if  they  were  treated  like  the  rest 
of  his  subjects  who  lived  in  England.  If  they  were  not, 
they   meant  to  resist,  but   not  to   act  in    a  passion.     It 


PATRICK  UEXRY,  THE  "  MAN  OF  TUE  PEOPLE."   iVl 

would  be  far  better,  they  thought,  to  petition  the  king  to 
do  tliem  justice,  tlion  to  tell  hitn  in  plain  words  that  they 
would  not  obey  him. 

When  Patrick  Henry  reached  Williamsburg  he  found 
that  this  was  the  general  way  of  thinking.  Scarcely  a 
single  member  of  the  Burgesses  was  ready  to  act  prompt- 
ly. They  still  ho])ed  for  a  "redress  of  grievances,"  as  it 
was  called,  by  sending  a  petition  to  the  king;  but  Patrick 
Henry  had  made  up  his  mind  that  this  would  do  no  good. 
He  therefore  determined  to  act  boldly,  and  soon  after  the 
House  assembled  he  rose  to  address  them. 

They  were  a  grave  ami  imposing  body,  very  different 
from  the  plain  countrymen  whom  he  was  accustomed  to 
in  Hanover.  TJieir  dress  and  appearance  indicated  their 
rank  in  society.  On  all  sides  were  powdered  heads  and 
riilHcd  shirts,  and  faces  full  of  dignity.  They  were  almost 
all  large  landholders,  accustomed  to  be  treated  with  the 
highest  respect;  and  the  contrast  between  them  and  Pat- 
rick Henry  was  very  striking.  He  was  as  rough-looking 
as  ever.  His  hair  was  unpowdercd,  and  he  wore  a  faded 
old  coat,  leather  breeches,  and  yarn  stockings.  In  short, 
he  was  exactly  the  same  aw  kwaid-Iooking  countryman  as 
before. 

As  he  rose  in  his  jdace,  the  JJurgesses  turned  their  heads 
and  looked  at  him.  They  scarcely  knew  liis  name,  and 
no  doubt  thougiit  it  prcsumjttuous  in  this  plaiidy  dressed 
young  man  to  be  taking-  the  lead,  and  telling  older  per- 
sons what  was  best  to  be  done.  IJut  I'atriek  Henry  paid 
no  attention  to  tlieir  looks  of  surprise.  He  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  say  what  lie  had  to  say,  and  give  liis  own 
opinion  at  least  on  the  subject  of  the  Stamp  Act.  He 
spoke  in  a  quiet  tone,  an<l  was  listened  to  in  deep  silence. 
The  Stamp  Act  was  illegal,  and  oppressive  to  Virginia, 
he  said;  and  he  therefore  moved  that  the  House  of  Bur- 


1V2  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 

gesses  should  pass  the  resolutions  he  was  about  to  read 
to  them.  He  then  read  the  resolutions,  which  he  had 
written  on  a  blank  leaf  torn  out  of  an  old  law-book.  The 
tone  of  them  was  respectful,  but  there  was  no  doubt  what 
they  meant,  as  the  last  of  them  declared  that  no  one  had 
the  rio-ht  to  tax  Viroinia  but  the  Viro-inia  Buro-esses, 

Cj  CD  O  t^ 

The  resolutions  were  looked  upon  as  violent  and  very 
imprudent.  They,  in  fact,  asserted  that  tlie  king  had  no 
right  to  levy  taxes  in  Virginia,  which  was  very  much 
like  rebellion ;  and  several  speakers  at  once  rose,  and  de- 
nounced them  as  highly  injudicious.  There  was  a  violent 
excitement,  as  one  after  another  spoke  against  the  resolu- 
tions, and  then  Patrick  Henry  rose  to  defend  them. 

His  whole  appearance  had  changed,  and  the  Burgesses 
soon  found  that  the  poorly  clad  young  countryman  was 
a  matchless  speakei',  and  superior  to  all  of  them.  His 
head  was  carried  erect,  and  his  stooping  figure  grew  as 
straight  as  an  arrow.  His  eye  flashed,  and  his  voice  roll- 
ed through  the  hall  like  thunder.  He  was  fully  aroused, 
and  denounced  England  in  terms  of  the  bitterest  insult. 
Why  were  English  people  better  than  Virginians?  he 
asked.  What  right  had  the  Parliament  to  tyi-annize  over 
the  colonies?  And  as  to  the  King  of  England,  he  had 
better  look  to  his  life. 

"Cresar  had  his  Brutus,"  he  exclaimed,  "  Charles  the 
First  his  Cromwell,  and  George  the  Third — " 

"Treason  !"  came  from  eveiy  part  of  the  hall;  but  Hen- 
ry did  not  shrink. 

"And  George  the  Third  may  profit  by  their  exam- 
ple !"  he  added.  "  If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most 
of  it !" 

He  took  his  seat  after  uttering  these  brave  words,  in 
the  midst  of  great  excitement.  It  was  plain  that  his 
speech    had    made    a    strong    impression.      Speech    after 


PATRICK    UEXRY,  TUE    "  ^fAX    OF    THE    PEOPLE."        173 

speech  was  made — some  in  favor  of,  and  some  opposed  to 
the  resolutions;  but  at  last,  it  was  seen  that  Plenry's  won- 
derful eloquence  had  swept  away  everything.  When  the 
House  was  called  upon  to  say  whether  the  resolutions 
should  pass  or  not,  they  were  passed — the  last  and  most 
important  of  them,  by  a  single  vote. 

The  Burgesses  then  adjourned  in  the  midst  of  general 
excitement.  One  of  them  rushed  out,  declaring  that  he 
would  have  given  five  hundred  guineas  for  a  single  vote, 
in  order  to  defeat  the  resolutions.  But  the  people  were 
delighted  to  hear  that  they  had  passed.  As  Henry  push- 
ed through  the  crowd,  a  plain  countryman  slapped  him 
on  the  shoulder,  and  exclaimed, 

"Stick  to  us,  old  fellow,  or  we  are  gone  !" 

IV. 

1  ought  not  to  leave  the  subject  of  the  life  of  Patrick 
Henry  without  saying  a  few  words  of  what  was  looked 
upon  as  the  greatest  of  all  liis  speeches.  This  was  made 
at  St.  John's  Church,  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  and  rang 
like  the  blast  of  a  trumpet  through  all  the  colonies,  sum- 
moning them  to  resistance. 

It  was  now  the  spring  of  1775,  and  the  whole  country 
was  drifting  toward  revolution.  What  Patrick  Henry 
had  said  against  the  Stamp  Act  proved  like  seed  sown  in 
the  ground.  It  lay  there  for  ten  years,  but  at  last  it  be- 
gan to  sprout,  and  now,  in  the  year  1775,  it  appeared 
above  the  crround.  P^no-laiid  seemed  determined  to  make 
the  colonies  sulmiit  to  licr.  Soldiers  were  sent  to  Boston, 
and  as  Virginia  took  part  with  ^Massachusetts,  the  gov- 
ernor drovp  the  Burgesses  away  from  Williamsburg.  To 
this  tliey  paid  no  attention,  however.  As  they  could  not 
meet  there,  they  determined  to  assemble  in  Richmond. 
A   convention   -fif  tlie  Virginia   leaders  was   accordingly 


172  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMI^'IOX, 

gesses  should  pass  the  resolutions  he  was  about  to  read 
to  them.  He  then  read  the  resolutions,  which  he  had 
written  on  a  blank  leaf  torn  out  of  an  old  law-book.  The 
tone  of  them  was  respectful,  but  there  was  no  doubt  what 
they  meant,  as  the  last  of  them  declared  that  no  one  had 
the  rio-ht  to  tax  Vir2;inia  but  the  Viro;inia  Buro-esses. 

The  resolutions  were  looked  upon  as  violent  and  very 
imprudent.  They,  in  fact,  asserted  that  tlie  king  had  no 
right  to  levy  taxes  in  Virginia,  which  Avas  very  much 
like  rebellion  ;  and  several  speakers  at  once  rose,  and  de- 
nounced them  as  highly  injudicious.  There  was  a  violent 
excitement,  as  one  after  another  spoke  against  the  resolu- 
tions, and  then  Patrick  Henry  rose  to  defend  them. 

His  whole  appearance  had  changed,  and  the  Burgesses 
soon  found  that  the  poorly  clad  young  countryman  was 
a  matchless  speakei',  and  superior  to  all  of  them.  His 
head  was  carried  erect,  and  his  stooping  figure  grew  as 
straight  as  an  arrow.  His  eye  flashed,  and  his  voice  roll- 
ed through  the  hall  like  thunder.  He  was  fully  aroused, 
and  denounced  England  in  terms  of  the  bitterest  insult. 
Why  were  English  people  better  than  Virginians?  he 
asked.  What  right  had  the  Parliament  to  tyrannize  over 
the  colonies?  And  as  to  the  King  of  England,  he  had 
better  look  to  his  life. 

"Caesar  had  his  Brutus,"  he  exclaimed,  "  Charles  the 
First  his  Cromwell,  and  George  the  Third — " 

"Treason  !"  came  from  evei-y  part  of  the  hall;  but  Hen- 
ry did  not  slirink. 

"And  George  the  Third  may  profit  by  their  exam- 
ple !"  he  added.  "  If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most 
of  it !" 

He  took  his  seat  after  uttering  these  brave  words,  in 
the  midst  of  great  excitement.  It  was  plain  that  his 
speech    had    made    a    strong    impression.      Speech    after 


PATRICK    llEXKV,  THE    "  ilAX    OF    THE    PEOPLE."        173 

speech  was  made — some  in  favor  of,  and  some  opposed  to 
the  resolutions;  but  at  Last,  it  was  seen  that  Henry's  won- 
derful eloquence  had  swept  away  everything.  When  the 
House  was  called  upon  to  say  whether  the  resolutions 
should  pass  or  not,  they  were  passed — the  last  and  most 
important  of  them,  by  a  single  vote. 

The  Burgesses  then  adjourned  in  the  midst  of  general 
excitement.  One  of  them  ruslied  out,  declaring  that  he 
would  have  given  five  hundred  guineas  for  a  single  vote, 
in  order  to  defeat  the  resolutions.  But  the  people  were 
delighted  to  hear  that  they  had  passed.  As  Henry  push- 
ed through  the  crowd,  a  plain  countryman  slapped  him 
on  tlie  shoulder,  and  exclaimed, 

"Stick  to  us,  old  fellow,  or  we  are  gone  !" 

IV. 

1  ought  not  to  leave  the  subject  of  the  life  of  Patrick 
Henry  without  saying  a  few  words  of  what  was  looked 
upon  as  the  greatest  of  all  liis  speeches.  This  was  made 
at  St.  John's  Church,  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  and  rang 
like  the  blast  of  a  trumpet  through  all  the  colonies,  sum- 
moning them  to  resistance. 

It  was  now  the  spring  of  1775,  and  the  whole  country 
was  drifting  toward  revolution.  What  Patrick  Henry 
had  said  against  tlie  Stamp  Act  proved  like  seed  sown  in 
the  ground.  It  lay  there  for  ten  years,  but  at  last  it  be- 
gan to  sprout,  and  now,  in  the  year  1775,  it  appeared 
above  the  ground.  England  seemed  determined  to  make 
the  colonies  submit  to  licr.  Soldiers  were  sent  to  Boston, 
and  as  Virginia  took  part  with  Massachusetts,  the  gov- 
ernor drovf!  the  Burgesses  away  from  Williamsburg.  To 
this  tliey  paid  no  attention,  liowcvcr.  As  they  could  not 
meet  there,  they  determined  to  assemble  in  Ilichmond. 
A   convention   •'•f  tlic  Virginia    leaders  was   accordingly 


174 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


elected;  and  iu  March,  1115,  they  met  to  consult  on  the 
state  of  the  country. 

The  old  church  of  St.  John's,  in  which  they  assembled, 
is  still  standing.  It  is  a  plain  old  building,  crowning  a 
hill  not  far  fi'om  Bloody  Run,  where  Bacon  defeated  the 
Indians,  and  in  sight  of  Powhatan,  where  the  old  Indian 


"SMi^^S&^^^^^r  /"If.."*'         "  ^'"^^  ' 


ST.  JOHN  S  CHUKCH. 


emperor  was  visited  by  Captain  Smith.  In  front  is  James 
River,  winding  away  below  the  falls  and  green  islands 
with  their  dipping  foliage,  and  all  around  the  ancient 
church  are  old  tombstones  crumbling  away  in  the  grass. 

Here  the  convention  assembled,  and  it  embraced  some 
of  the  bravest  and  wisest  men  in  Virginia.     The  president 


PATRICK    HENRY,  THE    "  MAN    OF    THE    PEOPLE."        175 

was  Edmund  Pendleton,  who  was  celebrated  for  his  pow- 
ers of  public  speaking  and  for  his  ready  and  vigorous 
intellect.  Thomas  Jefferson  said  of  him,  "Taken  all  in  all, 
he  was  the  ablest  man  in  debate  I  have  ever  met  with ;" 
and  his  voice  was  so  sweet  and  "silvery"  in  its  tones 
that  it  was  delightful  to  hear  him  speak.  Many  other 
distinguished  men  were  present,  and  among  the  rest  Pat- 
rick Henry,  He  was  looked  upon  by  this  time  as  the 
leader  of  the  Revolution  in  "S'^irginia,  and  soon  showed 
that  he  deserved  the  name  which  had  been  given  him — 
the  "  3Ian  of  the  People." 

As  soon  as  the  convention  took  their  seats,  he  rose  and 
moved  that  Virginia  "  be  immediately  put  in  a  state  of 
defence."  This  was  coming  to  the  heart  of  the  matter  in 
a  very  few  words.  He  meant  that  the  time  for  discussion 
liad  passed,  and  the  tin\e  for  action  come.  If  the  Amer- 
icans intended  to  submit,  then  they  could  go  on  oifering 
petitions;  but  if  they  meant  to  fight  England,  it  was  time 
to  get  ready. 

As  had  happened  to  him  in  the  old  House  of  Burgesses, 
his  proposition  met  with  strong  opposition.  There  were 
many  good  jtatriots  who  still  thought  that  peace  could 
be  made  with  P]nglan<l.  They  dreaded  going  to  war  and 
sliedding  blood  if  they  could  avoid  it :  tliey  therefore 
spoke  against  Henry's  resolution,  and  declared  that  it 
ought  not  to  pass.  The  scene  was  exciting,  and  Henry 
listened  in  silence.  When  they  had  finished,  he  again 
rose,  and  his  face  showed  that  he  was  fully  aroused.  His 
speech  surpassed  all  others  which  he  had  ever  delivered, 
and  the  whole  man  seemed  to  be  on  lire  as  liis  voice  ech- 
oed from  the  old  walls  of  the  church.  They  must _/?///* <.^ 
he  exclaimed  ;  there  was  no  longer  any  hope  but  in  a  re- 
liance on  (lod  and  their  own  strong  arms.  It  might  be 
said  that  tlicy  were  weak  and  unable  to  oppose  England; 


176  STOKIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

but  God  would  tigljt  for  them  and  protect  thera  in  the 
great  struggle.  They  must  fight! — and  even  if  they  were 
not  willing,  they  would  be  obliged  to.  No  choice  was 
left  them. 

"There  is  no  retreat,"  he  exclaimed,  "  but  in  submission 
and  slavery  !  Our  chains  are  foi-ged — their  clanking  may 
be  heard  on  the  plains  of  Boston.  The  war  is  inevitable, 
and  let  it  come !  I  repeat  it,  sir,  let  it  come  !  It  is  in 
vain,  sir,  to  extenuate  the  matter.  Gentlemen  may  cry 
'Peace,  peace!'  but  there  is  no  peace.  The  war  is  actu- 
ally begun.  The  next  gale  that  sweeps  from  the  north 
will  bring  to  our  ears  the  clash  of  resounding^  arms.  Our 
bi-ethren  are  already  in  the  field.  What  is  it  that  gentle- 
men wish  ?  What  would  they  have  ?  Is  life  so  dear,  or 
peace  so  sweet,  as  to  be  purchased  at  the  price  of  chains 
and  slavery  ?  Forbid  it,  Almighty  God  !  I  know  not 
what  course  others  may  take,  but  as  for  me,  give  me  lib- 
erty, or  give  me  death  !" 

As  Patrick  Henry  uttered  these  words,  with  both  arms 
raised  and  eyes  on  fii'e  with  excitement,  it  is  said  that  a 
thrill  ran  through  the  whole  assembly.  They  were  ready 
to  start  from  tlieir  seats  and  shout,  "To  arms!"  No  fur- 
ther opposition  was  made.  The  voice  of  Henry  had  swept 
it  away.  His  resolutions  were  passed  by  a  large  major- 
ity, and  Virginia  thus  announced  to  the  world  that  she 
was  ready  to  fight. 

All  things  considered,  this  speech  was  one  of  the  great- 
est ever  delivered ;  and  Patrick  Henry  seemed  to  be  almost 
a  prophet.  It  Mas  made  in  the  month  of  March,  and  in 
April  the  fighting  began.  General  Gage  attacked  the 
people  in  Massachusetts;  and  if  Virginia  had  not  been  so 
distant,  the  sound  of  his  cannon  might  have  been  heard 
upon  the  wind  from  the  north,  and  the  "clash  of  resound- 
ing arms"  at  Lexington  and  Concord. 


"give   me    LIIlEUrV,  OR   GIVE   ME   DEATH  1" 


I'ATKlClv    HKMiV,   TllK    "  MAN    OF    JllE    PEOPLE."        179 

This  is  all  I  can  say  to-day  of  Patrick  Henry.  He  was 
a  remarkable  man,  and  suited  to  the  times  in  which  he 
lived.  Nothing  could  shake  his  resolution,  and  his  won- 
derful eloquence  astonished  the  greatest  men  who  listen- 
ed to  him,     Thomas  Jefferson  said  of  him: 

"It  is  not  easy  to  say  what  we  would  have  done  with- 
out Patrick  Henry.  He  was  far  before  us  all  in  maintain- 
ing the  spirit  of  the  Revolution.  His  eloquence  was  pe- 
culiar— if,  indeed,  it  should  be  called  eloquence,  for  it  was 
impressive  and  sublime  beyond  what  can  be  imagined. 
After  all,  it  must  be  allowed  that  he  was  our  leader.  He 
left  us  all  flir  behind." 

These  were  strong  words  to  apply  to  the  plain  country 
lawyer  who  had  failed  at  store-keeping  and  nearly  every- 
thing else  which  he  had  attempted.  But  they  were  true. 
Patrick  Henry  found  at  last  what  his  true  business  in  life 
was,  and  his  name  is  now  one  of  the  greatest  in  the  his- 
tory of  America. 


180 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMIXIOX. 


thomas  jefferson,  the  ''pen  of  the 
revolution:' 


On  llie  clay  when  Patrick  Henry  made  his  great  speech 
against  the  Stamp  Act,  a  number  of  students  from  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  College  were  standing  at  the  door  listen- 


THOMAS   JEFFERSON. 


ing.  Among  these  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-two,  who 
drank  in  every  word.  When  he  was  afterward  asked 
about  the  debate,  he  said  it  was  "most  bloody."     He  was 


THOMAS    JEFFERSOX.  181 

unknown  at  the  time,  but  was  destined  to  become  as  fa- 
mous as  Henry  himself;  for  the  name  of  this  youth  was 
Tliomas  Jefterson. 

I  liave  told  you  that  I  meant  to  try  and  give  you 
some  idea  of  these  men  of  the  Revolution  as  they  ap- 
peared every  day  to  their  friends  and  those  wlio  knew 
them  best.  This  I  can  do  in  the  easiest  way  by  giving 
you  anecdotes  and  familiar  details  of  them,  from  which 
you  will  see  how  they  passed  their  time,  and  what  their 
real  characters  were.  Jeiferson  has  told  us  himself,  in  his 
letters,  about  his  youthful  days ;  and  as  these  were  very 
different  from  his  after-life  as  a  famous  statesman  and 
ruler,  I  will  tell  you  about  them,  to  show  you  what  a  gay 
youth  this  great  man  was. 

He  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  farmer  in  Albemarle 
County,  Virginia,  and  was  born  in  the  month  of  April, 
1743.  As  was  then  the  fashion,  he  was  sent  to  William 
and  Mary  College  at  Williamsburg,  and  here  for  a  part 
of  his  time  he  studied  very  hard.  While  not  thus  en- 
n^asred  he  was  visiting  young  ladies,  and  from  all  accounts 
he  was  very  much  liked  by  them.  He  was  tall  and  not 
very  graceful,  and  h;id  sandy  hair;  but  he  was  full  of  wit 
and  fun,  and  fond  of  dancing  and  other  amusements. 
There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  he  neglected  his  stud- 
ies for  the  society  of  young  ladies,  but  he  certainly  had 
his  share  of  the  fun  and  frolic  around  him.  He  tells  us 
so  himself  He  had  a  friend  named  John  Page,  who  was 
afterward  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  wrote  him  a  number 
of  letters,  which  were  published.  In  these  he  gave  an  ac- 
count of  his  daily  doings,  and  it  is  amusing  to  read  them. 
In  one,  he  <lescribes  a  night  which  he  spent  at  an  old 
co\intry  house,  where  the  rain  leaked  \ipon  his  watch,  and 
the  rats  ate  up  his  pocket-book  and  garters,  which  wore 
then  worn  l>v  men;  and  in  anf>thei-  he  speaks  of  "dancing 


182  STOUIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

with  Belinda  in  the  'Apollo,'"  and  tells  his  friend  how 
happy  he  felt  while  doing  so. 

The  "Apollo"  was  a  large  room  in  the   old  Raleigh 
Tavern  at  Williamsburg,  and  became  famous  afterward, 


BALEIGH   TAVERN. 


like  Faneuil  Hall  in  Boston,  as  the  place  of  meeting  of 
the  patriots.  At  that  early  day,  however,  it  was  only 
used  as  a  ball-room,  and  the  "Belinda"  the  young  man 
speaks  of  was  a  young  lady  with  whom  he  had  fallen  in 
love.  His  letters  are  full  of  her ;  and  it  is  amusing  to  find 
a  person  who  afterward  became  the  grave  President  of 
the  United  States  breaking  forth  into  exclamations  at 
the  delight  he  felt  in  dancing  with  her.  They  were  never 
married,  and  young  Jeiferson  either  was,  or  pretended  to 
be,  very  disconsolate.  He  meant  to  rig  out  a  boat,  he 
said,  and  sail  to  Europe,  and  remain  absent  two  years ; 
but  this  was  probably  a  jest,  and  he  turned  his  attention 
elsewhere. 

Soon  afterward  he  left  college  and  began  the  practice 
of  law,  and  it  was  not  till  he  was  nearly  thirty  that  he 
was  married.  On  this  occasion  an  interesting  little  scene 
occurred;  and  as  it  gives  us  a  good  idea  of  his  light-heart- 
ed disposition,  I  will  relate  it. 


THOMAS   JEFFERSOX. 


183 


His  bride  was  a  beautiful  young  widow  of  Charles  City 
County,  named  Mrs.  Skelton.  She  was  about  twenty- 
three,  and  lived  at  a  place  called  "The  Forest;"  and,  as 
she  was  very  wealthy,  she  had  a  number  of  admirers.  Of 
these  she  preferred  Mr.  Tliomas  Jeflerson,  and  in  January, 
1772,  they  were  married  at  "The  Forest."  It  was  an  old 
Virginia  party,  with  crowds  of  friends  and  relatives,  huge 
roaring  tires,  and  music  and  dancing,  which  was  kept  up 
throuofhout  the  night.  On  the  next  morning  the  bride 
and  groom  set  out  in  their  carriage,  drawn  by  four  horses, 
for  the  mountains,  where  Jefferson  lived,  and  then  their 
troubles  began. 

It  was  the  depth  of  winter,  and  a  snow-storm  began  to 
fiUl.  They  stopped  at  "  Blenheim,"  the  residence  of  Col- 
onel Carter,  not  far  from  the  end  of  their  journey  ;  but  as 
the  family  were  not  at  home,  they  determined  to  push  on 


--T>r 


c'Vi>!W. 


MONTI  CELLO. 


and  reach  "Monticello,"  the  name  of  Jefferson's  place,  be- 
fore night.  They  therefore  continued  their  way,  but  it 
proved  a  tcnible  undertaking.  The  snow  was  falling 
stcadilv,  and  the  mountain  roads  were  full  of  drifts,  througlt 


184  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOillXION'. 

which  they  could  scarcely  force  their  way.  The  horses 
plunged  and  snorted,  and  the  coach  rolled  from  side  to 
side,  and  it  seemed  probable  that  they  would  be  com- 
pelled to  spend  the  night  in  the  fields  or  forests,  without 
fii-e  or  food.  It  must  have  tried  the  young  lady's  cour- 
age, but  slie  laughed  and  kept  up  her  good  spirits,  and  at 
last  the  coach  plunged  through  and  ascended  the  wind- 
ing road  to  "Monticello." 

The  sight  before  them  was  dreary  enough.  The  hill  was 
covered  with  snow,  and  not  a  light  or  a  fire  was  to  be 
seen.  But  this  did  not  aftect  the  young  married  couple. 
Jefferson  opened  a  small  pavilion,  and  led  his  bride  in. 
He  then  kindled  a  fire,  and  brought  out  a  bottle  of  wine 
and  some  biscuits  from  behind  the  books  on  the  shelves, 
and  they  supped,  and  laughed,  and  sang,  and  were  as  gay 
as  if  they  had  been  two  children  enjoying  a  frolic. 

This  is  one  of  the  small  incidents  which  I  set  out  with 
the  intention  of  relating.  They  ai'C  not  very  important 
in  themselves,  but  they  afford  us  an  idea  of  the  persons 
who  figured  in  them,  and  that  is  precisely  what  we  wish 
to  obtain.  Jefferson's  good-humor  on  this  occasion  shows 
one  trait  in  liis  character  which  many  persons  gave  him 
no  credit  for;  and  I  have  always  thought  of  this  little  in- 
cident M'ith  pleasure.  The  snow  was  falling  and  the  wind 
blowing  outside  the  mountain  pavilion,  but  within  all  was 
warmth  and  laughter.  They  were  happy,  for  they  loved 
each  other,  and  did  not  mind  the  snow.  None  of  us  mind 
it  in  youth,  when  those  we  love  are  beside  us.  As  we 
o-row  old  thev  leave  us  sometimes,  and  the  snow  settles  in 
our  hearts — when  we  have  a  dreary  time  enough. 

ir. 

In  the  spring  of  ITTS,  whicii  was  the  year  after  his 
marriage,  Thomas  Jefferson  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of 


THOMAS    JEFFKUSOX.  185 

Bur<^esses.    He  was  only  about  tliiit y,  and  therefore  quite 
a  vouno-  man  still,  but  it  soon  became  plain  that  he  would 
be  one  of  the  greatest   leaders  of  the  Revolution.      He 
was  a  very  poor  speaker,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  he 
ever  made  a  regular  speech  in  his  life;  but  he  was  an 
excellent  wn-iter,  and  this  was  the  foundation  of  his  fame. 
He  wrote  a  pani[)hlet  on  the  subject  of  the  quarrel  be- 
tween England  and  America,  which  was  so  defiant  that 
he  was  declared   a  traitor  by  the  English   government. 
But  this  had  no  efll'ct  upon  him.    He  said  what  he  thought, 
and  men  like  himself  are  always  ready  to  support  their 
opinions.    He  was  heart  and  soul  for  resistance  to  England, 
and  now  became  the  author  of  one  of  the  greatest  of  all 
plans  for  uniting  the  colonics.     This  was  a  "  Committee 
of  Correspondence,"  whose  duty  it  was  to  write  to  similar 
committees  to  be  formed  in  otlier  parts  of  the  country, 
by  which  means  eacli  colony  would  know  what  the  rest 
were  rea<ly  to  do.     Jefl'erson  proposed  this,  and  tlie  com- 
mittee was  apjjointcd.     The  effect  was  soon  seen.     From 
the  North  to  the  South  the  scattered  colonies  formed  one 
country  in   their  resistance  to   op])ression ;  and  through 
their  committees  they  made  an  arrangement  to  meet  in 
Congress  at  Philadelpliia. 

In  these  movements  at  Williamsburg  Patrick  Henry 
and  Thomas  Jefferson  were  the  great  leaders.  Eac-h  liad 
his  peculiar  gift.  Jefferson  could  not  speak,  but  was  a 
powerfid  writer.  Henry  could  not  write,  but  was  a  won- 
derful orator.  Thus  each  did  his  part,  and  urged  resist- 
ance as  the  only  course  now  left.  The  Burgesses  follow- 
ed their  suggestions,  and  tlie  English  governor  dissolved 
them,  as  it  was  called;  but  they  determined  to  meet  at 
the  Kaleigh  Tavern,  in  the  "Apollo  Room,"  and  did  so. 
Here  they  consulted  as  to  the  next  ste]).  .FrlVcrson  was 
amon'T  tliem.     He  must  have  looked  around  him,  and  re- 


186 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


membered  the  days  of  his  youth,  when  he  was  so  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  ohl  apartment.  He  had  danced  many 
a  set  with  "Belinda"  and  other  young  ladies  in  this  very 
room  when  he  was  a  thoughtless  young  man ;  and  now 


THE  APOLLO   BOOM. 


he  was  a  grave  statesman,  organizing  revolution  on  the 
same  floor  which  he  had  danced  upon.  He  must  have 
closed  his  eyes  sometimes,  and  fancied  he  heard  the  music 
again ;  for  even  the  busiest  men  find  time  to  go  back  in 
this  way  often,  and  return  in  memory  to  the  happy  days 
of  their  youth. 

I  have  mentioned  the  General  Congress  of  the  colonies 
which  met  at  Philadelphia.  Jefterson  was  one  of  the 
delegates  to  it,  and  in  the  year  1776  he  became  immortal 
in  American  history  as  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  In  May  of  that  year,  Virginia  suggested 
that  this  declaration  should  be  made,  and  directed  Rich- 
ard Henry  Lee,  one  of  her  most  distinguished  patriots, 
to  move  the  resolution.  He  did  so,  and  Congress  resolved 
that  the  declaration  should  be  made;  after  which  they 
looked  about  for  a  person  to  write  it. 

The  choice  fell  upon  Jefferson.  He  had  scarcely  risen 
in  Congress  since  he  had  been  a  delegate,  for  he  was  noth- 
ing of  a  public  speaker,  as  I  have  said,  and  left  debating 


THOMAS   JEFFEKSON.  187 

to  Others.  J3ut  his  powers  as  a  writer  were  well  known. 
His  style  was  plain,  vigorous,  and  went  straight  to  the 
point.  What  he  had  to  say  he  said  clearly  always,  and 
he  knew  well  what  to  say.  The  colonies  meant  in  this 
great  paper  to  declare  themselves  independent,  and  give 
the  reasons  for  doing  so;  and,  sitting  down  in  an  old 
house  in  Philadelphia,  Jefferson  wrote  the  Declaration. 

It  was  then  offered  to  Congress,  and  a  hot  debate  took 
place  upon  it.  Jefferson  had  no  share  in  this ;  he  left  the 
struggle  to  the  great  John  Adams  and  other  friends,  who 
fought  like  giants  for  it.  jNIany  were  opposed  to  it,  and 
did  all  they  could  to  defeat  it,  but  failed.  The  time  had 
come  to  declare  that  the  colonies  were  independent,  and 
Congress  resolved  that  this  declaration  should  be  made 
in  the  terms  used  by  Jefferson.  It  was  passed  with  a  few 
changes  which  did  not  alter  the  meaning,  and  was  the 
crown  of  Jefferson's  fame  as  a  statesman. 

It  was  natural  that  he  should  be  proud  of  it,  and  he 
seems  to  have  been  so.  By  his  own  request,  the  words 
"Author  of  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence" 
were  cut  upon  his  tombstone. 

III. 

I  cannot  tell  you,  in  this  short  story,  of  Jefferson's  long 
and  famous  career  as  a  statesman  and  ruler.  He  became 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  head  of  a  great 
party ;  and  his  fame  as  an  upholder  of  democracy  extend- 
ed throughout  the  world.  For  good  or  evil — and  there 
are  different  opinions  as  to  that — he  left  a  powerful  im- 
press on  the  country;  and  his  name  will  ])robably  last  as 
long  as  its  history. 

All  this  you  will  read  of  some  day.  I  eaiiiiot  speak  of 
it  here.  With  a  glance  at  Jefferson  as  an  old  man,  I  will 
proceed  to  other  stories. 


188  STOKIES    OF    THK    OM)    DOillXIOX. 

He  passed  his  last  days  at  "  Monticello,"  where  he  and 
his  bride  had  spent  that  snowy  night  so  long  before.  He 
was  old,  but  still  active.  The  University  of  Vii'ginia  Avas 
established  by  him,  and  he  spared  no  exertions  in  these  his 
last  years  to  make  a  great  institution  of  it,  in  which  he 
succeeded.  He  wrote  many  letters,  and  still  watched  po- 
litical affairs  keenly;  but  his  chief  sources  of  happiness 
were  literature  and  the  society  of  his  family. 

He  was  happy  in  his  home.  His  family  loved  him  ten- 
derly, for  he  was  kindly  and  affectionate.  His  neighbors 
liked  him,  for  he  w^as  extremely  hospitable  and  cordial 
whenever  they  came  to  see  him,  and  he  entertained  so 
many  visitors  that  it  nearly  ruined  him.  These  came  to 
see  hiiu  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  especially  from 
France,  where  he  had  been  minister  and  was  exceedingly 
popular.  One  and  all  were  met  with  a  warm  welcome 
and  smiles;  and  th.ey  went  away  and  said  that  the  "Sage 
of  Monticello"  was  one  of  the  most  agreeable  as  well  as 
one  of  the  greatest  men  in  the  world. 

He  still  remained  busy.  Sucli  a  man,  with  a  mind  so 
keen  and  active,  never  rests.  He  labored  to  establish 
firmly  the  great  University  of  Virginia.  He  wrote  thou- 
sands of  letters  to  people  on  politics  or  other  subjects.  He 
read  and  studied,  and  wrote  for  many  hours  every  day, 
and  took  a  very  deep  interest  in  everything  relating  to 
Virginia.  He  had  himself,  you  know,  played  a  great  part 
in  her  history-.  He  and  Edmund  Pendleton  had  rewritten 
the  laws,  and  Jefferson  had  overturned  with  his  own  hand 
the  old  order  of  things,  and  made  all  new.  He  had  put 
everybody  on  a  level.  The  old  religious  intolerance  w\as 
swept  away  by  his  exertions,  and,  in  spite  of  Edmund  Pen- 
dleton's opposition,  he  had  destroyed  the  old  system  of 
giving  the  land  to  the  eldest  son,  which  kept  up  distinc- 
tions in  society.     This  quite  altered  the  State,  and  he  was 


''fi^'l 


"me'- 


I 

III  ^ 
ill!/ 


"!'|S?;i'. 


■'"■■'  111,' 


:|i 


..^l!*?' 


;i,'!r 


THOMAS    JEFFEUSOX. 


191 


not  much  liked  by  the  old  planters  for  it;  but  the  people 
ill  general  were  delighted,  and  said  he  was  the  defender 
of  the  "  rights  of  man." 

He  was  very  fond  of  flirming  operations,  and  would  go 
into  the  harvest-field  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  day  to  see 
his  cradlers  cut  the  wlieat.  He  also  took  a  deep  interest 
in  stock,  and  raised  blooded  horses  and  fine  breeds  of  cat- 
tle. He  was  an  excellent  rider. 
Even  when  he  was  an  old 
man  and  very  feeble,  he  would 
mount  the  most  spirited  horses, 
and  control  them  with  ease. 
To  the  last  his  seat  in  the  sad- 
dle was  erect  and  firm,  and  he 
continued  to  ride  out  on  his 
high-mettled  horses  when  liis 
servants  had  to  lead  them  up 
to  the  porch  for  him  to  mount 
them. 

These  little  details  will  give 
you  an  idea  how  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson passed  the  evening  of 
his  life  at  "Monticello."  His 
sun  was  setting  gradually,  and 
all  eyes  were  fixed  upon  it  as 
it  sank.  At  last  it  began  to 
descend  below  the  horizon,  as 
you  may  have  seen  the  large  red  orb  of  the  ical  sun 
touch  the  blue  mountains  in  the  west  and  slowly  disap- 
pear. In  the  year  1820,  lie  was  taken  sick  and  went  to 
bed.  His  family  and  friends  gathered  around  him,  and 
were  deeply  distressed,  but  he  himself  was  entirely  re- 
signed. He  did  not  seem  afraid  to  die.  IJut  he  gradual- 
ly sank;  and  on  the  night  of  llic  tliiid  of  .Inly,  those  at 


TIIUMAS   JEFFEIISON'S  8TAT0E. 


192  STOEIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

his  bedside  saw  that  he  was  dying.  Very  singularly,  the 
famous  John  Adams,  who  had  been  his  friend  and  sup- 
porter in  the  great  struggle  over  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, was  dying  at  the  very  same  time,  far  off  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  remembered  his  old  friend  in  Virginia, 
and  was  heard  to  say  to  himself, 

"Thomas  Jefferson  still  lives  !" 

Just  as  midnight  struck,  Jefferson  roused  himself,  and 
his  lips  moved.  Those  beside  him  bent  over  him,  and 
heard  him  murmur,  in  a  low  voice, 

"This  is  the  fourth  of  July  !" 

He  lived  until  twelve  o'clock  in  the  day.  He  then  said, 
in  a  feeble  voice, 

"I  resign  myself  to  my  God,  and  my  child  to  my  coun- 
try  !" 

After  uttering  these  words,  he  expired ;  and  John  Ad- 
ams died  on  the  same  evening.  Fifty  years  before,  almost 
hour  for  hour,  these  two  great  men  had  placed  tlieir  names 
to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  in  Philadelphia. 


A    BALL    AT   TUK    CAPITOL. 


193 


A  BALL  AT   THE   CAPLTOL. 


TUE  OLD   CAl'lTOL. 


On  the  2Vth  of  May,  1774,  the  Virginia  Burgesses  gave 
a  ball  to  the  English  governor,  Lord  Dunuiore,  and  his 
family  at  the  Capitol  in  "Wiliiamsburg.  This  ball  was 
quite  remarkable  from  the  circumstances  connected  with 
it ;  and  before  relating  some 
important  events  which  fol-  .-;'■?:• 
lowed,  I  will  give  you  an  ac- 
count of  it. 

Lord  Dunmore  had  come 
to  Virginia  in  the  year  1772. 
He  soon  became  unpopular. 
He  was  a  man  of  bad  dis- 
position, and  seems  to  liavc 
looked  upon  the  Virginians  as  his  enemies.  The  rising 
spirit  of  rebellion  excited  his  anger,  and  ho  shut  himself 
up  ill  his  "Palace,"  as  it  was  called,  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  time,  watching  the  House  of  Burgesses. 

This  Palace  was  a  large  and  fine  building  near  Glouces- 
ter Street,  in  the  middle  of  the  ca])ital.  It  was  sev- 
enty-four feet  long,  and  iieaily  as  deep,  and  stood  in  a 
beatitiful  park  of  tliree  hundied  and  seventy  acres.  The 
grounds  were  lull  of  walks  and  carriage-drives,  anid  had  a 
bowling-alley  in  them.  Fine  old  trees  were  seen  every- 
where, and  on  these  colored  lanterns  were  hung,  when 
balls  were  given  al  the  Palace,  to  light  the  guests  on 
llicii-  way  to  the  house.  All  about  the  ]ilacc  was  fine  and 
imposing.     There  was  a  guard -house  at  the  large  gate- 

9 


194 


STOBIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


'"*= 


way  for  the  governor's  guard,  ^nd  a  porter's- lodge.  A 
broad  walk  led  up  to  the  Palace,  and  within  it  was  dec- 
orated with  carved  wood-work,  and  well  furnished.  Two 
portraits  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  England  hung  oppo- 
site each  other  in  the  main  apartment,  and  in  this  room 
the  royal  governors  received  their  visitors. 

Governor  Dunmore  did  not  entertain  much.  As  I  have 
said,  he  had  no  great  opinion  of  the  Virginians,  and  sel- 
dom offered  them  any  courtesies  or  received  any.  Tiiey 
were  probably  doubtful  whether  he  cared  to  have  any 
such  compliments  paid  him;  but  at  last  an  opportunity 

came  to  give  him  an 
example  of  Virginia 
hospitality. 

Lord  Dunmore  had 
left  his  family  behind 
him  in  New  York ; 
but  they  now  joined 
him  in  Virginia,  and 
the  Burgesses  re- 
solved to  give  them  a  warm  reception.  From  all  accounts, 
they  deserved  this.  They  were  very  different  from  the 
governor,  and  ready  to  respond  to  any  attentions  they 
received,  with  pleasure.  One  who  knew  them  wrote: 
"Lady  Dunmore  is  here  —  a  very  elegant  woman.  Her 
daughters  are  fine,  sprightly,  sweet  girls.  Goodness  of 
heart  flashes  from  them  in  every  look.  How  is  it  possible 
my  Lord  Dunmore  could  so  long  deprive  himself  of  those 
pleasures  he  must  enjoy  in  such  a  family  ?" 

But  here  they  were  at  last — Lady  Dunmore  and  her 
sons,  and  three  handsome  daughters,  Catherine,  Augusta, 
and  Susan,  The  windows  were  illuminated  as  they  drove 
into  the  capital  in  their  coach,  and  then  the  House  of  Bur- 
gesses set  about  arranging  for  a  ball  in  their  honor. 


BGMAINS  OF  GUARD- HOUSE. 


A    BALL    AT    THE    CAPITOL.  195 

On  the  very  day  before  that  on  which  the  ball  was  to 
take  place,  a  remarkable  scene  took  place  at  the  Capitol. 
To  understand  this  scene,  I  must  tell  you  what  had  just 
happened.  You  have  heard  how  the  English  tea  was 
thrown  overboard  from  the  ships  in  Boston  Harbor  by 
the  Americans,  to  show  that  they  did  not  mean  to  use  it 
if  they  had  to  pay  the  tax  upon  it.  As  soon  as  they  heard 
of  this  in  England,  it  caused  general  excitement;  and  a 
law  was  passed  which  ordered  that  the  port  of  Boston 
should  be  closed — that  is,  that  no  ship  should  sail  from  it 
— by  way  of  punishment.  This  aronsed  the  Virginians, 
and  they  determined  to  show  their  displeasure  at  the  law. 
The  port  was  to  be  closed  on  the  first  day  of  June  in  this 
year,  and  the  Burgesses  recommended  that  this  day  should 
be  passed  by  the  Virginians  in  fasting  and  prayer,  to  show 
that  they  were  mourning  over  the  destruction  of  Ameri- 
can liberty. 

I  wish  yon  to  observe  particularly  what  now  took  place. 
The  Burgesses  passed  their  law,  about  the  fasting  and 
praying,  on  the  24th  of  May.  On  the  26th,  two  days  af- 
terwai'd,  the  scene  occurred  which  I  will  now  describe. 

In  order  to  show  you  just  what  happened,  let  us  fancy 
that  wc  are  living  in  AVilliamsburg  at  the  moment,  and 
endeavor  to  see  with  our  own  eyes  all  that  took  place.  It 
was  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  but  there  was  an  old 
newspaper  published  at  that  time  which  gave  an  account 
of  everything,  and  this  informs  us  accurately  in  regard  to 
the  whole  affaii". 

It  is  the  morning  of  ISfay  2Gth,  1T74.  The  old  city 
of  Williamsburg  is  in  commotion.  To  and  fro  along 
(iloucestcr  Street  roll  the  coaches  of  the  planters,  drawn 
by  their  four  glossy  horses,  with  their  liv(M'ied  (lii\ers; 
and  men  on  horseback,  and  country  jx/oph'  in  carts,  are  ar- 
riving at  every  moment.      It    is  reported  that  something 


196  STOEIES    OF   TUE    OLD    DOMINION. 

interesting  is  going  to  take  place  to-day,  and  at  last  Lord 
Dnnmore  is  seen  passing  in  his  fine  coach  from  his  palace 
to  the  Capitol.  The  crowd  follows  and  gathers  around 
the  portico,  where  a  marble  statue  stands  of  good  Lord 
Botetourt,  the  former  governor.  Lord  Dunmore  then 
gets  out  of  his  coach  and  goes  up-stairs  to  his  council- 
chamber,  and  the  crowd  flock  in  and  fill  the  gallery  of 
the  House  of  Burgesses,  which  is  in  session. 

Let  us  follow  them,  and  see  what  is  going  on.  We  find 
seats  in  the  gallery  at  last,  and  look  down  on  the  large 
apartment,  which  is  crowded  with  the  members  of  the 
Burgesses,  On  a  raised  platform  opposite  sits  the  Speak- 
er, or  presiding  ofiicer.  He  is  seated  in  a  tall- backed 
chair,  which  is  still  used  for  the  same  purpose  in  Rich- 
mond, and  behind  him  is  a  large  red  curtain,  held  up  by  a 
gilded  rod.  Below  him  sits  the  clerk,  with  the  mace,  a 
sort  of  heavy  weapon,  lying  before  him  on  his  table.  This 
is  in  imitation  of  the  old  practice  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons in  Eno;land,  and  means  that  the  Buro-esses  are  in 
full  session,  and  that  no  one  must  disturb  them. 

Let  us  look  attentively  at  this  distinguished  body  of 
men.  You  may  see  at  a  single  glance  that  they  are  the 
"  men  for  the  times,"  They  are  richly  clad,  and  present 
an  imposing  appearance.  They  wear  coats  with  heavy 
sleeves,  long  waistcoats  covered  with  embroidery,  ruflied 
shirts,  silk  stockings,  buckled  shoes,  and  their  hair  is  cov- 
ered with  white  powder.  They  are  grave  and  digni- 
fied ;  bold-looking,  but  cautious  too,  for  the  times  are  dan- 
gerous. They  are  the  greatest  men  of  Virginia,  to  whom 
the  people  have  left  the  decision  of  everything ;  and 
before  we  see  Avhat  takes  place,  it  is  worth  while  to 
look  carefully  at  a  few  of  the  most  famous  men  of  the 
assembly. 


A   BALL   AT   THE    CAPITOL.  197 

II. 

You  no  doubt  recognize  tliat  plain-looking  man  yondcv 
ill  the  old  faded  coat.  His  dress  and  general  appearance, 
you  see,  are  not  at  all  like  those  of  the  rest.  Plis  hair 
is  unpowdered,  and  he  wears  leather  breeches  and  yarn 
stockings.  His  face  is  grim  and  determined,  and  his  keen 
eyes  flash  under  his  bushy  eyebrows. 

He  has  just  risen  to  speak,  and  every  eye  is  fixed  upon 
him.  Xobody  seems  to  think  of  his  shabby  coat  and  |)lain 
appearance.  They  listen,  for  they  know  what  is  coming. 
His  voice  is  low,  you  observe,  at  first,  and  his  manner 
quiet.  He  speaks  deliberately,  and  pronounces  some  of 
his  words  in  a  very  sinscular  manner.  He  calls  earth 
airth,  and  seems  to  be  uneducated ;  but  no  one  takes  any 
notice  of  this.  Now  his  voice  is  growing  louder  and  his 
appearance  more  animated.  His  stooping  shoulders  grow 
straight,  his  eyes  are  full  of  fire,  and  at  last  his  voice  begins 
to  thunder  above  the  heads  of  his  listeners.  The  fire  of  the 
man  seems  to  burn  them.  Their  faces  flush,  and  they  lean 
forward  in  their  seats,  with  their  eyes  fixed  upon  him. 
His  voice  grows  louder  and  more  ])assionate :  he  pours  a 
flood  of  denunciation  upon  England  and  everything  Eng- 
lish. Tlie  time  has  come  to  act,  he  tells  them,  or  they 
and  their  children  will  be  slaves;  and,  with  both  arms 
raised  and  liis  hands  clinched,  he  ends  his  speech,  and 
takes  his  seat  in  the  midst  of  murmurs  of  approval. 

I  need  not  say  who  this  is.  You  know  I'atrick  Ilcni  y. 
He  is  at  his  post  in  front,  but  has  followers  as  brave  and 
resolute,  if  not  as  fiery,  as  himself  Tliere  is  one  ol"  them 
not  far  from  liiin.  Hi;  is  t.ill  .unl  <listinguisIu'd-looking. 
His  forehead  is  lofty,  his  eyes  an;  blue,  and  as  ho  rises  to 
address  tljc  Burgesses,  you  can  see  that  he  is  an  orator. 
His  voice  is  sweet  and  silvery,  and  falls  on  the  c'lr  like  mu- 


198  STORIES    OP    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

sic.  But  those  who  listen  to  him  know  that  his  mind  is  as 
powerful  as  his  voice  and  gestures  are  attractive.  That 
is  Edmund  Pendleton,  of  "Edraundsbury,"  in  Caroline, 
the  leader  of  the  party  in  the  Burgesses  which  is  in  favor 
of  calm  and  deliberate  action.  He  is  deeply  attached  to 
England,  like  almost  every  one  in  the  assembly.  He  loves 
the  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  and  the  old 
Englii^^h  law  that  the  eldest  son  in  a  family  should  inherit 
the  land  and  keep  up  the  name  ;  lie  is  proud  that  he  has 
English  blood  in  his  veins,  that  Virginia  is  a  part  of  the 
famous  old  land,  and  hopes  still  that  there  Avill  be  no  war, 
and  that  they  will  all  live  in  peace  together.  He  sees  no 
good  that  can  come  from  a  new  state  of  things  ;  but  he 
is  as  determined  as  Patrick  Henry  that  the  rights  of  Vir- 
ginia shall  not  be  trampled  upon.  And  this  is  known  to 
everybody.  The  utmost  confidence  is  placed  in  him.  He 
will  hereafter  become  the  head  of  the  Virginia  Committee 
of  Safety,  the  president  of  her  great  conventions,  and  the 
chief  judge  of  her  Supreme  Court.  He  shares  the  coun- 
sels of  the  leaders,  and  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  them,  and  will  rank  in  future  years  as  one  of  the  great- 
est men  of  her  history. 

Not  far  from  Henry  and  Pendleton  sits  a  person  of 
about  thirty,  with  sandy  hair,  a  square  face,  and  a  quiet 
expression  of  the  eyes,  who  does  not  speak,  but  seems  to 
listen  to  every  one  and  to  be  waiting.  His  manner  is  so 
unpretending  that  you  would  not  suppose  that  he  was  one 
of  the  greatest  of  the  leaders  in  the  Burgesses.  But  this 
quiet-looking  man  is  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  uses  his  pen 
as  vigorously  as  Patrick  Henry  uses  his  tongue.  Calm 
as  he  seems,  he  is  full  of  fire,  and  resolved  to  stop  at  noth- 
ing. He  has  no  fondness  for  England.  He  laughs  quiet- 
ly at  kings  and  noblemen,  and  the  idea  that  they  have  a 
right  to  rule  over  anybody.      He  wishes  to  overthrow 


A    BALL    AT   THE    CAPITOL.  199 

them  all,  and  thinks  it  is  necessary  to  act  at  once.  He 
is  ready  to  fight,  in  order  to  sweep  away  every  landmark 
of  the  past — lank  in  society,  the  English  Church,  and  ev- 
er}'-  trace  of  monarchy.  He  is  for  levelling  everybody, 
and  setting  up  a  republic,  where  all  are  equal ;  and  is  one 
of  the  greatest  political  overturners  of  the  age. 

III. 

These  men  are  the  leaders  of  the  two  great  parties  in 
the  Burgesses — one  in  favor  of  deliberate  action,  the  oth- 
er for  revolution  at  once. 

But  there  are  other  celebrated  men  before  us  at  whom 
we  ought  to  glance  before  passing  on.  Yonder  is  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  of  them.  You  see  the  portly  figure, 
the  swarthy  face,  bronzed  by  the  sun,  and  the  dai-k,  stern 
eyes,  both  sad  and  severe  in  their  expression.  He  leans 
back,  with  his  right  hand  buried  in  the  rufties  under  his 
gold-laced  waistcoat,  and  in  every  eye  fixed  upon  him  you 
may  see  the  regard  and  respect  that  is  felt  for  him.  He 
is  George  Mason,  of  "Gunston  Hail,"  on  the  Potomac. 
His  family  supported  Charles  I.,  and  were  obliged  to  fly 
to  Virginia;  but  George  Mason  is  a  determined  patriot, 
and  ready  to  oppose  George  HI.  He  is  an  admirable 
writer,  and  will  soon  distinguish  himself  as  such.  The 
"Bill  of  Rights  of  the  People  of  Virginia"  will  proceed 
from  his  ]»t'n,  and  make  hint  famous  before  long;  and  he 
will  write  to  his  son  in  France  that  lie  hopes  to  see  him 
again  as  a  {'\-Q(i  man,  or  not  at  all ;  and  that  if  he  only  lias 
"a  crust  of  bread  and  lil)erty,"  he  wiil  be  ready  to  die. 

Not  far  from  him  is  a  lall  gentleman,  with  a  noble  Uo- 
man  head,  bent  forward  (•onrteous]3\  His  right  hand  is 
covered  with  a  bandage,  as  he  shot  himself  one  day  while 
hunting  swans  on  ihc  ]*otomac.  But  his  gestures  in 
sjx'akiiig  are  so  graceful  that  people  say  he  practised  them 


200 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


before  a  looking-glass.  That  is  Richard  Henry  Lee,  of 
"Chantilly,"  in  Westmoreland,  called  the  "gentleman  with 
the  silver  hand,"  as  Pendleton  is  spoken  of  as  the  "  silver- 


WCHARD   HENRY   LEE. 


voiced."  He  is  a  remarkable  orator,  and  a  man  of  the 
highest  character.  Two  years  from  this  time  he  will  make 
a  great  name  for  himself,  by  moving  in  the  General  Con- 
gress that  the  Americans  shall  declare  themselves  inde- 
pendent. 

Yonder  is  a  person  worth  our  attention — the  man  of 
small  stature  and  long  hair,  with  the  piercing  eyes.  That 
is  Archibald  Gary,  of  "  Ampthill,"  in  Ghesterfield.  He  is 
descended  from  Lord  Falkland,  who  fell  in  the  English 
revolution,  and  is  heir-apparent  to  the  English  barony  of 
Hunsdon.  People  call  him  "  Old  L-on,"  either  because  he 
has  an  iron-foundry  on  his  farm,  or  is  as  firm  as  iron  in 
character.  He  will  show  hereafter  that  he  is  a  deter- 
mined man.    When  people  speak  of  making  Patrick  Henry 


A    BALL    AT    THE    CAPITOL. 


201 


dictator  of  Virginia,  Archibiild  Gary  will  say  to  a  half- 
brother  of  Henry,  "Sir,  I  am  told  that  your  brother  wish- 
es to  be  dictator.  Tell  him  from  me  that  the  day  of  his 
appointment  shall  be  the  day  of  his  death,  for  he  shall 
find  my  dagger  in  his  heart  before  the  sunset  of  that 
day !" 

There   are   many  other  striking  figures,  you  perceive, 
in  the  assemblage,  as  we  look  down  upon  tliem  from  the 
crowded  gallery.      Notice   that  calm- looking  gentleman 
with  the  erect  head  and  lofty  forehead.     That  is  Thomas 
Nelson,  of  York,  hereafter  to  be  Governor  of  Virginia,  who 
will  spend  his  whole  estate  to  fit  out  soldiers,  and  never 
be  repaid.     At  the  siege  of  Yorktown  he  will  cannonade 
his  own  house,  and  there 
is  no  truer  patriot  in  the 
Burgesses.     Many  others 
are   worthy  of  attention. 
Yonder  is  George  Bland, 
of  Prince   George,  called 
the  "  Virginia  Antiquary," 
old  and  nearly  blind  ;  and 
Edmund  and  Peyton  Pan- 
dolph — one  to  serve  in  the 
cabinet,  and  the  other  to 
bo   president   of  the  first 
Congress.     There  is  Rob- 
ert  Carter   Nicholas,  the 
sound  financier,  and  Ben- 
jamin   Harrison,  of  "  Berkeley,"  ^vho    is   said   to   be   de- 
scended from  the  regicide.  Colonel  Harrison,  who  signed 
the  warrant  for  the  execution  of  Charles  I. 

Last  of  all,  sec  that  man  of  tall  stalurc,  witli  llic  erect 
hc;i.l  and  ihe  military  bearing.  lb-  is  in  llic  midst  of 
Patrick  Heiuv, 'I'hoinas  .Tcfic-rson,  and  ilic  ><\]irv  patriots, 


T-~ 

—  _ 

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t    - 

\  ^>jll 

t^^^^^BBBg^f^^^^^lE^ 

I'l.YTON    UAMMll.lMI. 


202  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 

as  you  will  see  him  in  bronze  one  day,  on  his  horse,  in 
the  Virginia  monument  to  him.  That  is  Colonel  George 
Washiiisfton,  of  "Mount  Vernon,"  on  the  Potomac.  The 
old  wars  on  the  border  are  over,  and  he  is  a  planter  now. 
He  is  married,  and  represents  the  county  of  Fairfax  in  the 
Burgesses;  but,  as  you  know,  he  is  soon  to  be  called  to  a 
greater  stage  of  action.  His  appearance  is  imposing,  and 
there  is  something  calm  and  majestic  about  him.  His 
glance  is  clear  and  steady ;  you  see  he  is  the  man  of  ac- 
tion. The  time  is  not  far  off  when  the  country  will  call 
him.  He  will  take  command  of  the  American  army,  and 
die  the  founder  of  the  American  republic. 

IV. 

As  we  look  at  those  distinguished  men,  grouped  upon 
the  floor  of  the  old  House  of  Burgesses,  a  stir  takes  place 
at  the  door,  and  a  messenger  enters  and  delivers  a  paper 
to  the  Sjjeaker. 

It  is  an  order  from  Lord  Dunmore  to  attend  upon  him 
in  a  body,  in  his  council-chamber,  to  receive  a  communica- 
tion which  he  has  to  make  to  them.  The  Speaker  rises, 
and  informs  the  House  of  the  order  received.  Nothing 
is  said  :  the  members  leave  their  seats ;  the  Speaker,  fol- 
lowed by  the  sergeant-at-arms  carrying  the  mace,  goes  in 
front ;  and  the  Burgesses  rejjair  in  a  body  to  the  council- 
chamber. 

.They  enter,  and  are  received  with  stiff  courtesy  by  Lord 
Dunmore.  He  is  seated  at  the  head  of  a  large  table,  with 
the  members  of  his  council  around  him.  He  is  richly  clad, 
and  resembles  a  monarch  receiving  the  homage  of  his 
subjects. 

"  Mr.  Speaker,  and  gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Burgess- 
es," he  says,  "I  have  in  my  hand  a  paper  published  by  or- 
der of  your  House,  conceived  in  such  terms  as  reflect  high- 


A    BALL    AT   THE    CAPITOL.  203 

ly  upon  his  Majesty  and  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain, 
which  makes  it  necessary  to  dissolve  you,  and  you  are  dis- 
solved accordingly," 

The  governor  tlien  bows  stiffly  again,  and  the  Burgesses 
return  the  bow  ;  then  they  leave  the  council-chamber  and 
go  back  to  the  hall,  when  they  at  once  adjourn. 

But  they  do  not  mean  to  return  to  their  homes  without 
further  consultation.  The  Capitol  is  closed  to  them,  and 
the  House  of  Burgesses  dissolved ;  but  they  are  free  to 
go  elsewhere  and  consult  with  each  other,  if  not  act  as  a 
legal  body.  They  therefore  repair  to  the  old  Raleigh  Tav- 
ern in  Gloucester  Street,  wdiere  they  hold  a  meeting  in 
the  "Apollo  Room,"  and  discuss  the  state  of  affairs.  The 
meeting  is  an  excited  one.  They  declare  themselves  a 
"convention,"  and  draw  up  a  paper  addressed  to  the  peo- 
ple, in  which  they  say  that  the  'attack  on  Massachusetts 
is  precisely  the  same  as  an  attack  on  Virginia.  The  time 
has  come,  they  declare,  for  action,  and  to  that  end  they 
recommend  that  a  General  Congress  shall  be  held  to  con- 
sult how  to  oppose  the  tyranny  of  England.  They  resolve 
to  observe  the  1st  of  June  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer, 
in  spite  of  Lord  Dunmore;  and  then,  after  calling  a  con- 
vention of  the  ]ieople  in  August,  this  remarkable  meeting 
in  the  "Apollo  Room"  adjourns. 

V. 

Night  has  come  at  last  on  this  famous  2'7th  of  May, 
17'74.  It  is  the  night  of  the  ball  to  be  given  to  Lord 
Dunmore  and  his  wife  and  daughters.  "Will  the  Vii-gin- 
ians  feel  in  a  mood  to  assemble?  They  have  just  been  dis- 
missed, like  a  ]>arty  of  school-boys,  by  the  governor,  who 
has  told  them  that  their  action  deserves  punishment,  and 
tliat  he  inflicts  the  punishment.     Will  the  ball  follow  ? 

The  question  is  soon  decided.     As  night  comes  thr  win- 


204  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINIOJT. 

clows  of  the  Capitol  blaze  with  lights.  In  front  of  the 
portico  is  a  great  crowd  watching  coach  after  coach  as 
they  stop,  and  ladies  and  gentlemen,  in  full-dress,  descend 
and  enter.  The  array  of  silks  and  satins  and  embroidered 
coats  is  dazzling.  All  the  grace  and  beauty  of  Williams- 
burg and  the  surrounding  country  has  assembled  to  do 
honor  to  the  governor  and  his  family. 

Let  us  go  up  the  steps  and  enter  with  the  rest.  The 
hall  of  the  Burgesses  is  the  ball-room.  The  chairs  are 
removed,  and  the  whole  apartment  blazes  with  lights.  It 
is  crowded  with  beautiful  women  and  stately  gentlemen, 
among  whom  are  Washington  and  a  large  number  of  other 
Burgesses. 

Then  a  stir  is  heard  at  the  door;  the  crowd  divides, 
and  Lord  Dunniore,  superbly  dressed,  enters  with  his  wife 
and  family.  They  are  received  with  profound  bows  and 
cordial  courtesy.  The  governor's  manner  is  not  very  en- 
couraging, but  Lady  Dunmore  and  her  "fine  sprightly 
girls"  make  up  for  that  by  their  bright  smiles.  And  so 
the  famous  ball  goes  on  its  way  with  music  and  dancings 
and  the  hall  which  has  just  echoed  to  the  voices  of  Henry 
and  Pendleton  is  full  of  gay  accents  and  mirth  and  laughter. 

It  was  a  singular  affair — was  it  not  ? — this  ball  at  the 
Capitol  in  May,  1774.  At  least  the  Virginians  showed 
their  gallantry,  and  acted  with  true  courtesy.  Whatever 
they  thought  of  Lord  Dunmore,  it  did  not  prevent  them 
from  welcoming  the  ladies.  From  all  accounts,  these  en- 
joyed themselves  highly,  and  were  gratified  at  the  respect 
paid  them;  and  the  ball  was  long  sjiokcn  of  as  one  of  the 
finest  that  had  ever  taken  place  in  Williamsburg. 


LORD    DUNMORE    AXD    THE    GUNPOAVDER.  205 


LORD   DUN  MORE  AND    THE   GUNPOWDER. 

I. 

I  -WILL  now  tell  you  how  Lord  Dunmore  attempted  to 
disarm  the  Virginians  by  seizing  their  gunpowder,  and 
how  they  drove  him  from  Virginia  forever. 

In  spite  of  the  fine  entertainment  given  in  his  honor, 
the  governor  did  not  seem  to  like  the  people  any  better 
than  before.  He  was  a  man  of  liarsh  character,  and  was 
cliarged  with  being  underlianded  and  treacherous.  I  liave 
told  you  of  his  expedition  against  the  Indians  in  the  fall 
of  this  same  year,  1774.  He  was  charged,  you  remember, 
by  Andrew  Lewis  and  his  men,  with  secretly  stirring  up 
the  savages,  and  persuading  thena  to  attack  the  border 
people.  Was  this  true,  or  only  the  result  of  the  dislike 
ll'lt  for  him  by  the  Virginians?  I  do  not  know,  but  ap- 
pearances were  against  him,  and  in  the  next  spring  he  did 
commit  this  great  crime.  A  man  named  Connolly  was 
employed  by  him  as  his  agent,  and  this  man  was  captured 
on  his  way  to  the  Ohio.  As  people  suspected  him,  he 
was  searched,  and  hidden  beneath  his  saddle  were  foiiiul 
a  number  of  papers.  Those  left  no  doubt  of  anything. 
They  were  signed  by  Lord  Dunmore,  and  proved  clearly 
that  Connolly  was  sent  to  stir  up  the  Indians  against  the 
Virginians,  and  that  when  he  was  caught  he  was  on  his 
way  to  do  so. 

'I'lio  fact  is  that  no  one  could  trust  Lord  Dunmore.  His 
word  could  not  hv  relied  ui)on,  as  what  I  am  about  to  tell 
you  will  show,     ^'ou  will  see  that  ho  told  the  Virginians 


206 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION". 


that  he  was  anxious  to  protect  them  from  an  insurrection 
of  tlieir  slaves,  and  immediately  afterward  called  on  the 
black  people  to  rise  and  fight  them.  Of  this  fact  there  is 
no  doubt,  and  it  will  enable  you  to  form  your  own  opinion 
of  Lord  Dunmore. 

We  have  now  come  to  the  spring  of  1775,  just  one  year 
after  the  ball  at  the  Capitol.  In  these  twelve  months  the 
spirit  of  resistance  to  England  had  gone  on  growing  more 
determined.     The  General  Congress  which  the  Virginians 


INDEPENDENCE   HALL,  PHILADELPHIA. 

had  recommended  in  their  meeting  at  the  Raleigh  Tavern 
was  agreed  to  at  once.  Six  days  afterward  Massachusetts 
had  suggested  it  also,  probably  before  the  news  of  it 
reached  them  from  Virginia.  The  other  colonies  were  as 
prompt,  and  the  Congress  met  in  the  autumn  at  Phila- 
delphia, where  the  greatest  men  of  all  the  sections  con- 
sulted together.  "Carpenter's  Hall"  was  the  first  place 
of  meeting,  but  "Independence  Hall"  was  afterward 
chosen,  and  this  is  still  standing. 

As  the  spring  of  1775   opened,  there  was  excitement 


LORD    DUXMORE    AXD    THE    GUXPOAVDER.  207 

everywliere.  People  felt  that  great  events  would  soon 
take  place,  and  all  were  ready.  There  never  was  a  peo- 
ple more  ready  to  resist.  The  very  women  and  children 
were  determined  not  to  submit  to  English  misrule.  As 
the  tax  on  tea  remained  in  force,  the  ladies  would  not  pur- 
chase any.  They  even  resolved  that  they  would  not  use 
what  they  had  already,  and  sealed  it  up  in  canisters  and 
put  it  away.  The  boys  were  quite  as  rebellious.  In  Mas- 
sachusetts a  party  of  them,  who  were  sliding  on  the  snow, 
got  into  a  quarrel  with  the  English  soldiers,  and  defied 
them,  and  in  Virginia  they  formed  companies  to  fight  the 
English  when  they  came. 

I  will  tell  you  an  anecdote  of  one  of  these  small  boy- 
companies.  On  one  occasion  Lady  Nelson  was  riding  out, 
when  she  met  with  one  of  them.  They  had  guns,  and  a 
flag,  and  a  drum,  which  they  were  beating;  and  when 
Lady  Nelson  stopped  to  look  at  them,  she  saw  that  two 
of  her  own  boys  were  in  the  company.  The  young  sol- 
diers knew  her  carriage,  and  drew  up  by  the  side  of  the 
road  to  salute  her.  They  were  going  to  fight  the  British, 
they  said,  but  this  seemed  quite  absurd  in  such  mere  ur- 
chins. Lady  Nelson  therefore  called  to  her  two  boys  to 
get  into  the  coacli,  and  they  did  so,  crying  from  mortifica- 
tion— which  will  show  how  much  in  earnest  these  youth- 
ful patriots  were. 

In  the  month  of  April  the  storm  burst  forth.  The  Brit- 
ish government  had  determined  to  get  possession  of  all 
the  arms  and  gunpowder  in  the  colonies,  and  sent  word  to 
the  various  governors  to  seize  these  stores  on  a  day  fixed 
for  the  ])urposc.  Tlie  orders  were  first  sent  to  (4eneral 
Gage,  who  cnininandod  the  English  troops  in  Boston;  and 
they  were  then  transmitted  to  Lord  Dunmore,  in  Virginia, 
Ihrougli  the  same  Connolly  who  was  his  agent  in  stirring 
up  tlie  Indians. 


208 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION", 


These  orders  were  now  obeyed.     Gage   marched  from 
Boston   to  tlie  village  of  Concord,  to   seize   the   powder 

in  Massachusetts; 

and  the  people 
assembled,  and  a 
battle  was  fought, 
which  resulted  in 
the  retreat  of  the 
English  back  to 
Boston.  This  was 
on  the  19th  of 
April,  and  on  the 
very  next  day 
(April  20tli,  1775) 
Lord  Dun  more 
seized  the  powder 
belonging  to  Vir- 
ginia. 

For  this  all  had 
been  arranged. 
Several  English 
ships -of -war  liad 
been  sent  to  Vir- 
ginia, and  one  of 
these  quietly  sail- 
ed up  York  Riv- 
er, and  anchored 
not  far  from  Wil- 
liamsburg. This 
ship  was  named 
the  Magdalen^  and 
was  commanded  by  a  Captain  Collins.  On  the  day  be- 
fore the  scene  which  I  will  now  describe,  Lord  Dunmore 
sent  word  to  Captain  Collins  that  the  time  had  come.    He 


MINUTE-MAN. 


LORD    DUXMORE    AND    THE    GUNPOWDER. 


209 


was  to  march  after  dark  with  a  party  of  soldiers  to  Wil- 
liamsburg, and  seize  the  powder  in  the  magazine.  And 
this  order  the  Englissh  captain  obeyed.  About  midnight 
he  marched  silently  into  the  town  to  the  magazine.  He 
had  the  key,  and  oi)ened  it  quietly,  and  took  possession  of 
the  powder,  which  was  in  half-barrels.  lie  then  retired  as 
he  came ;  and  all  had  been  done  in  such  silence  that  the 
people  did  not  hear  of  the  affair  until  the  next  morning. 

As  soon  as  the  news  spread  it  excited  general  indigna- 
tion. The  town  was  in  commotion,  and  the  people  re- 
solved to  seize  the  governor  and  make  him  answer  for  his 
act.     But  they  were  persuaded  not  to  use  violence,  and 


lUt   OLD   JIACVZlSt. 


sent  to  demand  the  return  of  the  powder.  To  this  Lord 
'  Dunmorc  made  an  evasive  and  untruthful  reply,  lie  had 
only  taken  the  powder,  he  said,  to  use  in  case  there  was 
an  insurrection  of  the  slaves  in  a  neighboring  county,  of 
which  he  had  heanl  something.  He  wouhl  soon  return 
it;  there  need  be  no  trouble  whatever  about  it.  All  of 
which  was  wholly  untrue,  as  there  was  no  such  report. 
The  people  then  retiix-d  to  their  homes  and  waited, 

liut   the   news   soon    spread   through    the    length    and 


210  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

breadth  of  Virginia.  The  people  rushed  to  arms,  and  sev- 
en Inmdred  men  assembled  at  Fredericksburg,  and  sent 
word  that  they  were  ready  to  march  on  Williamsburg. 
.  Among  these  were  the  famous  Culpeper 
"  minute-men,"  ready  to  march  at  a  min- 
ute's warning.  They  wore  green  hunt- 
\\  "'*'*8^  A\  ing- shirts,  and  had  knives  and  toma- 
j^^oNTj^RCAD^N^Mr^   liawks  in  their  belts.     On  their  breasts 


CDLPEPER  FLAG.  ^^,g,.g  Patvlck  Hcury's  words,  in  white 
letters,  "  Liberty  or  Death  !"  and  their  flag  bore  the  pict- 
ure of  a  coiled  rattlesnake,  with  "Don't  tread  on  me !"  be- 
neath it. 

But  Patrick  Henry  had  already  taken  the  matter  into 
his  own  hands.  As  soon  as  he  heard  that  Dunmore  had 
robbed  the  people  of  their  powder,  he  sent  word  to  his 
friends  to  meet  him  at  a  place  called  New  Castle,  fully 
armed  and  ready  to  fight.  Everybody  hastened  to  obey 
his  call,  and  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  under  him, 
Henry  set  out  at  once  to  go  and  attack  the  governor. 

You  see  he  was  not  a  man  to  trifle  about  anything.  He 
had  told  everybody  that  he  was  ready  to  fight  England, 
and  he  now  showed  that  he  meant  what  he  said.  He 
marched  without  delay  on  Williamsburg,  and  no  doubt  a 
battle  would  have  taken  place  in  Virginia,  as  in  Massachu- 
setts, if  Governor  Dunmore  had  not  become  frightened. 
He  sent  one  of  his  friends  to  say  that  he  was  ready  to  pay 
for  the  powder,  and  Patrick  Henry  determined  to  take 
the  money.  It  was  three  hundred  and  thirty  pounds 
sterling  (about  sixteen  hundred  dollars),  and  this  was  paid 
to  him  at  a  place  called  Doncastle's  Ordinary,  or  tavern, 
where  he  had  stopped  to  rest  his  men. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  Henry  was  sorry  at  hav- 
ing the  money  paid  to  him.  He  saw  that  the  very  best 
thing  that  could  happen  now  was  a  fight  with  Lord  Dun- 


LORD    DUXMORE    AXD    THE    GUNPOWDER.  211 

more,  whicli  would  excite  the  whole  country,  and  bring 
on  war  before  a  large  army  of  English  were  sent  to  Amer- 
ica. But  he  was  afraid  of  putting  himself  in  the  wrong 
by  refusing  to  take  the  money ;  so  he  took  it,  and  then 
marched  back  home  with  liis  friends. 

II. 

Lord  Dunmore  was  now  in  a  great  rage.  His  author- 
ity was  in  danger,  and  his  person  not  safe.  He  therefore 
issued  a  proclamation  against  Henry  and  his  followers, 
declaring  that  they  were  traitors,  and  sent  to  the  3Iag- 
dalen  for  English  troops,  which  he  posted  in  his  palace. 
Rows  of  arms  were  laid  on  the  floor,  ready  to  be  used  at 
a  moment's  warning  ;  and  the  redcoats  swaggered  about 
the  streets,  scowling  at  the  people,  who  scowled  back  at 
them. 

Things  were  ready,  you  see,  for  an  outbreak,  and  it  soon 
came.  Some  arms  were  supposed  to  be  still  in  the  mag- 
azine, and  a  party  of  young  men  forced  open  the  door  to 
secure  them.  x\  startling  incident  followed.  No  sooner 
had  they  done  so  than  a  loud  explosion  took  place,  and 
one  of  them  staggered  back  wounded.  Lord  Dunmore 
or  some  one  had  set  a  s])ring-gun  behind  the  door  of  the 
magazine.  Tlie  opening  of  tiie  door  discharged  this,  and 
one  of  the  party  was  shot. 

At  this  the  people  assembled,  uttering  shouts  of  indig- 
nation. 'I'liey  broke  into  the  magazine,  and  seized  all 
tlie  arms  they  found,  and  made  a  discovery  which  raised 
their  excitement  to  tlie  highest  pitch.  Several  barrels  of 
gunpowder  were  found  buried  beneath  tlie  floor  of  the 
maLraziiie,  ready  to  blow  up  any  one  who  entered  the 
building.  These,  they  knew,  must  have  been  placed  there 
by  Lord  Dunmore,  as  no  other  person  had  control  of  the 
ma<Tazinc,  and    it    iiut  llic   finishing  touch   to   (■v<'r\lliing. 


212  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

At  the  same  moment  the  report  spread  that  English  troops 
from  the  Mag(Me7i  were  marching  on  Williamsburg;  so 
the  people  rushed  to  arms,  and  determined  to  seize  the 
governor,  fight  the  troops,  and  settle  the  whole  afiair  at 

once. 

This  brought  out  Lord  Dunmore  in  his  true  character. 
He  Avas  not  even  brave.  He  ought  to  have  stayed  and 
fought,  if  he  thought  that  he  was  in  the  right.  He  had 
the  means  of  doing  so,  for  there  were  the  English  troops ; 
but  he  lost  heart  at  the  idea  of  fighting,  and  fled  with  his 
family  on  board  the  English  ships.  After  this  he  never 
again  showed  his  face  in  the  town  of  Williamsburg. 

The  Virginians,  you  see,  were  more  lucky  than  the  peo- 
ple of  Massachusetts.  They  had  succeeded  in  driving 
away  the  governor  and  his  English  soldiers,  and  every- 
thing was  now  in  their  own  hands.  But  they  were  not 
yet  entirely  rid  of  Lord  Dunmore,  who  was  full  of  spite 
and  hatred  at  being  obliged  to  fly  from  his  palace.  He 
got  together  some  ships-of-war  which  were  lying  in  Ches- 
apeake Bay,  and  sailed  for  Norfolk,  a  Virginia  town  of 
about  six  thousand  inhabitants  at  that  time,  where  he 
sent  word  to  all  the  negroes  in  the  surrounding  country 
to  rise  and  help  him.  This  showed  exactly  how  he  felt 
toward  the  Virginians,  and  how  little  trust  could  be  placed 
in  what  he  said.  When  he  seized  their  powder,  he  told 
them  that  he  intended  to  use  it  to  2>reve7it  a  rising  of  the 
negroes.  Now  he  called  on  them  to  rise  and  fight  for 
him. 

Many  of  the  slaves  and  lower  class  of  white  people 
joined  him,  and  he  soon  showed  the  Virginians  how  he 
meant  to  treat  them.  He  seized  the  printing-presses  in 
Norfolk,  and  ])lundered  the  whole  country;  and  by  his 
orders  his  motley  army  of  negroes  and  others  committed 
many  acts  of  violence. 


LOKD    DUN.MOKE    AND   THE    GUNPOWDEE. 


213 


Yii-giuia  was  now  tlioroughly  aroused,  and  a  "Com- 
mittee of  Safety"  was  appointed.  Troops  were  hastening 
from  every  direction  to  attack  Dunmore's  men,  and  as 
fast  as  these  arrived  they  were  sent  toward  Norfolk,  It 
was  not  easy  to  fight  Governor  Dunmore,  as  he  was  most 
of  the  time  in  his  ships,  prowling  around  more  like  a  pi- 
rate than  the  commander  of  regular  troops.  Some  time 
thus  passed,  but  finally  a  fight  took  place.     Dunmore  had 


M 


./r^^,    ^.i.        '"  '-^-^^ 


VIEW  or  ijUkat  miiDGE. 


landed  his  troops  at  Norfolk,  and  hearing  that  the  Virgin- 
ians were  near,  resolved  to  send  a  force  to  attack  them. 

They  awaited  the  English  attack  at  a  place  called  Great 
Bridge  (December  9th,  1775).  This  was  a  common  wood- 
on  bridge  over  a  stream,  approached  on  both  sides  by  a 
causeway,  or  road  made  by  throwing  up  earth.  On  this 
causeway,  at  one  end  of  tlic  bridge,  the  Virginians  had 
thn.wii  up  a  breastwork,  and  behind  this  they  lay  ready 
to  receive  the  IJritish  assault. 

It  soon  came,  and  the  attack  was  a  determined  one.  It 
was  made  by  a  force  of  Knglish  grenadiers,  led  by  two 
ca|»tains,  named  Leslie  and  Fordyce,  who  proved  them- 
selves brave  men.     Cannon  were  posted  across  the  bridge, 


214  STOEIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

and  opened  fire  on  the  Virginians,  after  which  Fordyce 
rushed  forward  at  the  head  of  his  grenadiers,  crossed  the 
bridge,  and  charged  the  breastwork. 

The  Virginians  did  not  fire  until  the  enemy  were  with- 
in fifty  yards  of  them.  The  order  was  then  given,  and  the 
crack  of  rifles  ran  along  the  whole  breastwork,  staggering 
the  grenadiers,  and  throwing  them  into  confusion.  Cap- 
tain Fordyce  was  at  the  head  of  his  men,  waving  his  hat 
and  shouting,  "The  day  is  ours!"  Suddenly  he  fell,  but 
instantly  leaped  up,  brushing  his  knee,  as  if  he  had  only 
stumbled.  But  he  had  been  mortally  wounded.  Four- 
teen bullets  had  passed  through  his  body,  and,  staggering 
a  few  steps  forward,  he  fell  dead. 

At  this  the  grenadiers  gave  way,  and  retreated  in  disor- 
der. They  hastened  back  across  the  bridge  and  along  the 
causeway  on  the  other  side,  leaving  the  ground  strewed 
with  their  dead.  The  Virginians  leaped  over  the  earth- 
works and  pursued  them,  firing  upon  them  as  they  fled ; 
and  the  pursuit  was  not  stopped  until  the  grenadiers  were 

safe  back  in  Norfolk. 

in. 

Lord  Dunmore  was  now  furious.  He  had  fully  expect- 
ed to  defeat  the  Virginians  in  the  battle,  and  was  so  much 
enraged  at  his  fiiilure  that  he  threatened  to  hang  a  boy 
who  brouo-ht  him  the  news.  This  would  have  done  him  no 
good,  however,  and  he  hastened  to  look  after  his  own  safe- 
ty. He  at  once  left  Norfolk,  and  took  refuge  in  his  ships, 
and  then  the  Virginians  marched  in  and  took  possession. 

Fire  was  opened  upon  the  ships,  and  a  furious  cannon- 
ade followed.  At  this  Dunmore  sent  word  that  if  it  did 
not  stop  he  would  destroy  the  town  with  hot  shot.  He 
was  told  by  the  Virginian  commander  that  he  might  do 
his  worst,  and  he  at  once  opened  fire  on  the  place.  It  was 
very  soon  in  flames,  and  for  three  days  the  fire  raged  in 


LORD    DUXMORE    AND   THE    GUNPOAVDER. 


215 


all  directions.  The  Aveather  was  intensely  cold,  for  it  was 
ill  the  month  of  January,  and  the  women  and  children 
were  obliged  to  fly  from  the  burning  houses,  and  take 
refuge  wliere  they  could.  Not  content  with  burning  their 
houses.  Lord  Dunmore  sent  troops  on  shore  to  fire  on  the 
Virginians;  and  all  the  horrors  of  war  were  thus  visited 
on  the  once  peaceful  place.  At  last  the  flames  died  down, 
Norfolk  was  completely  destroyed.    The  toAvn,  of  six  thou- 


■'<■■■'       '        -•-  -  4- 


gwyn's  island. 


sand  inliabitants,  was  a  mass  of  smouldering  embers;  and 
Slaving  glutted  his  revenge,  Lord  Dunmore  sailed  away  in 
triunijih. 

I-'rom  this  time  forward  he  resembled  a  i)irate  more 
tlian  ever.  He  landed,  an<l  pluiidcied  the  shores  of  Ches- 
apeake Day  in  every  diiccliun.  JJut  his  end  was  coining. 
At  la.>t  he  anclK>red  at  a  place  called  Gwyn's  Island,  on 
the  western  shore  of  the  bay,  and  here  he  threw  up  a  fort, 


216  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

in  wlilch  he  placed  a  part  of  his  forces,  consisting  largely 
of  negroes  and  low  white  people.  His  intention,  no  doubt, 
was  to  await  re -enforcements  from  England,  and  then 
march  on  Williamsburg  and  hang  all  his  enemies.  But 
this  plan  was  never  carried  out.  The  Virginians  resolved 
to  attack  him,  and  the  afiair  was  intrusted  to  General 
Lewis,  the  very  Andrew  Lewis  who  commanded  the  hunt- 
ers at  Point  Pleasant.  Lewis  marched  at  once.  He  soon 
reached  the  shore  just  opposite  Gwyn's  Island,  where  he 
planted  his  cannon,  and  opened  fire  on  the  fort  and  the 
ships. 

The  affair  did  not  take  long.  Lewis  fired  the  first  gun 
with  his  own  hands  at  the  ships.  The  ball  passed  through 
the  Dunynore^  on  which  the  governor  was  at  the  time ; 
and  the  second  ball  also  struck  the  ship,  and  cut  one  of 
his  men  in  two.  The  third  smashed  the  governor's  cups 
and  saucers,  and  a  splinter  of  wood  wounded  him  in  the 
leg.  At  this  he  lost  heart,  and  gave  up  the  idea  of  fight- 
ing, and  his  ships  were  seen  scattering,  like  white-winged 
sea-fowl,  in  every  direction. 

Still  no  sign  of  surrender  was  made,  and  the  Virginia 
fire  continued.  It  went  on  all  day,  and  at  night  they  had 
seen  no  white  flag.  What  m- as  Lord  Dunmore  doing?  If 
he  was  beaten,  why  did  he  not  surrender?  The  Virgin- 
ians resolved  to  discover  what  was  going  on,  and  at  day- 
light two  hundred  men  were  sent  over  in  boats  to  attack 
the  island. 

Then  the  whole  truth  was  discovered.  Lord  Dunmore" 
was  preparing  to  fly.  He  had  gotten  everything  of  value 
on  board  the  ships ;  and  as  the  Virginians  approached  on 
one  side,  they  saw  a  great  commotion  going  on  on  the 
other  side.  English  soldiers  hurried  on  board  the  vessels, 
the  anchors  were  raised,  and  as  the  boats  touched  the 
shore,  the  whole  fleet  rapidly  sailed  away. 


LORD    DUXilOKE    AXD    TUE    GUNPOWDEK.  217 

When  the  Virginians  landed  on  the  island  it  present- 
ed a  horrible  sight.  Dead  bodies  of  men  were  lying  all 
around,  and  many  wounded  persons,  black  and  white, 
were  groaning  and  begging  for  water  to  drink.  Graves 
were  all  over  the  island,  and  these  were  so  shallow  and 
hastily  dug  that  the  dead  men  were  only  half  covered. 
Many  were  found  burned  to  death  in  the  brush  huts,  which 
had  been  set  on  fire  by  the  cannon-shot,  and  altogether 
the  sight  was  a  sickening  one.  While  they  were  looking 
at  it,  a  briglit  light  suddenly  burst  out  on  the  waters  of 
the  ba}',  not  far  off,  and  they  soon  saw  what  this  meant. 
Some  of  Lord  Dunmore's  ships  had  run  aground  in  the 
sand,  and  as  lie  could  not  get  tliem  off,  he  had  ordered 
them  to  be  set  on  fire,  to  prevent  them  from  falling  into 
ilie  hands  of  his  enemies.  The  flames  soon  caught  the 
masts  and  riggings,  which  blazed  up,  presenting  a  fine 
spectacle.  Then  the  hulls  were  seen  to  be  on  fire,  and 
burned  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  when  the  ships 
sunk  and  disappeared  from  sight. 

Tliis  was  the  last  of  Lord  Dunmore.  tic  seemed  fond 
of  fire,  as  he  had  tried  to  blow  up  the  magazine  at  Wil- 
liamsburg and  burned  the  town  of  Norfolk,  and  now  his 
burning  ships  lit  him  on  Ills  way.  For  some  time  he  prowl- 
ed about,  plundering  the  houses  along  the  sliore,  and  once 
sailed  up  the  Potomac  to  "Mount  Vernon,"  to  capture 
Washington,  if  possible.  JJut  he  failed  to  do  so,  and  at 
last  resolved  to  depart.  Ilis  ships,  with  the  plunder  which 
he  h;id  secured,  and  about  one  thousand  slaves  wliom  he 
had  carried  <>i]'  Cioiii  tlie  Virginia  ])lantalions,  sailed  ibr 
the  West  Indies,  and  he  himself  went  to  New  Vork,  and 
tiience  to  Englan<l. 

The  Virginians  were  thus  rid  of  him,  and  must  have  re- 
joiced at  tlic  fact.  They  liad  had  some  bad  governors, 
iMit  Lord  Dunmore  was  the  very  worst  of  them.     lie  had 

10 


218  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

been,  from  the  time  of  his  arrival,  their  secret  enemy,  and 
had  done  all  he  could,  at  all  times,  to  injure  them ;  and 
thus  his  disappearance  excited  general  joy. 

The  great  year  ITTG  bad  now  arrived,  and  the  first  thing 
the  Virginians  did  Avas  to  elect  a  Republican  governor. 
Their  choice  fell  on  Patrick  Henry,  who  had  marched 
against  Lord  Dunmore;  and  tlie  new  governor  went  to 
live  in  the  very  "Palace"  at  Williamsburg  from  which 
Dunmore  had  issued  the  proclamation  declaring  him  a 
traitor. 


ELIZABETH    ZANE  :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    219 


ELIZABETH  ZANE:  THE  STORY  OF  A  BRAVE 

GIRL. 

I. 

We  have  now  reached  tlie  period  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution ;  but  before  I  speak  of  some  great  events  Avhich  took 
place  in  Eastern  Virginia,  I  have  two  or  three  remarkable 
stories  to  tell  you  of  lighting  in  the  woods  of  the  West.- 

In  this  country,  along  the  Ohio,  everything  was  quite 

different.     In  Lower  Virginia  the  people  were  generally 

lar<re  landholders,  who  lived  in  comfort,  if  not  in  luxury. 

Their  houses  were  excellent,  and  they  had  servants  to  wait 

on  them,  and  travelled  in  coaclies,  and  wore  rich  clothes, 

and  altogether  led  very  agreeable  lives.     Their  wives  and 

daugliters  were  tenderly  cared  for,  and  the  boys  were  not 

brought  up  to  work  witli  their  own  hands :  life  was  passed 

in  peace  and  enjoyment,  and  the  laws  protected  every  one 

from  injury.    If  a  robbery  or  murder  was  committed,  there 

was  the  constable  to  arrest  the  criminal,  and  the  whipi)ing- 

post  or  gallows  to  punish  him.     On  Sunday  the  families 

went  to  church  in  their  carriages;  the  young  men  rode 

fine  horses  and  visited  the  young  ladies;  entertainments 

were   often   given,  at    which   the    ladies    and   gentlemen 

dressed  in  silks  and  velvets;  and  altogether  the  old-time 

Virginians  of  the  Tidewater  region,  as  it  was  called,  led 

as  pleasant  lives,  perhaps,  as  any  people  over  did  in  this 

world. 

Over  the  mountains  toward  the  Oliio  things  were  very 
different,  as  I  have  told  you.     The  country  was  thinly  set- 


220  STOPJES    OF   THE    OLD   DOMINION. 

tied,  aud  covered  with  great  woods,  from  which  peeped 
up,  here  and  there,  the  few  log-forts  of  the  settlers,  built 
to  defend  them  from  the  savages,  who  were  lurking  in  the 
forests  around.  The  men  who  lived  in  these  log-houses  or 
forts  were  brave  fellows  from  Lower  Virginia,  or  Maryland, 
or  Pennsylvania,  and  they  dressed  in  hunting-shirts,  and 
had  no  servants  to  wait  on  them.  As  there  was  no  law 
to  protect  them,  they  had  to  protect  themselves  and  their 
families  ;  and  this  they  did  with  their  knives  and  rifles. 
They  supported  their  families  by  hunting,  and  tilling  the 
soil  with  their  own  hands,  and  were  not  able  to  educate 
their  children  or  afford  them  luxuries.  This  probably  did 
the  young  people  good,  however,  as  they  learned  to  take 
care  of  themselves.  Tliey  were  happy  and  contented,  if 
the  Indians  would  only  let  them  alone.  Thus  they  grew 
up  to  be  brave  and  independent.  And  there  never  was  a 
finer  race  of  men  than  these  hunters  of  the  border.  The 
very  women  and  children  were  cool  and  determined,  as 
they  showed  on  a  hundred  occasions;  and  in  the  story  I 
shall  now  tell  you,  I  will  relate  a  brave  action  performed 
by  a  border  girl,  whose  name  deserves  to  be  recorded  in 
history. 

Before  telling  you  this  remarkable  storj',  however,  I  will 
say  a  few  words  of  the  border  boys.  They  were  as  brave 
as  their  fathers,  and  not  only  worked  for  the  famil}^,  but 
took  part  in  fighting  the  Indians  when  they  came  to  at- 
tack them.  The  name  of  one  of  these  boys  was  Lewis 
Wetzel.  His  father  lived  near  Wheeling,  on  the  Ohio 
River,  and  Lewis  soon  learned  to  use  his  rifle,  and  hunt 
like  a  man.  As  he  thought  it  might  be  useful  to  him 
some  day,  he  taught  himself  to  load  his  gun  while  he  was 
running.  lie  did  this  with  an  eye  to  the  Indians.  The 
boi'derers  often  had  to  run  from  them,  and  Lewis  learn- 
ed this  trick,  so  that  when  the  Indians  pursued  him  he 


ELIZABETH    ZANE :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    221 

mii^lit  fire  back  at  them,  and   then   load  again    without 


stopping. 


One  day,  when  Lewis  was  about  thirteen  j^ears  old,  he 
and  his  younger  brother,  Jacob,  who  was  about  eleven, 
went  off  into  the  woods  to  hunt.  Here  they  came  upon 
some  Indians,  and,  of  course,  ran  as  soon  as  they  saw  them  ; 
but  the  Indians  fired  upon  the  boys,  and  wounded  Lewis 
in  the  breast,  and  captured  them  both.  They  then  took 
them  along  with  them  into  the  great  woods  beyond  the 
Ohio,  and  marched  for  two  days.  At  last  the  second 
night  came,  and  the  Indians  lay  down  to  sleep.  As  they 
considered  the  boys  mere  children,  they  did  not  tie  them 
or  watch  them  very  closely,  and  Lewis  determined  to  at- 
tempt to  escape.  He  therefore  waited  until  the  Indians 
were  asleep,  and  then  whispered  to  his  little  brother  that 
he  must  get  up  and  go  back  home  with  him.  At  first  lit- 
tle Jacob  was  afraid,  but  Lewis  persuaded  him  to  try,  and 
they  stole  ofl"  quietly  until  they  were  a  hundred  yards  in 
the  woods.  Lewis  then  sat  down  on  a  log  and  said  to 
Jacob, 

"  Well,  we  can't  go  home  barefooted.  I  will  go  back 
and  get  a  pair  of  moccasins  for  each  of  us" — moccasins, 
you  know,  being  a  sort  of  Indian  shoes  made  of  deer-skin. 

Lewis  stole  back  to  the  place  where  the  savages  were 
still  asleep,  and  got  two  pair  of  moccasins,  and  with  these 
he  returned  to  his  brother.  They  put  them  on,  and  Lewis 
next  said, 

"Now  I  will  go  back  and  get  father's  gun,  and  then 
we'll  start." 

He  Rtolc  off  again,  creeping  along  the  ground  and  listen- 
ing until  he  got  to  the  savages;  and  there,  lying  by  them, 
was  his  father's  gnu,  which  he  caught  up  and  brought 
back  with  him.  The  boys  then  startc<l  at  once  for  home; 
but  tlx'V  Ii:id  not  gone  far  In-foro  lln'V  heard  the  Indians 


222  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

running  after  them.  They  began  to  run  themselves,  but 
they  heard  the  Indians  coming  nearer  and  nearer.  As  it 
was  a  bright  moonlight  night,  Lewis  knew  that  they  would 
be  seen  very  soon,  so  he  told  his  little  brother  what  he 
must  do.  Their  only  chance,  he  said,  was  to  hide  until 
the  Indians  went  by,  and  this  they  did.  Lewis  pulled 
Jacob  into  some  bushes,  and  they  crouched  down  and 
waited.  They  soon  saw  the  Indians  running  past  them, 
as  they  did  not  know  that  the  boys  had  stopped  to  hide ; 
and  then  Lewis  told  his  brother  to  come  on — they  must 
follow  behind  the  Indians.  They  did  this  at  some  dis- 
tance, but  soon  heard  the  Indians  coming  back.  They 
then  liid  again,  and  waited  until  the  savages  had  pass- 
ed; and  then  Lewis  and  little  Jacob  hurried  on,  and  safe- 
ly reached  home,  after  dodging  two  of  the  savages  who 
followed  them  on  horseback,  in  the  same  manner  as  be- 
fore. 

This  was  a  brave  adventure  for  mere  boys,  and  w^hat 
made  it  nobler  still,  in  the  case  of  young  Lewis,  was  his 
dangerous  wound.  Of  this  he  made  no  complaint  to  his 
little  brother;  but  when  they  crossed  the  Ohio  River  on 
a  raft  which  they  made,  and  got  back  home,  the  boy  was 
nearly  dead.  He  recovered,  however,  and  became  a  great 
Indian  fighter ;  and  you  will  some  day  read  the  stories 
about  him  and  others,  and  see  what  hard  lives  they  led, 
and  how  fearless  they  were. 

I  might  tell  you  a  number  of  these  stories  of  bloody 
fighting,  but  I  doubt  if  it  is  well  to  fill  the  minds  of  boys 
with  such  things.  It  is  apt  to  excite  them  and  make  them 
wish  to  do  likewise,  for  which  there  is  now  no  necessity. 
What  I  have  told  you  was  to  show  the  courage  of  the 
border  boys,  which  ought  to  be  known  ;  and  these  anec- 
dotes will  give  you  an  idea  of  the  times.  The  old  histo- 
ries are  full  of  fighting,  but  I  cannot  stop  to  tell  you  of 


ELIZABETH    ZANE  :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    223 

all  the  instances  of  Indian  cruelty.     One  related  in  these 
old  books  will  give  you  a  good  idea  of  them. 

"  An  Indian  seized  Mrs.  Scott,"  the  book  says,  "  and  or- 
dered her  to  a  particular  spot,  and  not  to  move;  others 
stabbed  and  cut  the  throats  of  the  three  smaller  children 
in  their  bed,  and  afterward  lifting  them  up,  dashed  them 
upon  the  floor  near  their  mother :  the  eldest,  a  beautiful 
girl  of  eight  years  old,  awoke,  escaped  out  of  the  bed,  ran 
to  her  parent,  and,  with  the  most  plaintive  accents,  cried, 
'Oh,  mamma!  mamma! — save  me!'  The  mother,  in  the 
deepest  anguish  of  spirit,  and  with  a  flood  of  tears,  en- 
treated the  savages  to  spare  her  child ;  but,  witli  a  brutal 
fierceness,  they  tomahawked  and  stabbed  her  in  her  moth- 
er's arms." 

If  you  will  try  to  think  how  you  would  have  felt  if  this 
little  girl  had  been  your  sister,  you  will  understand  the 
feeling  of  the  border  people  toward  the  savages.  Tliey 
hated  them  bitterly,  and  never  saw  an  Indian  without 
longing  to  put  a  bullet  through  him,  as  if  he  had  been  a 
venomous  reptile.  Tliey  and  the  redskins  hunted  each 
other,  and  every  fight  was  a  life  and  death  affair.  The 
hunters  knew  that  they  would  be  scalped,  and  the  Indians 
that  they  would  have  their  brains  dashed  out  if  they  were 
overcome ;  and  this  made  tlic  fights  on  the  border  so  des- 
perate. 

II. 

I  will  come  now  to  the  particular  incident  which  I  set 
out  to  relate — tlie  attack  on  Wheeling  fort,  and  the  fear- 
less act  of  a  young  girl  on  that  occasion. 

Tills  took  place  in  1777,  wliit-h  was  called  the  "year  of 
the  three  sevens,"  and  was  one  of  the  darkest  hours  of 
the  Revolution.  The  Kiiglish  and  Americans  were  at  war, 
and  the  struggle  had  become  bitter.  The  I»ritish  forces 
were  more  numerous  than  those  of  the  Americans;  and  to 


224  STOPJES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

make  mattei's  worse,  the  English  had  persuaded  tlic  In- 
dians to  join  with  them  and  attack  the  frontier  settle' 
ments.  They  supplied  them  with  muskets,  and  paid  them, 
and  even  offered  a  certain  sum  of  money,  it  is  said,  for 
every  white  man's  scalp. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  at  the  time  when  the  inci- 
dent I  will  now  relate  took  place.  The  English  had  a 
number  of  forts  toward  Canada,  on  the  lakes,  and  Fort 
Detroit  was  one  of  the  most  important  of  these.  It  was 
commanded  by  Colonel  Hamilton,  Governor  of  Canada,  and 
he  was  the  chief  agent  of  the  British  in  stirring  up  the 
Indians.  I  will  have  more  to  say  of  him  hereafter;  at 
present  I  will  tell  you  of  his  scheme  to  get  possession  of 
Fort  Henry,  at  Wheeling,  in  north-western  Virginia. 

This  was  an  important  border  fort,  and  a  small  village 
of  about  twenty-five  log-houses  had  sprung  up  around  it. 
These  were  occupied  by  the  settlers  when  times  were 
quiet ;  but  as  soon  as  a  report  came  that  the  Indians  were 
approaching,  the  settlers  hastened  into  the  fort  with  their 
wives  and  children,  and  prepared  to  fight.  It  was  quite  a 
good  place  of  refuge.  It  was  built  of  logs,  in  the  shape  of 
a  long  square,  and  had  block-houses,  as  they  were  called, 
at  the  four  corners ;  in  these  the  men  fought,  firing 
through  holes  in  the  logs.  There  Avere,  besides,  a  number 
of  cabins  for  the  women  and  children,  a  good  well  to  sup- 
ply water,  and  a  magazine  to  hold  the  arms  and  gunpow- 
der. The  main  entrance  was  by  a  gate  Avhich  was  on  the 
east  side,  toward  the  village;  and  you  now  have  a  toler- 
ably good  idea,  I  hope,  of  Fort  Henry,  as  it  was  called,  in 
honor  of  Patrick  Henry. 

In  the  autumn  of  1777  Colonel  Hamilton  resolved  to 
attack  Wheeling.  For  this  purpose  he  employed  a  man 
named  Simon  Girty.  He  was  a  white  man,  wlio  had  been 
captured,  when  he  was  a  boy,  by  the  Indians,  and  joined 


ELIZABETH    ZAXE  :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    225 

their  tribes,  and  became  one  of  them.  He  was  a  very 
great  rascal,  and  for  some  reason  bated  the  Americans. 
The  attack  on  Wheelinsr  was  therefore  intrusted  to  him, 
and  collecting  together  about  five  hundred  Indians,  he 
marched  southward  from  the  Great  Lakes  toward  Ken- 
tucky. This  was  meant  to  deceive  the  whites.  The  route 
taken  by  Girty  was  not  in  tlie  direction  of  Wheeling. 
But  when  he  reached  the  Ohio  River,  a  little  above  Cin- 
cinnati, he  turned  to  the  left,  and  hurried  up  the  river  to 
surprise  Fort  Henry. 

In  this  he  did  not  succeed.  The  woods  were  full  of 
hunters  at  that  time,  who  kept  their  eyes  on  the  Indians, 
and  the  people  at  Wheeling  were  promptly  informed  that 
the  enemy  was  coming  to  attack  them.  At  this  all  was 
commotion.  The  women  and  children  left  their  homes  in 
the  village  and  hastened  into  the  fort.  The  men  followed 
them,  and  closed  the  gates;  and  this  was  no  sooner  done 
than  Gii'ty  and  the  savages  made  their  appearance. 

ICvery  one  knew  now  that  a  desperate  fight  would  take 
jdace,  and  there  seemed  very  little  probability  that  the 
whites  would  be  able  to  hold  out  against  their  assailants. 
They  ha<l  only  fojty-two  fighting-men,  even  counting  old 
men  and  boys,  and  the  Indian  force  was  about  five  hun- 
dred. What  was  worst  of  all  was  the  small  supply  of  gun- 
l)Owder  in  the  fort.  A  keg  containing  the  main  supply 
hail  been  left  by  accident  in  one  of  the  houses  of  the  vil- 
lagc;  and  this,  as  you  will  see,  gave  rise  to  the  brave  ac- 
tion which  I  will  now  relate. 

The  whites  were  commanded  by  Colonel  Shepherd,  who 
seems  to  have  been  a  cool  and  determined  man.  He  kept 
a  keen  lookout  for  the  Indians,  who  were  known  to  be  in 
the  woods  near  the  fort,  ami  an  incident  at  once  took  place 
which  sljowcd  that  they  were  ready  to  attack  him.  Two 
men,  one  of  them  white  and  the  other  a  black  man,  were 

10* 


226  STOEIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION, 

sent  out  on  some  errand.  They  left  the  fort,  and  were 
passing  through  a  field  of  corn,  when  suddenly  a  large  In- 
dian started  up  from  the  midst  of  the  corn  and  knocked 
the  white  man  down  with  the  butt  of  his  musket.  The 
negro  at  once  turned  back  and  ran  for  his  life,  and  as  soon 
as  he  reached  the  fort,  told  Colonel  Shepherd  what  had 
happened. 

Everybody  knew  now  tl)at  the  Indians  were  upon  them, 
and  Colonel  Shepherd  determined  to  send  out  a  jjarty  and 
attack  them.  Tliis  was  done.  Captain  Samuel  Mason,  with 
fourteen  men,  marched  out  of  the  fort  and  into  the  corn- 
field, but  the  Indians  were  nowhere  to  be  seen.  This  was, 
however,  only  a  proof  of  their  cunning.  They  saw  Cap- 
tain Mason  and  his  men  as  they  passed  through  the  corn- 
field, and  when  they  had  gone  some  distance,  closed  in  on 
their  rear  and  thus  cut  them  ofi"  from  the  fort, 

A  desperate  fight  followed.  The  Indians  started  up 
from  the  brushwood  in  all  directions,  and  opened  fire  on 
the  party.  The  hunters  did  not  flinch.  They  returned 
the  fire,  and  then  clubbing  their  rifles,  rushed  on  the  swarm 
of  savages  to  break  throuajh  them  and  regain  the  fort. 
They  knocked  down  and  killed  a  number  of  them,  and 
made  a  brave  resistance;  but  the  Indians  were  too  many 
for  them — they  had  at  least  thirty  to  their  one — and  the 
desperate  struggle  was  soon  over.  Captain  Mason  was 
wounded,  and  almost  all  his  men  killed.  The  few  remain- 
ing fought  on,  but  they  saw  that  there  was  no  hope  for 
them.  Mason  was  shot  a  second  time,  but  turned  on  the 
Indian  who  was  close  to  him,  and  knocked  him  down  with 
his  gun.  He  then  ran  into  the  brushwood,  and  crawled 
into  a  pile  of  logs,  where  he  concealed  himself,  and  remain- 
ed safe  until  the  end  of  the  battle.  Two  of  his  men  did 
the  same;  and  these  three  were  all  that  escaped  Avith 
tlioir  lives. 


ELIZABETH    ZANE  :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    227 

This  was  followed  by  another  incident  equally  unfortu- 
nate. A  party  of  thirteen  men  had  rushed  out  to  help 
their  friends,  but  these  also  fell  into  a  trap,  and  eight  of 
them  were  killed.  The  Indians  then  came  out  of  the 
woods  and  advanced  on  the  fort. 

III. 

The  Indians  advanced  in  two  ranks,  in  "  open  order," 
dodging  behind  the  trees,  and  ready  to  begin  the  attack. 

Girty  was  at  the  head  of  them ;  but  lie  first  resolved  to 
summon  the  place  to  surrender.  He  therefore  Avent  into  a 
log-cabin  which  was  not  far  from  tlie  gate  of  the  fort,  and, 
opening  a  small  window,  waved  a  white  flag,  which  meant 
that  he  had  something  to  say.  At  this  the  whites  ceased 
firing,  as  they  had  begun  to  do,  and  listened,  and  Girty 
read  a  paper  to  thetn.  Tliis  was  a  proclamation  from 
Colonel  Hamilton,  ordering  them  to  lay  down  tlieir  arms 
and  surrender.  If  they  did  so,  he  promised  that  no  liarm 
should  happen  to  them  ;  but  if  they  refused,  the  fort  would 
be  attacked,  and  the  Indians  would  put  them  all  to  death. 

Girty  read  to  the  end  of  tlie  paper,  and  then  asked  what 
they  meant  to  do.  The  reply  was  prompt.  Colonel  Shep- 
herd called  out  from  the  fort  that  they  never  meant  to 
surrender  to  a  rascal  like  /am,  and  that  he  would  never 
get  possession  of  the  fort  until  he  had  killed  the  last  man 
in  it.  At  this  the  people  in  the  fort  cheered,  to  show  their 
approval  of  his  reply,  and  a  young  man  fired  at  Girty,  who 
slammed  to  the  window  and  disappeared. 

The  fi<'hting  at  once  began.  It  was  a  beautiful  Sep- 
tember  morning,  and  the  red  and  yellow  foliage  of  the 
woods  shone  in  the  sunshine.  The  Iinlians  advanced  with 
loud  yells,  firing  as  they  came;  and  ilic  fire  was  returned 
from  the  fort,  where  each  one  picked  out  his  man  and  took 
dead   aim,  in   order   not    to  waste   powder.      A   miniber  of 


228  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION, 

the  savages  were  killed,  and  they  saw  that  nothing  could 
be  done  by  fighting  in  that  manner.  A  party  of  them, 
therefore,  rushed  up  close  to  the  fort,  and  endeavored  to 
thrust  their  guns  through  holes  in  the  logs  and  fire  at 
the  whites.  But  this  was  an  unfortunate  attempt.  The 
whites  killed  nearly  all  of  the  attacking  party,  and  then 
the  whole  army  of  Indians  fell  ba<.'k,  yelling,  into  the 
woods. 

The  men  in  the  fort  now  held  a  consultation.  They 
knew  too  much  about  Indians  to  believe  that  they  were 
o-oino-  to  aive  up  the  stru2:2:le.  Their  retreat  into  the 
woods,  they  felt  sure,  was  only  make-believe,  and  they 
would  probably  make  another  attack  very  soon.  They 
therefore  prepared  for  this,  but  found  to  their  great  dis- 
may that  scarcely  any  gunpowder  Avas  left  in  the  fort. 
They  had  forgotten  the  keg  of  powder  in  one  of  the  houses 
near,  as  I  have  told  you,  and  now  they  found  they  had 
scarcely  any.  What  was  to  be  done?  They  must  have 
more  powder  or  they  could  not  fight,  and  they  and  the 
women  and  children  would  all  be  murdered.  The  only 
thing  to  do  was  to  try  and  get  the  keg  which  had  been 
left  behind;  but  this  would  be  almost  certain  death  to 
anybody  who  attempted  it.  The  house  in  which  the  keg 
was,  stood  only  about  sixty  yards  from  the  gate  of  the 
fort;  but  they  knew  that  although  they  could  not  see  the 
Indians,  they  were  on  the  Avatch.  As  soon  as  a  man  left 
the  fort,  he  would  probably  be  killed  before  he  had  gone 
ten  yards ;  but  they  had  to  have  the  powder,  and  some- 
body must  run  the  risk. 

Colonel  Shepherd  told  his  men  exactly  how  the  matter 
was.  He  would  not  order  any  man  to  go  and  get  the 
powder,  he  said,  as  the  Indians  were  almost  sure  to  kill 
him ;  but  if  any  one  chose  to  volunteer,  that  is,  ofiTer  to  go 
himself,  he  would  accept  his  offer.     At  this  three  or  four 


ELIZABETH    ZANE  :    THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    229 

young  men  and  boys  stepped  forward,  and  said  they  were 
■willing  to  go.  But  the  colonel  replied  that  lie  could  not 
spare  three  or  four  men — there  were  too  few  in  the  fort. 
One  would  do,  and  they  must  agree  among  themselves 
which  one  it  was  to  be.  This  caused  quite  a  dispute.  One 
said  he  would  go,  but  another  said  he  would ;  and  they 
went  on  disi)uting  anji  losing  time,  until  there  was  danger 
that  the  Indians  would  renew  the  attack  before  they  came 
to  any  arrangement. 

At  this  moment  a  young  lady  among  the  women  in  the 
fort  came  forward  and  said  she  was  ready  to  go.  Her 
name  was  Elizabeth  Zane,  and  she  had  just  come  home 
from  boarding-school  in  I'hiiadelphia,  where  she  had  gone 
to  be  educated.  This  made  her  brave  offer  all  the  more 
remarkable,  as  she  had  not  been  trained  up  in  tlie  fear- 
less life  of  the  border;  so  you  will  see  that  she  must  have 
been  a  noble  girl.  Of  course  the  men  would  not  hear  of 
such  a  thing.  It  was  their  place,  they  said,  to  expose 
their  lives,  not  the  place  of  women  or  girls;  but  Elizabeth 
went  on  urging  that  she  ought  to  be  allowed  to  go.  She 
was  told  that  she  would  almost  certainly  be  killed,  and 
therefore  a  man  ought  to  go  for  the  powder.  But  this, 
she  said,  was  the  very  reason  wliy  slic  offered  liorself 
They  could  not  spare  a  man^  as  they  had  so  few,  and  the 
Idss  of  a  girl  would  not  amount  to  much.  And  so,  at 
lenglli,  they  reluctantly  agreed  that  she  should  go  for  the 
keg  of  gunpowder. 

The  house  containing  it  stood,  as  I  have  said,  about 
sixty  yards  from  tlie  fort,  find  Klizabeth  hoped  to  run 
and  bring  the  powder  back  in  a  very  ii^w  iniiiutes.  She 
said  she  was  ready,  and  tlicn  the  gate  of  the  fort  was 
o])ened,  and  slic  passed  through,  ninninir  ]il<''  m  dcfi-  to- 
wnrd  the  lioiiso. 


230  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

IV. 

As  I  have  told  you,  Girty  had  ordered  the  Indians  to 
fall  back  into  the  woods  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
bullets  of  the  whites ;  and  this  they  had  done,  yelling  as 
they  went  off,  carrying  upon  their  shoulders  the  dead  bod- 
ies of  their  warriors  who  had  been  shot.  And  here  I  will 
tell  you,  for  fear  of  forgetting  it,  that  this  was  always  the 
custom  witli  the  Indians.  They  were  strange  people,  and 
had  their  own  ideas  of  what  was  proper  and  dignified.  To 
be  able  to  say  that  they  had  conquered  their  enemies  was 
a  great  thing  with  them,  and  they  were  just  as  much  mor- 
tified when  the  whites  could  say  they  had  conquered  them. 
So,  whenever  their  Avarriors  were  killed,  they  would  not 
leave  them  on  the  battle-field  for  their  enemies  to  count, 
and  boast  of  the  number  they  had  killed.  They  always 
carefully  bore  off  the  dead  bodies ;  and  this  they  did  on 
the  present  occasion,  as  they  fell  back  into  the  woods. 

When  Elizabeth  Zane  ran  out  from  the  fort,  however, 
a  few  straggling  Indians  were  observed  dodo-inor  about 
among  the  log- houses  of  the  town,  which  stood  about 
three  or  four  hundred  yards  east  of  Fort  Henry.  They 
saw  the  girl,  for  the  people  in  the  stockade  observed  them 
looking  at  her;  but  for  some  reason  they  did  not  fire  at 
her.  Why  they  did  not  it  is  diflicult  to  saJ^  They  may 
have  supposed  that  she  was  only  running  to  tlie  house  to 
get  her  clothes,  or  a  hair -brush,  or  some  other  article 
which  girls  like  to  have ;  and  as  the  Indians  loved  fun  un- 
der all  their  cruelty,  they  may  liave  laughed  to  see  the 
young  lady  running,  with  her  skirts  flying  behind  her,  to- 
ward the  house.  It  is  just  as  likely,  however,  tliat  they 
thought  it  would  only  be  throwing  aAvay  a  load  of  gun- 
powder to  fire  at  a  girl,  who  was  of  no  use  to  anybody. 
As  they  felt  certain  that  thoy  would  take  the  fort,  they 


ELIZABETH    ZANE  :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    231 

could  easily  kill  her  afterward  by  dashing  her  brains  out 
with  a  tomahawk.  So  they  quietly  looked  at  her  as  she 
ran  across  to  the  house,  and  not  a  shot  was  fired  at  her. 

As  they  were  so  anxious  to  capture  Fort  Henry,  it  would 
have  been  better  for  them  to  have  killed  that  girl,  for  she 
was  destined  to  save  it.  She  hastened  into  the  house, 
found  the  keg  of  gunpowder,  Avhich  was  probably  small, 
and,  holding  her  precious  load  with  both  arms  close  to 
her  breast,  darted  out  again,  and  ran  with  it  in  tlie  direc- 
tion of  the  fort.  As  she  ran  the  Indians  saw  her,  and  un- 
derstood what  she  had  come  for.  Uttering  a  wild  yell 
tliey  levelled  their  guns  and  sent  a  shower  of  bullets  at 
her,  but  all  flew  wide  of  the  mark;  they  whistled  to  the 
right  and  left,  but  did  not  strike  her;  and,  with  the  keg 
still  hugged  close  to  her  bosom,  she  reached  the  fort,  and 
the  gate  closed  as  the  bullets  of  the  Indians  buried  them- 
selves  in  the  thick  panels  behind  her. 

A  weak  girl  had  thus  saved  a  dozen  men  and  their 
wives  and  children.  It  was  a  brave  act,  and  Americans 
sl»ould  never  forget  to  honor  the  name  of  Elizabeth  Zane. 

V. 

"^I  must  not  finish  my  story  without  telling  you  what 
took  place  next,  and  how  the  siege  ended,  as  well  as  how 
a  brave  man  made  a  wonderful  leap,  on  horseback,  and 
saved  his  life  in  the  most  remarkable  manner. 

Soon  after  Elizabeth's  return  with  the  keg  of  powder 
the  Indians  once  more  rushed  from  all  sides  against  tlie 
fort,  and  the  fighting  became  more  obstinate  and  bloody 
tlian  before.  I>ut  the  wliites  kei>t  cool.  Every  one  con- 
tinued to  pick  out  his  man  and  take  sure  aim  at  him,  and 
the  ground  was  soon  strewed  with  dead  Indians  on  every 
side.  Toward  evening  about  eighteen  or  twenty  savages 
made  a  rush  liom  tlif  Ii'>ii«'    \\lii<-)i  Kli/.nbcth  li;id  visited 


232  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

in  the  morning,  toward  the  gate  of  tlie  fort.  They  were 
armed  with  heavy  rails  and  logs,  and  tried  to  force  in  the 
gate.  In  this  they  failed.  The  whites  shot  down  five  or 
six  of  them,  and  the  rest  then  ran  back. 

Abont  nightfall  they  made  one  more  attempt  to  force 
their  way  in.  They  had  found  an  old  maple  log,  which 
was  hollow,  and  in  one  end  of  this  they  drove  a  plug  of 
wood,  so  as  to  close  it  tightly;  they  then  wrapped  around 
it  some  heavy  chains,  which  they  had  found  in  a  black- 
smith's shop  in  the  town,  and  loaded  it  with  a  full  charge 
of  gunpowder,  on  which  they  rammed  stones,  and  slugs,  and 
pieces  of  broken  iron,  until  it  was  full  to  the  muzzle.  This 
strange  sort  of  cannon  was  then  lugged  forward  to  within 
about  sixty  yards  of  the  gate  of  the  fort,  and  pointed  at 
it.  As  a  touchhole  had  been  made,  the  maple-log  cannon 
was  then  fired,  and  went  ofl"  with  a  tremendous  explosion, 
in  the  midst  of  loud  yells.  These  yells  were  not,  however, 
shouts  of  triumph.  The  old  log  had  burst  into  a  hundred 
pieces,  and  the  splinters  and  broken  iron  killed  many  of 
the  Indians  who  were  standing  around.  This  so  much 
discouraged  them  that  they  fell  back  to  the  woods,  and 
the  whites  had  a  short  time  to  breathe  after  their  long 
day's  work.  They  had  fought  steadily  from  daylight  till 
dark;  and  we  are  told  that  their  rifles  became  so  hot  by 
such  constant  firing,  that  they  were  forced  to  lay  them 
aside  to  allow  them  to  cool. 

By  this  time  the  news  had  reached  other  settlements 
near  Wheeling  that  the  Indians  were  attacking  the  place. 
The  hunters,  therefore,  seized  their  rifles,  and  hastened 
to  help  their  friends.  Some  were  shot  as  they  arrived, 
but  others  fought  their  way  in  ;  and  about  daybreak 
next  morning  Major  Samuel  M'CulIoch,  from  a  place 
called  Short  Creek,  arrived  whh  forty  men  to  assist  the 
whites. 


ELIZABETH    ZANE  :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    233 

As  soon  as  tlie  people  in  the  fort  saw  thera  the  gate 
was  opened,  and  the  men  hastened  in.  The  Indians  had 
seen  thera,  and  were  rushing  after  them  and  liring  upon 
them ;  but  all  of  thera  succeeded  in  entering  the  fort,  ex- 
cept Major  M'Culloch  himself.  Like  a  good  soldier,  he 
was  behind,  facing  the  enemy,  and  determined  to  be  the 
last  man  to  enter  the  gate.  All  were  safely  in  now,  and 
M'Culloch  spurred  his  spirited  horse  after  them.  But  the 
Indians  rushed  between,  and  he  found  liimself  completely 
cut  off. 

He  looked  around  him,  and  saw  that  he  could  never 
force  his  way  to  the  gate.  He  tried  to  do  so  more  than 
once,  but  a  swarra  of  Indians  were  in  front,  and  he  knew 
that  his  only  hope  was  to  escape  in  some  other  way.  He 
therefore  struck  the  spurs  into  his  fine  horse,  and  set  off 
at  full  sjK'cd  in  the  direction  of  Wheeling  Hill,  pursued 
by  the  Indians.  They  could  easily  have  killed  him,  but 
did  not  wish  to  do  so.  He  was  a  famous  Indian  fighter, 
and  they  knew  hira  at  once.  As  they  hated  hira  bitterly, 
they  <lid  not  wish  hira  to  die  by  a  death  so  easy  as  shoot- 
iiiLC-  What  they  desired  was  to  take  hiin  prisoner,  when 
they  ititended  to  burn  liim  to  death,  sticking  splinters  in 
("nil  blaze  into  his  naked  body  while  he  was  l)urning,  in 
order  to  glut  their  revenge  upon  him  for  killing  so  many 
of  their  warriors. 

M'Culloch  knew  this,  and  he  resolved  to  die  rather  than 
be  taken  prisoner.  There  seemed  no  hope  at  all  for  him. 
lie  had  icachcd  Wheeling  Hill,  beneath  which  ran  llic 
creek,  and  the  Indians  \\:\<\  Iicmmed  him  in  <iii  every  other 
side.  Iltlurc  him  was  a  precipice  of  about  one  Immlred 
and  fifty  feet,  at  the  bottom  of  w  liidi  ran  the  watei's  of 
Wliecling  ('reek.  To  attemjtt  to  hap  from  this  )>recipioe 
was  almost  certain  deatli,  but  M'Culloch  saw  that  it  was 
hi.s   oiilv   hope    of  escape.      The    Imlians    were    now    close 


234  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

upon  him,  and  there  was  no  time  to  lose.  Pie  accordingly 
took  his  rifle  in  his  left  hand,  gathered  up  his  reins  in  his 
right,  and  dug  spurs  into  his  horse,  who  leaped  forward 
with  his  rider  from  the  brink  of  the  precipice.  Strangely 
enough,  they  were  neither  of  them  killed.  Horse  and 
rider  fell  into  the  water  of  the  creek  below,  and  plung- 
ing into  the  woods,  with  a  shower  of  bullets  whistling 
around  him,  the  brave  M'Culloch  succeeded  in  making 
his  escape. 

Altogether,  tliis  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  inci- 
dents in  tlie  history  of  the  border.  The  leap  was  certain- 
ly made,  and  the  hill  is  there  still  to  show  how  dangerous 
it  was;  and  one  of  the'advantages  in  visiting  such  scenes 
is  that  they  bring  back  old  times,  Avhen  men  seemed  not 
to  know  what  fear  meant.  M'Culloch  was  one  of  this 
class  of  men,  and  we  are  now  enjoying  quietly  what  they 
fought  so  hard  for  and  suffered  so  much  to  win  for  us.  In 
this  wild  western  land  of  woods  and  rivers,  which  once 
swarmed  with  savages,  great  cities  now  stand,  and  rail- 
ways are  laid,  and  happy  families  of  women  and  children 
live,  without  fear  of  having  their  brains  dashed  out  by 
Indians.  It  was  the  hardy  borderers,  like  M'Culloch  and 
the  rest,  who  laid  the  foundation  for  all  this  peace  and 
happiness;  and,  in  praising  the  men,  we  must  not  forget 
the  women  and  boys  and  girls.  They  were  as  brave  and 
true  as  the  rest ;  and  I  have  shown  you  how  one  of  these 
girls  proved  that  she  had  as  much  courage  as  the  coolest 
Indian  fighter  of  them  all. 

The  attack  on  Fort  Henry  soon  ended.  Girty  saw  that 
the  attempt  to  capture  the  place  was  hopeless,  and,  after 
burning  the  village,  disappeared  with  his  Indian  army  in 
the  woods. 

On  his  return  to  Detroit  he  probably  informed  Colonel 
Hamilton  that   the  fort  was   licavilv  garrisoned,  and   de- 


ELIZABETH    ZANE  :     THE    STORY    OF    A    BRAVE    GIRL.    235 

fended  by  regular  troops  Avitli  cannon.  If  be  did  so,  you 
know  whether  it  was  true  or  not.  Twelve  men  and  boys 
had  held  it  against  him  and  his  five  hundred  Indians; 
and  if  I  knew  their  names  I  would  write  them  down,  in 
order  that  they  might  be  remembered. 


236  .  STOKIES    OF    TUE    OLD    DOMINION. 


TITB  FATE   OF   COLONEL  ROGERS. 

I. 

Would  you  like  to  hear  another  interesting  border 
story  about  these  old  times?  I  found  it  out  myself,  and 
perhaps  you  would  like  to  know  how  this  happened. 

One  day  I  was  looking  over  some  old  papers  in  the 
Capitol  at  Richmond,  and  found  a  bundle  which  seemed 
to  have  been  there  for  a  very  long  time.  It  was  covered 
with  dust,  and  when  I  opened  it,  I  found  the  writing  on 
the  papers  so  much  faded  that  I  could  scarcely  read  some 
parts  of  it.  As  the  papers  did  not  seem  to  be  very  inter- 
esting, I  was  about  to  tie  them  up  again,  when  some  words 
caught  my  eye  here  and  there  which  attracted  my  atten- 
tion. Somebody  or  other  was  mentioned  who  had  "a  beau- 
tiful silver-hilted  sword  and  excellent  gold-laced  hat;"  and 
this  somebody,  whoever  he  was,  had  "  landed  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Ozark,  now  the  Arkansaw  River,"  where  he  was 
received  by  somebody  else  "  witli  three  discharges  of 
heavy  ordnance" — that  is,  cannon — when  the  first  some- 
body raised  the  American  flag,  which  was  "  the  first  Thir- 
teen Stripes  ever  seen  on  that  ground."  As  I  read  farther 
on  I  found,  also,  that  somebody  had  been  "  surrounded  al- 
most immediately  and  overpowered  by  numbers;"  then, 
that  he  "  remained  in  the  woods  during  the  night  of  the 
battle,  in  extreme  pain  and  utterly  past  recovery;"  and 
then,  that  this  somebody  was  "  never  afterward  seen  or 
heard  of" 

All  this  excited  my  curiosity,  and  made  me  anxious  to 


TUE    FATE    OF    COLONEL   KOGEES.  237 

find  what  the  jjapevs  were  about.  I  sat  clown,  therefore, 
and  read  them  over  carefally.  They  proved  to  be  a 
highly  interesting  account  of  an  cxj)edition  undertaken 
by  a  brave  soldier  of  Maryland  or  Virginia  to  the  lower 
Mississipi)i,  and  of  a  fight  in  which  he  was  engaged  with 
the  Indians.  I  had  never  seen  an  account  of  this  battle 
in  any  book,  nor  have  I  met  with  any  since,  so  I  wrote 
down  the  main  incidents,  and  these  I  now  intend  to  relate. 
There  is  no  doubt  of  their  truth.  The  papers  were  all 
sworn  to  by  the  brave  fellows  Avho  signed  them — Douglas 
Baker,  James  Paule,  and  Basil  Brown  by  name.  They 
were  "  bounty-land  papers,"  as  it  is  called,  to  secure  the 
land  which  tlie  law  gave  to  old  soldiers  of  the  Ilevolu- 
lion ;  and  as  the  statements  were  under  oath,  I  thought, 
and  still  think,  them  as  good  authority  as  what  passes 
for  such  in  the  big  histories. 

The  incident  took  place  in  the  year  IVVS,  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  not  very  long  after  the  Indian  at- 
tack on  Wheeling.  Things  looked  gloomy  for  the  Amer- 
icans at  the  time,  as  they  were  in  want  of  everything 
nearly,  especially  of  arms  and  ammunition  to  carry  on  the 
war;  and  it  was  to  obtain  a  supply  of  these  that  the  ex- 
pedition I  shall  now  tell  you  of  was  undertaken. 

The  leader  of  it  was  Colonel  David  llogers,  who  lived 
on  the  border,  and  was  either  a  IMarylander  or  a  \'irgin- 
ian — I  do  not  know  which.  This  is  not  important,  however, 
as  the  two  names  amount  to  pretty  much  the  same  thing; 
and,  as  you  will  see,  the  events  took  place  along  the  Ohio, 
which  then  l)elonged  to  Virginia. 

Colonel  llogors  was  at  home  at  this  time,  on  leave  of 
absence,  })robably,  from  tin;  army,  but  was  ready,  as  you 
will  soon  see,  to  do  anything  in  his  power  to  help  the 
American  cause.  One  morning  a  letter  was  l»rought  to 
liiin  from  the  American  officer  coinnumding  at  I"'orr  Titt, 


238  STORIES    OP   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

wliich  was  the  name  now  given  to  old  Fort  Duquesne, 
near  Avhich  Braddock  had  been  defeated.  In  this  letter 
the  officer  asked  Colonel  Rogers  if  he  would  like  to  take 
command  of  an  expedition  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers,  to  bring  back  some  ammunition  which  the  Amefi- 
cans  had  purchased  from  the  Spaniards  or  French  there; 
if  so,  he  would  be  furnished  with  boats  and  men,  and  the 
expedition  would  be  ready  to  set  out  at  once. 

Colonel  Rogers  at  once  accepted  the  offer.  He  was  "  a 
brave  and  energetic  man,  highly  respected  "  by  everybody, 
as  his  friends  testified,  and  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode 
to  Fort  Pitt,  where  every  arrangement  was  soon  made. 
He  was  to  have  forty  men  for  the  purpose,  and  the  boats 
were  ready  at  Red  Stone  Old  Fort,  on  the  Monongahela, 
above.  Rogers  rode  thither  without  delay;  found  the 
men  were  waiting;  they  all  embarked  on  the  boats,  and 
were  soon  descending  the  river.  Before  long  they  passed 
Fort  Pitt  and  entered  the  Ohio,  making  their  way  toward 
New  Orleans,  where  they  expected  to  find  the  "muni- 
tions" awaiting  them. 

II. 

The  little  party  were  now  on  the  bosom  of  "  La  Belle 
Riviere,"  as  the  French  called  the  Ohio  in  old  times,  and 
looked  forward  in  high  spirits  to  the  pleasant  journey  be- 
fore them.  The  weather  was  beautiful,  for  the  season  was 
summer,  and  the  banks  of  the  "Beautiful  River"  were 
trreen  with  trees  in  full  foliage.  The  skies  were  blue  and 
the  air  delightful;  and  the  rough  woodmen  bent  to  their 
oars,  passing  the  time  in  talk,  or  singing  old  songs  of  the 
border,  like  that  I  have  told  you  of  about  Lewis  and  his 
men  at  Point  Pleasant. 

They  knew  that  the  woods  along  the  river  were  full  of 
Indians,  but  their  rifles  lay  beside  them,  and  they  were 
ready  to  fight  if  they  were  attacked.     All  day  long  they 


THE    FATE    OF    COLOXEL   ROGERS, 


239 


rowed  on,  taking  their  meals  on  the  boats,  and  probably 
sleeping  upon  them  at  night ;  and  thus  the  brave  Colonel 
Rogers  and  his  men  descended  the  Ohio,  and  turned  into 
the  Mississippi  toward  Xew  Orleans. 

Here  they  ran  some  danger  from  the  snags  in  the  river, 
that  is,  larcce  logs  Avith  one  end  buried  in  the  mud  of  the 
bottom,  while  the  other  end  swayed  about  near  the  sur- 


■-''Tf^y, ' 


>i'AM-'ll     I  "H  I  . 


lace.  The  boatmen  avoided  these,  and  went  on  safely,  and 
at  last  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River,  then 
called  the  Ozark. 

Here  stood  a  Spanish  fort.  Colonel  Rogers  had  been 
told  of  it,  and  was  directed  to  stop  when  he  came  to  it, 
and  see  the  ollicer  commanding  at  the  fort;  and  this  he 
now  did.     To  give  notice   of  liis  arrival,  he   ordered  his 


240 


STORIES    OP   TOE    OLD    DOMINION. 


men  to  fire  thirteen  guns,  by  way  of  saluting  the  Span- 
iards, and  the  woods  eclioed  witli  the  discharge.  The 
Spaniards  in  the  fort  fired  three  of  their  cannon  in  reply, 
and  then  Colonel  Rogers  landed.  Unfurling  the  Ameri- 
can flag  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  which  no  one,  we  are  told, 
had  ever  before  seen  in  that  country,  he  marched  at  the 


AMERICAN   FLAG. 


head  of  his  men  up  to  the  fort,  and  was  received  with 
great  politeness  by  the  Spanish  commandant,  named  De- 
vilie,  who  came  to  meet  him,  with  his  own  troops  drawn 
up  behind  liim.  They  made  low  bows  to  each  other,  and 
then  the  Spaniard  invited  Rogers  to  go  inside  the  fort. 
Soon  afterward  the  Spanish  soldiers  were  ordered  to  go 
through  a  parade  on  the  ground  near  the  fort,  for  tlie 
pleasure  of  the  Americans,  and  they  were  put  through  all 
the  military  movements — Colonel  Rogers,  with  his  gold- 
laccd  hat  and  silver-hiltcd  sword,  standing  beside  Com- 
mandant Devilie,  and  all  looking  on 


TUE  FATE  OF  COLONEL  ROGERS.  241 

The  colonel  told  Devilie  what  he  came  for  —  to  pro- 
cure the  "  munitions "  which  the  Americans  had  pur- 
chased at  New  Orleans.  But  he  now  heard  that  these 
munitions  had  been  removed  higher  up  the  Mississippi,  to 
a  fort  near  where  the  city  of  St.  Louis  stands  at  present, 
in  the  State  of  Missouri.  As  Colonel  Rogers,  however, 
had  been  ordered  to  go  to  New  Orleans,  he  thought  it 
would  be  better  to  obey  his  orders,  and  get  a  paper  from 
tlie  authorities  there  to  the  officer  at  St.  Louis,  directing 
him  to  let  him  have  the  ammunition,  so  he  determined 
to  do  so. 

It  was  a  dangerous  attempt  to  go  down  the  river  to 
New  Orleans.  The  English  had  a  fort  on  the  river,  at  a 
])lace  called  Natchez;  and  Colonel  Rogers  knew  that  if 
they  saw  his  boats  passing  they  would  fire  at  them,  and 
probably  sink  them,  with  all  the  men  in  them.  lie  there- 
fore resolved  to  take  only  six  or  seven  men  with  him, 
while  the  rest  stayed  behind  at  the  Spanish  fort,  and  steal 
by,  in  a  single  pirogue  (a  sort  of  canoe),  during  the  night, 
when  no  one  could  see  him.  This  was  successfully  done. 
The  pirogue  glided  quietly  by  the  fort  in  the  darkness 
without  being  discovered,  and  Rogers  and  his  men  safely 
reached  New  (Orleans. 

Here  he  found  there  was  no  trouble  in  getting  the  or- 
der for  the  ammunition  at  St.  Louis.  It  was  at  once 
handed  to  him,  and  without  loss  of  time  he  set  out  on  his 
1(1  uni  to  the  Spanish  fort.  This  was  both  a  difficult  and 
dangerous  undertaking.  lb  rould  not  co  back  in  his 
pirogue,  as  the  current  of  the  river  was  too  strong  to  row 
against;  so  he  was  obliged  to  travel  by  land,  and  make 
his  way  in  the  best  manner  he  couhl.  It  was  hard  work. 
The  banks  of  the  ]\IiHsissij)[)i  are  often  overgrown  with 
canebrakcs,  and  woods  so  thick  that  a  jiathway  can  scarce- 
ly be  forced  through  them ;  and  in  addition  to  this,  Rog- 

11 


242  STOEIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINIOJST. 

ers  and  his  six  or  seven  men  were  in  danger  of  being  seen 
and  taken  prisoners  or  killed  by  the  English.  They  nev- 
ertheless toiled  on,  and  were  fortunate  enough  to  j^ass  by 
the  fort  at  Natchez  without  being  seen,  and  at  length 
reached  the  Spanish  fort  on  the  Ozark. 

There  was  nothing  further  to  detain  them  here,  and 
Rogers  set  out  in  liis  boats  for  St.  Louis.  Here  they  found 
the  munitions,  and  the  officer  at  once  delivered  them. 
They  were  stowed  in  the  boats,  the  men  again  embarked, 
and  the  little  fleet  at  last  turned  toward  home. 

III. 

By  this  time  it  was  autumn.  The  journey  down  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  had  been  slow ;  and  the  visit  to  New 
Orleans,  and  afterward  to  St.  Louis,  had  been  a  tedious 
aifair.  It  was  thus  the  month  of  October  when  Colonel 
Rogers  and  his  men  once  more  found  themselves  on  the 
bosom  of  the  Ohio,  going  in  the  direction  of  home. 

This  is  the  most  beautiful  season  of  the  year,  and  the 
party  probably  enjoyed  it  to  the  utmost.  They  had  fully 
succeeded  in  their  expedition,  and  no  doubt  looked  for- 
ward with  delight  to  seeing  their  wives  and  children 
again  after  their  long  and  toilsome  journey.  If  they  sung 
before,  they  probably  sung  even  more  gayly  now  as  they 
rowed  on  up  the  broad  river,  thinking  that  all  their  toil 
and  trouble  was  nearly  over. 

But  there  was  to  be  a  bloody  ending  to  all  this  hope 
and  joy,  and  I  will  now  go  on  and  tell  you  what  a  sor- 
rowful tragedy  took  place.  The  boats  had  gone  on  up 
the  Ohio  until  they  reached  a  point  in  the  river,  near 
where  the  city  of  Cincinnati  now  stands,  when  the  men 
saw  a  small  party  of  Indians  crossing  the  river  in  a  boat 
in  front  of  them.  To  understand  what  the  Americans 
now  did,  we  must  remember  the  feeling  of  the  whites  at 


THE    FATE    OF    COLONEL    ROGERS.  243 

that  time  toward  the  Indians.  Tiie  savages  had  burned 
their  houses,  and  dashed  out  the  brains  of  their  wives  and 
children  with  their  tomahawl-:s,  and  the  very  first  thing 
which  the  old  hunters  thought  of  when  they  saw  an  In- 
dian was  to  send  a  bullet  through  his  heart.  As  soon, 
therefore,  as  Rogers  and  his  men  observed  the  party  of 
Indians  cross  the  river  in  front  of  them  in  the  canoe,  they 
determined  to  pursue  them  and  kill  them. 

The  boats  at  once  pushed  toward  tlie  mouth  of  Licking 
River,  which  here  empties  into  the  Ohio,  and,  gliding  un- 
der the  bouglis  of  the  trees,  reached  shore.  Rogers  gave 
his  orders  to  the  men,  and,  marching  at  the  head  of  them, 
went  up  the  bank  to  look  for  the  Indians. 

But  he  had  made  a  terrible  mistake  in  supposing  that 
he  would  meet  with  only  a  small  party  of  savages.  A 
large  band  were  hidden  in  the  undergrowth  on  the  bank, 
and  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  few  seen  crossing  in  the 
canoe  had  done  so  as  a  decoy,  to  make  the  whites  land 
and  attack  them.  If  so,  they  succeeded,  and  the  whites 
fell  into  the  trap.  Colonel  Rogers  had  no  sooner  landed 
and  marched  up  the  bank  than  the  woods  in  front  of  him 
suddenly  swarmed  with  Indians,  and  a  hot  fire  was  open- 
ed upon  the  whites. 

It  was  a  comi)lete  surprise,  and  enough  to  test  the  cour- 
age of  the  bravest  men.  The  whites  returned  the  fire,  and 
rushed  upon  the  Indians,  and  an  obstinate  liand-to-hand 
struggle  took  place.  The  woods  were  full  of  smoke  and 
tlie  crack  of  rifies,  mixed  with  shouts  and  yells,  as  the 
whites  and  savages  closed  in  on  each  othei*.  Colonel  Rog- 
ers was  in  front,  sword  in  hand,  cheering  on  his  men,  and 
as  long  as  they  saw  his  tall  figure  leading  them,  they 
fought  on,  without  regarding  the  disproportion  in  numbers. 

At  last  Rogers  was  sliot  and  fell,  and  at  this  his  men 
lost  all  hope.     They  broke  and  fled  into  the  woods,  pur- 


244  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

sued  by  the  Indians.  The  ground  was  covered  with  their 
dead,  and  out  of  the  forty  men  of  the  expedition  only  thir- 
teen escaped. 

In  tliis  bloody  manner  did  the  expedition  end.  It  was 
a  tragic  aflair,  and  the  lot  of  brave  Colonel  Rogers  was 
sorrowful  indeed.  Little  was  known  of  his  fate  after  be 
was  shot,  except  that  one  of  his  men  reported  that  he  "  re- 
mained in  the  woods  during  the  night  of  the  battle,  in  ex- 
treme pain  and  utterly  past  recovery."  The  man  who 
made  this  statement  was  obliged  to  leave  him,  to  save  his 
own  life,  and  says  that  "  Colonel  Rogers  was  never  after- 
ward seen  or  heard  of." 

The  thirteen  men  who  escaped  reached  the  Kanawha 
River,  in  Virginia,  after  wandering  through  the  woods  for 
nineteen  days.  And  that  was  the  last  of  this  sorrowful 
affair. 

I  have  related  it  to  give  yon  one  more  illustration  of 
those  troubled  times,  and  to  show  you  what  men  had  to 
pass  through  in  former  days.  Great  cities  are  to  be  seen, 
now,  throughout  all  that  "Dark  and  Bloody  Ground,"  as 
it  was  called.  But  for  the  brave  old  race  to  which  Rog- 
ers and  his  men  belonged,  they  would  never  have  been 
built. 


THE    CAPTLKK    OF    VIXCENNES.  245 


THE   CAPTURE   OF   VINCENNES. 

I. 

I  HAVE  one  more  story  to  tell  you  of  border  fighting, 
from  which  you  will  see  that  the  brave  and  hardy  fron- 
tiersmen of  that  time  allowed  nothing  to  stop  them. 

The  leader  in  the  famous  expedition  you  will  now  be 
told  of  was  named  George  Rogers  Clarke.  He  was  born 
in  Albemarle  Count)',  Virginia,  and  was  at  this  time  a  lit- 
tle more  than  twenty-six  years  old  ;  so  you  see  he  became 
celebrated  at  an  early  age,  like  John  Smith  and  others 
whom  I  have  mentioned.  lie  first  followed  the  business 
of  a  surveyor,  like  young  George  Washington,  and  was 
captain  of  a  company  in  1774,  when  Lewis  and  Diiiimore 
marched  to  the  Ohio.  This  gave  him  a  great  fondness 
for  life  in  the  woods,  and  we  soon  find  him  paddling  down 
tlie  Ohio  River,  exploring  Kentucky  and  all  the  great  re- 
ijion  around. 

This  country,  as  I  have  told  you,  belonged  at  that  time 
to  Virginia.  Y'ou  may  nut  understand  this,  but  it  is  easi- 
ly explained,  and  you  ought  to  know  all  about  it.  The 
Ixnindaries  of  each  of  the  old  colonies  were  fixed  l)y  the 
laws  of  England  ;  and  in  1G09,  two  years  after  Smith  landed 
at  Jamestown,  a  law  was  j)assed  that  what  was  called  the 
Virginia  or  "  I^dudon  Company"  should  have  all  (he  land 
two  liimdred  miles  north  and  two  hinidrid  miles  south  of 
the  mouth  of  .r.-imcs  IJivcr,  where  l-'ortress  Monroe  now 
stands,  as  far  back  as  the  l*acific  Ocean.  'I'his  was  a  very 
great  country,  for  Viiginia  thus  reaclii'(l  nearly  to  the 
city  of  Xcw  York  on  the  north,  and  to  Charleston,  South 


240 


STOKIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


Carolina,  on  the  soutli,  and  over  all  the  Great  West  as  far 
as  what  is  now  California,  Avhich  belonged  to  her,  like  the 
rest.  Afterward  a  part  of  this  country  was  cut  up  into 
the  colonies  of  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  others  on  the 
sea-coast ;  but  Virginia  was  still  the  owner  of  the  Great 
West,  as  you  will  see  when  I  tell  you  that  as  late  as  the 
year  1786  the  State  of  Kentucky  was  a  county  of  Virginia, 
governed  by  laws  passed  in  Richmond.     This  will  explain 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 


what  I  meant  by  saying  that  this  fine  country,  now  form- 
ing Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  other  great 
States,  was  at  that  time  a  part  of  the  "  Old  Dominion." 
I  will  only  add  here  that  in  January,  1781,  while  the 
Revolutionary  War  was  still  going  on,  Virginia  voluntarily 
gave  up  her  title  to  this  large  tract  of  country,  making  a 
present  of  it  to  the  other  colonies ;  and  now  it  is  one  of  the 
richest  and  most  prosperous  parts  of  the  American  Union. 
In  1778,  however,  this  had  not  been  done;  and  when  the 


THK    CAl'TUKE    OF    VINCEXXES.  247 

Eiiirlish  and  Indians  attacked  the  settlers,  Virjjinia  sent 
soldiers  to  protect  them.  Among  these,  as  you  will  see, 
was  George  Rogers  Clarke,  and  a  better  man  could  not 
have  been  chosen  for  the  work.  He  was  not  only  a  fear- 
less soldier,  but,  what  was  more  important,  had  a  very 
fine  mind,  and  knew  how  valuable  this  great  country  in 
course  of  time  would  be.  He  saw  that  the  land  was  rich, 
and  that  some  day  it  would  be  filled  with  j^eople,  who 
would  build  great  cities  there.  He  accordingly  deter- 
mined to  settle  in  it  himself,  and  do  all  in  his  power  to 
prevent  the  English  from  seizing  upon  it. 

A  few  words  taken  from  an  account  of  Clarke  will  show 
you  what  people  thought  of  him.  This  account  says  :  "His 
mind  was  clear  and  comprehensive;  his  personal  courage 
of  the  truest  stamp;  his  energies,  physical  and  mental,  al- 
ways vigorous;  and  he  soon  became  an  oracle  with  the 
backwoodsmen."  As  you  may  not  understand  some  of 
these  words,  I  will  tell  you  that  they  meant  that  Clarke  was 
a  strong  man  in  body  and  mind,  and  that  the  hunters  of 
the  western  woods  believed  everything  he  told  them.  He 
soon  became  a  great  man  in  the  country,  and  before  long 
began  to  think  whether  he  could  not  drive  the  English 
out  of  their  forts  in  tlie  region. 

The  most  important  of  tliese  forts  was  at  the  spot  where 
the  city  of  Detroit  now  stands,  and  tliis  was  commanded 
by  Colonel  Hamilton,  Governor  of  Canada,  as  I  have  told 
you,  in  relating  the  attack  by  Simon  Girty  on  Wheeling. 
Theie  were  others  at  Kaskaskia,  in  Illinois,  and  Vincennes, 
in  Indiana,  but  all  were  undei-  Colonel  Hainillon,  who  was 
the  great  man  of  the  country. 

II. 

Well,  now  I  will  come  to  Colonel  Clarke,  as  he  was 
called,  and  tell  yon  what  he  resolved  to  do.     In  the  winter 


248  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION^. 

of  1777  he  visited  Eastern  Virginia,  and  had  a  long  talk 
with  Patrick  Henry,  who  had  just  been  made  governor. 
He  told  Henry  tliat  the  English  forts  ought  certainly  to 
be  attacked,  and  if  they  would  let  him  try  it,  he  thought 
he  could  capture  them.  This  highly  pleased  Patrick  Henry 
and  the  other  Virginia  leaders.  They  wrote  an  order  that 
he  was  to  "proceed  to  the  defence  of  Kentucky ;"  but  they 
told  him  privately  what  this  meant — he  was  to  attack- 
Kaskaskia.  Then  they  furnished  him  with  twelve  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling  in  money,  and  four  companies  of 
men  ;  and  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year  (1778)  all  was 
ready  for  the  march  on  Kaskaskia. 

This  was  quite  an  old  place,  and  had  belonged  to  the 
French,  who  first  settled  the  country,  but  was  given  up 
to  the  English  in  1763,  after  the  "French  war,"  in  which 
Braddock  lost  his  life,  you  know.  There  were  only  about 
one  hundred  families  living  there  besides  the  English 
soldiers  in  the  fort,  and  Clarke  thought  he  could  easily 
take  the  place  if  lie  surprised  it.  He  accordingly  set 
out  with  his  men  in  boats  on  the  Ohio,  and  floated  down 
to  Paducah.  Then  he  went  on  and  landed  on  the  Illinois 
shore ;  and  then  he  and  his  men  hid  the  boats,  and  set 
off  through  tlie  woods  in  the  direction  of  Kaskaskia. 
On  the  way  they  nearly  starved,  and  were  obliged  to 
live  on  roots ;  but  at  last  they  reached  the  place  (July 
4th,  1778). 

Tiie  men  concealed  themselves  in  the  woods  until  night 
came,  and  then  rushed  in  and  captured  the  English  sol- 
diers almost  without  a  struggle.  Rocheblane,  the  com- 
mandant, was  caught  in  bed  and  made  piisoner;  and  then 
the  Americans  began  to  rummage  for  his  papers,  to  find 
what  the  English  were  going  to  do.  But  they  did  not 
discover  many,  in  consequence  of  their  politeness.  ]Most 
of  the  papers  were  in  Madame  Rocheblane's  chamber,  which 


THK    CAPTURE    OF    VIXCENNES.  249 

was  separate  from  liis  o\vn,  and  this  brave  lady  no  sooner 
lu-ard  lliat  tlie  place  was  captured  tlian  slie  set  about 
burning  them.  The  Americans  might  have  prevented 
this  by  rushing  into  her  room;  but  they  had  too  much 
respect  for  ladies  to  do  that.  So  Madame  Rocheblane 
went  on  burning  the  documents,  and  soon  they  were  noth- 
ing but  a  pile  of  cinders.  Some  were  found,  however, 
but  these  only  showed  them  what  they  knew  very  well 
before — that  is,  that  the  English  were  all  the  time  excit- 
ing the  Indians  to  attack  the  borderers.  The  command- 
ant, Rocheblane,  and  his  papers  were  then  sent  off,  under 
guard,  to  the  Virginia  authorities  at  Williamsburg;  and 
T  hope,  if  Madame  Rocheblane  went  with  him,  as  she  no 
doubt  did,  that  they  treated  her  well  on  the  way. 

The  capture  of  Kaskaskia  was  soon  followed  by  that 
of  other  ))laccs,  and  at  last  of  Fort  Vincennes,  where  Fa- 
ther Gibault,  a  French  priest,  i)ersuaded  the  people  to 
submit  to  the  Americans.  The  American  flag  was  raised, 
and  floated  proudly  in  the  wind,  and  Colonel  Clarke  now 
found  himself  master  of  the  whole  country. 

He  soon  afterward  sent  woi'd  to  ihe  Indians  that  he 
wishcfl  to  see  them  ;  and  when  they  came  he  talked  to 
them,  and  told  tliem  that  there  was  no  reason  wliy  they 
should  fight  for  the  English.  Some  of  them  seemed  to  be 
persuaded,  and  all  listened  to  him  with  the  deepest  re- 
spect, for  they  knew  what  a  determined  in;iii  he  was.  Of 
this  I  will  give  you  an  instance,  and  it  will  show  you  why 
the  Indians  respected  and  wei-'"  afraid  <il'Iiim.  .\t  a  place 
called  Fort  Washington  once  he  nu't  tliree  hundi'ed  In- 
dian warriors  to  talk  about  making  jieace.  Clarke  had 
only  seventy  men  with  hiu),  and  the  Indians  thought  he 
would  be  afraiil  of  their  number. 

One  of  the  wari'iors  then  made  a  speech  in  a  loiid  :inii 
threatening  voice,  while  Clarkf,  who  was  sitting  by  a   t;i- 

1  1- 


250  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

ble,  with  his  elbow  leaning  upon  it,  listened  without  say- 
ing a  word.  There  were  only  two  or  three  other  persons 
with  him,  but  the  whole  three  hundred  Indians  had  gath- 
ered around  to  listen  to  the  speech  made  by  their  chief. 
This  speech,  as  I  have  said,  was  noisy  and  threatening. 
The  chief  spoke  as  if  he  had  only  to  give  the  word,  and 
Clarke  and  his  men  would  be  tomahawked  in  a  moment. 
He  came  to  the  end  of  it  at  last,  and  tlirew  upon  the  ta- 
ble two  belts  of  wampum,  one  black  and  the  other  white 
— meaning  that  he  was  ready  for  peace  or  war — when  the 
savages  uttered  a  wild  yell,  and  the  chief  looked  frown- 
ingly  at  Clarke.  The  first  thing  Clarke  did  showed  the 
Indians  that  he  was  not  a  man  to  be  easily  frightened. 
He  had  a  small  rattan  cane  in  his  hand,  and  with  this  he 
carelessly  pushed  the  wampum,  or  "  speech-belts,"  off  the 
table  on  the  floor,  which  was  a  sign  of  the  greatest  con- 
tempt. He  then  rose,  frowning,  to  his  feet,  put  his  heel 
on  the  belts,  and,  turning  to  the  Indians,  ordered  them, 
in  a  commanding  voice,  to  leave  the  room.  One  look  at 
him  showed  them  that  they  could  not  frighten  him.  They 
obeyed  his  orders  without  saying  a  word,  and  on  the  next 
day  came  back  humbly,  and  said  they  were  ready  to  make 
•  peace. 

This  adventure  of  Clarke's  did  not  occur,  however,  at 
the  time  I  am  now  telling  you  of,  and  I  must  come  back 
to  my  story.  Having  arranged  everything  at  Vincennes, 
Colonel  Clarke  went  back  to  Kentucky ;  but  in  the  win- 
ter exciting  news  was  brought  to  him.  Colonel  Hamilton, 
the  English  commander  at  Detroit,  had  marched  down  to 
Vincennes,  driven  away  the  American  garrison,  and  placed 
his  own  men  in  the  fort.  Clarke  also  heard  that  Hamilton 
meant  to  march  and  retake  Kaskaskia,  and  then  to  come 
and  attack  Kentucky;  and  as  soon  as  he  heard  this, Clarke 
determined  to  be  beforehand  with  him.     In  other  words. 


TUK    CAPTUIiE    OF    VINCEXXES.  251 

he  resolved  to  march  and  attack  Vincennes,  in  spite  of  the 

fearful  weather,  and  so  nip  the  whole  British  phm  in  the 

very  bud. 

III. 

It  was  a  tremendous  undertaking.  The  march  was  so 
hard  that  it  afterward  gave  Clarke  the  name  of  the  "Han- 
nibal of  the  West,"  in  allusion  to  a  great  Carthagenian 
general,  who  underwent  terrible  trials  in  crossing  some 
high  mountains  to  invade  Italy.  Clarke  had  no  moun- 
tains to  climb  over,  but  the  obstacles  in  his  way  were 
even  more  difficult  to  overcome.  He  had  to  march  nearlv 
one  hundred  miles  through  the  wilderness  in  the  depths 
of  winter,  and  traverse  what  were  called  tlie  "drowned 
lands"  of  the  Wabash  River,  of  which  I  will  tell  you 
more  directly;  and,  at  the  end  of  this  terrible  march,  he 
expected  to  find  Colonel  Hamilton  and  his  English  soldiers 
ready  to  receive  him. 

All  these  difficulties,  however,  did  not  make  him  change 
his  mind  or  give  up  liis  design,  lie  collected  a  force  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  bravest  men,  and  in  February, 
1779,  set  out  on  his  perilous  expedition.  Every  man  was 
clad  in  liis  liuntiiig-shirt,  and  carried  his  knapsack,  long 
rifie,  and  horn  of  ])owder.  Tliey  wore  fnr  hats,  ornamented 
with  the  tails  of  bucks  or  raccoons,  and  were  the  very  sort 
of  soldiers  for  the  work.  They  had,  besides,  the  very  high- 
est confidence  in  tlieir  leader,  and  began  their  iiiarch  with 
a  feeling  which  goes  a  great  way  to  make  men  succeed  in 
anything  in  this  world — the  feeling  that  they  would  meet 
willi  success. 

I  will  now  go  on  and  toll  you  what  folh^wed.  Clarke 
sent  one  of  his  captains,  named  IJogcrs,  with  forty  men 
and  two  small  cannon,  itj  a  boat  up  the  Wabash  Ifiver, 
with  orders  to  stop  at  a  point  where  White  Kiver  empties 
into  it,  about  (ifteen  or  twenty  miles  south  ol"  \'incennes. 


252  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

And  here  I  will  say  that  you  ought  always  to  look  at  a 
map  when  you  are  reading  about  historic  events.  This 
will  show  you  just  where  every  jitlace  is,  and  one  glance 
at  the  map  will  often  give  you  a  better  idea  of  things 
than  whole  pages  of  explanation. 

Having  sent  Captain  Rogers  ahead  with  the  forty  men, 
Colonel  Clarke  followed  with  the  rest.  They  had  a  terri- 
ble time.  As  I  have  told  you,  it  was  in  the  depth  of  win- 
ter, and  the  weather  was  intensely  cold.  The  hunters  had 
to  stru2:«'le  on,  with  their  lonfj  rifles  in  their  hands  and 

CD  CD  J  Cj 

the  packs  containing  provisions  on  their  backs,  through 
thick  woods,  day  after  day,  and,  what  was  worse  still, 
plunge  on  through  what  were  called  the  "drowned  lands" 
of  Illinois.  These  were  low  grounds,  which  the  river  had 
overflowed  to  the  depth  of  many  feet;  and  as  the  water 
was  now  nearly  frozen,  it  was  a  fearful  attempt  to  force 
their  way  through.  Often  they  could  scarcely  find  a  spot 
dry  enough  to  halt  upon  and  kindle  their  camp-fires,  to 
cook  their  food  and  sleep  by.  All  day  long  it  was  tramj), 
tramp  through  the  ice-cold  water  splashing  around  them; 
but  they  pushed  on  for  nearly  one  hundred  miles  above 
the  Ohio,  and  at  last  reached  the  fork  at  White  Eiver. 
♦  This  was  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  as  I  have  told 
you,  south  of  Vinccnnes ;  and  they  soon  hoped,  now,  to 
reach  the  fort.  But  suddenly  they  found  that  the  pros- 
pect before  them  was  Avorse  than  ever.  At  this  point  the 
"drowned  lands"  were  more  forbidding  than  before.  The 
whole  country  between  the  forks  was  flooded  to  the  depth 
of  many  feet,  and  there  were  only  a  few  spots  of  dry  land 
here  and  there,  some  of  them  five  miles  apart.  It  seemed 
almost  impossible  to  plunge  on  through  such  an  expanse 
of  freezing  water,  but  Clarke  determined  to  try.  There 
was  no  "give  up"  either  in  him  or  his  men,  and  at  the 
word  they  marched  into  the  water  and  struggled  on. 


THE    CAPl'UKE    OF    YINCENNES.  253 

As  they  proceeded,  the  water  grew  deeper  and  deeper. 
At  first  it  only  came  up  to  llieir  knees,  then  it  reached  to 
their  waists,  and  at  last  the  waves  washed  backward  and 
forward  just  under  their  armpits.  The  water  was  freezing, 
and  enough  to  benumb  their  limbs.  But  the  work  was  so 
liard  that  it  probably  kept  them  warm ;  and  they  strug- 
gled along,  holding  their  guns  and  powder  above  their 
heads  to  keep  them  from  becoming  wet,  until  they  reach- 
ed dry  land  again,  and  stopped  for  a  short  rest. 

I  have  often  shut  my  eyes  and  thought  of  this  strange 
march.  It  would  make  a  very  fine  picture.  You  would 
see  in  the  picture — if  it  was  like  the  real  scene — the  long 
line  of  hunters,  up  to  their  shoulders  nearly  in  the  cold 
water,  toiling  along,  and  stumbling  perhaps  now  and  then, 
but  recovering  their  foothold  again,  and  at  the  head  of 
them  the  tall  form  of  brave  Colonel  Clarke  moving,  like 
a  good  soldier,  in  front  of  all. 

IV. 

On  the  evening  of  the  18th  of  Fcbruaiiy  they  had  pass- 
ed through  the  worst  of  these  "drowned  lands"  of  the 
Wabash,  and  were  near  Vincennes — so  near  that  they  hefird 
the  boom  of  the  "evening  gun,"  which  was  a  cannon  fired 
f)ft"at  the  fort  to  tell  people  that  it  was  time  to  come  in 
for  the  iiiglit. 

Clarke  knew  by  this  that  he  hiid  not  much  farther  to 
march,  and  ordered  his  men  to  lie  down  and  sleei),  which 
they  did.  i>i<t  at  the  first  streak  of  dawn  they  were  up, 
:ind  their  leader  issued  his  orders.  These  orders  were 
tliat  they  were  to  blacken  their  faces  with  gunpowder, 
to  frighten  their  (.-nemics,  and  advance  u])on  the  fort. 
Clarke  then  found  a  large  Ix.at,  into  which  the  men  crowd- 
ed. They  crossed  the  river,  and  pushed  on  through  water 
again,  and  at  last  landed  near  Vinceiuies. 


254  STOKIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

The  time  for  fighting  had  now  come,  and  Colonel  Clarke 
wrote  a  letter  to  Colonel  Hamilton,  in  the  fort,  demanding 
his  surrender.  This  he  sent  by  a  countryman  living  near, 
and  it  was  delivered  by  him  to  the  commandant.  No 
man  could  have  been  more  perfectly  astounded  than  Col- 
onel Hamilton.  If  Clarke  and  his  men  had  dropped  down 
suddenly-  fi-om  the  sky,  his  surprise  could  not  have  been 
greater.  He  knew  all  about  the  "drowned  lands,-"  and 
thought  that  no  soldiers  on  earth  would  dare  to  march 
through  them  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  he  could  scarce- 
ly believe  that  his  enemies  were  really  near  him.  But 
there  they  were,  and  there  was  Clarke's  letter  demand- 
ing that  he  should  surrender.  The  families  at  the  place 
were  in  favor  of  this,  but  Colonel  Hamilton  would  not 
hear  of  it.  He  was  a  brave  soldier,  and  the  governor 
of  all  Canada,  and  he  did  not  mean  to  give  up  his  fort 
without  fighting. 

Hamilton  accordingly  sent  back  word  that  he  would 
not  surrender,  and  Clarke  at  once  attacked  the  fort.  His 
cannon,  which  had  been  dragged  on  in  the  boats,  were 
brought  up,  and  a  furious  fire  was  opened  on  Fort  Vin- 
cenues.  Colonel  Hamilton  replied  to  this  by  a  shower  of 
balls  and  grape-shot  from  his  cannon  in  the  fort,  and  for 
fourteen  hours  the  guns  went  on  thundering  through  the 
chill  winter  fields  and  woods.  This  was  kept  up  long- 
after  night  had  come ;  and  it  must  have  been  a  grand  sight 
to  see  the  red  glare  of  Clarke's  cannon,  and  the  flashes 
coming  back  from  the  walls  of  the  fort,  lighting  u])  all 
around.  At  last  both  sides  stopped,  and  Clarke's  men 
lay  down  to  get  some  sleep,  intending  to  begin  the  fight 
again  at  daylight. 

But  the  matter  was  decided.  Colonel  Hamilton  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  could  not  resist  the  Kentuckians; 
and  when,  next  morning,  Clarke  once  irwre  demanded  a 


TIIK    OAPTUltK    Oi'    YINCENNES.  255 

surrender,  the  English  commander  gave  up,  and  the  Ken- 
tuckians  marched  into  the  fort,  shouting  and  waving  their 
hats.  We  are  not  told  how  Colonel  Clarke  and  Colonel 
Hamilton  met  each  other;  they  probably  bowed  and 
shook  hands,  as  soldiers  do  after  fighting  with  each  other; 
and  then  the  Red  Cross  flag  of  St.  George,  which  was  the 
flag  of  England,  was  pulled  down  from  the  staft',  and  the 
American  Stars  and  Stripes  were  run  up  in  its  place, 
amidst  the  shouts  and  cheers  of  the  Kentuckians. 

Colonel  Hamilton  and  some  of  his  oflicers  Avere  then 
sent  to  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  with  the  captured  papers; 
and  as  these  paj^ers  showed  that  they  had  excited  the 
Indians  to  attack  the  Americans,  they  were  all  "put  in 
irons,"  that  is,  fettered,  for  their  conduct.  But  these  fet- 
ters were  soon  removed,  and  they  were  allowed  to  go  to 
their  homes.  And  that  was  the  end  of  Governor  Hamil- 
ton and  his  doings. 

I  have  told  you  all  about  this  march  through  the  wil- 
derness and  the  Wabash  low  grounds,  to  show  you  what 
a  brave  race  of  men  the  Americans  of  that  time  weie.  I 
hope  it  lias  interested  you,  for  it  was  an  adventurous  and 
romantic  exploit.  But  it  was  far  more  than  that  in  its 
consequences,  that  is,  in  what  followed  it.  A  few  words 
will  explain  this,  and  let  you  know  just  what  I  mean. 

Some  years  afterward  the  IJcvolutionaiy  War  ended, 
and  peace  was  made;  and  then  the  question  was,  What 
land  was  to  belong  to  England  and  what  to  the  United 
States?  Englaiul  still  owned  Canada,  and  there  was  no 
dispute  about  that;  but  there  was  the  great  country 
around  A'incennes  south  of  the  Great  Lakes — who  was  to 
be  the  owner  of  llxii  /  This  was  a  hard  matter  to  de- 
cide, and  there  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  it.  But 
at  last  it  was  agreed  that  a  rule  called  the  Uti  possidcliH 
should  govern  ill  the  matter.     These  are  Latin  words,  and 


256  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

I  will  tell  you  wliat  they  meant.  They  meant  that  each 
side  was  to  keep  what  they  had  possession  of  at  the  end 
of  the  war;  and  now  you  will  see  how  this  rule  worked 
as  to  the  great  north-western  country. 

By  capturing  the  small  fort  of  Yineeunes,  Clarke  had 
driven  the  English  out  of  the  country,  and  taken  posses- 
sion of  it  in  the  name  of  America.  They  never  could 
drive  him  away  afterward,  and  so  it  remained  ours;  and 
when  the  treaty  of  peace  -was  made,  England  gave  up  all 
claim  to  it.  Thus  the  march  of  about  two  weeks  through 
the  "drowned  lands"  of  the  Wabash,  and  the  one  day's 
lio-htinsx  at  Fort  Yincennes,  won  for  ns  the  great  States 
of  Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Kentucky,  to  say 
nothing  of  all  the  other  States  springing  up  every  day  in 
the  great  West. 

General  George  Rogers  Clarke  passed  through  many 
other  remarkable  scenes,  but  of  these  I  cannot  tell  you 
at  present.  You  must  take  the  capture  of  Yincennes 
as  a  specimen.  I  thought  I  would  tell  you  about  that, 
as  he  Avas  a  Yirginian,  and  the  land  he  fought  upon  was 
then  a  part  of  his  State.  Rich  and  prosperous  common- 
wealths, full  of  happy  families,  now  cover  this  fine  region, 
which  was  given  up  by  Yirginia  to  her  sisters  of  the  Union. 
If  she  had  not  done  so,  the  people  would  still  be  called 
Yirginians;  and  in  this  little  book  I  am  trying  to  show 
you  why  they  ought  not  to  be  ashamed  of  the  name. 


JOHN    MARSHALL,  THE    CHIEF-JUSTICE, 


257 


JOHN  MARSHALL,  THE  CHIEF-JUSTICE. 

I. 

As  in  ray  three  last  stories  I  have  endeavored  to  give 
you  some  idea  of  life  in  the  western  woods,  I  will  now 
return  to  Eastern  Virginia,  and  tell  you  about  some  fa- 
mous personages  there,  after  which  I  will  finish  with  some 
scenes  of  the  Revolution. 

Do  you  remember  the  Culpeper  "Minute-men,"  witli 


JOHN    MAKSIIALI,. 


their  rattlesnake  flag  and  its  motto,  "  Dhu'i  (read  on  nicV" 
Tliese  brave  men  took  itarl  in  the  batHe  of  (Jreat  llridge 
against  Lord  I)nnmf)re;  and  I  will  now  Icll  you  about  a 
young  lieutenant  of  these  "  Minute-men,"  wlio  i.insiied  the 
r.ritish  after  the  fall  of  Fordvee. 


258  STOKIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

His  name  was  John  Marshall,  and  he  was,  afterward,  the 
Chief-justice  of  the  United  States.  This  ought  to  make 
you  desire  to  hear  all  about  him ;  but  besides  this,  he  was 
so  great  and  good  a  man  that  he  deserves  a  place  in  any 
book  relating  to  the  distinguished  men  of  Virginia. 

He  was  the  son  of  Colonel  Thomas  Marshall,  of  Fau- 
quier—  a  brave  soldier  who  had  fifteen  children.  His 
property  was  small,  and  his  means  very  moderate ;  his 
wife  and  daughters,  it  is  even  said,  had  to  use  thorns 
instead  of  pins  to  pin  their  dresses.  This  they  did  not 
mind,  however;  and  the  small  farm  was  managed  so  well 
that  Colonel  Marshall  gave  his  children  a  good  education, 
besides  teaching  them  always  to  be  true  and  honest.  They 
lived  near  Manassas  Gap,  in  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains, 
and  here  young  John  passed  his  boyhood  till  the  Revolu- 
tion, when  he  was  elected  lieutenant  of  the  "Minute-men," 
and  marched  down  to  Norfolk.  He  fought  bravely  there, 
and  everybody  was  fond  of  him.  He  was  not  a  very 
handsome  person.  He  was  tall  and  thin,  but  his  fiice 
beamed  with  o-ood-humor,  and  his  black  eves  seemed  to 
smile  at  everybody  ;  so  he  was  very  much  liked.  He  also 
read  jjoetry  in  a  very  sweet  voice;  and  when  the  "Minute- 
men"  marched  to  Yorktown  after  the  fighting,  young  John 
Marshall  used  to  go  to  General  Nelson's  house  and  read  • 
poems  to  the  young  ladies,  and  it  is  said  they  thought  his 
reading  the  sweetest  in  the  world. 

I  tell  you  this,  Avhich  may  seem  very  trifling,  because 
almost  anything  about  so- great  a  man  ought  to  interest 
us.  And,  for  that  matter,  in  my  little  story  I  mean  to  tell 
you  scarcely  anything  but  anecdotes;  and  I  am  glad  to 
do  so,  and  leave  out  the  rest,  for,  after  all,  these  little  de- 
tails about  distinguished  people  often  give  you  a  better 
idea  of  them  than  the /acts  in  regard  to  their  public  lives. 

John  Marshall  continued  in  the  army  during  the  Avhole 


JOHN    MARSHAJ.L,  THK    CUIEF-JUSTICE.  '259 

war,  and  those  who  fouglit  with  him  said  that  he  was  not 
onlj'  brave,  but  that  nothing  could  put  him  in  low  spirits. 
When  Washington  spent  the  dreary  winter  with  his  little 
army  at  Valley  Forge,  near  Philadelphia,  the  times  were  so 
dark,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  soldiers  so  great,  that  they 
nearly  gave  way  to  despair.  But  John  ■Marshall  never 
did.  Like  the  rest,  he  had  to  tramp  through  the  deep 
snow  to  gather  a  little  wood  to  keep  from  freezing; 
but  in  the  midst  of  all,  his  friends  said  afterward,  he  was 
still  bright  and  hopeful.  Seated  by  the  camp-fire,  he 
would  tell  stories,  and  laugh,  and  cheer  up  his  comrades, 
and  thus  keep  them  in  good  spirits  when  they  were  down- 
hearted. 

He  was  an  excellent  soldier,  you  see,  and  bore  all  the 
hardships  of  that  hard  time  without  a  murmur,  lie  had 
scarcely  clothes  to  wear,  and  no  money  to  buy  them;  and 
it  is  related  that,  when  he  visited  home  once,  he  was 
obliged  to  return  to  the  army  on  foot,  and  was  so  shabbi- 
ly dressed  that  a  tavern-keeper  in  I^liiladelpliia  would  not 
let  him  come  into  his  house.  But  for  this  he  did  not  care, 
lie  knew  that  he  was  doing  his  duty,  and  he  went  on 
cheerfully  [terforming  it  without  a  innniiur  to  the  last. 

When  the  Itevolution  ended,  John  jSIarshall  came 
back  to  \'irginia — a  poor  young  fellow,  with  scarcely  a 
penny  in  the  worhl.  Hut  he  was  not  disheartened.  He 
resolved  to  go  to  work,  and  as  he  had  managed  to  learn 
a  little  law,  he  began  the  practice,  and  soon  got  married. 
His  wife  was  one  of  the  young  ladies  whom  he  had  read 
]>oetry  to  at  Yorktown  in  1775,  after  the  battle  at  Great 
iJridf-e,  and  her  nanu;  was  ]\Iary  Willis  Ambler.  She  had 
never  forgotten  the  bright  black  eyes  and  sweet  smile  and 
voice  of  the  tall  young  soldier,  and  now  gave  him  Ik  r  hand. 
He  was  so  poor  at  the  time  that  he  gave  the  parson  who 
marrieil  them  the  last  golden  guinea  he  had  in  the  world. 


260  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION^. 

But,  poor  as  he  was,  be  was  happy  with  his  young  wife, 
and  he  loved  her  so  much  that  he  seemed  to  think  of  no 
one  else  in  comparison  with  her.  When  they  were  old, 
and  she  was  sick,  he  would  walk  about  the  house  and 
yard  with  his  shoes  off,  and  hardly  speak  above  his 
breath ;  and  any  one  could  see  that  she  was  dearer  to  him 
than  when  she  was  a  rosy -cheeked  young  girl.  After 
her  death  he  wrote  these  words  :  "On  the  3d  of  January, 
1783,  I  was  united  by  the  holiest  bonds  to  the  woman  I 
adored.  From  the  moment  of  our  union  to  that  of  our 
separation,  I  never  ceased  to  thank  Heaven  fov  this,  its 
best  gift.  Not  a  moment  passed  in  which  I  did  not  con- 
sider her  a  blessing,  from  which  the  chief  happiness  of  my 
life  was  derived.  Hers  was  the  religion  taught  by  the 
Saviour  of  man.  I  have  lost  her,  and  with  her  have  lost 
the  solace  of  my  life." 

ir. 

Some  of  these  days  you  will  read  all  about  the  great 
Chief-justice  Marshall,  and  find  what  people  thought  of 
him.  He  began,  you  know,  only  as  a  poor  young  law- 
yer, but  evei-ybody  soon  saw  that  he  was  a  man  of  won- 
derful genius.  There  was  scarcely  any  office  which  he 
would  accept  that  the  people  did  not  offer  him.  He 
served  in  tlie  Legislature ;  then  in  the  Convention  to  rati- 
fy the  Constitution;  then  was  sent  as  envoy  to  France; 
then  was  made  Secretary  of  State ;  and  then  Chief-justice 
of  the  United  States,  where  the  greatest  judges,  even  the 
great  Judge  Story,  my  father  told  me,  looked  up  to  him, 
and  listened  to  what  he  said,  as  if  that  decided  every- 
thing. When  he  died,  at  the  age  of  eighty  nearly,  he  was 
one  of  the  greatest  and  most  famous  men  in  America. 

Now  for  a  few  anecdotes  about  him,  for  I  wish  you  to 
know  the  man  John  Marshall.     My  father  knew  him  very 


JOHN   MARSHALL,  THE    CHIEF-JUSTICE.  261 

well,  and  loved  him,  and  told  me  many  things  about  him. 
lie  was  very  tall  and  thin,  and  dressed  very  plainly.  He 
wore  a  suit  of  plain  black  cloth,  and  common  yarn  stock- 
ings, which  fitted  tightly  to  his  legs,  and  showed  how 
thin  they  were.  He  was  a  very  great  walker,  and  would 
often  walk  out  to  his  farm,  which  was  several  miles  from 
Richmond,  where  he  lived,  and  back,  without  thinking  of 
ordering  his  carriage.  But  sometimes  he  went  on  horse- 
back;  and  old  Bishop  Meade  said  he  met  him  one  day 
lidinir  out  to  his  farm  with  a  bag  of  clover-seed  on  the 
saddle  before  him. 

His  manners  were  simple  and  friendly,  and  he  liked  to 
talk  about  evcry-day  matters  with  plain  country  people, 
and  laugh  and  jest  with  them.  As  to  this  poorly  dressed 
man  being  the  great  Chief-justice  Marshall,  it  was  hard  to 
make  a  stranger  believe  such  a  thing.  He  never  seemed 
to  remember  that  he  was  a  great  man  at  all,  and  played 
games  of  "quoits"  with  his  coat  off"  at  Buchanan's  Spring, 
near  Richmond,  as  full  of  fun  as  a  boy,  and  ready  to  laugh 
with  everybody.  In  a  word,  he  was  so  great  a  man  tliat 
he  was  plain  and  simple,  and  I  will  wind  up  my  little  talk 
about  him  with  an  anecdote  or  so  which  will  show  you 
this. 

At  that  time  it  was  the  fashion  among  the  gentlemen 
of  Richmond  to  walk  to  market  early  in  the  morning,  and 
buy  fresh  meats  and  vegetables  for  their  family  dinners. 
This  was  a  good  old  fashion  ;  and  some  fimous  old  gentle- 
men— among  them  the  distinguished  ] benjamin  Wat  kins 
I.eigh,  whom  I  knew  and  loved — used  to  do  so  to  the  end 
of  their  lives.  It  was  the  iiabit  of  .Judge  Marshall,  and 
very  often  he  took  no  servant  with  him.  He  wouI<l  buy 
what  he  wanted,  and  return  lionic  with  his  "marketing;" 
:ind  on  one  of  these  occasions  the  little  incident  I  will 
speak  of  took  place. 


262  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

Judge  Marshall  had  gone  to  market  and  made  his  pur- 
chases, when,  just  as  he  was  going  home,  he  heard  some- 
body swearing  angrily  not  far  from  him.  He  turned  round 
and  saw  what  the  hubbub  was  about.  A  finely  dressed 
young  manj  who  seemed  to  be  a  stranger,  had  come  to 
market  and  bought  a  turkey.  He  then  looked  round  for 
some  one  to  take  it  home;  but  as  no  one  could  be  found, 
he  grew  angry,  and  began  to  curse  and  swear.  Judge 
Marshall  listened,  and  stepping  up  to  him  asked,  politely, 
"  Where  do  you  live,  sir  ?" 

The  young  man  looked  at  the  plainly  dressed  old  coun- 
tryman, as  he  supposed,  and  told  him  where  he  lived. 

"That  is  my  way,"  said  Judge  Marshall,  with  a  smile, 
"and  I  will  take  it  for  you." 

The  young  man  handed  him  the  turkey  and  left  the 
market,  followed  by  Judge  Marshall,  and  they  soon  reach- 
ed the  house  where  the  former  lived.  Marshall  then  po- 
litely handed  him  the  turkey,  and  turned  to  go. 

"  What  shall  I  ])ay  you  ?"  said  the  young  man, 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  replied  Marshall ;  "  you  are  welcome.  It 
was  on  my  way,  and  no  trouble."  With  which  he  bowed 
and  walked  on,  while  the  young  man  looked  after  him 
with  a  puzzled  expression.  Pie  had,  no  doubt,  begun  to 
think  that  he  had  made  some  mistake;  and,  as  a  citizen 
was  passing,  he  said,  pointing  after  Marshall, 

"Who  is  that  polite  old  gentleman  who  brought  home 
my  turkey  for  me  ?" 

"That  is  John  Marshall,  Chief-justice  of  the  United 
States,"  replied  the  citizen. 

The  young  man  was  perfectly  astounded,  and  exclaimed, 
"But  why  did  he  bring  home  my  turkey  V" 

"To  give  you  a  reprimand,  and  learn  yon  to  attend  to 
your  own  business  !"  replied  the  citizen,  walking  off. 

This  little  anecdote  will  show  you  the  character  of  John 


JOHN"    SIAESIIALL,  THE    CHIEF-JUSTICE.  263 

Marshall ;  but  I  do  not  believe  that  he  brought  home  the 
young  man's  turkey  to  "  give  him  a  reprimand."  Anoth- 
er person  might  have  done  so,  but  John  Marshall  never 
seemed  to  have  any  desire  to  reprimand  people.  He  was 
too  sweet-tempered  and  kindly  to  take  pleasure  in  doing 
so,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  carried  the  turkey  from  a 
pure  wish  to  be  obliging. 

III. 

I  might  tell  you  more  stories — how,  among  other  things, 
he  once  met  an  old  army  comrade,  who  said  he  would  be 
ruined  unless  he  could  get  three  thousand  dollars,  when 
Marshall  privately  left  a  check  for  the  amount  to  bo 
handed  to  him,  and  then  rode  away  to  escape  his  thanks. 
Tliese  anecdotes  you  will  read  some  day,  but  those  I  have 
related  will  give  you  a  true  idea  of  this  great  man,  and 
show  bow  simple  and  unpretending  he  was,  as  all  really 
great  men  are. 

He  did  nothing  "for  clTect,"  as  the  phrase  is,  and  nev- 
er seemed  to  feel  that  he  was  greater  than  the  very  hum- 
blest countryman  of  his  acquaintance;  and  this  was  all 
the  stranger,  if  you  remember  what  I  said  about  the  pub- 
lic opinion  of  him.  The  greatest  judges  of  the  United 
States  at  Washington  looked  up  to  him  as  their  superior; 
and  whenever  he  passed,  men  took  off  their  hats,  to  show 
their  respect  for  him.  But  this  did  not  have  any  effect 
upon  him.  He  was  the  same  simple  old  gentleman,  with 
his  friendly  smile,  ready  to  chat  with  anybody  or  do  them 
a  kindness,  and  just  as  devoted  a  Chiistian  too,  which 
was  more  than  all,  and  as  liumble  before  God  as  the 
humblest, 

I  said  that  I  had  no  time  to  relate  other  anecdotes  of 
.John  ^larshall,  but  I  cannot  pass  over  ouc  referring  to 
tiis  faith  in  Christianity. 


264 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINIOJ!f. 


One  day  an  old  gentleman  was  seen  to  drive  up  to  a  tav- 
ern in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  in  a  shabby  one-horse  gig, 
the  shafts  of  which  were  broken,  and  tied  together  with 
hickory  bark.  He  was  a  plain-looking  old  man,  and  wore 
common  yarn  stockings,  and  when  he  went  in  and  sat 
down,  nobody  took  any  notice  of  him.  In  the  tavern  were 
some  young  lawyers,  and  as  night  came  on  they  got  into 
an  argument  about  the  truth  of  Christianity,  one  of  them 
sneering  at  it,  and  another  speaking  in  favor  of  it.  All 
this  time  the  old  man  in  the  yarn  stockings  had  been  sit- 


OLD   TAVERN. 


ting  in  a  corner,  smiling  and  listening,  until  at  last  they 
were  tired  out.  They  laughed,  and  gave  up  the  argu- 
ment; but  one  of  them  turned  round  and  said, 

"  Well,  old  gentleman,  what  think  you  of  these  things  ?" 
They  all  turned  round  and  looked  at  him,  expecting, 
probably,  that  he  would  have  nothing  to  say.  Never  were 
any  persons  more  mistaken.  The  old  gentleman  began 
quietly,  and  went  on  for  nearly  an  hour  without  stop- 
ping. What  he  said  was  all  in  favor  of  the  truth  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  his  arguments  were  so  powerful 
that  the  young  lawyers  listened  in  perfect  amazement. 
If  a  streak  of  lightning  had  flashed  before  them,  one  of 


JOHN    MARSHALL,  THE    CHIEF-JUSTICE.  265 

them  afterward  said,  they  could  not  have  been  more  star- 
tled than  by  hearing  such  grand  reasoning  from  such  a 
plain-looking  old  countryman.  They  were  all  keen  law- 
yers, but  they  felt  that  this  old  stranger  was  their  master. 
And  another  of  them  said  that  to  try  to  describe  his  lan- 
guage would  be  like  attempting  to  paint  the  beams  of  the 
sun.  At  last  he  finished,  and,  with  a  smile  on  his  lips, 
retired;  and  then  everybody  was  anxious  to  find  who 
this  wonderful  old  countryman,  with  the  shabby  coat 
and  yarn  stockings,  could  be.  This  they  soon  discovered. 
He  was  John  Marshall,  the  Chief-justice  of  the  United 
States. 

I  have  told  you  this  anecdote  because  I  wish  you  to 
see  that  the  greatest  intellects  are  the  first  to  bow  their 
heads  before  tlie  majesty  of  Christianity.  It  is  well  to  re- 
member this,  when  we  find  so  many  people  of  weak  minds 
sneering  at  holy  things.  John  Marshall's  mind  was  one  of 
the  greatest  and  strongest  that  man  ever  had,  and  he  was 
an  humble  believer,  if  the  young  lawyers  were  not.  He 
was  such  to  the  day  of  his  death,  and  never  went  to  bed 
at  night  without  kneeling  down  and  saying  the  Lord's 
Player,  and  the  old  verse  which  his  mother  had  tauo^ht 
him : 

"  Now  I  liiy  me  down  to  sleep, 

I  pr.iy  llie  Lord  my  soul  to  keep : 

If  I  sliaiiid  (lie  before  I  wake, 

I  ])iMy  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take — 

And  tills  I  ask  for  Jesus'  sake." 

'fills  is  all  I  have  to  tell  you  about  the  great  .lului  Mnv- 
bliall.  It  is  not  very  much,  and  I  might  say  a  great  deal 
more,  but  you  must  have  a  good  idea  of  him,  and  see  what 
sort  of  person  he  was.  There  never  was  a  finer  example 
of  our  good  old  Virginia  country  stock  of  people,  which 
gave  80  many  great  men  to  the  land  we  live  in.     He  was 

12 


266  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD   DOMINION. 

honest,  brave,  sira2:)le- minded,  and  had  a  vast  intellect. 
You  may  not  have  an  intellect  like  his — few  human  be- 
ings ever  had — but  you  can  imitate  his  sweet  temper  and 
good  heart.  He  lived  before  my  time,  but  I  know  a  great 
deal  about  him,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  he  valued  good- 
ness for  above  any  mere  strength  of  mind. 


'1 


JOHX  RANDOLPH  OF  KOANOKE. 


2G7 


JOHN  RANDOLPH  OF  ROANOKE. 

I. 

One  morning,  many  years  since,  I  visited  an  old  liouse 
called  "Matoax,"  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Appomattox 


^"^^ 


JtlllN    IIANUOLrll. 


llivpr,  near  Petersburg,  and  spent  some  time  thinking, 
Iteside  a  time-worn  slab  of  marble,  under  a  chinip  <»! 
trees  not  far  from  the  river.  It  was  a  beautiful  spot,  an<l 
the  tall  trees  waved  in  tli(>  wind  ab»)ve  the  marble  tomb- 


268  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

stone,  which  was  nearly  sunk  in  the  grass ;  and,  looking 
at  the  stone,  I  thought  of  the  time  when  the  great  orator, 
John  Randolph  of  Roanoke,  came  there  one  day  and  cried 
beside  it,  for  it  was  the  grave  of  his  mother. 

As  I  have  said  in  the  case  of  John  Marshall,  it  is  hard 
to  leave  out  of  my  stories  any  celebrated  Virginians  who 
were  connected  in  any  manner  with  the  days  of  the  Revo- 
lution. John  Randolph  Avas  one  of  the  most  famous  men 
who  ever  lived  in  the  old  Commonwealth,  and  knew  Jef- 
ferson well,  and  made  his  first  public  speech  in  reply  to 
Patrick  Henry's  last;  and  so  I  will  now  tell  you  a  few  in- 
cidents of  his  life,  which  was  remarkable,  and  even  splen- 
did, although  not  happy. 

Many  of  the  celebrated  men  we  liave  talked  of  were  of 
plain  origin,  and  began  life  poor;  but  John  Randolph  was 
rich,  and  belonged  to  an  old  and  iniiuential  family.  He 
was  therefore  never  called  upon  to  struggle  with  poverty, 
like  Patrick  Henry  and  others,  and  raise  himself  from  a 
low  station  by  the  strength  of  his  talents.  He  was  born 
to  a  good  estate,  and  bore  a  distinguished  name;  but,  as 
you  will  see,  neither  of  these  two  things  can  make  a  man 
happy. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  visit  I  paid  to  the  old  liouse, 
"Matoax,"  which  was  one  of  the  names  of  Pocahontas, 
from  whom  John  Randolph  was  descended.  This  was  his 
father's  house,  but  he  was  born  at  "  Cawsons,"  the  resi- 
dence of  his  mother's  father.  Mi-.  Bland,  in  the  year  lYVS, 
just  after  the  marriage  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  his 
cousin,  Cawsons  stood  near  the  mouth  of  the  Appomat- 
tox River,  below  Petersburg,  and  here  he  passed  many 
hours  of  his  ehildhoo.d  with  his  beautiful  dark-eyed  moth- 
ei-,  Frances  Bland  Randolph.  She  became  a  widow  before 
he  could  remember  his  father,  and  this  pious  Virginia 
mother  instilled  into  her  child   all  the  best  and  purest 


JUUN     UANUULrU    OF    ItUA^OKE.  2(39 

principles  and  feelings  of  his  after-life.  Up  to  the  age  of 
fifteen  nothing  of  interest  occurred  to  young  John  Ran- 
dolph, except  a  visit  to  the  beautiful  Bermuda  Islands,  in 
the  midst  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  where  he  read  Shakspeare's 
"Tempest,"  and  no  doubt  thought  of  the  little  winged 
spirit  of  tlie  air,  Ariel,  who  is  one  of  the  characters  in  that 
drama.  But  he  soon  came  home,  and  was  sent  to  school, 
from  which  he  suddenly  came  back  on  hearing  of  his 
mother's  death. 

The  death  of  his  mother  was  a  dreadful  blow  to  poor 
young  John  Randol[)h.  lie  loved  her  with  the  deepest 
tenderness;  and  now,  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen,  he  came 
back  to  his  old  home,  to  find  that  he  would  never  again 
see  the  face  which  was  dearer  to  him  than  everything  in 
the  world  besides.  There  was  no  pretence  at  all  in  this 
fond  love,  or  any  wish  to  make  it  out  greater  than  it  was, 
in  order  to  have  himself  looked  upon  as  a  tendpr-hearted 
person.  .hAin  Randolph  was  not  at  all  tender-hearted  to- 
ward the  world  in  general,  and  never  tried  to  gain  peo- 
ple's good  opinion  by  pretending  to  anything;  he  was 
far  too  proud,  and  indilferent  to  what  was  thought  of  him, 
fur  that.  Wiion  he  spoke  to  his  few  warm  friends  of  his 
\()\ii  for  his  mother,  he  was  in  earnest,  and  he  never  for- 
got her  to  the  last  day  of  his  life. 

When  he  was  an  old  gray-headed  man,  lonely,  sick,  and 
nearly  out  of  his  mind,  he  crossed  .lames  Ilivcr  one  day  in 
a  boat,  with  the  spray  dashing  over  iiim,  to  Cawsons,  and 
stood  for  a  long  time  in  silence,  looking  at  the  old  spot 
where  he  had  played  with  his  brothers  when  he  was  a 
little  child.  'J'iierc!  was  the  same  old  liouso  where  he  once 
ran,  laughing,  to  tell  his  mother  some  childish  trille— that 
he  ha<l  found  a  bird's-ncst,  ])erha|)s,  or  that  tlic  liul  icrcups 
were  in  bloom — and  where  he  had  knelt  wilh  his  iicad  on 
her  knees,  with  her  arms  around  liini  and  hci-  head  bend- 


270  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

ing  fondly  over  him,  to  repeat  "the  Lord's  Prayer  and 
the  Ten  Commandments,"  which  he  said  she  taught  him. 
There  was  every  familiar  scene  in  which  he  had  passed 
his  happy  childhood ;  but  his  mother  was  long  dead,  and 
he  was  only  a  poor,  old,  unhappy,  famous  man  ! 

You  see  I  am  trying  to  tell  you  about  the  feelings  of 
John  Randolph,  and  show  you  what  his  real  character 
was,  as  I  have  tried  to  do  when  speaking  of  other  cele- 
brated people.  Many  persons  who  hated  him  because  he 
was  so  bitter  against  them,  and  made  people  laugh  at 
them  by  his  terrible  tongue,  said  that  he  had  wo  feeling  at 
all,  and  never  had  had  any.  But  that  was  a  very  great 
injustice.  Like  many  other  poor  huaian  beings,  he  was 
made  gloomy  and  bitter  by  disease  and  trouble ;  but  no 
man  that  loves  his  mother  faithfully,  and  thinks  of  her 
with  deep  tenderness  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life,  can  be 
truly  said  to  be  without  feeling,  or  really  bad. 

After  his  mother's  death,  John  Randolph  was  never  like 
the  same  person,  and  other  troubles  soon  came.  These 
were  not  money  troubles,  for  he  was  quite  rich,  as  I  have 
said  ;  they  arose  from  disappointment  in  connection  with 
a  young  lady.  This  lady  was  a  beauty,  and  had  some- 
.  thing  about  her  which  attracted  everybody.  John  Ran- 
dolph met  her  when  they  were  both  children  and  the 
British  invaded  Virginia,  under  Lord  Cornwallis,  of  which 
I  will  soon  tell  you.  As  Cornwallis  was  marching  to- 
ward Petersburg,  and  "Matoax"  was  very  near  it,  the 
family  hastened  away,  and  stopped  for  the  night  at  the 
house  of  a  friend  of  theirs.  He  was  the  father  of  the 
young  lady  I  have  mentioned,  and  here  the  children  be- 
came acquainted;  and  when  John  Randolph  grew  to 
be  a  young  man,  he  became  deeply  attached  to  her  and 
wished  to  marry  her.  The  marriage  never  took  place 
for  some  reason,  and  the  disappointment  Avas  a  terrible 


JOHN  KANDOLPH  OF  KOANOKE.  271 

one  to  the  youth.  He  never  got  over  it,  and  uever  mar- 
ried any  one,  and  this  made  him  more  and  more  un- 
liappy.  You  may  think  it  was  unreasonable  in  hiaa  to 
let  it  trouble  him  so  much,  and  perliaps  it  was.  But 
he  said  himself  that  he  was  always  "  thin-skinned,"  and 
small  matters  troubled  bira ;  and  so  poor  young  John 
Randolph  moped  and  brooded,  scarcely  knowing  what  he 
would  do. 

At  last  he  determined  to  try  whether  he  could  not  serve 
his  country  in  Congress.  He  was  a  large  landholder,  and 
at  that  time  it  was  considered  that  men  of  this  sort  were 
better  for  public  place,  as  there  was  no  reason  why  they 
should  use  their  offices  to  make  money.  So  young  John 
Randolph  "ran  for  Congress,"  as  the  phrase  is,  in  Char- 
lotte and  other  counties  about  the  time  when  lie  was 
twenty-five  years  old. 

ir. 

I  must  say  a  few  words  about  the  occasion  of  his  first 
speech,  as  it  was  quite  a  remarkable  one.  It  was  in  the 
year  1799,  the  last  year  of  the  century,  and  Patrick  Henry 
made  his  last  speech  on  the  same  day  that  John  liandolph 
made  his  first.  They  were  not  opposed  to  each  other  to 
win  the  same  office,  for  Patrick  Henry  was  "running"  for 
the  Virginia  Legislature,  where  "Washington  wished  him 
to  go  and  speak  against  some  famous  laws,  called  the 
"Resolutions  of  '98,"  while  John  Randolph  was  a  candi- 
date for  Congress. 

It  was  Charlotte  County  court  day,  and  a  great  crowd 
had  assembled.  Everybody  came  to  hear  Pati'ick  Henry, 
who  was  now  old  and  celebrated,  and  he  mounted  the 
platform  and  made  them  a  great  speech.  He  was  not  the 
same  Patrick  Hciiiy  who  h.nl  made  the  fiery  speeches  at 
Williamsbm-g  and  Richmond  before  the  Revolution.  He 
was  nearly  seventy,  and  his  form  was  bowed  with  age; 


272  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

but  he  soon  began  to  kindle,  and  spoke  Avitb  as  splendid 
an  eloquence  as  ever.  The  crowd  shouted  and  hurrahed, 
and  when  he  finished  seemed  ready  to  carry  hifn  on  their 
shoulders,  as  they  had  done  in  Hanover  after  liis  speech 
against  tlie  parsons.  One  of  them  exclaimed,  "The  sun 
has  set  in  all  its  glory  !" — meaning  the  fome  of  Patrick 
Henry ;  and  when,  a  few  moments  afterward,  a  boyish- 
looking  young  fellow  mounted  the  same  platform  to  speak, 
they  were  ready  to  hiss  him,  and  turn  their  backs  at  his 
presumption  in  daring  to  address  them  after  Patrick  Henry. 

The  youth  was  John  Randolph.  He  was  a  mere  strip- 
ling, with  a  smooth  rosy  face,  smiling  lips,  and  "  remark- 
able for  his  beauty,"  it  is  said,  by  those  who  saw  him.  He 
began  in  a  thin,  shrill  voice,  which  made  everybody  laugh  ; 
but  he  did  not  mind  that,  and  went  on  speaking  in  the 
same  voice.  What  made  matters  worse  was  that  he  was 
denying  the  truth  of  every  argument  of  Patrick  Henry's, 
and  this  excited  stroncj  indiojnation  in  those  who  listened. 
But  he  did  not  seem  to  care.  The  shrill  voice  did  not  fal- 
ter ;  it  seemed  to  pierce  every  ear  to  the  farthest  skirts 
of  the  crowd,  and  they  were  forced  to  listen  to  him,  wheth- 
er they  would  or  not.  At  last  he  stopped  and  came  down 
from  the  platform,  and  there  in  the  crowd  was  Patrick 
Henry.  The  old  man  came  up  to  young  Randolph  and 
put  his  hands  upon  his  head. 

"  Keep  faith  and  honor,  my  son  !"  said  Patrick  Henry, 
as  if  he  foresaw  how  famous  the  youth  would  become; 
and  thus  ended  what  has  always  seemed  to  me  a  very 
striking  incident.  It  was  the  old  Avorld  and  the  new 
standing  face  to  face — the  gray-haired  "man  of  the  peo- 
ple" about  to  die,  and  the  beardless  young  "aristocrat" 
just  beginning  life.  As  the  old  man's  sun  was  setting,  the 
young  man's  was  just  rising;  and  the  words  of  Patrick 
Henry  were  worthy  of  his  noble  character. 


JOHX    RAXDOLPH    OF    ROANOKE.  273 

They  -were  botli  elected,  but  Patrick  Henry's  sun  liad 
set.  He  never  took  his  seat,  and  soon  afterward  died — the 
greatest  orator  the  Western  workl  has  produced. 

III. 

I  cannot  tell  you  all  about  John  Randolph's  long  and 
remarkable  life.  He  ran  a  famous  and  splendid  careei-, 
and  attracted  the  attention  of  the  whole  country  by  his 
wonderful  oratory,  wiiicli  Avas  so  sharp  and  bitter  that 
men  liated  him,  and  spoke  ill  of  him  very  often  when  he 
did  not  deserve  it.  But  all  this  would  lead  us  far  into 
this  century,  and  you  know.  I  am  only  telling  you  stories 
of  "old  times,"  and  the  great  men  of  the  far  past.  I  will, 
therefore,  only  say  that  John  Randolph  became  fonious, 
and  was  minister  to  Russia,  and  remained  in  public  life 
for  thirty  years  or  more,  and  from  first  to  last  loved  Vw- 
ginia,  and  defended  her  against  every  one. 

Instead  of  speaking  of  all  this,  which  you  will  read 
about  for  yourselves  some  of  these  days,  I  will  pass  over 
the  whole  of  it,  and  tell  you  how  John  Randolph  appeared 
and  acted  as  an  old  man. 

This  I  can  do  easily  from  what  I  have  read  of  him,  atid 
also  from  what  my  father  told  me  about  him.  There  was 
a  great  convention  in  Virginia,  of  which  both  were  mem- 
bers; and  as  he  and  my  father  diilcred  in  opinion  about 
many  things,  they  often  sjjoke  against  each  other,  and 
knew  each  other  well.  So,  although  I  never  saw  him,  I 
can  descril)c  his  a]»pearance  and  chai'acter,  which  were 
very  ditVerent  from  what  they  were  when  he  was  yotnif/ 
•John  Randolph. 

I  have  told  you  that  when  he  was  youthful  he  was  re- 
markable for  Iiis  beauty,  and  his  ])ortrait,  which  was  taken 
by  a  famous  i)ainter  of  tliat  time,  shows  that  he  certainly 
was.     The  cheeks  in  the  picture  arc  rosy,  and  the  eyes 

12* 


274  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION, 

bright  and  happy.  His  hair  is  parted  in  the  middle,  and 
very  soft  and  silky.  He  looks,  indeed,  like  a  sweet-tem- 
pered, happy  young  fellow,  ready  to  love  everybody  and 
to  make  himself  beloved  by  them ;  and  it  is  hard  indeed 
to  believe  that  the  portrait  was  ever  like  him,  as  it  real- 
ly was. 

The  "Virginia  Convention"  I  have  mentioned  took 
place  in  the  year  1829,  and  it  is  said  to  have  had  more 
famous  men  in  it  than  any  other  body  which  ever  sat  in 
the  United  States.  I  need  only  tell  you  that  its  object 
was  to  make  a  new  Constitution  for  Virginia;  and  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State  and  that  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge 
Mountains  were  opposed  to  each  other.  The  Valley  and 
Western  Virginia  came  to  ask  for  more  votes  in  the  gov- 
ernment, and  John  Randolph  said  he  came  to  the  Conven- 
tion to  say  "  No  "  to  everything. 

He  was  a  remarkable  sight  as  he  sat  in  the  Capitol — 
very  different,  as  you  will  see,  from  the  young  John  Ran- 
dolph of  the  portrait.  He  was  now  an  old,  stooping  man, 
with  thin  gray  hair,  and  a  sallow  face,  worn  by  pain  and 
suffering.  His  health  was  very  bad,  and  his  mind  dis- 
eased, some  people  said  ;  but  his  sharp  black  eyes,  which 
were  deeply  sunken  in  his  head,  did  not  seem  to  show 
that  he  had  lost  any  of  his  power  of  mind ;  and  when  he 
rose  to  speak,  people  could  see  that  he  was  as  brilliant  as 
ever.  He  did  not  speak  much.  He  generally  sat  quiet, 
holding  a  large  walking-stick  in  his  hand,  and  passing  his 
hands  up  and  down  it,  looking  keenly  all  the  time  at  any- 
body who  was  speaking.  But  at  last  one  day  the  people 
of  Richmond  were  seen  running  through  the  streets  to- 
ward the  Capitol.  They  hastened  on  as  if  they  were  go- 
ing to  a  fire ;  and  when  a  stranger  asked  what  the  matter 
was,  one  of  them  exclaimed, 

"John  Randolph  is  speaking!" 


JOHX    RANDOLPlt  OF    KOAXOKE.  275 

There  he  was  on  his  feet,  indeed,  with  every  one  listen- 
ini;-  in  silence,  and  the  crowd  at  the  doors  and  in  the  gal- 
leries growing  every  moment  larger.  lie  was  the  queer- 
est-looking figure  you  can  possibly  imagine.  He  wore  an 
old  cloak,  and  his  cap,  with  a  straight  brim,  was  on  the 
desk  by  him.  His  slender  legs  were  clad  in  silk  stock- 
ings, and  his  long,  sharp  forefinger  M'as  stretched  straight 
out,  pointing  before  him,  as  he  went  on,  in  his  high,  shrill 
voice,  to  address  the  Convention.  Nobody  ever  before 
heard  such  a  voice.  It  was  more  like  a  woman's  than  a 
man's,  but  was  clear  and  sweet,  in  spite  of  its  shrillness. 
Every  word  was  distinct  and  deliberate,  and  heard  by  all ; 
and  the  long  forefinger  seemed  to  point  every  sentence 
which  he  nttered. 

You  know  how  he  looked  now  in  tliat  famous  old  Con- 
vention, where  he  had  come  to  say  "  No  "  to  everything. 
He  did  not  wish  the  old  Constitution  to  be  changed ;  and, 
in  fact,  he  never  wished  anything  concerning  old  Virginia 
to  be  altered.  All  his  life  he  had  loved  Virginia  with 
his  whole  heart  and  soul — her  old  times,  old  habits,  old 
manners,  and  old  glory.  He  could  not  bear  to  think  that 
these  would  ever  be  changed  in  the  least;  and  in  his  feel- 
ings he  might  be  compared  to  tlie  famous  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots.  She  came  from  France,  you  know,  and  said  one 
day  that  if  people  opened  her  heart  when  she  died  they 
would  find  "France"  written  on  it.  Well,  I  think  if  ])co- 
ple  Inid  opened  the  licart  of  John  IJandoIph  they  wouhl 
liave  found  "Virginia"  written  on  his. 

TV. 

I  must  end  my  story,  Avhich  is  cari-ying  ns  too  lar.  I 
tliouglit  you  would  be  interested  in  tliis  strange  man.  He 
was  not  a  happy  man.  His  distress  at  his  mf)t]ier'.s  death, 
and  ilicii  liis  disappointment  with  the  young  lady  whom 


276  STOKIES    OF    THK    OLD    DOMIXIOX. 

he  wished  to  marry,  made  him  gloomy.  His  temper  be- 
came irritable  uuder  all  these  trials,  and  his  tongue  was 
fearfully  sharp  against  people  whom  he  did  not  like.  It 
seemed  to  cut  like  a  knife,  and  everybody  became  afraid 
of  him.  They  wondered  at  his  brilliant  eloquence,  but 
hated  him  for  liis  ill-nature;  and  this  will  show  you  how 
ill-advised  it  is  to  indulsje  such  feelino;s.  No  one  likes  a 
person  who  is  always  saying  unkind  things,  and  few  peo- 
ple had  any  personal  regard  for  John  Randolph  besides 
liis  intimate  friends.  These  knew  that  he  had  very  warm 
feelings,  and  they  loved  him  deeply,  and  he  loved  them ; 
but  all  the  rest  of  the  world  feared  him,  or  looked  upon 
him  with  astonishment. 

At  last  his  mind  gave  way — I  do  not  mean  tliat  he  lost 
it,  but  the  bright  sun  was  overclouded,  and  he  was  like  a 
great  slnp  beating  on  the  breakers.  But  to  the  last  he 
was  a  very  great  man  in  the  eyes  of  the  Virginia  people. 
He  was  looked  upon  as  a  mighty  ruin,  whicli  might  not 
be  what  it  once  was,  but  still  was  grand  and  majestic, 
even  in  its  decay.  At  length  he  passed  away,  and  was 
buried  on  his  farm,  called  "  Roanoke,"  in  Virginia,  under 
two  great  trees,  and  there  the  ashes  of  this  remarkable 
man  now  rest. 

As  I  have  said  more  than  once,  the  main  object  of  my 
stories  is  to  set  before  you  high  examples.  This  great 
man  is  not  one  of  them.  He  allowed  bitter  feelings  to 
carry  liim  away,  and  was  much  more  ready  to  frown  than 
to  smile  on  his  fellow-men.  He  ouglit  to  have  remem- 
bered that  it  is  a  far  more  beautiful  thing  to  love  than  to 
hate,  and  that  kindness  and  charity  are  better  than  the 
most  splendid  genius  if  it  is  only  used  to  wound  the  feel- 
ings of  others. 

Still,  John  Randolpli  had  noble  traits.  He  loved  his 
native  State  and  his  friends  dearly,  and  was  open-handed 


JOHN    KANUOLPII    Oh'    KOAXOKK.  277 

and  generous.  His  black  slaves  were  tenderly  attached 
to  him  and  he  to  them,  and  by  his  will  he  gave  them  their 
freedom,  and  means  to  live.  We  must  not  do  as  he  often 
did — that  is,  look  on  the  dark  side — but  remember  that  he 
had  much  to  try  him  and  make  him  irritable  and  bitter. 
I  have  heard  his  old  friends  speak  of  him,  and  read  many 
of  his  letters  which  have  never  been  published,  and  vis- 
ited the  spots  where  he  had  his  troubles,  and  I  cannot 
feel  other  than  kindly  toward  this  great  unhap|)y  man. 
The  old  house  is  still  standing  where  he  visited  the  young 
lady  who  refused  to  marry  him,  and  I  have  often  seen  her 
name,  cut  with  a  diamond  ring  on  a  window-pane  there. 
In  the  room  are  two  pictures  of  her,  one  when  slie  was  a 
little  girl,  with  her  hair  on  her  shoulders,  and  the  other 
wlien  she  was  a  middle-aged  lady,  with  a  veil  over  her 
forehead.  It  was  curious  to  think  th.at  the  young  people 
met  here  so  long  ago,  and  how  unha])py  young  John  Ran- 
dolph must  have  looked  as  he  went  away  down  the  old 
steps  to  where  his  horse  was  tied  and  rode  away. 

I  have  mentioned  my  visit  to  "  Matoax,"  near  Peters- 
burg, where  his  father  and  mother  were  buried.  lie  used 
to  go  there  when  he  was  an  old  man,  and  lean  his  face 
down  in  the  grass  and  cry.  It  was  pitiful  to  imagine  tliat 
scene  as  I  stood  by  tlie  grave  under  the  old  trees;  an<l  I 
think  everybody  wlio  snjyposes  that  John  IJandolph  was 
only  bitter  and  liateful,  ouglit  to  do  as  I  did,  that  is,  go  to 
the  spot  where  he  thus  shed  tears  over  the  grave  of  his 
inutile  r. 


278  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


.RO  SEW  ELL,  AND   SELIM  THE  ALGERINE. 

I. 

As  we  go  on  with  our  stories  we  often  meet,  you  know, 
with  persons  who  have  already  been  mentioned  in  former 
talks,  and  find  them  playing  their  parts  in  other  incidents. 

One  of  the  persons  thus  spoken  of  was  a  young  Mr, 
John  Page,  you  remember,  perhaps,  to  whom  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson Avrote  the  letters  from  Williamsburg  about  "Belin- 
da," and  dancing  with  her  in  the  "Apollo,"  when  they  were 
all  young  people.  As  time  wore  on,  they  all  became  staid 
men  and  women ;  and  this  John  Page  was  first  a  delegate 
to  the  General  Congress,  then  Governor  of  Virginia,  and 
throughout  his  life  an  excellent,  pious  man,  whom  every 
one  loved  and  respected.  He  lived*  at  a  house  called 
"Kosewell,"  on  York  River,  not  far  from  the  spot  where 
Pocahontas  rescued  Captain  Smith,  and  this  house,  which 
is  still  standing,  was  a  very  large  and  fine  one. 

It  was  built  on  a  liill  not  far  from  the  river,  and,  people 
say,  was  the  largest  in  all  Virginia  at  that  time.  The 
rooms  had  lofty  ceilings,  and  the  mantel-pieces  were  of 
fine  marble.  The  staircases  and  pillars  were  carved  into 
leaves  and  bunches  of  grapes,  and  on  top  of  the  house 
there  was  a  flat  space,  covered  with  lead,  from  which  you 
could  look  up  and  down  the  broad  York  River  for  miles 
and  miles.  On  this  high  platform  it  is  said  that  Governor 
Page  and  Thomas  Jefterson  used  to  sit  in  the  evening 
and  talk  about  religious  matters  while  looking  out  upon 
the  river,  where  white-sailed  ships  were  passing,  either  up 
the  broad  current  or  down  toward  the  sea. 


ROSEAVELL,  AND    SELIM    THE    ALUERIXE.  279 


It  is  an  interesting  old  place,  and  was  built  a  long  time 
ago.  How  it  came  by  its  name  is  not  exactly  known,  but 
two  explanations  are  given  of  it.  Down  the  hill,  not  far 
fi'om  the  house,  there  was  a  fountain  which  bubbled  up  in 
a  marble  basin,  and  the  path  to  this  led  through  a  double 
row  of  fine  cedar-trees,  while  a  shady  patli  ran  beyond, 
called  "The  Lovers'  Walk."  All  around  were  multitudes 
of  flowers,  especially  roses,  and  the  place,  it  is  said,  "was 
called  Rose  Well,  or  fountain,  for  that  reason.  Others  say 
that  the  name  was  given  to  it  because  a  little  girl  called 
Rose  Page,  a  daughter  of  the  owner,  loved  the  well  or 
fountain,  so  the  house  was  called  Rose  Well  after  her. 
But,  whetlier  or  no,  that  was  the  name  of  it ;  and  liere 
John  Page,  Jefierson's  old  friend,  lived  with  his  wife  and 
children  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  greatly  respected 
by  everybody,  and  entertaining  a  great  deal  of  company, 
who  loved  to  come  to  the  hospitable  old  place. 

These  guests  were  always  met  in  the  kindest  manner; 
but  what  surprised  them  was  to  see  a  very  singular-look- 
ing person  who  came  in  and  out,  as  if  he  was  entirely  at 
home.  He  was  a  strange  sort  of  old  man,  with  bright, 
])iercing  eyes,  and  long  scattered  locks  of  hair  floating 
down  over  his  forehead  from  beneath  a  straw  liat,  Avhich 
was  tied  on  with  a  check  handkerchief.  Around  his  shoul- 
ders he  wore  a  bright-colored  blanket,  and  on  his  legs  and 
feet  were  leggings  and  moccasins  like  those  Avorn  by  the 
Indians,  made  of  deer-skin.  He  Avandered  around  in  a  cu- 
rious manner,  as  if  he  was  looking  for  something;  and  wlun- 
ever  l)e  met  any  one,  lie  would  Avave  his  liand  and  exclaim, 
"God  save  ye  I"  Altogether  he  Avas  a  singular  sight,  and 
persons  avIio  saw  him  supposed  he  Avas  a  common  lunatic, 
without  sense  or  education.  In  this  they  Avcre  mistaken. 
Ik-  was  a  little  out  of  his  mind,  it  is  true;  but  lie  could 
read  Greek,  and  Hebrew  also,  it  seems,  and  had  more  learn- 


280  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

ing  than  many  who  pitied  him.     His  name  was  Selim,  and 

I  will  now  tell  you  his  stol•3^ 

II. 

Selim  was  first  seen  in  Virginia  about  the  time  of  Gen- 
eral Braddock's  march  to  Fort  Duquesne,  and  he  made  his 
appearance  under  very  unusual  circumstances. 

There  was  a  Avorthy  old  hunter  who  lived  in  Augusta 
County,  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  one  day  he  went  out 
hunting  deer  to  supply  his  family  with  fresh  venison.  It  is 
the  habit  with  deer  to  bound  off  as  soon  as  they  hear  any 
one  approaching,  but  sometimes  they  stand  still  and  watch 
the  persons  who  are  hunting  them,  out  of  their  soft  bright 
eyes,  as  if  curious  to  know  what  they  have  come  for.  On 
this  occasion  the  old  hunter  tramped  on  througli  the 
mountains  for  some  time  without  discovering  any  game, 
but  at  last  he  thought  he  had  certainly  come  on  a  fine 
deer.  Right  in  front  of  him  was  a  fallen  tree,  which  had 
probably  been  uprooted  by  some  storm,  for  the  top  was 
still  bushy,  with  green  leaves  growing  closely  together. 
In  this  bushy  top  the  hunter  now  saw  two  eyes  gleaming. 
He  had  no  doubt  that  they  belonged  to  a  deer  which  was 
hidden  and  looking  at  him ;  so  he  raised  his  rifle,  took  dead 
aim  at  the  eyes  behind  the  leaves,  and  was  about  to  fire. 

All  at  once,  however,  the  eyes  disappeared  from  view, 
and  the  next  moment  there  came  out  from  the  fallen  tree 
one  of  the  strangest-looking  creatures  ever  seen.  It  was 
hard  to  say  at  first  whether  he  was  a  man  or  a  Avild  ani- 
mal. He  was  entirely  naked,  and  covered  all  over  with 
blood.  Plis  body  Avas  hairy,  and  his  head  was  a  mass  of 
elf-locks  tossing  about  his  face.  He  came  toward  tlie  old 
hunter,  who  probably  kept  a  keen  eye  on  him,  thinking 
he  might  be  some  strange  wild  animal;  but  the  poor  thing 
made  signs,  and   muttered   something   in  a  strange  Ian- 


ROSEWELL,  AND    SELIM    THE    ALGEKINE.  2S1 

giiage ;  so  the  hunter  knew  tliat  it  was  a  man.  He  soon 
saw  that  there  was  no  danger,  as  the  wild  man  had  a  very 
pitiful  and  humble  expression  of  countenance.  It  was 
])!ain  that  lie  was  nearly  starved,  from  his  liollow  clieeks 
and  meagre  limbs;  so  the  hunter  went  up  to  him,  and  at 
last  took  him  home  to  his  house. 

The  poor  wild  man  could  not  speak  English,  people 
soon  found,  and  could  give  no  account  of  himself:  besides, 
he  was  evidently  suffering  for  want  of  food  and  clothing, 
and  the  tirst  thing  to  do  was  to  dress  him  and  give  him 
something  to  eat.  This  was  done  by  the  kind  hunter,  and 
the  poor  creature  remained  with  him.  But  pitiful  as  he 
seemed,  it  was  very  soon  plain  that  he  did  not  want  sense. 
He  began  to  read  all  the  books  he  could  find,  and  learn 
English.  In  this  he  made  very  rapid  progress,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  could  speak  the  language  and  tell  who 
lie  was. 

His  story  was  strange  indeed.  His  name  was  Selim,  he 
said,  and  he  was  born  in  Algiers,  a  country  in  the  north 
of  Africa,  on  the  banks  of  the  ^Mediterranean  Sea.  His 
parents  were  wealthy  people,  and  Mohammedans,  like  the 
I'cst  of  the  Algerines,  and  when  he  was  a  youth  he  was 
sent  to  the  city  of  Constantino})le  to  be  educated.  Here 
lie  remained  some  time  studying  languages,  ancient  and 
modern,  until  at  last  his  education  was  nearly  finislied,  and 
lie  set  sail  to  return  to  his  family  in  Algiers.  He  was  not 
destined  to  see  tliem  again,  however,  for  many  a  long  year. 
Spain  was  then  at  war  with  Turkey  or  Algiers,  and  on  the 
way  they  met  a  Spanish  ship,  which  attacked  them,  and 
captured  them.  The  Spanish  ship  tlien  sailed  on,  but  met 
with  a  I'rcncli  vessel  outward  lintiiid.  ()n  this  vessel  Se- 
lim was  placed  with  others,  and  the  ship  crossed  the  ocean, 
and  reached  Xew  Orleans,  in  America. 

Selim's  fate  was  now  iiielanclif)lv,  and  li:ird  to  bear  with 


282  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

patience.  He  had  been  brought  up  in  a  wealthy  home, 
surrounded  by  every  comfort  and  luxury;  but  he  now- 
found  himself  a  slave,  set  to  work  on  a  Louisiana  planta- 
tion. He  had  been  sold  to  the  planter  who  owned  the 
property,  and  he  soon  found  that  he  was  a  cruel  and  bru- 
tal man.  He  was  not  only  made  to  work  like  a  slave,  but 
one  day  his  master  grew  angry  with  him,  and  struck  him 
so  heavy  a  blow  on  the  head  that  it  affected  his  mind,  and 
he  never  afterward  recovered  from  it. 

Good -fortune  seemed  at  length  to  come  to  his  relief. 
He  was  sent  up  the  Mississippi  River,  probably  to  some 
other  plantation,  and  this  removed  him  from  his  cruel 
master.  But  new  troubles  were  coming.  He  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Indians,  and  taken  as  their  prisoner  to  the 
Shawnee  towns,  as  they  were  called,  on  the  Ohio,  where 
he  found  he  was  a  greater  slave  than  ever.  The  Indians 
loaded  him  with  heavy  buidens,  and  kicked  and  cuiFed 
him,  and  nearly  starved  him  ;  so  he  determined,  if  he  could, 
to  escape  from  them.  This  seemed  almost  impossible,  as 
he  was  closely  watched ;  and  even  if  he  succeeded  in  get- 
ting away,  lie  was  so  ignorant  of  the  country  that  the 
chance  was  that  he  would  starve  in  the  woods  before  he 
reached  the  abodes  of  white  people. 

But  at  last  he  determined  to  try.  There  w^as  a  white 
woman  with  the  Indians,  who  was  a  prisoner  like  himself, 
and  she  pitied  the  poor  Algerine,  and  advised  him  what  to 
do.  She  told  him  that  the  Virginia  settlements  were  to- 
ward the  rising  sun,  and  he  had  only  to  travel  straight  in 
that  direction  and  he  would  reach  them.  He  resolved  to 
escape  and  try  the  long  and  toilsome  journey ;  so  he  man- 
aged to  get  away  w'ithout  being  seen  by  the  Indians,  and 
was  soon  in  the  Great  Woods,  going  toward  the  rising  sun. 

All  day  long  he  tramped  on,  keeping  his  eyes  upon  the 
^direction  which  he  supposed  to  be  the  east,  and  after  sleep- 


KOSEAVELL,  A>"D    SELIM    THE    ALGERINE.  283 


ing  in  the  woods,  again  started  on  tlic  next  morning-  to- 
ward the  sunrise.  Very  soon  he  began  to  siitter  from  hun- 
ger, and  knew  not  what  to  do.  His  moccasins  were  worn 
out,  and  his  clothes  torn  to  shreds  by  tlie  thorns  and 
briers  through  which  he  was  obliged  to  force  his  way. 
lie,  however,  struggled  on,  barefooted  and  in  rags,  eating 
berries  and  such  roots  as  he  could  dig,  until  his  rags  were 
entirely  torn  from  him,  and  he  was  almost  starved.  He 
bound  the  last  of  his  rags  around  his  feet  to  protect  them 
from  the  rocks,  and  still  tottered  along,  nearly  dead  with 
hunger,  until  at  last  he  had  sunk  to  the  ground  in  the 
top  of  a  fallen  tree,  and  prepared  to  die.  But  IVovidence 
was  watcliing  over  him.  His  friend,  the  old  hunter,  had 
come ;  lie  was  saved  at  last.  And  that  was  the  poor  fel- 
low's whole  story. 

III. 

Selim  Mas  treated  most  kindly  by  every  one,  and  soon 
made  a  number  of  friends  by  his  kindliness  and  inoffensive 
temper.  Peojjle  saw  that  his  mind  was  affected,  but  lie 
was  far  better  educated  than  most  of  those  around  him, 
and  this  gave  them  a  certain  respect  for  him.  As  he  was 
a  heathen  in  his  religious  belief — for,  as  you  know,  his 
parents  were  followers  of  Mohammed — there  was  a  great 
desire  to  convert  him  to  Christianity;  and  this  conversion 
MOW  occurred  in  a  somewhat  singular  manner. 

Sc'litn  had  a  horse  given  him,  and  one  day  he  rode  with 
his  friend  to  Staunton,  where  court  was  sitting.  As  soon 
as  lie  reached  the  place,  he  was  seen  to  stop  suddenly  and 
look  at  a  i)erson  in  the  crowd  with  great  intentness.  This 
person  was  the  Kev.  Mr.  Craig,  a  Presbyterian  minister; 
and  Selim  went  and  spoke  to  iiim,  and  said  he  wished  to 
go  home  with  him.  <  )|'  course  this  very  much  surprised 
Ml'.  Craig,  but  he  at  once  rejdied  that  he  would  lie  very 
glad  to  see  him.     So  they  rode  to  the  house,  which  was 


284  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

near  Staunton,  and  Mr.  Craig  then  asked  Selim  why  he 
had  come  up  and  spoken  to  liini  in  the  crowd,  as  he  was 
an  entire  stranger. 

Selim  replied  that  he  had  done  so  on  account  of  a  very 
remarkable  dream  he  had  had.  This  dream  he  now  related. 
In  his  sleep  he  thought  he  was  back  in  his  native  country 
of  Algiers,  and  on  a  vast  plain  he  saw  the  greatest  multi- 
tude of  men  his  eyes  had  ever  looked  upon.  They  were 
all  in  uniform  of  some  sort,  and  drawn  up  in  a  line,  like 
soldiers  about  to  begin  a  battle.  The  plain  stretched 
away  in  front  of  them,  and  was  a  dead  level,  without  any 
object  upon  it;  but  far  off  in  the  distance  he  saw  a  dim, 
mysterious  figure,  resembling  a  man,  and  all  that  he  could 
discover  in  regard  to  this  figure  was  that  he  was  some 
great  Personage,  to  whom  the  multitude  were  looking  for 
something. 

From  time  to  time  some  one  of  the  multitude  drawn 
up  on  the  plain  left  the  ranks  and  tried  to  reach  this  Per- 
sonage ;  but  in  this  they  did  not  succeed.  As  soon  as 
they  had  gotten  about  half-way  across  the  plain  they 
would  drop  into  a  great  pit  in  the  ground,  and  disap- 
pear from  sight.  At  last  he  saw  an  old  man  standing  at 
some  distance  from  the  crowd,  and  some  of  the  multitude 
applied  to  him  for  advice  and  directions  how  to  reach  the 
great  Personage.  He  gave  them  the  directions  they  wish- 
ed, and  they  followed  them,  and  safely  crossed  the  vast 
plain  without  falling  into  the  pit.  This  was  his  dream, 
Selim  said,  and,  what  was  strangest  of  all,  was  that  Mr. 
Craic:  exactly  resembled  this  old  man  who  had  given  the 
directions.  As  soon  as  he  saw  him  he  knew  him,  and  that 
was  the  explanation  of  his  accosting  him,  and  his  desir- 
ing to  go  and  live  with  him. 

This  was  certainly  a  very  remarkable  dream,  and  it  is 
a  difficult  matter  to  account  for  it.     Selim  was  "  half  out 


KOSEWELL,  AXD    SELIM    THE    ALGEEIXE.  285 

of  his  head,"  you  know,  and  we  may  understand  some 
portion  of  the  dream.  The  men  drawn  up  on  the  plain 
were  no  doubt  Mohammedans,  that  is,  believers  in  the 
false  religion  of  Mohammed,  who  was  the  great  impostor  of 
the  P2ast,  and  the  uniforms  worn  by  them  were  those  worn 
by  the  Algerine  or  Turkish  soldiers.  The  great  Person- 
age in  the  distance  was  also,  no  doubt,  our  Saviour,  and 
the  deep  pit  between  was  Selim's  idea  of  the  difficulty  of 
coming  to  Jesus  Christ  through  the  dangers  of  this  world. 
It  was  also  very  natural  that  he  should  have  fancied  tliat 
there  was  some  good,  man  present  who  directed  those  who 
tried  to  cross  the  plain  and  enabled  them  to  pass  it  safeT 
ly.  ]3ut  why  did  he  suppose  that  Mr.  Craig  was  this  per- 
son? If  the  minister  had  belonged  to  the  Episcopal  Cliurch, 
in  which  clergymen  wear  black  gowns  in  the  pul])it,  lie 
might  have  thought  he  was  the  same,  as  the  figure  he  re- 
membered might  have  worn  a  similar  robe.  But  Mr.  Craisf 
was  a  Presbyterian,  and  wore  no  gown  in  preaching;  so 
the  whole  matter  was  as  mysterious  and  unaccountable 
as  ever. 

It  was  ])laii),  however,  that  Selim  wished  to  be  a  Ciiris- 
lian,  and  Mr.  Craig  began  to  explain  the  true  doctrine  to 
him.  But  Selim  studied  it  himself  lie  found  a  New 
Testament  in  the  original  Greek  in  wliich  it  was  written, 
and  hugged  it  to  his  breast,  and  began  to  read  it  quickly, 
lor  he  knew  Greek  far  better  than  he  knew  English.  In 
two  weeks  he  had  studied  the  whole  question  of  the  truth 
of  Christianity,  and  said  he  was  convinced  that  there  was 
no  other  true  religion.  He  was  therefore  baptized,  and 
said  that  now  lie  meant  to  go  back  to  Algiers  and  con- 
vert liis  family  from  their  belief  in  the  false  doctrine  of 
Mohammed. 

His  friends  gla<lly  ai<lcd  him.  He  was  sujipliod  with 
inoiu'v,  and  set  sail  for  Africa  by   w  ay  of  England,  and 


286  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

then  for  some  years  nothing  was  heard  of  hhu.  At  last 
he  came  back  to  Virginia  suddenly,  and  his  friends  saw 
that  his  mind  was  more  diseased  than  ever.  He  had  evi- 
dently passed  through  great  sufferings,  and  of  these  he 
gave  an  account.  He  had  returned  to  his  home  in  Algiers, 
he  said,  and  attempted  to  convert  his  fiimily  to  Christian- 
ity; but  they  would  listen  to  nothing  he  had  to  say. 
They  plainly  looked  upon  him  as  a  lunatic,  and  tui-ned 
him  oif  upon  the  world  again,  to  go  where  he  chose  and 
take  care  of  himself  as  he  could,  as  he  refused  to  give  up 
his  relision  and  become  a  Mohammedan  again.  He  could 
not  do  this,  aiid  left  them,  to  go  and  live  in  England  among 
Christians.  But  he  found  no  friends  there,  and  came  back 
to  Virginia  now,  where  he  passed  nearly  all  the  rest  of 
his  life. 

This  is  a  singular  story,  but  it  is  entirely  true.  Selim 
was  very  well  known  to  many  of  the  most  respectable 
families  of  Virginia,  who  vouched  for  the  truth  of  what  I 
have  told  you.  He  was  a  wild,  erratic  being,  and  wander- 
ed from  place  to  place,  waving  his  hand  when  he  met  any 
one,  and  exclaiming,  "  God  save  ye  !"  At  other  times  he 
would  pass  his  hand  constantly  up  and  down  over  his  face, 
exclaiming,  "It  is  the  blow — that  disgrace  to  a  gentle- 
man—  given  me  by  that  Louisiana  planter.  But,  thank 
God !  thank  God !  but  for  the  Saviour  I  could  not  bear 
it!" 

He  seldom  slept  in  a  house,  his  favorite  place  being  an 
old  windmill  near  Yorktown,  where  he  would  lie  down 
at  night,  wrapped  in  his  blanket.  Sometimes  he  would 
go  to  Williamsburg  and  read  Greek  Avith  an  old  professor 
at  William  and  Mary  College.  Now  and  then,  too,  he 
would  wander  into  Yorktown;  and  one  day  he  was  per- 
suaded to  take  a  seat  in  Lady  Nelson's  sedan-chair,  which 
was  a  sort  of  small  vehicle  with  shafts  at  each  end,  which 


KOSEWELL,  AXD    SELIM    THE    ALGEKINE.  287 

servants  lifted  and  carried  along,  with  a  lady  or  gentle- 
man inside.  Selini  took  his  seat  in  the  sedan-cliaii-,  and 
he  was  carried  into  Governor  Nelson's  house.    As  thev  set 

ml 

down  the  chair  he  rose  up  and  began  to  sing,  in  a  sweet 
voice,  the  hymn  for  children, 

"How  glorious  is  our  heavenly  King!" 

His  latter  days  were  spent  in  thus  wandering  about 
Lower  Virginia,  and  he  and  Mr.  Page,  of  Rosewell,  were 
very  great  friends.  They  read  Greek  together,  and  Selini 
became  fond  of  the  whole  Rosewell  family.  When  Mr. 
Page  went  to  Philadelphia  to  attend  the  meeting  of  Con- 
gress, Selim  followed  him  on  foot,  and  his  portrait  was 
painted  for  Mr.  Page  by  the  distinguished  artist  Pealc. 
This  was  sent  home  in  a  box  to  Rosewell,  and  the  family 
and  servants  thought  the  box  contained  a  portrait  of  Mr. 
Page.  "When  it  was  opened,  however,  the  servants  ex- 
claimed, "  God  save  ye  !"  as  Selini  always  did.  The  like- 
ness was  so  perfect  that  they  recognized  liim  at  once. 
This  portrait  is  still  in  Williamsburg,  where  any  one  may 
see  it.  From  Philadelphia  he  wandered  off  to  South  Caro- 
lina, and  after  that  nothing  more  was  ever  heard  of  him. 

I  have  thus  told  you  of  this  singular  person,  and  his 
life  spent  at  Rosewell  ami  in  the  vicinity,  with  his  kind 
friends  the  Pages  and  others.  I  think  his  story  is  an  in- 
teresting one;  and  in  spite  of  his  being  a  poor  wanderer, 
without  house  or  home,  he  is  worthy  of  our  respect.  If  lie 
had  consented  to  give  up  liis  belief  in  Christianity  he 
might  have  Ix-en  a  rich  man,  and  lived  in  luxury  in  Al- 
giers, for  his  family  were  wealthy,  an<l  he  was  their  heir. 
Hut  this  he  refused  to  do.  lie  dung  to  his  religion  like 
a  good  Christian  ;  and  you  may  sec  that  he  understood 
what  Christianity  meant  by  his  forgiving  his  enemies. 
Tlic  Louisiana  planter  \\\\>\  1»(  atcn  him  so  cruelly  that  it 


288  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMIXIOX. 

destroyed  his  reason,  but  he  struggled  to  forgive  liiin. 
His  blood  boiled  when  he  remembered  the  blow  the  plant- 
er had  struck  him  on  the  head,  but  he  exclaimed,  you  re- 
member, "Thank  God!  thank  God!  hut  for  the  Saviour 
I  could  not  bear  it !" 

This  meant  that  he  could  bear  blows  and  insult  as  our 
Saviour  had  borne  thein  ;  and  to  feel  thus  and  forgive  in- 
juries is  to  be  a  true  Christian.     . 


MORGAN,  THE    "  THUXDER-BOLT." 


289 


MORGAN,  THE  ''THUNDER-BOLT  OF  THE  REV- 
OLUTION:' 

I. 

I  HAVE  often  visited  an  old  stone  house  whicli  stands 
on  a  grassy  hill  not  fai-  from  the  little  village  of  Millwood, 
beyond  the  Blue  Ridge,  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia.     As  it 


OAMEL   MOROAN. 


may  be  called  a  historic  spot,  it  is  very  interesting.  At 
the  foot  of  the  hill  there  is  a  very  fine  spring,  wliieli  bul)- 
blcs  up  beneath  some  weeping-willows,  and  on  all  sides  are 
green  fields  and  woods  and  blue  innnntains.  Tlic  house 
is  old  and  largo.     To  the  right  of  the  front  door  is  a  long 

1:3 


290  STOKIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

apartment  with  tall  windows,  and  a  fireplace  so  large  that 
it  holds  quite  a  load  of  wood ;  and  in  this  apartment  I 
have  often  mused  about  former  days,  and  thought  of  the 
old  soldiers  gathered  there  once,  talking  about  the  days 
of  the  great  Revolution. 

This  was  the  place  of  residence  of  Daniel  Morgan,  the 
brave  soldier  who  really  won  the  battle  of  Saratoga, 
though  another  person  got  the  credit  of  it,  and  defeated 
Tarleton  badly  at  the  Cowpens,  He  was  supposed  to  be 
a  native  of  New  Jersey,  but  he  came  to  Virginia  when  he 
was  young,  and  worked  as  a  farm-laborer,  for  he  was  poor, 
and  plain  in  his  origin,  it  is  said.  But  you  will  see  that  he 
was  a  braver  and  truer  man  than  many  who  had  greater 
advantages  in  beginning  life.  A  story  is  told  of  his  having 
been  a  wagon-driver  in  Braddock's  expedition,  and  of  his 
receiving  a  terrible  lashing  by  order  of  an  English  officer, 
whom  he  had  beaten  with  his  wagon-whip  for  insulting 
him.  He  was  sentenced  to  receive  five  hundred  lashes,  it 
is  said,  but  they  stopped  at  four  hundred  and  ninety-nine ; 
and  Morgan  always  said,  with  a  laugh,  afterward,  that  he 
owed  them  one  lash  yet.  If  this  whipping  made  him  an 
enemy  of  the  English  they  had  better  have  let  him  alone, 
for  he  made  them  pay  for  it  in  blood  on  many  occasions. 

Morgan's  early  manhood  was  not  very  quiet  or  respect- 
able. He  was  a  rough  young  fellow,  and  so  much  given 
to  fist  fighting  that  the  village  of  Berryville,  near  which 
he  then  lived,  took  the  name  of  Battletown.  He  lived  at 
a  place  called  "Soldier's  Rest,"  near  by,  and  tliis  old 
house  still  stands,  and  is  interesting ;  for  young  George 
Washington  used  to  sleep  in  it  when  he  was  a  boy-sur- 
veyor here,  Avhich  I  have  told  you  about. 

But  Morgan  was  too  brave  a  man  to  spend  his  time  in 
these  idle  brawls.  He  was  probably  led  into  them,  and 
was  sorry  for  them  afterward  ;  and  his  want  of  education 


MORGAN,  TUB    "  THUNDER-BOLT." 


291 


FLAG   OF  morgan's    RIFLE   CORPS. 


ought  to  be  some  excuse  for  such  things.    lie  soon  showed 

that  lie  was  fit  for  better  thuigs.     No  sooner  did  the  Revo- 

lution  begin  than  he  raised  a  company  of  riflemen,  and  set 

cut  for  Boston,  where  Washington  tlien  was.     Tliey  were 

all  hardy  young  fellows  in 

linen   hunting -shirts,  with 

"  Liberty  or  Death  "  on  the 

breasts  of  their  shirts,  and 

they  marched  six  hundred 

miles,  and    at    last    Avere 

near   Boston.     It   was   in 

the  evening,  and  Washing-   ^^ 

ton,  who  was  riding  out, 

saw    them    and    stopped. 

Morgan   stepped  in  front, 

and,  saluting,  said, 

"  General,  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Potomac  !" 
At  this  Washington  displayed  great  emotion.  He  dis- 
mounted from  his  horse,  walked  along  the  line  of  riflemen, 
shaking  hands  with  every  man,  while  the  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks,  and  then  mounted  his  horse  again,  and, 
touching  his  hat,  rode  away  without  a  word. 

lie  believed  that  Morgan  and  his  men  were  the  real  stuflf 
for  soldiers,  and  in  this  he  was  not  mistaken.  The  Amer- 
icans determined  to  attack  Quebec,  in  Canada,  which  the 
English  held,  and  IVforgan  was  sent  to  help  in  this  undertak- 
ing. The  march,  which  took  jjlace  in  winter,  was  a  fearful 
one,  for  a  great  wilderness  had  to  be  traversed,  and  the  suf 
ferings  of  the  men  were  terrible;  but  at  last  they  reached 
Quebec,  and  attacked  it.  This  attack  was  at  niglit,  from 
the  *'  Plains  of  Abraham,"  as  they  are  called,  west  of  the 
old  city,  and  was  a  desperate  and  bloody  aflair.  (Jeneral 
Montgomery,  who  led  the  assault,  was  killed,  and  INforgan 
was  taken  prisoner;  and  T  have  told  you  about  this  as- 


292 


STOKIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


sault  to  inform  you  of  Morgan's  brave  speech  on  tlie  oc- 
casion. 

He  had  led  the  attack  on  what  was  called  the  St.  Roche 
bastion,  and  had  fought  so  desperately  that  the  English 
were  filled  with  admiration  for  him.  He  was  their  pris- 
oner now,  and  the  British  general  sent  for  him.  He  told 
him  how  much  he  thought  of  him,  and  said  that  if  he 
would  join  them  he  should  have  the  commission  of  col- 
onel in  the  English  army.     This  was  a  splendid  offer  to 

so  poor  and  humble  a  man,  but 
Morgan  only  frowned  and  grew 
angry. 

"  I  hope,"  he  said,  looking 
sternly  at  the  English  general, 
"  tliat  you  will  never  again  in- 
sult me,  in  my  distressed  and  un- 
fortunate situation,  by  making 
me  offers  which  plainly  iniply 
that  you  think  me  a  rascal !" 

That  was  a  brave  reply,  and 
shows  the  stuft'  INIorgan  was 
made  of.  He  did  not  mean  to 
sell  himself  for  rank  or  pay.  And 
on  another  occasion,  some  years 
afterward,  he  made  another 
speech  of  very  much  the  same 
sort.  He  had  gone  on  fighting 
bravely  after  getting  away,  as  he  soon  did,  from  the  Brit- 
ish, and  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga  was  a  general  and  a 
rising  man.  General  Gates,  who  commanded  the  Ameri- 
cans in  this  battle,  had  been  an  Englishman,  and  as  the 
English  army  liad  surrendered  to  him,  he  thought  he 
was  a  greater  man  than  Washhigton.  He  therefore  set  a 
scheme  on  foot  to  have  Washington  removed,  and  him- 


montgomery's  monument. 


MORGAN,  THE    "  THUNDEK-BOLT."  293 

self  appointed  commander-in-chief;  and  the  American  of- 
ticei's  were  sounded,  as  it  is  called,  to  find  it"  they  would 
support  Gates.  At  last  they  came  to  Morgan,  but  he 
stopped  them  very  quickly. 

"I  have  one  favor  to  ask  of  you,"  he  said,  in  the  same 
stern  tone  he  had  used  at  Quebec, "  which  is  never  to 
mention  that  detestable  subject  to  me  again ;  for  under  no 
other  man  than  Washington,  as  commander-in-chief,  will 
I  ever  serve  !" 

You  may  see  at  a  glance  that  men  of  this  sort  may  be 
counted  on;  and  old  Daniel  Morgan,  as  he  always  called 
himself,  soon  showed  everybody  that  he  was  true  as  steel. 
No  man  was  ever  braver,  and  whenever  he  fought,  as  he 
did  all  through  the  war,  fiom  north  to  south,  he  showed 
that  nothinsr  could  daunt  him.     This  same  battle  of  Sara- 


o 


toija  was  one  instance,  and  his  daring  attack  there  was 
the  cause  of  the  British  defeat. 

His  most  important  victory  was  the  battle  of  the  Cow- 
pens,  in  the  Carolinas.  The  Americans  had  been  defeated 
everywhere,  and  were  retreating  before  the  English,  and 
on  their  heels  rushed  Colonel  Tarlelon,  who  commanded 
the  liritish  cawUry,  certain  that  he  was  about  to  destroy 
them.  I  will  t<ll  you  more  at  another  time  of  this  famous 
Colonel  Tarleton.  lie  was  a  very  brave  soldier,  but  as 
cruel  and  boastful  as  he  was  courageous.  He  now  has- 
tened after  Morgan,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Ameri- 
cans;  and  wherever  he  stop|)ed,  as  he  often  <lid  to  plun- 
der houses,  he  boasted  that  he  would  soon  overtake  Mor- 
gan and  cut  him  to  pieces. 

It  seemed  that  he  would  be  able  to  do  ihis,  as  he  had 
in  addition  to  his  cavalry  a  considerable  force  of  infantry 
and  plenty  of  cannon.  He  sujtposed  that  ^Morgan  would 
not  dare  to  stop  ami  fight  hitn;  but  in  this  he  was  much 
nii^t.ikf-n.     Suddenly  he  c'lmc  on  the  Aniciicans  drawn  up 


294  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINIOIST. 

in  line  of  battle,  and  instead  of  flying  Morgan  awaited  his 
attack.  The  English  fought  hard,  but  they  had  found  a 
tough  obstacle  in  "  Old  Morgan,"  He  would  not  yield, 
and  the  end  of  it  was  that,  before  night,  Colonel  Tarleton 
was  himself  flying,  with  all  his  men  and  cannon,  with  Mor- 
gan following  close  on  his  heels. 

n. 

I  should  like  to  tell  you  more  about  the  hard  fighting 
of  brave  old  Daniel  Morgan,  but  this  you  may  read  of  in 
larger  books:  I  shall  now  only  give  you  some  idea  of 
him  as  he  was  in  private,  after  the  war. 

The  old  house  which  I  have  spoken  of  near  Millwood 
was  built  by  him,  and  there  are  some  stories  told  in  the 
neighborhood  as  to  how  this  was  done.  At  Winchester, 
which  is  only  a  few  miles  distant,  a  number  of  English  pris- 
oners were  kept  at  that  time  under  guard.  They  were 
Hessians,  who  came  to  fight  us,  to  win  pay  only,  and  were 
much  despised;  so  Morgan  determined  that  he  would 
make  them  work.  He  therefore  ordered  them  to  quarry 
large  stones  for  him  on  the  Opequon,  which  is  a  stream 
near  by ;  and  these  stones,  which  were  for  his  house,  he 
compelled  them  to  carry  for  miles  on  their  shoulders.  It 
was  hard  work,  and  they  often  growled  and  grumbled, 
but  Morgan  did  not  mind  that.  He  told  them  that,  as 
they  were  eating  bread  and  meat  which  belonged  to  the 
Americans,  he  would  make  them  work,  and  if  they  did 
not  tcork  they  shoidd  not  eat.  So  they  were  compelled  to 
obey  his  orders,  and  certainly  deserved  no  better  treat- 
ment. They  were  not  Englishmen,  and  had  come  to 
kill  the  Americans  for  money;  and  Morgan  was  right  in 
looking  on  them  as  little  better  than  beasts  of  burden, 
unworthy  of  much  respect. 

The  house  was  built  at  last,  and  he  called  it  "  Saratoga," 


MORGAX,  THE    "  TIIUXDER-BOLT." 


295 


GATta  S   UtAD-KliAKltUs   AT   SAllATOOA. 


after  the  battle  which  he  had  really  won.  It  was  an  ex- 
cellent piece  of  stone-work,  and  here  Morgan  lived  in  his 
old  days.  He  had  come  back  to  the  same  neighborhood 
in  which  he  used  to  have  his  quarrels  and  fist  fights;  and, 
judging  from  a  speech  which  he  made  one  day,  he  often 
thought  of  those  times,  and  remembered  what  a  gay, 
careless,  young  fellow 
he  had  been.  """  W^^s^^^ 

"  To  be  young  once 
more,"  he  said,  "I 
would  be  willing  to 
be  stripped  naked  and 
hunted  through  tlie 
Blue  Ridge  with  wild 
dogs." 

But  he  soon  gave  up 
all  this  idle  feeling  and 
talk,  and  became  a  very  different  man.  Instead  of  looking 
back  and  longing  for  the  scenes  of  his  youth,  which  were 
not  much  to  his  credit,  he  looked  forward  to  the  future 
in  another  world,  and  got  ready  for  his  long  journey.  He 
became  a  good  Christian,  and  joined  the  l*resbyterian 
Church  in  "Winchester;  and  in  his  last  days  at  "Sara- 
toga," or  in  Winchester,  he  often  talked  with  his  friends 
about  the  battles  in  wliich  lie  had  fought. 

"People  think  old  Morgan  never  was  afraid,"  he  said, 
"  and  never  prayed,  but  ])Cople  did  not  know." 

He  then  wont  on  and  described  the  assault  on  Quebec.  It 
was  at  night,  he  said,  and  he  had  drawn  up  liis  men,  wait- 
ing for  the  order  to  advance.  It  was  a  iearful  momotit. 
It  seemed  almost  hopeless  to  make  sucli  an  attack  on  so 
strong  a  place,  so  well  defended,  and  his  heart  sunk  within 
him.  A  miracle  was  all  that  could  save  tliem,  and  lie  de- 
termined to  ask  the  help  of  (iod.     IFc  therefore  stepped 


296  STORIES  or  the  old  dominion. 

aside  and  knelt  down  by  one  of  the  cannon,  and  prayed  to 
God  to  protect  him.  He  was  still  on  his  knees  when  the 
word  was  passed  along  the  line  to  advance  on  the  enemy, 
and  his  protection  from  death  on  that  terrible  night  he 
said  was  due,  he  fully  believed,  to  this  prayer. 

At  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens  he  had  felt  afraid  in  the 
same  way,  he  said.  The  British  were  coming  on  in  a  long 
glittering  line  to  attack  him,  and,  as  he  looked  at  his  own 
poor  little  army,  he  felt  that  God  only  could  enable  him 
to  conquer.  He  therefore  rode  into  the  woods,  and  dis- 
mounting from  his  horse,  knelt  down  in  the  top  of  a  fallen 
tree  and  prayed  long  and  earnestly.  When  he  had  finish- 
ed his  prayer  he  felt  far  more  cheerful,  and  returning  to 
his  men,  made  them  a  speech  which  they  answered  with 
cheers.  The  bloody  battle  followed,  and  Tarleton  was 
defeated,  and  this,  too,  he  attributed  to  his  prayers. 

While  talkino;  about  these  old  times  Morgan  would 
shake  his  head,  and  say  that  people  might  speak  of  him  as 
the  "  thunder-bolt  of  war,  who  never  knew  fear,"  but  they 
were  greatly  mistaken. 

"  Old  Morgan,"  he  said,  "  was  often  miserably  afraid." 

And  now  I  have  told  you  these  incidents  of  Daniel  Mor- 
gan to  show  you  what  true  courage  is.  It  is  not  mere 
foolhardiness  and  thoughtlessness.  Many  persons  have 
that  sort  of  courage,  but  it  is  not  the  best  sort,  and  does 
not  make  the  hardest  fighters.  The  truest  courage,  and 
the  sort  which  is  most  dangerous  to  an  enemy,  is  that  of 
the  man  who,  though  he  may  feel  afraid  of  death,  still 
resolves  to  trust  in  God,  and  do  his  duty  without  flinching. 
It  is  hard  to  overcome  such  people,  because  they  see  the 
worst  from  the  beginning,  and  are  never  cast  down  by 
anything  which  takes  place.  They  mean  to  meet  death 
if  necessary,  doing  their  duty  and  looking  to  God,  and  the 
result  generally  is  that  no  enemy  can  stand  before  them. 


MORGAN,  THE   "  THUNDER-BOLT."  29*7 

Morgan  died  in  Winchester,  a  celebrated  old  man,  with 
his  gold  medal  from  Congress,  and  enjoying  the  respect 
and  reo-ard  of  Washington.  But  the  old  house  which  I 
have  described— I  mean  "Saratoga" — is  more  closely  con- 
nected with  his  last  days  than  any  other  spot.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  visit  it,  and  think  of  the  tall  soldier  who  once 
walked  about  the  grounds  and  down  to  the  old  spring. 
Such  spots  make  us  remember  the  old  days  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  the  brave  men  who  won  American  liberty. 

13* 


298  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


CORNWALLIS,  AND    THE  BOY  LAFAYETTE. 

I. 

We  have  come  at  last  to  the  final  scenes  of  the  Revo- 
lution, which  ended  on  the  soil  of  Virginia.  These  were 
the  termination  of  a  long  and  remarkable  drama,  and  I 
shall  tell  you  a  few  of  them,  and  first  of  Lafayette  and 
Cornwallis.  You  will  see  from  this  story  that  the  Brit- 
ish general  looked  on  the  young  Frenchman  as  "  a  boy," 
and  I  will  then  proceed  to  tell  you  how  the  boy  proved 
himself  a  better  soldier  than  the  general. 

It  was  the  opening  of  the  year  1781.  The  long  Rev- 
olutionary War  was  very  nearly  over,  and  it  M'as  going  to 
end  in  a  manner  which  very  few  persons  expected.  It  be- 
gan, you  know,  in  the  north,  near  the  city  of  Boston,  where 
most  of  the  English  troops  were,  and  then  drifted  down 
to  New  York,  and  afterward  to  New  Jersey  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. Year  after  year  the  two  armies  went  on  fighting, 
one  sometimes  getting  the  best  of  it,  and  then  the  other; 
but  at  length  things  began  to  look  very  dark  for  the 
Amei'icans,  and  the  English  felt  sure  that  they  were  going 
to  conquer.  Washington's  army  was  very  small,  and  had 
scarcely  any  clothes  to  wear  or  anything  to  eat.  Often 
the  soldiers  had  no  shoes,  and  one  winter  day  when  an 
ofiicer  came  to  visit  General  Washington,  he  told  him  that 
he  had  followed  the  track  of  his  army  by  the  marks  of 
blood  left  on  the  snow  by  the  naked  and  bleeding  feet  of 
his  men. 

At  last  the  whole  North  seemed  to  be  conquered,  or 


CORXWALLIS,  AXD    TUE    BOY    LAFATETTE. 


299 


very  nearly,  and  the  British  commander- in -chief,  whose 
name  was  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  sent  one  of  his  generals, 
named  Lord  Cornwallis,  to  conquer  the  States  of  Georgia 
and  Xorth  and  South  Carolina,  Sir  Henry  also  deter- 
mined to  get  possession 
of  Virginia,  and  accord- 
ingly sent  a  fleet  of  ships 
to  Chesapeake  Bay  to  sail 
up  James  River  and  capt- 
ure Richmond,  to  which 
the  capital  had  been  re- 
moved from  AVilliams- 
burg. 

This  fleet  of  ships,  with 
the  soldiers  in  them,  was 
placed  under  command 
of  General  Benedict  Ar- 
nold. You  must  have 
heard  the  name  of  this 
infamous  person.  He  was 
an  American  by  birth,  and  had  fouglit  bravely  I'or  the 
Americans;  but  he  turned  against  them  at  last,  and  at- 
tempted to  commit  a  great  crime ;  and  as  the  story  is  in- 
teresting, I  will  stop  and  tell  you  about  it  in  as  few  words 
possible : 

In  the  summer  f>f  1780  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  the  British 
commandei",  had  possession  of  the  city  of  New  York  with 
his  army,  and  General  Washington,  with  the  American 
troojjs,  was  along  tlie  Hudson  River  above,  around  the 
strong  fortress  of  West  Point.  The  ofllcer  commanding 
at  West  Point  was  named  Benedict  Arnold,  and  the  Amer- 
icans thought  that  they  could  not  intrust  this  important 
fort  to  a  better  man.  AriioI<l  was  a  general  in  I  lie  Ameri- 
can army,  and  had  sliowcd,  in  more  battles  llian  one,  that 


BENEDICT  ARNOLD. 


300  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION, 

he  was  as  brave  as  steel.  But  he  was  a  cunning  and 
treacherous  man,  and  thought  he  had  been  treated  badly 
by  Congress.  He  was  also  very  much  in  debt,  owing  to 
his  extravagance  in  living;  so,  in  consequence  of  his  hatred 
and  his  money  troubles,  he  determined  to  turn  traitor,  and 
give  up  the  great  fortress  of  West  Point  for  a  large  sum 
of  money  and  a  post  of  rank  in  the  British  army. 

Arnold  had  no  sooner  made  this  resolution  than  he  at- 
tempted to  carry  it  out ;  and  you  will  see  that  when  a  man 
determines  to  be  a  rascal,  he  begins  to  act  in  the  most  se- 
cret and  underhand  manner.  He  sent  word  secretly  to 
the  British  general  in  New  York  that  he  was  ready  to  sell 
West  Point,  and  his  offer  was  at  once  accepted.  You 
may  feel  surprised  at  this,  as  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  a 
highly  honorable  soldier  and  gentleman,  but  it  is  one  of  the 
bad  rules  of  war  to  get  the  better  of  your  enemy  in  almost 
any  possible  manner;  so  Sir  Heniy  sent  back  word,  in  the 
same  secret  way,  that  Arnold  should  be  paid,  and  deter- 
mined to  send  one  of  his  officers  to  finish  the  bargain. 

The  officer  chosen  was  named  John  Andre.  He  was 
quite  a  young  man,  and  so  handsome  and  friendly  in  his 
manners  that  everybody  loved  him.  If  he  had  not  often 
shown  how  brave  he  was — and  you  will  soon  see  there 
was  no  doubt  about  that — people  might  have  supposed 
that  he  was  too  soft  and  easy  in  disposition  to  be  a  good 
soldier.  He  was  very  fond  of  ladies'  society,  and  one  of 
his  greatest  pleasures  was  to  laugh  and  talk  with  them. 
He  also  wrote  poetry,  and  played  on  musical  instruments, 
and  drew  well,  and  was  very  accomplished  in  every  way. 
So  it  was  hard  to  believe  that  he  was  so  fearless  as  he 
really  was,  and  was  now  about  to  show. 

Young  Andre,  who  Avas  a  major  and  adjutant-general 
on  Clinton's  staff,  went  up  the  Hudson  River  in  a  British 
ship  to  meet  Arnold.     It  was  at  night,  and  the  two  men 


CORXWALLIS,  AXD    THE    BOY    LAFAYETTE. 


301 


met  in  a  thicket  in  the  dark,  on  the  west  shore  of  the  riv- 
er. For  many  hours  they  went  on  talking  about  the  sur- 
render of  West  Point,  and  had  not  finished  the  business 
when  daylight  came.  At  this  Arnold  grew  uneasy.  He 
told  Andre  that  they  must  go  to  a  house  near  by,  where 
they  could  talk  over  everything,  and  when  the  next  night 


JuilN    ANbllK. 


came,  Andre  could  return  to  his  ship.  To  this  the  young 
soldier  consented,  and  went  with  Arnold,  but  was  start  It-d 
at  suddeidy  hearing  an  American  sentinel  cry  out,  "Who 
goes  there?"  This  showed  him  that  they  were  going  to 
pass  the  lines  of  the  American  army,  and  Andre  told  Ar- 
nold that  he  had  never  intended  to  do  anything  of  that 
sort,  as  he  might  be  taken  for  a  spy,  which  was  consideretl 
infamous,  and  tried  and  shot  for  it.  Arnold,  however,  told 
him  there  would  be  no  trouble,  and  .\ndii'  went  on.     Ar- 


302  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

nolcl  gave  the  watchword  to  the  sentinel,  as  he  knew 
what  it  was,  and  so  they  got  to  the  house  and  finished 
the  whole  bargain. 

The  great  point  with  Andre  was  now  to  get  back  to 
New  York ;  but  his  ship  had  sailed  away.  An  American 
fort  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  had  seen  the  ship,  and 
fired  at  her  with  cannon.  So  the  Yulture^  as  her  name 
was,  dropped  down  the  river,  and  Andre  was  there  in 
Washington's  lines,  in  danger  of  being  caught  and  shot. 

Arnold  now  acted  as  all  men  do  when  they  know  they 
are  traitors — he  looked  out  for  himself.  He  told  Andre 
that  when  night  came  he  could  get  back  to  the  Vulture; 
but  in  case  he  could  not,  he  could  cross  the  river,  and  re- 
turn to  New  York  by  land.  To  this  poor  Andre  had  to 
agree ;  and  soon  afterward  Arnold  left  him,  first  giving 
him  some  papers  containing  a  full  description  of  West 
Point,  and  the  number  of  soldiers  there,  for  Sir  Henry 
Clinton.  He  also  gave  Andre  a  pass,  which  he  signed 
himself,  but,  of  course,  did  not  write, "  Pass  Major  Aiidre." 
What  he  wrote  was,  "Pass  3lr.  John  Anderson  through 
the  lines,"  and  Andre  was  to  tell  any  one  who  stopped 
him  that  he  was  an  American  on  "  secret  service,"  as  it  is 
called,  for  the  Americans. 

With  this  he  had  to  be  satisfied.  Arnold  rode  ofi"  for 
fear  of  being  discovered  ;  and  as  soon  as  night  came  An- 
dre asked  the  man  to  whom  the  house  belonged  to  row 
him  down  to  the  Yulture.  But  the  man  refused.  It  would 
be  dangerous  to  try  that,  he  said,  and  the  best  thing  to 
do  was  to  cross  the  Hudson  River  and  go  by  land;  and 
he  promised  to  show  the  way.  To  this  Andre  had  to 
agree,  and  he  then  proceeded  to  take  off"  his  uniform  and 
put  on  plain  clothes.  He  knew  how  dangerous  this  was, 
for,  unimportant  as  it  seemed,  it  made  everything  very 
different.     As  long  as  a  soldier  goes  into  an  enemy's  lines 


CORNWALLIS,  AND   THE    BOY    LAFAYETTE.  303 

dressed  in  his  uniform,  he  is  looked  upon  as  a  soldier,  do- 
ing a  soldier's  duty  ;  but  if  he  dresses  in  plain  clothes,  so 
that  no  one  can  know  who  he  is,  he  is  looked  upon  as  a 
spy,  and  shot  or  hung  if  he  is  caught.  Andre  knew  this 
very  well,  and  did  not  wish  to  take  off  his  British  uniform; 
but  this  he  was  obliged  to  do  to  get  back  to  his  friends; 
so  he  put  on  the  plain  suit  of  clothes,  and,  after  hiding 
the  papers  about  West  Point,  given  him  by  Arnold,  in  his 
boot,  mounted  a  horse,  and  crossed  the  river  on  his  way 
to  New  York. 

He  was  soon  stopped  by  the  American  sentinels,  but 
he  showed  General  Arnold's  pass,  in  which  he  was  called 
"  Mr.  John  Anderson,"  you  know,  and  they  handed  it  back, 
tellinoc  him  it  was  all  right.  He  then  rode  on  down  the 
river  in  the  direction  of  Xew  York,  and  had  nearly  reach- 
ed the  city,  when  his  journey  came  to  a  sudden  end.  Some 
young  men  belonging  to  the  American  side  saw  him  pass- 
ing, and  ran  and  stopped  him.  From  something  that  they 
said  he  took  them  for  friends  of  the  English,  and  said  he 
was  a  British  officer,  and  they  must  stand  aside,  as  he  was 
on  important  business.  At  this  they  told  him  who  they 
ically  were,  and  searched  him  to  find  what  was  in  liis 
pockets.  Nothing  was  found  l)Ut  his  purse  and  liis  watch; 
I)ut  they  made  him  take  off  liis  boots,  and  tliere  between 
his  foot  and  the  sole  of  his  stocking  were  the  j^apers  given 
liim  by  Arnold. 

All  was  now  over  for  poor  Andir,  and  he  was  conduct- 
ed back  at  once,  under  guard,  to  tlie  American  army. 
Word  was  sent  to  (ieneral  Arnold,  wlio  was  in  command 
of  the  troops  in  the  vicinily,  that  [NlMJor  Andn',  of  the  Brit- 
isli  army,  had  just  been  niptureil,  and  had  a  ])ass  Irom  him, 
•  ieneral  Arnold,  undrr  the  name  of  "John  Anderson."  At 
this  Arnold  saw  that  all  was  discovered,  and  ln'  knew  that 
his  only  hope  was  to  make  his  escape  to  the  Hritish.     'I'iie 


304 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


news  reached  hirn  just  at  the  moment  when  General 
Washington  was  coming  to  his  house,  opposite  West 
Point,  to  breakfast  with  him.  But  he  did  not  mean  to  eat 
breakfast  with  Washington  on  that  morning  if  he  could 
help  it.  He  kissed  his  wife  and  baby,  and  told  the  former 
in  a  few  words  how  matters  were:  the  poor  lady  shrieked 
aloud,  and  fell  fainting  on   the  floor;   and  then  Arnold 


S\'i   r]f-^^^    ^- 


CAPTURE   OF   ANDRE. 


sprung  on  a  horse  and  galloped  at  full  speed  down  the 
bank  to  his  barge,  or  large  boat,  and  the  men  in  it  were 
ordered  to  row  rapidly  down  the  river.  They  obeyed, 
and  Arnold  stood  at  the  prow,  looking  out  for  the  Vulture. 
At  last  it  came  in  sight,  and  he  waved  a  white  handker- 
chief The  boat  darted  on,  and  soon  reached  the  ship, 
wliich  Arnold  went  on  board  of,  and  was  safe. 


CORNWALLIS,  AXD   THE    BOY    LAFAYETTE.  305 


I  have  scarcely  the  heart  to  tell  you  tlie  fate  of  young 
Andre.  He  Avrote  to  General  Washington,  giving  him  a 
true  account  of  everything;  but  he  had  come  on  a  terrible 
errand,  which  might  have  ruined  the  Americans  if  it  had 
succeeded;  and  a  court-martial  was  assembled  to  try 
him.  From  first  to  last  Andre  never  showed  the  least 
sign  of  fear.  He  said  that  he  never  had  the  least  inten- 
tion of  becoming  a  spy ;  that  he  wore  his  uniform ;  that 
General  Arnold  had  betrayed  him  into  entering  the  Amer- 
ican lines;  and  if  he  died,  he  would  die  like  a  soldier  and 
a  gentleman,  feeling  that  he  had  done  no  more  than  an 
honorable  soldier's  duty.  But  all  was  of  no  avail.  The 
court  decided  that  as  he  had  entered  the  lines  by  night, 
without  a  flag,  he  "ought  to  be  considered  as  a  spy;"  and 
ihey  would  not  even  consent  that  he  should  be  shot  like 
a  soldier — he  was  to  be  hung  like  a  criminal.  This  was 
done,  and  poor  Andre  was  marched  out  and  hung:  he  re- 
mained brave  and  cool  to  the  very  last,  and  those  who  saw 
him  could  not  help  loving  and  admiring  him,  and  slicd- 
ding  tears  at. his  fate. 

Perhaps  you  will  ask  me  if  this  was  right.  That  is  a 
hard  question  to  answer.  According  to  army  law  it  was 
nf)t  right,  for  Andre  was  in  reality  no  spy.  But  the  times 
were  terrible,  and  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  terrible  ex- 
ample. This  no  doubt  led  the  court-martial  to  condemn 
him  to  death,  and  even  to  refuse  to  let  him  be  shot.  They 
condemned  him  to  be  hung,  in  order  to  wain  Uiitish  ofli- 
cers  not  to  venture  on  any  such  thing  in  Ihluic,  and 
Washington  approved  the  sentence.  They  were  brave 
ami  honorable  men,  and  admired  Andro  as  much  as  other 
jieoplc  did  ;  but  they  did  what  they  thought  was  their 
duty  undfr  all  the  ciroimstances,  and  were  ready  lo 
Ijcar  the  blame,  if  lliere  was  any  attached  to  their 
action. 


306 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


This  is  the  story  of  brave  young  Andre  and  the  traitor 
who  betrayed  him.  Arnold  reached  New  York  safely, 
and  Sir  Henry  Clinton  paid  him  his  money,  and  made  him 


ANDRE  S   MONUMENT. 


a  British  general.  But  every  officer  in  their  army  de- 
spised him  as  a  traitor,  and  refused  to  associate  with  him, 
except  when  they  were  obliged  to  do  so. 


COENWALLIS,   AXD    THE    BOY    LAFAYETTE.  307 

Xow  you  know  all  about  the  man  who  was  sent  Avith 
the  ships  and  soldiers  to  make  war  ou  the  people  of  Vir- 
ginia. 

II. 

Benedict  Arnold  did  not  do  much  in  Virginia,  after  all, 
but  I  thought  I  would  take  this  occasion  to  tell  you,  in  a 
few  words,  one  of  the  most  sorrowful  stories  in  American 
history. 

Although  the  English  despised  hiui,  they  knew  he  was 
a  brave  and  determined  soldier,  as  he  certainly  was ;  and 
as  a  man  often  hates  old  friends,  when  he  turns  against 
them,  worse  than  he  hates  other  people,  the  English  prob- 
ably thought  Arnold  would  do  everything  in  his  power  to 
injure  the  Americans;  and  he  soon  showed  that  they  were 
right  in  supposing  so.  lie  sailed  up  James  River  to  Rich- 
mond, which  was  now  the  Virginia  capital,  and  plundered 
and  burned  and  laid  waste  wherever  he  went.  Thomas 
.lefferson,  who  was  governor  at  the  time,  had  to  mount  his 
horse  and  gallop  away,  and  then  Arnold  and  his  soldiers 
committed  all  the  depredations  they  could ;  after  which 
they  went  back  to  their  ships  in  the  river,  and  sailed  down 
to  Portsmouth  again. 

Soon  afterward  General  Pliillips  was  sent  to  take  the 
place  of  Arnold,  aiul  sailed  up  James  River,  landing  here 
and  there,  and  destroying  everything  he  thought  would 
\)f  of  any  use  to  the  iVmerican  army.  He  then  landed 
with  three  thousand  five  hundi'cd  men  at  City  Point,  and 
marched  up  the  Appumattox  to  Petersburg.  Hero  he  in- 
tended to  wait  until  he  was  joined  by  C'ornwallis,  who  had 
l)een  fighting  the  Americans  in  the  Carolinas.  Cornwallis 
had  been  successful,  and  had  taken  the  whole  country,  to- 
gether with  the  chief  city,  Charleston.  He  was  therefore 
n-ady  to  inarch  northward  to  Virginia,  where  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  had  determined  to  bring  the  war  to  an  end. 


308 


STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


General  Phillips,  who  was  very  proud  and  high-tempered, 
but  very  brave  and  honorable  too,  marclied  into  Petei's- 
burg,  and  captured  the  place  \vithout  any  trouble.     But 


LAFAYETTE. 


suddenly  he  received  intelligence  that  "Washington  had 
sent  troops  from  the  North  to  attack  him,  and  that  these 
troops  were  coming  toward  Richmond  from  the  direction 
of  the  Rappahannock  River.  He  therefore  determined  to 
go  and  meet  them,  and  was  soon  at  Manchester,  opposite 
Richmond.  But  here  he  was  stopped.  On  the  hills  across 
the  river  were  long  lines  of  Americans,  waiting  with  their 
cannon  to  receive  his  attack. 

The  Ainericans  were  commanded  by  the  brave  young 
French  marquis,  Lafayette.  At  this  time  he  was  only 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  but  he  was  already  considered 
one  of  the  best  soldiers  in  the  army,  and  everybody  had 


COUNWALLIS,  AND    THE    BOY    LAFAYETTE. 


309 


the  highest  respect  for  him.  At  home,  in  France,  he  had 
been  very  rich,  and  ranked  higli  among  the  nobility.  He 
was  also  married  to  a  beautiful  young  wife;  but  in  spite 
of  his  wealth  and  high  rank  and  his  pretty  young  wife, 
he  determined  to  cross  the  ocean  and  fight  for  the  Amer- 
icans. He  did  so,  and  told  them  that  he  was  ready  to  go 
into  the  ranks  as  a  private  soldier,  and  would  not  take  any 
pay ;  but  they  saw  what  a  good  officer  he  would  make, 
and  would  not  allow  that.  He  was  made  major-general, 
in  spite  of  his  being  a  boy  almost,  and  soon  showed  people 
that  he  had  as  much  sense  and  courage  as  the  oldest  gen- 
erals. Washington  had  a  high  opinion  of  him,  and  this 
you  will  easily  see,  as  Lafayette  was  now  sent  to  take 
command  of  an  army  of  four  thousand  men,  and  meet  the 
old  British  generals  in  Virginia. 

He  soon  let  people  see  that,  if  he  was  a  mere  boy,  he 
knew  his  business,  and  was  the  man  for  the  place.  He 
got  to  Richmond  before  General  Phillips,  and  drove  him 


^•^^^ 


UOLMNOnilUOK. 


back  to  IVtersburg,  to  which  place  he  followed  him,  and 
attacked  the  Uritisli. 

Poor  I'hillips  was  now  taken  very  ill.  He  Ii.id  <  aught 
a  fever,  and  it  grew  worse  and  worse.  His  head-quarters 
were  at  "  Bollingbrook,"  a  house  in  the  town  belonging  to 


310  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

a  Mrs.  Boiling;  and  as  Bollingbrook  was  on  a  hill,  it  was 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  American  cannon.  The  balls 
crashed  through  the  house,  for  Lafayette  did  not  know  that 
the  British  general  was  lying  ill  there,  and  poor  Phillips 
was  heard  to  groan  out  from  his  bed, 

"  Can't  they  let  me  die  in  peace !" 

None  of  the  balls  injured  him,  however;  his  fever  end- 
ed his  life.  He  soon  afterward  died,  and  his  men  buried 
him  in  the  graveyard  around  "Old  Blandford"  church, 
which  is  still  standing  in  ruins,  covered  with  green  ivy. 
They  fired  a  salute  over  the  grave  of  their  general;  and 
that  was  the  last  of  "the  proudest  man  of  the  proudest 
nation  on  earth,"  as  he  was  called  by  Thomas  Jefierson. 

III. 

It  was  now  the  month  of  May,  1781.  Lord  Cornwallis 
had  arrived  with  his  army  from  the  South,  and  Lafayette 
was  obliged  to  retreat  from  Petersburg  up  James  River 
again,  toward  Richmond.  Here  he  stopped  not  far  from 
"  Wilton,"  an  old  house  some  miles  below  the  city,  and 
began  to  watch  his  enemy. 

If  you  will  now  think  for  a  moment  how  matters  stood, 
you  will  see  that  the  contest  between  the  two  generals 
was  very  unequal.  Lord  Cornwallis  was  an  experienced 
soldier  of  forty  two  or  three  years  of  age,  and  had  a  well- 
disciplined  army  of  regular  soldiers;  while  Lafayette  had 
far  fewer  men,  and  nearly  three-fourths  of  them  were  un- 
trained militia.  Another  thing  which  seemed  to  be  against 
the  Americans  was  Lafiiyette's  age.  It  seemed  unreason- 
able to  suppose  that  a  youth  of  twenty-three  could  fight 
successfully  against  a  man  of  forty-three,  who  was  acknowl- 
edged to  be  a  good  soldier,  and  had  a  victorious  army  at 
his  orders;  and  Lord  Cornwallis  took  this  view  of  the 
subject.     When  he  heard  that  the  Americans  were  only 


COKNWAIXIS,  AND   THE    BOY    LAFAYETTE. 


311 


commanded  by  Lafayette,  he  laughed  at  the  intelligence, 
and  said, 

'"''The  hoy  cannot  escape  me  !" 

But  the  boy^  as  he  was  called,  had  a  better  head  than 
Lord  Cornwallis  thought  he  had.  No  doubt  the  English 
general  supposed  that  Lafayette  was  brave  and  reckless, 
as  many  young  men  are,  and  would  be  ready  at  any  time 


COIINWALLIS. 


to  fight,  which  was  just  wliat  Jio  wished.  lie  knew  that 
Lafayette's  men  were  not  disciplined  soldiers,  only  un- 
trained country  people;  and  as  the  P'tiglish  cavalry  rode 
strong  horses  and  were  hard  fighters,  lie  expected  to  ride 
r)ver  the  American  militia,  and  soon  make  an  end  of  them. 
The  boy  Lafayette,  however,  had  not  the  least  idea  of 
standing  still  and  waiting  to  fight  Cornwallis.  TIo  was 
brave  enough, and  nothing  would  have  pleased  liim  better 


312  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

than  a  good  bloody  battle,  in  which  he  might  win  distinc- 
tion ;  but  he  knew  that  he  ought  not  to  think  of  such  a 
thing.  Washington  had  sent  him  to  take  charge  of  things 
in  Virginia,  and  if  he  fought  the  English  and  Avas  defeat- 
ed, it  would  be  a  terrible  blow  to  the  American  cause.  So 
Lafayette  kept  his  eyes  on  every  movement  of  the  Brit- 
ish ;  and  when  they  came  up  the  river,  as  they  soon  did,  to 
attack  him,  he  retreated  slowly  before  them  toward  the 
Rappahannock. 

For  this  time,  at  least,  you  see,  the  boy  had  escaped 
Lord  Cornwallis.  This  probably  mortified  the  English 
general,  and  he  saw  that  his  youthful  adversary  was  a 
better  and  cooler  soldier  than  he  supposed.  He  resolved, 
however,  to  lay  waste  Virginia,  and  capture,  if  he  could, 
the  members  of  the  Legislature,  then  in  session  at  Char- 
lottesville ;  so  he  marched  up  the  country  for  that  purpose. 

In  front  of  him  went  Colonel  Tarleton,  the  young  cav- 
alry general  who  had  laid  waste  the  Carolinas  Avith  fire 
and  sword.  Tarleton  was  as  brave  as  possible,  but  cruel, 
boastful,  and  quick-tempered.  He  pretended  to  have  a 
great  contempt  for  the  Americans,  and  told  an  American 
lady  once  that  Colonel  William  Washington  was  an  "illit- 
erate fellow,  hardly  able  to  write  his  name."  Now  Col- 
onel Washington  had  just  defeated  Tarleton  in  a  cavalry 
fight,  and  the  lady  replied, 

"You  ought  to  know  better,  for  you  bear  on  your  per- 
son proof  that  he  knows  very  well  how  to  make  his  mark!'''' 
— by  which  she  meant  to  allude  to  the  way  uneducated 
people  have  of  making  a  cross -mark  when  they  cannot 
write. 

At  this  Tarleton  grew  angry,  and  exclaimecl,  with  a 
sneer, 

"I  would  be  happy  to  see  Colonel  Washington  !" 

"  If  you  had  looked  behind  you  at  the  Cowpens,  yon 


COKXWALLIS,  AND   THK    BOY    LAFAYETl'E,  313 

would  have  enjoyed  that  pleasure  !"  replied  the  lady,  re- 
ferring to  the  battle  in  which  Tarleton  had  been  defeated. 

This  made  him  furious,  and,  without  thinking,  probably, 
he  laid  his  hand  on  his  sword,  when  General  Leslie,  of  the 
English  army,  who  was  present,  and  very  angry  at  his 
doing  so,  exclaimed,  addressing  the  lady, 

"  Say  what  you  please,  31rs.  Ashe,  Colonel  Tarleton 
knows  better  than  to  insult  a  lady  in  my  presence !" 

Tarleton  now  marched  with  his  troopers,  in  front  of 
Lord  Cornwallis,  toward  the  mountains,  committing  all 
sorts  of  depredations  wherever  he  went.  He  plundered 
many  of  the  houses,  carried  off  all  the  horses  which  were 
fit  to  ride,  and  when  they  were  too  young  he  ordered 
their  throats  to  be  out,  in  order  to  prevent  the  Americans 
iVom  riding  them.  Some  fine  colts,  which  he  found  at  a 
place  called  Elk  Ilili,  belonging  toTiiomas  Jefferson,  were 
treated  in  this  mannei',  as  the  British  had  a  particular 
spite  against  him  for  doing  so  much  to  bring  on  the  Rev- 
olution ;  and  other  acts  were  committed  by  Colonel  Tarlo- 
t'»n  which  were  very  cruel.  lie  burned  all  the  mills  for 
grinding  flour  or  meal,  and  destroyed  the  barns  contain- 
ing the  grain  to  make  bread.  This,  he  pretenilcd,  was 
(»nly  to  prevent  the  bread  from  being  sent  to  the  Ameri- 
can soldiers;  but  it  was  very  convenient  to  make  that 
excuse.  The  effect  of  it  was  to  nearly  starve  the  women 
and  children,  who  did  no  fighting;  and  no  side  ever  really 
prospers  or  comes  to  good  in  the  cml  when  the  "cry  <»1" 
the  widow  a'tid  the  fatherless,"  as  the  IJible  says,  goes  up 
to  Heaven  against  them. 

Cornwallis  did  not  succeed  in  eatching  the  "legisla- 
tors" at  Charlottesville.  A  man  on  horseback  galloped 
in  and  told  them  the  British  were  coming;  so  they  hur- 
ried away,  and  made  their  escape.  Some  cavalrynicn  wen- 
then  sent  to  capture  Thomas  Jeflerson  at  "  M<iiit  icello," 

14 


314 


STOEIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION". 


where  he  and  his  young  wife,  you  remember,  had  laughed 
and  sung  in  the  little  pavilion  ou  that  snowy  night  near- 
ly ten  years  before.  But  they  were  warned  in  time.  Jef- 
ferson sent  off  his  family  to  "Blenheim,"  where  they  had 
stopped  that  day,  and,  mounting  his  horse,  rode  into  the 
mountains.  The  British  cavalry  thus  failed  to  take  him 
prisoner.    They  drank  his  fine  wine,  but  did  no  other  rais- 


GENERAL   ANTHONY   WAYNE. 


m^ 


chief.     They  then  returned  to  Cornwallis,  and  the  whole 
army  soon  afterward  retreated  down  the  country. 

Lafayette  followed  them  at  once,  for  all  this  time  he 
had  been  watching  them.  He  had  now  been  joined  by 
more  troops,  which  were  sent  to  him  by  Washington,  and 
these  were  commanded  by  "  Mad  Anthony "  Wayne,  as 
he  was  called,  for  his  love  of  fun  and  his  dashing  courage. 
"Mad  Anthony"  was  a  Pennsylvanian,  and  one  of  the 


C0RN^VALL1S,  AXD    THK    BOY    LAFAYETTE.  315 

very  bravest  soldiers  in  the  army.  lie  was  always  in 
liigli  spirits,  and  ready  to  do  anything  that  AVasliington 
told  him;  and  there  never  was  any  "give  up"  in  him 
when  he  once  began  to  figlit.  lie  showed  this  at  a  place 
called  Stony  Point,  on  the  Hudson  Kiver,  a  year  or  two 
before  this  time.  The  British  held  the  fort,  and  "Mad 
Anthony"  attacked  it,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  it. 
During  the  attack  he  was  shot  down,  and  fell  on  his  knees. 
But  he  sprung  to  his  feet,  exclaiming  to  his  men, 

"March  on,  and  take  me  into  the  fort,  for  I  will  die  at 
the  head  of  my  column  !" 

These  were  the  words  of  a  brave  soldier,  and  ought  to 
have  been  cut  on  his  tombstone.  They  will  show  you 
that  the  Pennsylvanian  was  the  man  for  the  times;  and 
Lafayette,  who  knew  him  well,  and  admired  him  as  much 
as  other  people  did,  must  have  been  rejoiced  to  see  his 
bold  laughing  face  in  Virginia. 

IV. 

"The  boy"  Lafayette  now  acted  like  an  experienced  sol- 
dier, lie  knew  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  light  a  reg- 
uhir  Ijaltle  with  Cornwallis,  one  army  against  the  other; 
but  he  meant  to  watch  for  an  opi)ortuiiity,  and  see  if  he 
could  not  take  his  enemy  unawares. 

He  therefore  followed  the  Britisli  closely  as  they  re- 
treated down  James  Kiver,  and  near  Williamsburg  he  had 
a  hot  skirmish  with  them,  in  which  neither  side  had  much 
to  boast  of.  After  the  skirmish  the  Hritish  continued  to 
retreat,  and  at  last  Lord  Coriiwallis  reached  Jamestown, 
where  he  intended  to  cross  James  liiver. 

But  first  lie  made  up  his  mind  to  draw  "  tlie  boy"  La- 
fayette intf)  a  trap,  and  this  he  proceeded  to  set  for  liiiii. 
.Famestown,  wIumc  Smith  and  I  lie  first  settlers  liad  land- 
ed, you  know,  was   a    sort  of  island,  separated   lioiii    the 


316  STOEIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

main-land  by  a  marsh  and  a  small  stream.  All  around 
were  thick  woods,  and  these  enabled  Cornwallis  to  lay 
his  trap.  He  hid  his  soldiers  in  the  woods  along  the 
marsh  on  the  land  side,  and  then  did  everything  to  make 
Lafayette  believe  that  his  main  army  had  crossed  to  the 
island.  Into  tliis  well-laid  trap  Lafayette  now  fell.  He 
thought  nothing  but  the  rear-guard  of  the  British  army 
Avas  before  him,  and  at  once  resolved  to  attack  it. 

"Mad  Anthony"  was  selected  to  head  the  attack,  and  got 
his  men  ready.  It  was  a  summer  day  (July  6th,  1781), 
and  the  woods  and  swamps  were  covered  with  fog.  This 
made  it  all  the  easier  to  get  up  to  the  enemy  without  be- 
inff  seen,  and  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Wayne 
advanced  to  attack  them.  In  front  marched  some  rifle- 
men to  look  for  the  English,  then  came  some  cavalry,  and 
behind  came  the  foot-soldiers — about  eight  hundi-ed  men. 

Cornwallis  was  waiting  for  him,  with  nearly  his  whole 
army  hidden  in  the  woods,  while  tlie  Americans  thought 
they  were  only  going  to  attack  his  small  rear-guard.  The 
battle  soon  began.  Wayne's  riflemen,  who  went  in  front, 
saw  redcoats  in  the  woods,  and  opened  a  hot  fire  on  them. 
At  this  the  American  cavalry  charged  at  a  gallop,  and 
the  infantry  behind  them  rushed  on,  firing  and  cheering. 
But  suddenly  the  woods  swarmed  with  the  redcoats  on 
every  side.  The  Americans  found  themselves  attacked  by 
an  army  instead  of  a  small  force,  as  they  expected  ;  and 
Wayne,  who  was  just  as  cool  and  prudent  as  he  was  brave, 
saw  that  they  had  fallen  into  a  trap.  Lafayette  sent  word 
to  him  to  retreat  at  once ;  and  he  fell  back,  fighting  at 
every  step,  and  at  last  made  a  stand,  where  he  hoped  he 
would  be  able  to  hold  his  ground. 

This  he  soon  found  was  impossible.  Suddenly  heavy 
lines  of  the  English,  to  the  number  of  two  thousand  men, 
burst  out  of  the  woods  on  his  right  and  left,  as  well  as  in 


OORNWALLIS,  AND    THE    HOY    LAFAYETTE.  317 

front.  It  seemed  just  as  impossible  for  the  Americriiis  to 
retreat  as  to  stand  their  ground.  Wayne  saw  that  his  sit- 
uation was  desperate  almost,  and  that  his  only  hope  was 
to  get  back  to  Lafayette.  But  how  could  he  do  so?  The 
enemy  were  upon  him,  and  if  he  tried  to  fall  back,  they 
would  rush  upon  his  flying  men  and  destroy  them. 

Wayne  saw  all  this  at  a  single  glance,  and  determined 
what  he  would  do.  Instead  of  flying,  he  drew  up  his  men 
in  close  line  of  battle,  and  charged  the  enemy,  ordering  his 
cannon  to  open  a  hot  Are  upon  them  as  he  did  so.  The 
charge  was  made,  and  it  was  so  impetuous  that  it  drove 
the  British  back.  Tbey  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it, 
as  they  thought  the  Americans  were  defeated,  and  now 
supposed  that  Lafayette's  whole  army  was  ready  to  sur- 
round them.  They  thei'efore  halted,  and  this  was  just 
what  Wayne  wanted.  Lafayette,  he  knew,  was  far  in  his 
rear,  and  could  not  help  him:  the  oidy  thing  to  do  was  to 
get  out  of  the  trap;  and  taking  advantage  of  the  enemy's 
surprise  at  his  bold  attack,  he  ordered  his  men  to  retreat, 
and  tliey  got  safely  out  of  the  woods  back  to  their  friends 
again. 

This  was  a  brave  and  skilful  act  in  Wayne.  lie  de- 
served all  the  credit  of  it,  and  the  Pennsylvania  soldiers, 
who  did  most  of  the  fighting,  were  entitled  to  their  full 
share  of  the  lionor.  It  was  a  Pennsylvania  light,  you  see, 
as  both  general  and  soldiers  came  from  that  State,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  the  Virginians  clicered  their  friends  as  they 
came  back. 

A  tier  this  there  was  no  more  fighting.  Night  was  com- 
ing on,  and  Lord  Cornwallis  was  perplexed  in  his  mind. 
As  he  did  not  know  what  force  Lafayette  had,  he  was 
afraid  to  attack  him  ;  so  he  rctirccl  to  Jamestown  Island, 
and  three  days  afterward  crossed  J.'iincs  Tiivrr  and  march- 
ed toward  Norfolk. 


318  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

I  thought  you  would  like  to  hear  this  story  of  the  brave 
"boy"  Lafayette  and  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne,  and  how 
they  got  the  better  at  last  of  old  Lord  Cornwallis.  There 
is  a  saying  that  "he  laughs  best  who  laughs  last" — 
that  is,  who  succeeds  in  the  end  in  what  he  undertakes ; 
and  Lafayette  could  now  indulge  in  a  good  laugh  at  his 
enemy.  Cornwallis  had  called  him  a  hoy,  and  said  he 
could  not  escape  from  him ;  but,  instead  of  being  a 
thoughtless  youl,h,  Lafayette  proved  himself  a  good  gen- 
eral, and  it  now  looked  very  much  as  if  Lord  Cornwallis 
was  himself  retreating  to  escape  from  this  very  same 
"  boy." 

All  this  happened,  as  I  have  told  you,  in  the  month  of 
July,  1781;  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  the  great 
war  was  to  come  to  an  end.  How  this  took  place  I  will 
tell  you  in  my  last  story. 


THE    SUIiKENDEK    AT    yOKKlOWN. 


319 


THE  SURRENDER  AT  YORKTOWN. 


This  is  the  last  of  my  stories  of  Virginia  history,  and  in 
it  I  will  tell  you  how  the  Revolution  ended  at  Yorktown, 
not  far  from  Williamsburg,  where,  in  1765,  Patrick  Henry 
sounded  the  first  note  of  resistance  to  England. 

After  the  battle  at  Jamestown  with  Lafayette,  Lord 
Cornwallis  crossed  James  River,  and  finally  retired  with 
his  army  to  Yorktown.  Here 
he  began  to  throw  up  earth- 
works to  protect  himself  from 
the  Americans;  and  this  will 
show  you  what  a  change  had 
snddeidy  taken  place  in  every- 
thing. In  fact,  (ieneral  Wash- 
ington was  every  day  expect-  ;  :v:^<,^i^  -.iw^:  \ 
e<l.  He  had  left  his  camp  near 
New  York  with  very  great 
secrecy,  ami  was  marching 
southward  to  attack  the  IJrit- 
ish  in  \'irgiiiia.  The  news 
went  before  him,  and  Lord  ('ornwallis  no  doubt  heard  it, 
and  it  could  not  have  p\it  him  in  very  good  spirits.  The 
Americans  were  closing  in  on  liim  from  every  side;  and, 
what  made  matters  worse,  a  French  fleet  under  Comtc  <1o 
(irasse,  whicdi  had  come  over  to  help  Washington,  was  ly- 
ing in  Chesapeake  I5ay,  ready  to  cut  iiiiii  oil"  if  lie  tried  1<> 
escape  by  water.     Ifh*'  was  attacked  at  Yorktown  by  the 


LK   CUMTK    DK   UILANXE. 


;520  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

American  army  and  tlie  French  sliips,  there  seemed  small 
probability  that  he  would  be  able  to  make  much  resist- 
ance;  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  was  at  New  York,  un- 
derstood this  perfectly  well.  He  saw  that  there  was  no 
time  to  lose,  if  he  intended  to  help  Cornwallis  ;  so  he  sent 
a  Heet  of  English  ships,  under  an  officer  named  Admiral 
Graves,  to  sail  into  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  carry  more  sol- 
diers to  Yorktown.  With  these  he  hoped  that  Cornwallis 
would  be  able  to  hold  his  gi-ound  against  the  Americans," 
or  if  he  could  not,  there  would  be  the  ships  to  safely  carry 
away  him  and  his  men. 

Admiral  Graves  accordingly  sailed  down  and  soon  reach- 
ed the  shores  of  Virginia.  But  Comte  de  Grasse,  with  his 
French  ships,  was  on  the  lookout,  and  meant  to  fight  him ; 
so  as  soon  as  they  heard  that  the  English  ships  were  near, 
the  Frenchmen  sailed  out  to  attack  them. 

The  Americans  saw  the  French  ships  sail  away  to  attack 
the  English,  and  soon  lost  sight  of  them  in  the  direction 
of  the  ocean.  But  before  long  they  heard,  borne  on  the 
ocean  wind,  the  distant  roar  of  cannon,  from  which  they 
knew  that  the  two  fleets  were  fighting.  Hour  after  hour 
the  dull,  far-ofi:' muttering  of  the  cannon  went  on,  and  then 
at  length  there  was  silence.  The  Americans  hoped  that 
this  meant  that  the  English  fleet  was  driven  back;  and  so 
it  indeed  proved.  The  French  and  English  ships  had  at- 
tacked each  other  and  fought  until  night.  The  English 
vessels  were  not  destroyed;  but  as  Admiral  Graves  did 
not  renew  the  attack  on  the  next  day,  or  tr}'  to  get  to 
Yorktown,  Comte  de  Grasse  was  satisfied,  and  waited  for 
what  was  to  come  next.  For  five  days  the  two  fleets 
sailed  about  in  sight  of  each  other  without  any  more  figlit- 
ing;  and  at  last  the  French  sliips  returned  to  Chesapeake 
Bay,  and  the  English  did  not  follow  them. 

Lord  Cornwallis  must  have  listened  to  that  faint  roar 


WASHINGTON    AS   COMMANDEB-IN-CHIEF. 


THE  SURRENDER  AT  YORKTOWN.  323 

of  cannon  from  the  ocean  with  very  great  anxiety.  He 
knew  just  what  his  situation  was,  and  that  his  only  hope 
of  safety  "was  tlie  defeat  of  Corate  de  Grasse  by  Admiral 
Graves.  If  the  English  ships  were  driven  oif,  he  saw  that 
he  would  be  caught  like  a  rat  in  a  trap;  so  he  probably 
stood  on  his  earthworks  at  Yorktown,  listening  anxiously 
to  the  sound  of  the  guns,  and  trying  to  form  an  opinion 
how  the  fight  would  end.  This,  you  know,  he  could  do  in 
some  measure  by  the  sound.  If  it  grew  louder  and  nearer, 
it  would  mean  that  De  Grasse  was  coming  back  toward 
the  bay  ;  while  if  it  grew  fainter,  it  would  signify  that 
Admiral  Graves  was  sailing  away  toward  the  ocean.  But 
the  sound  did  neither.  It  went  on  steadily  until  it  stop- 
ped;  and  Lord  Cornwallis  was  obliged  to  wait  until  news 
was  brought  to  him  of  the  result  of  the  fighting. 

It  Avas  bad  enough  news,  you  see,  and  he  must  have 
felt  that  the  end  of  the  struggle  was  now  near.  The  sea- 
fight  took  place  in  the  first  week  of  September,  and  on 
the  fourteenth  of  the  same  month  General  Washington 
reached  Williamsburg,  which  is  not  far  from  Yorktown. 
As  he  rode  along  the  lines  of  his  war-worn  troops  the  sol- 
diers waved  their  hats  and  burst  forth  into  cheers.  Every 
man  felt  that  there  would  be  hot  work  now  when  the  great 
commander-in-chief  had  arrived,  and  nothing  pleased  them 
better  tiian  the  prospect.  They  were  anxious  to  beat  the 
British  and  return  home  to  their  families,  and  the  expres- 
sion on  every  face  seemed  to  say,  "  We  arc  ready  !'* 

II. 

Washington  listened  whili;  Lafayette  toM  him  all  thai 
had  liappt'ued,  and  probably  praised  the  young  soldier 
highly  for  all  his  movements  in  the  sumiiKi-  ciinpaign. 

If  F.afayctte  had  not  beaten  Lord  ('ornwallis  in  battle, 
he  had  fulldwed  and  worried  him   until  he  had   shut,  hitn- 


324  STORIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

self  up  in  Yoiktown  ;  and  from  this  corner  there  seemed 
no  means  of  his  escaping.  With  the  land  forces  on  one 
side,  and  the  ships  on  the  otlier,  the  English  were  caught ; 
and  Washington  set  out  at  once  in  a  small  vessel  to  visit 
Comte  de  Grasse. 

He  found  the  brave  sailor  in  his  ship,  named  the  Ville  de 
Paris,  in  the  bay,  and  was  received  with  a  salute  of  hon- 
or. In  the  midst  of  the  thunder  of  cannon  Washington 
went  on  board  the  ship,  and  Comte  de  Grasse  came  to 
meet  him,  making  him  a  low  and  respectful  bow.  They 
then  went  into  the  cabin  and  had  a  long  talk.  De  Grasse 
did  not  wish  to  stay  and  take  part  in  the  siege  of  York- 
town,  He  was  burning  to  follow  the  English  ships  and 
attack  them  ao-ain  ;  but  Washington  told  him  that  the 
great  thing  now  was  to  capture  Cornwallis,  and  at  last 
the  bold  sailor  was  convinced  that  this  was  best.  He 
promised  not  to  sail  away,  but  remain  where  he  was,  and 
Washington  then  went  back  in  his  small  vessel,  which 
was  named  the  Queen  Charlotte,  to  Williamsburg. 

Everything  was  now  ready  for  the  march  upon  York- 
town,  and  the  soldiers  set  out  through  the  beautiful  au- 
tumn weather  (September  28th,  1V81)  for  the  place.  It  was 
only  twelve  miles  from  Williamsburg,  and  the  road  led 
through  cultivated  fields,  and  woods  of  lofty  pines,  hollies, 
laurels,  and  other  forest-trees,  which  cast  refieshing  shad- 
ows on  the  troops  as  they  marched  along.  They  were  all 
in  fine  spirits,  and  the  French  soldiers  who  had  come  from 
the  North  with  Washington  were  dressed  in  bright  uni- 
forms. But  the  Americans,  or  "  Continentals,"  as  they  were 
called  at  that  time,  presented  a  much  less  imposing  ap- 
pearance. Their  clothes  were  faded  and  worn,  and  some 
of  them  were  almost  in  rags;  for  America  was  poor, 
and  could  not  give  them  good  uniforms.  But  they  were 
just  as  well  satisfied  and  in  the  highest  spirits;  am!  if 


THE  SURRENDER  AT  YORKTOWN. 


325 


their  clothes  were  worn   and   soiled,  their  muskets  were 
bright. 

It  was  not  loni;  before  thev  came  in  si2;lit  of  Yorktown. 
This  old  village  is  still  standing,  and  looks  pretty  much 
the  same  as  it  did  at  tliat  time.  It  was  built  on  high 
ground  on  the  south  bank  of  York  River,  and  had  in  it 
only  about  sixty  houses.     Just  opposite,  across  the  river, 


VIEW    AT    VOKKTOWN. 


which  becomes  much  narrower  at  this  place,  was  Glouces- 
ter Point,  whii'h  the  British  also  hold.  In  the  direction 
from  which  the  Americans  were  coming  toward  the  south 
ami  west,  they  had  thrown  up  a  number  of  redoubts  or 
litld- works,  as  they  are  called;  that  is,  small  banks  of 
earth,  behind  which  were  i)laced  camion.  Inside  of  these 
wore  heavier  works  still;  an<l  flicn,  jii>t  in  the  edge  of 
the  town,  were  others,  fifteen  <»r  twenty  feet,  high,  to  le- 
treat  to,  in  case  they  were  driven  out  of  tliose  in  front 
"f  them. 


326  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION, 

You  can  now  fancy  how  everything  looked  as  the 
Americans  marched  up.  The  bright  autumn  sunshine  lit 
up  the  whole  landscape.  There  on  the  left  was  York  Riv- 
er, and  in  front  were  the  houses  of  the  town  ;  and  in  front 
of  all  were  the  British  redoubts,  with  their  cannon  wait- 
ing. 

As  Lord  Cornwallis  expected  to  have  more  soldiers  sent 
him  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  he  ought  to  have  fought  in  these 
redoubts,  I  think,  in  order  to  gain  time.  But  he  deter- 
mined that  he  would  give  them  up,  and  retreat  to  his 
stronger  works  behind  them.  The  Americans  at  once 
rushed  in  and  took  possession  of  them ;  and  then  the  next 
thing  to  be  done  was  to  make  what  are  called  parallels. 
These  are  trenches  and  banks  of  earth  thrown  up  by  the 
army  Avhich  is  attacking  earthworks,  behind  which  they 
fight,  as  those  who  are  besieged  fight  behind  their  own. 
The  parallels  were  begun,  and  the  men  worked  at  them 
day  and  night:  at  last  one  of  them  was  finished  and 
mounted  with  cannon,  and  the  Americans  then  prepared 
for  tlie  attack.  Their  army  lay  around  Yorktown  in  the 
shape  of  a  new  moon  ;  the  left,  composed  of  French  troops, 
restino-  on  York  River,  and  the  risjht,  of  Americans  under 
Lafayette,  extending  down  beyond  the  town.  In  this  way 
Yorktown  was  regularly  invested  from  the  land  side;  the 
French  fleet  watched  on  the  water,  ready  to  meet  any 
Biitish  ships  which  attempted  to  approach  ;  and  on  the 
9th  of  October  General  Washington  began  the  attack. 

It  was  begun  in  the  afternoon,  and  for  eight  hours  the 
cannon  thundered  from  the  opposing  works.  Darkness 
soon  came,  but  this  did  not  stop  the  tire,  and  the  spectacle 
is  said  to  have  been  magnificent.  The  red  glare  of  the  ar- 
tillery lit  up  the  night,  and  all  at  once  a  still  more  splen- 
did sight  was  presented,  which  I  will  now  proceed  to  de- 
scribe. 


THE    SUBRENDEK    AT    YOKKTOAVX. 


327 


ijUNWALLIS  5    LAVi.. 


III. 

Opposite  the  left  of  the  Aiuerican  line,  in  York  River, 

were  some  English  ships,  which  they  determined  to  make 

an  effort  to  destroy.     One  of  them  was  named  the  Charon 

and  the  otiier  the  Guadaloxipe^  and,  as  their 

lights  were  visible,  there  was  no  difficulty 

in  firing  at  them. 

This  was  done  with  red-hot  can- 
non-balls from  the  Amer- 
ican redoubts  toward 
—^  York  River,  and  both 
the  ships  were 
soon  set  on  fire. 
One  who  saw  them 
described  it  as  a 
wild  and  beautiful 
spectacle,  full  of  "  terrible  grandeur  "  and  attraction.  The 
flames  speedily  caught  the  sails  and  rigging  of  the  ships 
and  ran  to  the  summits  of  the  masts,  and  the  shores  were 
lit  up  by  the  conflagration.  Tlie  ships  had  slipped  their 
rabies  and  attempted  to  get  away,  but  the  red-hot  balls 
caught  up  with  them,  and  they  became  the  mark  of  all 
the  batteries  as  they  fled,  like  mountains  of  fire,  toward 
the  bay.  Tiie  Guadaloupe  managed  to  extinguish  the  fire 
<^)n  board,  and  escaped,  but  the  Charon  was  completely 
destroyed  and  sunk.  Another  English  ship  was  also  set 
on  fire  by  shells  and  destroyed  ;  and  (he  cannonade  did 
not  cease  until  next  morning. 

Day  after  day  the  fighting  conlinued,  an(l  llic  prospect 
became  darker  and  darker  for  Lord  Cornwallis.  There 
was  a  cave,  it  is  said,  in  the  river  blufV,  where  he  consult- 
ed with  his  officers, but  his  head-i|ii;irt('rs,  it  seems,  were  in 
what  was  called  the  "Nelson  House,"  a  residence  belong- 


328 


STORIES    OP    THE    OLD    DOMINIOX. 


ing  to  General  Nelson,  The  Americans  fired  at  it,  al- 
though they  at  first  did  not  wish  to  do  so,  from  reluc- 
tance to  injure  the  fine  mansion.  But  of  this  General 
Nelson  would  not  hear.  When  the  artillery  officers  hesi- 
tated, he  liimself  aimed  the  cannon  and  fired  at  his  own 
iiouse;  and  this,  if  nothing  else  were  known  of  him,  would 
prove  his  noble  character  and  self-sacrificing  patriotism. 

Day  after  day  and  night  after  night  the  fighting  went 
on,  and  the  situation  of  Lord  Cornwallis  grew  every  hour 

more  critical.  A  sec- 
ond parallel  was  con- 
structed by  the  Amer- 
icans in  front  of  their 
right  wing,  very  close 
to  two  of  the  strongest 
of  the  English  works ; 
and  these  redoubts 
Washington  now  re- 
solved to  assault. 

The  attack  took  place 
on  the  evening  of  the 
14th  of  October.  The 
column  on  the  i-ight  consisted  of  the  troops  under  Lafay- 
ette, and  was  led  by  Alexander  Hamilton,  afterward  one 
of  the  greatest  statesmen  of  America.  On  the  left  were 
the  French  chasseurs  and  grenadiers^  as  they  were  called ; 
and  when  the  word  was  given,  the  two  columns  rushed 
forward  toward  the  British  redoubts.  They  were  re- 
ceived with  a  storm  of  bullets  and  cannon-shot,  but  did 
not  return  the  fire.  The  only  way  to  take  the  works  was 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  the  men  rushed  on  over 
the  felled  trees  and  other  obstacles,  and  mounted  the  earth- 
works, where  they  fought  with  clubbed  muskets  hand  to 
hand  with  the  English  troops. 


NELSON    HOUSE. 


THE  SURREXDEK  AT  YORKTOWX.  329 

Tlie  Americans  under  Ilaniiltoii  carried  everytliing  be- 
fore them,  and  were  at  last  in  possession  of  the  redoubt. 
The  French  were  still  fighting  on  the  left,  and  Lafayette 
sent  word  to  Baron  Viomenil,  who  commanded  the  French, 
that  '■''He  was  in  his  redoubt ;  when  would  the  baron  be  in 
hh?'' 

"Tell  the  marqnis,"  replied  Viomenil,  "that  I  am  not  in 
mine,  but  I  will  be  in  five  minutes!" 

He  was  as  good  as  liis  word.  Suddenly  clieers  were 
heard  all  along  the  front.  Both  redoubts  were  captured, 
and  the  shouts  of  the  French  and  Americans  rang  aloft 
and  mingled  together. 

Washington  was  standing  on  liis  works  in  the  rear,  lis- 
tening. As  he  lieard  this  sliout  lie  closed  his  field-glasses, 
and  said  to  General  Knox,  who  was  standing  by  him, 

"  The  work  is  done — and  well  done  !" 

IV. 

Lord  Cornwallis  was  now  in  a  desperate  situation.  He 
had  lost  all  hope  of  having  more  soldiers  sent  him  by  Sii- 
Henry  Clinton,  and  he  saw  that  he  could  not  resist  Wash- 
ington much  longer,  lie  made  one  attempt  to  attack  the 
French  above  the  town  before  daylight  one  morning,  but 
was  soon  driven  ])ack  ;  and  then  he  determined  to  make 
.'in  effort  to  escape. 

The  manner  in  which  he  attempted  to  do  this  shows 
how  desperate  he  had  become.  You  will  remetnber  what 
I  told  von  about  CJloucestcr  Point,  across  tlic  river  from 
^'orktown.  'I'lic  British  had  some  soldiers  there,  and  a 
party  of  French  were  also  across  the  river  watching  them. 
Lord  C'ornwallis's  jdan  was  this:  As  the  river  was  not 
more  than  a  mile  wiilo  at  the  place,  he  resolved  to  leave 
all  his  cannon  and  baggage  in  Yorktown,  iiml  eross  his 
men  over  in  boats  by  night  to  the  Point.     Then  he  meant 


330  STORIES    OF  THE    OLD   DOMINION. 

to  make  a  sudden  attack  on  the  French  there  and  cut  them 
to  pieces.  Then  he  and  his  men  could  mount  the  horses 
of  the  French  legion,  gallop  off  toward  the  Rappahannock, 
and,  forcing  their  way  through  Maryland,  Pennsylvania, 
and  New  Jersey,  arrive  safely  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
where  their  main  army  was. 

When  a  man  is  desperate  he  is  ready  to  undertake  des- 
perate things,  and  you  see  this  was  now  the  case  with 
Lord  Cornwallis.  He  was  like  Colonel  M'Culloch,  who 
leaped  over  the  precipice  at  Wheeling.  It  was  his  only 
chance  of  safety,  and  he  I'esolved  to  try  it. 

The  boats  were  soon  ready,  and  on  the  night  of  the  16th 
of  October  the  British  began  to  cross  from  Yorktown  to 
Gloucester.  It  was  about  ten  o'clock  at  night  when  the 
boats  pushed  from  shore,  and  they  moved  in  such  deep  si- 
lence that  no  one  in  the  American  camps  dreamed  of  their 
design.  The  greatest  secrecy  had  been  kept  about  the 
whole  affair,  and  none  of  the  people  in  the  town  knew  of 
it ;  so  the  first  boat-loads  were  landed  on  the  Gloucester 
side,  and  then  the  boats  set  out  to  return  and  carry  over 
more.  But  Providence  had  determined  that  Lord  Corn- 
wallis should  not  escape.  His  plan  might  have  succeeded, 
as  desperate  plans  sometimes  do  ;  but  when  Heaven  has 
decreed  that  certain  things  in  this  world  shall  not  take 
place,  the  power  of  man  is  vain,  and  everything  comes  to 
nothing.  No  sooner  had  the  boats  started  back  toward 
Yorktown  than  the  sky  clouded  over,  and  a  violent  storm 
began.  The  thunder  roared,  the  lightning  flashed,  and  the 
waves  of  the  broad  river  dashed  the  boats  up  and  down, 
rendering  it  impossible  to  carry  over  the  rest  of  the  army. 
All  night  the  storm  went  on,  and  when  morning  came  it 
was  not  yet  over.  Cornwallis  saw  that  there  was  no 
hope  now,  as  the  Americans  would  discover  his  attempt  to 
escape;  so  he  brought  back   the  soldiers  wlio   were   at 


THE  SURRENDEU  AT  YORKTOWN. 


331 


Gloucester  Point,  and  sent  word  to  Geueral  Washington 
that  he  was  ready  to  surrender. 


Such  was  the  end  of  the  famous  siege,  and  the  long 
agony  of  tlie  Revohition  was  over.     One  ceremony  only 


SL'&ULMlLil   or    toUNWALLli)    AI    iu;;Klu«.N. 


remained  to  be  observed — to  receive  tlie  surrender  of  the 
Hritish  troops;  and  tliis  was  fixed  for  the  I'Uh  of  October. 
On  that  day  it  took  jilace.  Tlio  terms  were  as  liberal 
as  possible.  The  men  and  oflicers  were  to  retain  their 
bacrga'^c  and  side-arms,  and  all  their  jjcrsonal  property. 
Only  one  disagreeable  comlilion  was  exacted  by  Washing- 


332 


STORIES    OF   THE    OLD    DOMINION. 


ton.  This  was  that  tlie  English  flags  should  be  "  cased," 
as  it  was  called,  that  is,  rolled  up,  when  the  troops  march- 
ed out.  This  was  considered  a  great  disgrace ;  but  Lord 
Cornwallis  had  inflicted  it  u]ion  General  Lincoln,  of  the 


MOORE    HOUSE. 


American  army,  when  he  surrendered  at  Charleston,  and 
now  Washington  resolved  that  he  should  submit  to  it  in 
his  turn. 

The  surrender  took  place  in  a  field  south  of  Yorktown, 
and  the  scene  was  lonsf  remembered.  Through  the  field  a 
road  ran,  and  on  one  side  of  this  road  the  American  troops 
were  drawn  up.  The  French  were  facing  them  on  the 
other  side,  and  the  lines  were  more  than  a  mile  long. 

Washington  rode  a  white  horse,  and  took  his  place  at 
the  head  of  the  American  line ;  and  General  Rochambeau, 
on  a  fine  bay,  was  at  the  head  of  the  French.  A  great 
crowd  had  assembled  from  all  the  surrounding  country, 
and  at  the  hour  appointed  the  British  troops  were  seen 
defiling  out  of  Yorktown.  Their  colors  were  cased,  in 
compliance  with  the  terms  of  surrender,  and  they  came  on 
slowly,  with  sullen  faces,  in  the  midst  of  a  deep  silence. 


TUE  SURRENDER  AT  YORKTOWX. 


333 


Lord  Connvallis  did  not  make  his  appearance.  He  sent 
word  that  he  was  unwell,  and  General  O'Hara,  of  the  Brit- 
ish army,  took  his  place.  This  officer  rode  up  to  Wash- 
ington, made  a  bow,  and  presented  Lord  Cornwallis's  sword. 
Washington  bowed  in  return,  but  pointed  to  General  Lin- 
coln, to  signify  that  the  surrender  must  be  made  to  him. 
General  O'Hara  therefore  presented  the  sword  to  Lincoln, 
who  received  it  with  a  bow,  and  then  returned  it,  request- 
ing that  it  should  be  restored  to  Lord  Cornwallis. 

The  rest  of  the  ceremony  was  soon  over.  The  British 
troops  marched  between  tlie  two  lines,  and  stacked  their 


&^ 


X  - 


MOI'NT  VKIINON. 


arms  and  colors.  Tiiis  sceniud  Id  morlil'y  and  enriige 
lliem  in  the  highest  degree.  Tlie  officers  looked  fii rictus, 
and  Colonel  Abcrcrombie,  of  the  English  (iuards,  covered 
his  face  and  bit  the  hilt  of  his  sw<ir<l  willi  rage. 


334  STORIES    OF   THE    OLD   DOMINIOIV. 

The  British  troops  were  then  marched  back  to  their 
quarters  in  Yorktown,  and  the  ceremony  of  the  surrender 
was  over. 

From  that  hour  the  Revolutionary  War  was  at  an  end. 
British  troops  remained  upon  American  soil,  but  the  fight- 
ing was  over,  and  in  1783  a  formal  treaty  of  peace  was 
made  between  England  and  the  United  States.  As  soon  as 
intelligence  of  this  was  received  the  British  prepared  to 
leave  New  York.  This  ceremony  took  place  in  November, 
1783;  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  Washington, 
who  was  then  in  the  city  of  New  York,  took  leave  of  his 
old  friends  and  comrades,  who  had  fought  under  him  so 
long.     It  was  an  affecting  scene.     Washinfjton  came  into 

CD  Cj  vj 

the  room  where  his  generals  were  all  assembled,  and  rais- 
ing a  glass  of  wine,  addressed  them  in  a  voice  full  of  the 
deepest  feeling : 

"  With  a  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude  I  now  take 
leave  of  you,"  he  said.  "  I  most  devoutly  wish  that  your 
latter  days  may  be  as  prosperous  and  happy  as  your  for- 
mer ones  have  been  glorious  and  honorable." 

He  then  drank  to  their  health  and  happiness,  and  looked 
at  them  with  deep  emotion.  The  tears  were  running  down 
their  cheeks,  and  they  seemed  unable  to  utter  a  word. 

Washington  then  said,  "  I  cannot  come  to  each  of  you 
to  take  my  leave,  but  shall  be  obliged  to  you  if  each  will 
come  and  take  my  hand." 

General  Knox,  who  was  next  to  him,  grasped  his  hand, 
and  Washington  kissed  him.  He  then  shook  hands  with 
and  kissed  each  of  the  generals  in  turn,  after  which  he  left 
the  room.  Long  lines  of  his  old  soldiers  were  drawn  up 
in  the  street.  Between  these  he  walked  to  a  boat  on  the 
river;  raised  his  hat  in  reply  to  the  cheering;  the  boat 
was  rowed  away,  and  thus  ended  one  of  the  most  affect- 
ing scenes  of  history. 


A    LAST    WORD   TO   THE    BOYS.  335 


A  LAST  WORD  TO  THE  BOYS. 

I  HAVE  thus  told  you  a  good  many  stories  of  Virginia 
liistory,  and  have  tried  to  do  so  in  a  manner  to  interest 
you.  Whether  I  have  succeeded  I  do  not  know ;  but  I 
have  done  ray  best,  and  I  hope,  at  least,  that  some  of  them 
have  pleased  you. 

But  pleasing  you  was  not  my  main  object  in  telling  you 
my  stories.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  interest  young  people, 
and  make  them  acquainted  with  fiicts  which  they  ought 
to  know ;  but  what  is  far  more  important  is  to  improve 
their  characters,  by  showing  them  how  great  and  good 
men  did  their  duty  wherever  and  whenever  they  were 
called  upon.  If  you  will  go  back  and  remember  the 
stories  in  our  little  book,  you  will  see  that  I  have  never 
lost  sight  of  this,  or  allowed  it  to  pass  out  of  my  mind. 
I  first  told  you  about  John  Smith  and  his  adventurous 
career — how  he  began  life  as  a  poor  boy,  but  was  always 
so  brave  and  true  that  every  one  respected  him,  and  how 
he  came  at  last  to  found  a  great  country,  and  died  leaving 
a  famous  name.  Then  you  were  told  of  Nathaniel  Bacon 
and  his  patriotic  life ;  and  then  all  about  Washington,  and 
his  courage  and  high  character,  from  tiie  time  when  he  was 
a  boy  whom  scarcely  any  one  had  heard  of,  to  that  day 
in  New  York  when  he  was  looked  upon  as  the  greatest 
man  living  in  the  whole  woild.  Vou  heard  next  about 
Thomas  Jelferson  and  Patrick  Henry,  and  other  jjatriots; 
and  in  my  stories  of  Andrew  Lewis,  and  Klizabetli  /arie, 
and  Colonel  Rogers,  I  showed   vou  liow  brave   ami   hue 


336  STOKIES    OF    THE    OLD    DOMINION. 

the  men  and  women  and  very  children  of-  the  border 
were,  in  tlie  dark  days  when  they  were  called  npon  to 
sliow  what  was  in  them.  All  these  and  other  stories  still 
I  have  gone  on  telling  you  day  after  day  —  never  tired 
telling  them,  it'  you  were  willing  to  listen  ;  and  now  when 
I  have  finished,  and  am  about  to  bid  you  good-bye,  I  think 
I  can  say  that  some,  at  least,  of  these  true  stories  will  be 
of  profit  to  yon. 

You  are  boys  now,  but  you  will  soon  be  men.  Then 
you  will  have  your  own  way  to  make  in  the  world.  Do 
you  mean  to  be  idle,  and  fearful,  and  deceive  people,  and 
give  them  a  bad  opinion  of  you  ?  Or  do  you  intend  to 
go  to  work,  and  act  bravely  and  nobly,  and  do  your 
duty,  and  leave  a  name  behind  you  when  you  die  which 
the  world  will  love  and  resjoect  V  Take  care  —  now  is 
the  time!  Did  you  ever  notice  a  large  tree  that  grew 
crooked,  and  was  an  ugly  eyesore  on  that  account?  Per- 
haps it  stood  on  the  lawn,  right  in  front  of  the  porch,  and 
your  father  would  have  liked  very  much  to  straighten  it. 
It  was  impossible  to  do  so.  A  hundred  horses  could  not 
have  dragged  it  erect.  And  yet  think  of  the  time  when 
that  large  tree  was  a  small  sapling :  a  child  might  have 
straightened  it  then,  and  it  would  have  grown  properly, 
and  every  one  would  have  admired  it. 

By  this  I  mean  that  boys  ought  to  groio  straight,  not 
crooked.  You  are  young  now,  as  the  tree  was  once:  be- 
gin in  time,  and  you  will  be  as  straight  as  an  arrow  when 
you  are  a  man.  If  you  wait,  it  will  be  too  late.  The  way 
to  make  men  erect  and  noble  is  to  take  them,  when  they 
are  boys,  and  show  them  that  there  is  nothing  in  this 
world  so  noble  as  doing  their  dutJ^  Once  more  I  say,  re- 
member that,  though  you  are  boys  now,  you  will  be  men 
soon.  The  old  people  will  die,  and  you  must  take  their 
places;  and  woe  to  these  old  people  if  they  set  you  a  bad 


A   LAST   WORD   TO   THE   BOYS.  337 

example!  Did  you  ever  bear  what  a  great  and  good 
man  said  one  day  ?  He  was  walking  in  the  snow,  and  his 
little  son  was  following  him,  and  stepping  in  the  prints 
which  his  father's  feet  had  made  in  the  snow.  His  father 
saw  this,  and  shook  his  head  : 

"I  must  mind  how  I  walk,"  he  said  to  himself;  "that 
fellow  is  following  in  my  footsteps !" 

We  old  people  must  mind  how  we  walk,  if  you  young 
fellows  are  walking  after  us,  and  take  care  where  we  go 
and  what  we  do.  You  will  do  good  or  evil,  just  as  you 
have  been  taught.  If  you  are  false  and  worthless,  you  and 
everybody  else  will  have  a  hard  time  of  it.  You  may 
be  soldiers,  judges,  statesmen,  and  presidents.  What  you 
say  or  do  may  decide  the  fate  of  millions  of  other  people. 
These  will  look  to  you;  and,  more  than  all,  God  will 
watch  you,  and  hold  you  to  a  strict  account.  If  you  are 
brave,  and  true,  and  unselfish,  Heaven  will  bless  you,  and 
every  one  who  knows  you  will  love  and  respect  you.  If 
you  are  mean  and  cowardly,  and  think  of  nothing  but 
your  own  pleasure,  God  and  man  wall  hate  you.  Which 
will  you  be  ? 

The  greatest  of  all  things  is  to  be  pure,  and  to  do  your 
duty.  Boys,  and  grown  people  too,  learn  this  best  by 
example,  I  think,  and  I  have  tried  to  show  you  these  ex- 
amples in  American  history. 

I  might  have  made  my  book  longer,  and  written  it  in  a 
(UnVM-ent  style;  but  I  tliink  I  acted  wisely  in  never  forget- 
ting that  I  was  writing  for  boys.  If  I  have  interested  you, 
I  am  more  than  content.  I  am  sure  of  one  thing — tliat  1 
would  not  write  what  Mould  make  you  worse,  for  all  the 
world.  I  hope  my  liltlo  stories,  by  showing  you  great  ex- 
amples, will  make  you  wiser  and  better. 

THE    END. 


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iiKTii.  Translated  by  ICi.i.i.n  I",.  FitEWin.  With  an  Intioduction 
by  WiNwoon  Reake.  Illustrated  by  about  i:'.0  Wood-cuts  from  Draw- 
ings made  bv  the  Autlmr,  and  witli  two  Maps.      2  vols.,  Svo,  (loth, 


4     Valuable  and  Interesting  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

M'CLINTOCK  &  STRONG'S  CYCLOPEDIA.  Cyclopaedia  of  Bib- 
lical, Tlieological,  and  Ecclesiastical  Literature.  Prepared  by  the  Rev. 
John  M'Clintock,  D.D.,  and  James  Strong,  S.T.D.  7  vols,  now 
ready.  Roval  8vo.  Price  per  vol.,  Cloth,  $5  00;  Sheep,  $6  00; 
Half  Morocco,  $8  00. 

MOHAMMED  AND   MOHAMMEDANISM:    Lectures  Delivered  at 

the  Royal  Institution  of  Great  Britain  in  February  and  March,  1874. 
By  R.  BoswoRTH  Smith,  M. A.,  Assistant  Master  in  Harrow  School; 
late  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford.  With  an  Appendix  containing 
Emanuel  Deutsch's  Article  on  "Islam."     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  60. 

MOSHEIM'S  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  Ancient  and  Modern ; 
in  which  the  Rise,  Progress,  and  Variation  of  Church  Power  are  con- 
sidered in  their  Connection  with  the  State  of  Learning  and  Philosophy, 
and  the  Political  History  of  Europe  during  that  Period.  Translated, 
with  Notes,  &c.,  by  A.  Maclainb,  D.D.  Continued  to  1826,  by  C. 
CooTE,  LL.D.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00;  Sheep,  $5  00;  Half  Calf, 
$8  50. 

HARPER'S  NEW  CLASSICAL  LIBRARY.     Literal  Translations. 

The  following  Volumes  are  now  ready.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50  each. 

CiESAR.  —  Virgil.  —  Sallust.  —  Horace.  —  Cicero's  Orations.— 
Cicero's  Offices,  &c.— Cicero  on  Oratory  and  Orators. — 
Tacitus  (2  vols.). — Terence. — Sophocles.— Jdvenal. — Xeno- 
PHON. — Homer's  Iliad. — Homer's  Odyssey. — Herodotus. — De- 
mosthenes (2  vols.). — Thucydides. — jEschylus. — Euripides  (2 
vols.). — LivY  (2  vols.). — Plato  [Select  Dialogues]. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  SOUTH  AFRICA.  Missionary  Travels  and  Re- 
searches in  South  Africa :  including  a  Sketch  of  Sixteen  Years'  Resi- 
dence in  the  Interior  of  Africa,  and  a  Journey  from  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  to  Loanda  on  the  West  Coast ;  thence  across  the  Continent,  down 
the  River  Zambesi,  to  the  Eastern  Ocean.  By  David  Livingstone, 
LL.D.,  D.C.L.  With  Portrait,  Maps,  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$4  50 ;  Sheep,  |5  00 ;  Half  Calf,  f  6  75. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  ZAMBESI.  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Zam- 
besi and  its  Tributaries,  and  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Lakes  Shirwa  and 
Nyassa,  1858-18G4.  By  David  and  Charles  Livingstone.  With 
Map  and  Illustrations.     8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00;  Sheep,  $5  50;  Half  Calf, 

$7  25. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  LAST  JOURNALS.  The  Last  Journals  of  David 
Livingstone,  in  Central  Africa,  from  1865  to  his  Death.  Continued  by 
a  Narrative  of  his  Last  Moments  and  Sufferings,  obtained  from  his 
Faithful  Servants  Chuma  and  Susi.  By  Horace  Waller,  F.R.G.S., 
Rector  of  Twywell,  Northampton.  With  Portrait,  Maps,  and  Illustra- 
tions. 8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00  ;  Sheep,  $5  50 ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25.  Cheap 
Popular  Edition,  8vo,  Cloth,  with  Map  and  Illustrations,  $2  50. 

GROTE'S  HISTORY  OF  GREECE.  12  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $18  00; 
Sheep,  $22  SO  ;  Half  Calf,  $:]9  00. 


Valuable  and  Interesting  Works  for  Public  ana  Private  Libraries.      5 

RECLUS'S  EARTH.  The  Eartli :  a  Descriptive  History  of  the  Phe- 
nomena of  the  Life  of  the  Globe.  Ey  £lisee  Reci.us.  With  234  Maps 
and  Illustrations,  and  23  Page  Maps  printed  in  Colors.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$5  00;  Half  Calf,  f7  25. 

RECLUS'S  OCEAN.  The  Ocean,  Atmosphere,  and  Life.  Being  the 
Second  Series  of  a  Descriptive  History  of  the  Life  of  tlie  Globe.  By 
Elisee  Reclus.  Prufiiselv  Illustrated  with  250  Maps  or  Figures,  and 
27  Maps  printed  in  Colors. "  8vo,  Cloth,  $G  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $8  25. 

NORDHOFF'S  COMMUNISTIC  SOCIETIES  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES.  The  Communistic  Societies  of  the  United  States,  from  Per- 
sonal Visit  and  Observation  ;  including  Detailed  Accounts  of  tlie  Econ- 
omists, Zoarites,  Shakers,  the  Amaiia,  Oneida,  Bethel,  Aurora,  Icarian, 
and  other  existing  Societies.  With  Parlicidars  of  tlieir  Koligious  Creeds 
and  Practices,  their  Social  Theories  and  Life,  Numbers,  Industries,  and 
Present  Condition.  By  Charles  Nokdiioff,  Illustrations.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $4  00. 

NORDIIOFF"S  CALIFORNIA.  California:  for  Health,  Pleasure,  and 
Residence.  A  Book  for  Travellers  and  Settlers.  Illustrated.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $2  50. 

NORDHOFF'S  NORrilERN  CALIFORNIA,  OKEGON,  AND  THE 
SANDWICH  ISLANDS.  Northern  California,  Oregon,  and  the  Sand- 
wich Islands.  Bv  Ciiaui.es  Nordiioff.  Illustrated.  Svo,  Cloth, 
$2  50. 

PARTON'S  CARICATURE.  Caricature  and  Other  Comic  Art,  in  All 
Times  and  Many  Lands.  By  James  Pautox.  With  203  Illustrations. 
Svo,  Cloth,  Gilt  Tops  and  uncut  edges,  !§5  00. 

♦RA\\^>INSONS  MANUAL  OF  ANCIENT  HISTORY.  A  Manual 
of  Ancient  History,  from  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Fall  of  the  Western 
Empire.  Comprising  tiie  History  of  Chaldaa,  Assyria.  Media,  Hal)y- 
lonia,  Lydia,  PhfL'iiicia,  Syria,  .Jud;ca,  Egypt,  Carthage,  Persia,  (ireece, 
Macedonia,  Parthia,  and  Home.  \\\  (iEouce  Hawi.insmn,  M.A., 
Camden  Professor  of  Ancient  History  in  the  University  of  Oxford. 
12mo,  Cloth,  ijl    JO. 

NICHOLS'S  ART  EDUCATION.  Art  Education  applied  to  Industry. 
By  (Jkokoe  Wakij  Nkmioi.h,  Author  of  "The  Story  of  the  Great 
March."     Illustrated.     Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

BAKI'^U'S  ISMAILIA.  Ismaili'a  :  a  Narrative  of  the  ICxpcilitiun  to  (Vn- 
tral  Africa  for  the  Su|)pression  of  llic  Slave-trade,  organized  by  Ismail, 
Khedive  of  Egy|)f.  Hy  Sir  Samiii,  AVitiTE  Bakkk,  Pasha,  F.R.S., 
F.H.(;.S.  With  .MapsJ  I'ortraits,  and  Illustrations.  Hvo,  Cli>tli,  !§(5  00; 
Half  Calf,  it'7  25. 

BOSWKLL'S  JOHNSON.  The  Life  of  Samuel  .lohns.m,  LL.  I).,  in- 
cluding a  .Fournal  of  a  Tour  to  the  Hcliridcs.  Hy  .Jami.h  Hohwei.i., 
Es(|.  Kdiied  bv  John  Wii.hon  Cuokek,  LL.  D.,  F.  U.S.  With  a  I'or- 
trnit  of  Hosweli.  2  vols.,  Kv«,  (  loth,  9<\  (Ml ;  Siieop,  ^'t  (Ml ;  I  Inlf  ( 'alf, 
$8  50. 


6      Valuable  and  Interesting  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

VAN-LENNEP'S  BIBLE  LANDS.  Bible  Lands :  their  Modern  Cus- 
toms  and  Manners  Illustrative  of  Scripture.  By  tlie  Rev.  Henry  J. 
Van-Lennep,  D.D.  Illustrated  with  upward  of  350  Wood  Engravings 
and  two  Colored  Maps.  838  pp.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00;  Sheep,  $0  00; 
Half  Morocco,  $8  00. 

VINCENT'S  LAND  OF  THE  WHITE  ELEPHANT.  The  Land  of 
the  White  Elephant :  Sights  and  Scenes  in  Southeastern  Asia.  A  Per- 
sonal Nanative  of  Travel  and  Adventure  in  Farther  India,  embracing 
the  Countries  of  Burma,  Siam,  Cambodia,  and  Cochin-China  (1871-2). 
By  Frank  Vincent,  Jr.  Illustrated  with  Maps,  Plans,  and  Woodculs. 
Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

SHAKSPEARE.  The  Dramatic  Works  of  William  Shakspeare.  With 
Corrections  and  Notes.  Engravings.  6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00.  2 
vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $-4  00;  Sheep,  $5  00.  In  one  vol.,  8vo,  Sheep, 
$4  00. 

SMILES'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  Tke  Hngnenots: 
their  Settlements,  Churches,  and  Industries  in  England  and  Ireland. 
By  Samuel  Smiles.  With  an  Appendix  relating  to  the  Huguenots  in 
America.     Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

SMILES'S  HUGUENOTS  AFTER  THE  REVOCATION.  The  Hu- 
guenots in  France  after  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes ;  witii  a 
Visit  to  the  Country  of  the  Vaudois.  By  Samuel  Smiles.  Crown 
8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

SMILES'S  LIFE  OF  THE  STEPHENSONS.  The  Life  of  George 
Stei)]ienson,  and  of  his  Son,  Robert  Stephenson ;  comprising,  also,  a 
History  of  the  Invention  and  Introduction  of  the  Railway  Locomotive. 
By  Samuel  Smiles.  With  Steel  Portraits  and  numerous  Illustrations. 
Svo,  Cloth,  is  00. 

SQUIER'S  PERU.  Peru  :  Incidents  of  Travel  and  Exploration  in  the 
Land  of  the  Incas.  By  E.  George  Squikk,  M.A.,  F.S.A.,  late  U.  S. 
Commissioner  to  Peru,  Author  of  "Nicaragua,"  "Ancient  Monuments 
of  Mississippi  Valley,"  &c.,  &c.    With  Illustrations.    Svo,  Cloth,  |i5  00. 

STRICKLAND'S  (Miss)  QUEENS  OF  SCOTLAND.  Lives  of  the 
Queens  of  Scotland  and  English  Princesses  connected  with  the  Regal 
Succession  of  Great  Britain.  Bv  Agnes  Strickland.  8  vols.,  12mo, 
Cloth,  $12  00  ;  Half  Calf,  l|2G  00. 

THE  'CHALLENGER"  EXPEDITION.  The  Atlantic:  an  Account 
of  the  General  Results  of  the  Exploring  Expedition  of  H.M.  S.  "Chal- 
lenger." By  Sir  Wyville  Thomson,  K.C.B.,  F.R.S.  With  numer- 
ous Illustrations,  Colored  Maps,  and  Charts,  from  Drawings  by  J.  J. 
Wyld,  engraved  by  J.  D.  Cooper,  and  Portrait  of  the  Author,  engrared 
by'C.  H.  Jeens.     2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  -$12  00. 

BOURNE'S  LIFE  OF  JOHN  LOCKE.  The  Life  of  John  Locke.  By 
H.  R.  Fox  Bourne.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  nncut  edges  and  gilt  tops, 
$o  00. 


Valuable  and  Interesting  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries.       7 

ALISON'S  HISTORY  OF  EUROPE.  Fiust  Skries  :  From  the  Com- 
mencement of  the  French  Revohition,  in  1781),  to  the  Kestovation  of 
the  Bourbons  in  1815.  [In  addition  to  tiie  Notes  on  Chapter  LXXVI., 
which  correct  the  errors  of  the  ori<;inal  work  concerning  the  United 
States,  a  copious  Analytical  Index  has  been  appended  to  this  American 
Edition.]  Skconi)  Seriks  :  From  the  Fall  of  Napoleon,  in  1815,  to 
the  Accession  of  Louis  Napoleon,  in  1852.  8  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  J^ll!  00; 
Sheep,  $20  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $34  00. 

WALLACES  GEOGRAPHICAL  DISTRIBUTION  OF  ANHIALS. 
The  Geofjraphical  Distribution  of  Animals.  Witii  a  Study  of  the  Re- 
lations of  Living  and  Extinct  Faunas,  as  Elucidating  the  Past  Changes 
of  the  Earth's  Surface.  By  Alfrku  Russki.  Wallace.  Witli  Maps 
and  Illustrations.     In  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  00. 

WALLACE'S  MALAY  ARCHIPELAGO.  The  Malay  Archipelago: 
Tiie  Land  of  the  Orang-Utan  and  the  Bird  of  Paradise.  A  Narrative 
of  Travel,  1S5-1-18G2.  With  Studies  of  Man  and  Nature.  By  A li- red 
EussEL  Wallace.  Witli  Ten  Maps  and  Fifty-one  Elegant  Illustra- 
tions.    Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

BLUNT'S  BEDOUIN  TRIBES  OF  TIIE  EUPHRATES.  Bedouin 
Tribes  of  the  Euphrates.  By  Lady  Anne  Blunt.  Edited,  with  a 
Preface  and  some  Account  of  the  Arabs  and  their  Horses,  by  W.  S.  B, 
Map  and  Sketches  by  tiie  Author.     Svo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

GRIFFIS'S  JAPAN.  The  Mikado's  Empire  :  Book  L  History  of  Japan, 
from  COO  B.C.  to  1872  A.D.  Book  II.  Personal  Experiences,  Observa- 
tions, and  Studies  in  Japan,  1870-1874.  By  Willlvm  Elliot  Ghif- 
FLS,  A.M.,  late  of  the  Imperial  Universitv  of  TokiO,  Japan.  Copiously 
Illustrated.     Svo,  Cloth,  .$4  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $G  25, 

THOMPSON'S  PAPACY  AND  THE  CH'IL  POWER.  The  Papacy 
and  the  Civil  Power.  By  the  Hon.  R.  W.  Thumi'son,  Secretary  of  the 
U.  S.  Navy,     Crown  8vo',  Cloth,  $3  00, 

TIIE  POETS  AND  POF/FRY  OF  SCOTLAND:  From  the  Earliest 
to  the  Present  Time,  ('(jinprising  Characteristic  Selections  from  tlic 
Works  of  the  more  Noteworthy  Scottish  I'oets,  with  Biographical 
and  Critical  Notices.  By  James  Grant  Wilson.  Willi  Portraits  on 
Steel.  2  vols,,  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  00;  Half  Calf,  $14  50;  Full  Morocco, 
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♦THE  STUDENTS  SERIES.     With  JIaps  and  Illustrations.      12mo, 

Cloth. 

Fkasce. — Giimos. — Greece. — Hime. — Rome  (by  Liddell). — Old 
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East,  —  Hallam's  Middle  A(;eh.  —  Hallam's  ('onstititional 
Hlstorv  of  Enolani). — Lvell's  Elements  of  GEOi.ofJY. — Meri- 
vale's  General  History  of  Rome. — (!ox'h  CJenkral  Histoisy 
OK  Greece. — (.'lahsical  Dictionary,     I'licc  $1   Ki  per  volume. 

Lewis's   History   of   Germany.  —  Ecclesiastical    IIistoiiy. 
Price  $1  75  per  volume. 


8     Valuable  and  l7tteresting  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

CARLYLE'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  History  of  Friedrich  II.. 
called  Frederick  the  Great.  By  Thomas  Carlyle.  Portraits,  Maps, 
Plans,  &c.     6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $12  00;  Sheep,  $14  40;  Half  Calf, 

$22  50. 

THE  REVISION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  VERSION  OF  THE  NEW 
TESTAMENT.  With  an  Introduction  by  the  Rev.  P.  Schaff,  D.D. 
618  pp.,  Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

This  work  embraces  in  one  volume : 

I.  ON  A  FRKSH  REVISION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  NEW  TES- 
TAMENT. By  J.  B.  LiGHTFOOT,  D.D.,  Canon  of  St.  Paul's, 
and  Hulsean  Professor  of  Divinity,  Cambridge.  Second  Edition, 
Revised.     19G  pp. 

II.  ON  THE  AUTHORIZED  VERSION  OF  THE  NEW  TES- 
TAMENT in  Connection  with  some  Recent  Proposals  for  its 
Revision.  By  Richard  Chknevix  Trench,  D.D.,  Arch- 
bishop of  Dublin.     194  pp. 

IIL  CONSIDERATIONS  ON  THE  REVISION  OF  THE  EN- 
GLISH VERSION  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  By  C, 
J.  Ellicott,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Gloucester  and  Bristol.     178  pp. 

ADDISON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Joseph  Addison, 
embracing  the  whole  of  the  Spectator.  3  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00; 
Sheep,  $7  50;   Half  Calf,  $12  75. 

ANNUAL  RECORD  OF  SCIENCE  AND  INDUSTRY.  The  Annual 
Record  of  Science  and  Industry.  Edited  by  Professor  Spencer  F. 
Baird,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  with  the  Assistance  of  Eminent 
Men  of  Science.  The  Yearlv  Volumes  for  1871, 1872,  1873,  1874, 1875, 
1876,  1877,  1878  are  ready."    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol. 

BROUGHAM'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  Life  and  Times  of  Henry,  Lord 
Brougham.     Written  by  Himself.     3  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

BULWER'S  HORACE.  The  Odes  and  Epodes  of  Horace.  A  Metrical 
Translation  into  English.  With  Introduction  and  Commentaries.  By 
Lord  Lytton.  With  Latin  Text  from  the  Editions  of  Orelli,  Mac- 
leane,  and  Yoiige.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

BULWER'S  KING  ARTHUR.  King  Arthur.  A  Poem.  By  Lord 
Lytton.     ]2mo.  Cloth,  $1  75. 

BULWER'S  PROSE  WORKS.  The  Miscellaneous  Prose  Works  of 
Edward  Bulwer,  Lord  Lytton.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50.  Also,  in 
uniform  style,  Caxtoniana.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

DAVIS'S  CARTHAGE.  Carthage  and  her  Remains  .  being  s:n  Account 
of  the  Excavations  and  Researches  on  the  Site  of  the  Phoenician  Me- 
tropolis in  Africa  and  other  Adjacent  Places.  Conducted  under  the 
Auspices  of  Her  Majesty's  Government.  By  Dr.  N.  Davis,  F.R.G.S. 
Profusely  Illustrated  with  Maps,  Woodcuts,  Chromo-Lithographs,  &o. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $6  25, 


Valuable  and  Interesting  Works  for  Publit  and  Private  Libraries.       9 

CAMERON'S  ACROSS  AFRICA.  Across  Africa.  By  Vernet  Lov- 
ETT  Camekox,  C.B.,  D.C.L.,  Commander  Royal  Navy,  Gold  Medal- 
ist Royal  Geographical  Society,  &c.  With  a  Map  and  Numerous  Illus- 
trations.    8vo,  Cloth,  %a  00. ' 

CARLYLE'S  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  The  French  Revolution :  a 
History.  Bv  Thomas  Caklyle.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50;  Sheep, 
$•4  30  ;  Half  Calf,  %1  00. 

CARLYLE'S  OLIVER  CROMWELL.  Oliver  Cromwell's  Letters  and 
Speeciies,  including  the  Supplement  to  the  First  Edition.  With  Eluci- 
dations. By  Thomas  Caklyle.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50;  Sheep, 
$4  30;  Half  Calf,  $7  00. 

BARTH'S  NORTH  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  Travels  and  Dis- 
coveries in  North  and  Central  Africa  :  being  a  Journal  of  an  Expedi- 
tion undertaken  under  the  Auspices  of  H.B.  M.'s  Government,  in  the 
Years  1849-18.-)5.  Bv  Henry  JJartii.  IMi.I).,  D.C.L.  Illustrated. 
3  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $12  00 ;  Sheep,  $13  50  ;  Half  Calf,  $18  75. 

THOMSON'S  LAND  AND  BOOK.  The  Land  and  the  Book ;  or, 
Biblical  Illustrations  drawn  from  the  Manners  aTid  (Customs,  the  Scenes 
and  the  Scenery,  of  tiic  Holy  Land.  By  W.  I\I.  Thomson,  D.D.,  Twen- 
ty-five Years  a  Missionary  of  tiie  A.B.C.F.M.  in  Syria  and  Palestine. 
With  two  elaborate  Maps  of  Palestine,  an  accurate  Plan  of  Jerusalem, 
and  several  hundred  Engravings,  representing  the  Scenery,  Topogra- 
phy, and  Productions  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  (^ostumes.  Manners, 
and  Habits  of  the  People.  2  vols.,  I2mo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ;  Sheep,  $6  00 ; 
Half  Calf,  $8  50. 

TENNYSON'S  COMPLETE  POEMS.  The  Poetical  W^orks  of  Alfred 
Tennyson,  Poet  Laureate.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  Eminent 
Artists,  and  Three  Characteristic  Portraits.  8vo,  Paper,  $1  00;  Cloth, 
$1  .50. 

CRUISE  OF  THE  "CHALLENGER."  Voyages  over  many  Seas, 
Scenes  in  many  Lands.  By  W.  J.  J.  Si'RY,  R.N.  With  Maji  and  Il- 
lustrations.    Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00, 

DU  CHAILLU'S  AFRICA.  Exidorations  and  Adventures  in  Equa- 
tfirial  y\frica:  with  Accounts  of  the  Maimers  ami  Cnstnms  of  the  I'eu- 
jilc,  and  of  the  Chase  of  the  (iorilla,  tiie  Crocodile.  Leopard,  I'.lcphan', 
Hipjiopotamus,  imtl  oilier  Animals.  By  Pai;l  B.  Di:  Chaillu.  Illus- 
trated.    8vo,  Clotli,  $5  00  ;   Siicep,  $5  50  ;   Half  Culf,  %1  25. 

DU  CH.AH.LU'S  ASHANGO  LAND.  A  .lourney  to  Ashnngo  Land, 
and  Further  Penetration  into  Ecjuatorial  Africa.  Ws  Paim.  H.  Dij 
Ciiailm;.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  .*i5  00;  Sheep.  $5'.'iO;  Half  Calf, 
%!  2.-,. 

Wnri'E'S  MASSACRE  OF  ST.  BAH'I'HOLOMKW.  The  Massacre 
of  St.  liartlmlornew  :  Precedcfl  by  a  lli^lnry  of  the  Religions  Wars  in 
thf  Keign  of  Charles  IX.  By  Henrv  WiiirK,  M.A.  With  IlluHtia- 
tions.     Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  %\  75. 


lO    Valuable  and  Interesting  Works  for  Public  and  Private  Libraries. 

DRAPEK'S  CIVIL  WAR.  History  of  the  American  Civil  War.  Bv 
John  W.  Drapek,  M.D.,  LL.D.  3  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  Beveled  Edges, 
$10  50;  Sheep,  $12  00;  Half  Calf,  $17  25. 

DRAPER'S  INTELLECTUAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  EUROPE.  A 
History  of  the  Intellectual  DeveIo])ment  of  Europe.  By  John  W. 
Draper,  M.D.,  LL.D.  New  Edition,  Revised.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth, 
$3  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $6  50. 

DRAPER'S  AMERICAN  CIVIL  POLICY.  Thoughts  on  the  Future 
Civil  Policy  of  America.  By  John  W.  Draper,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Cliemistry  and  Physiology  in  the  University  of  New  York. 
Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00 ;  Half  Morocco,  $3  75. 

WOOD'S  HOMES  WITHOUT  HANDS.  Homes  Without  Hands: 
being  a  Description  of  the  Habitations  of  Animals,  classed  according  to 

-  tlieir  Principle  of  Construction.  By  J.  G.  Wood,  M.A.,  F.L.S.  Il- 
lustrated.   8vo,  Cloth,  $4  50 ;  Sheep  or  Roan,  $5  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $6  75. 

FLAMMARION'S  ATMOSPHERE.  The  Atmosphere.  Translated 
from  the  French  of  Camille  Flammarion.  Edited  by  James  Glai- 
SHER,  F.R.S.,  Superintendent  of  the  Magnetical  and  Meteorological 
Department  of  the  Royal  Observatory  at  Greenwich.  W^ith  10  Chrorao- 
Lithographs  and  86  Woodcuts.     8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $8  25. 

ABBOTT'S   DICTIONARY  OF   RELIGIOUS   KNOWLEDGE.      A 

Dictionaiy  of  Religious  Knowledge,  for  Popular  and  Professional  Use ; 
comprising  full  Information  on  Biblical,  Theological,  and  Ecclesiastical 
Subjects.  With  nearly  One  Thousand  Maps  and  Illustrations.  Ed- 
ited by  the  Rev.  Lyman  Abbott,  with  the  Co-operation  of  the  Rev. 
T.  C.  CoNANT,  D.  D.  Royal  8vo,  containing  over  1000  pages.  Cloth, 
$6  00 ;  Sheep,  $7  00  ;  Half  Morocco,  $8  50. 

ABBOTT'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  The  History  of  Frederick 
the  Second,  called  Frederick  the  Great.  By  John  S.  C.  Abbott.  Il- 
lustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00  ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

ABBOTT'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.      The 

French  Revolution  of  1789,  as  viewed  in  the  Light  of  Republican  Insti- 
tutions. Bv  John  S.  C.  Abbott.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ; 
Sheep,  $5  50  ;  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  The  History  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  By  John  S.  C.  Abbott.  With  Maps,  Illustrations,  and 
Portraits  on  Steel.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00;  Sheep,  $11  00;  Half 
Calf,  $14  50. 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON  AT  ST.  HELENA.  Napoleon  at  St.  Hele- 
na :  or,  Interesting  Anecdotes  and  Remarkable  Conversations  of  the 
Emperor  during  the  Five  and  a  Half  Years  of  his  Captivity.  Collected 
from  the  Memorials  of  Las  Casas,  O'Meai-a,  Montholon,  Antommarchi, 
and  others.  Bv  John  S.  C.  Abbott.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ; 
Sheep,  $5  50  ;'  Half  Calf,  $7  25. 


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