HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.
I.
“Last evening the Right Honorable the Countess of Dunmore, with
Lord Fincastle, the Honorable Alexander and John Murray, and the
Ladies Catherine, Augusta and Susan Murray, accompanied by Captain
Foy and his lady, arrived at the palace in this city, to the great
joy of his Excellency the Governor, and the inexpressible pleasure
and satisfaction of the inhabitants, who made a general illumination
upon the happy occasion, and with repeated acclamations welcomed
her ladyship and family to Virginia.”
Virginia Gazette.
“Lady Dunmore is here—a very elegant woman. She looks,
speaks, and moves, and is a lady. 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 de-prive
himself of those pleasures he must enjoy in such a family?”
Life of Gouverneur Morris.
II.
“I have since been informed by Colonel Lewis that the Earl of
Dunmore (the King's Governor), knew of the attack to be made upon
us by the Indians, at the mouth of the Kanawha, and hoped our
destruction. This secret was communicated to him by indisputable
authority.”
Colonel John Stuart's Narrative. Deed Book No. 1, in
Greenbrier Clerk's Office Va.
III.
To-night another illumination makes the new capital of Virginia
blaze. The one hundred and twenty-sixth birth-day of a member of
the House of Burgesses, whose eyes beheld the scene we have described,
has been heralded and welcomed with the roar of cannon,
and the shouts of a great nation. To-day the equestrian Washington
of Crawford was uncovered, and greeted with that acclaim which
hails the great work of a great genius. The member of the Burgesses—Colonel
Washington, from Fairfax—is, in history, and men's
hearts and memories, the foremost man of all this world. His Excellency
Lord Dunmore is forgotten, or remembered only for contempt.
So time at last makes all things even.
IV.
A gentleman profoundly read in the private history, so to speak,
of the Revolution, stated to us, not long since, that nothing had astonished
him more, in the course of his researches, than the extraordinary
quickness and fidelity of the expresses at this period. The post
was slow and unreliable, but news was widely and expeditiously disseminated
in spite of the fact. In a letter from R. K. Meade to General
Everard Meade, his brother, dated April, '75, the writer says
that the intelligence of the battle of Lexington has just come from
Boston, “by an express who must almost have flown.”
V.
It may be thought that the costumes here spoken of, as in other
portions of the volume, are heightened in brilliancy by the fancy of
the writer. To show that the sketches are truthful, a curious description
of an elaborate painting of Washington's wedding is appended.
The writer declares that the main figures are taken from “the original
pictures of Colonel and Mrs. Washington, the one of the date of 1772,
by Peale, and the other of 1759, by Woolaston,” and then proceeds:
“The scene is laid in the ancient parish church of St. Peters, county
of New Kent, colony of Virginia, time, 6th of January, 1759.
“In the foreground, and near the altar, appears the Rev. Dr. Mossom,
the officiating clergyman, in full canonicals; he is about to present
the marriage ring. The bridegroom is in a suit of blue and silver,
lined with red silk—embroidered waistcoat—small clothes—gold
shoe and knee buckles—dress sword—hair in full powder. The bride
in a suit of white satin—rich point-faced ruffles—pearl ornaments in
her hair—pearl necklace, ear-rings and bracelets—white satin high-heeled
shoes, with diamond buckles. She is attended by a group
of ladies, in the gorgeous costume of that ancient period. Near to
the bridegroom is a brilliant group, comprising the vice-regal Governor
of Virginia, several English army and navy officers, then on
colonial service, with the very elite of Virginia chivalry of the old
regime. The Governor is in a suit of scarlet, embroidered with gold,
with bag wig and sword—the gentlemen in the fashion of the time.
“But among the most interesting and picturesque of the personages
in the various groups is Bishop, the celebrated body servant of Braddock,
and then of Washington, with whom he ended his days, after
service of more than forty years.
“This veteran soldier of the wars of George II. forms a perfect study
in the picture. His tall, attenuated form and soldierly bearing, as
with folded arms, and cocked hat in hand, respectfully he approaches
the bridal group, gives a touching interest to the whole scene. He
is in a scarlet coat, and is booted and spurred, having just dismounted,
and relinquished the favorite charger of his chief to a groom.
Through the large folding doors of the church is seen the old-fashioned
coach of the bride, drawn by six horses, also the fine English charger
bequeathed to Washington by Braddock, after the fatal field of the
Monongahela. From the account of the marriage, handed down
from those that were present at its celebration, it appears that the
bride and her ladies occupied the coach, while the provincial colonel
rode his splendid charger, attended by a brilliant cortege of the gay
and gallant of the land. Such was Washington's marriage in 1759.”
This splendor, in costume and personal adornment, remained unchanged
up to the time of the Revolution. Dress then shared the
change in every thing else.
VI.
For fear that some portions of the costume of Miss Bonnybel, as
here described, may be regarded as merely of our own invention, we
append an “Invoice from England to a Virginia belle,” communicated
by a gentleman of Havover county to the Norfolk Argus, February,
1858:
| A fashionable laced cap, handkerchief, tucker and ruffles |
£7 00 |
| A fashionable brocade suit |
16 00 |
| 3 pair stays |
2 00 |
| 1 blue silk petticoat |
3 00 |
| 1 scarlet cloth under petticoat |
2 00 |
| 1 pair blue satin shoes, buckled and full trimmed |
1 16 |
| 1 hoop |
1 00 |
| 1 pair blue silk stockings |
12 |
| A fashionable silver girdle, £1; 1 fan, £1 |
2 00 |
|
£34 08 |
It will be seen that hoops and scarlet petticoats are by no means
original discoveries of the fair maidens of to-day, and even
blue stock
ings existed a hundred years ago.
VII.
“Much credit is due to the ladies for the part they took in our association,
and it does honor to their sex, for no sooner were they
made acquainted with the resolutions to prohibit the use of tea, after
the 1st of June, but, before the day came, they sealed up the stock
which they had on hand, and vowed never more to use it till the op-pressive
act, imposing a duty thereon, should be repealed. May their
example be followed by all the ladies on this continent!”
Virginia
Gazette, June 2, 1774.
VIII.
The gentleman here spoken of seems to have been Mr. Richard
Bland, of Jordan's, the author of the celebrated “Inquiry,” and famous
among the old members of the House of Burgesses.
IX.
The child of whom Miss Vane thus speaks was evidently the late
Hon. John Randolph, of Roanoke, so remarkable for his powers of
oratory.
X.
The gentlemen here mentioned appear to have been those celebrated
patriots and leaders, Archibald Cary, Edmund Pendleton,
and Henry Tazewell.
XI.
The gentleman alluded to was Mr. Thomas Jefferson, afterwards
President of the republic.
XII.
It would appear that Mistress Effingham failed to comply with this
request. The verses may be found in the poet's corner of the old
“Virginia Gazette.”
XIII.
“The fair in Richmond town begins the second Thursday in May.
The purse will be run for the first day of the fair by any horse or
gelding, carrying weight for age, according to the rules of racing.
Certificates will be expected for the ages of the horses, &c. Any
horse under size will be allowed weight for size. All horses, &c., to
be entered with James Gunn, the day before.
“N. B.—Any person that is inclined to start a horse, may become
a subscriber by sending a line to James Gunn.”
Virginia Gazette.
XIV.
From this it would appear that the Vanes were of the noble family
of the Vanes, or Fanes, as it was sometimes spelt, earls of Darlington.
Their arms may be found in the “Book of Peerages.”
XV.
The lady here alluded to is evidently that Miss Rebecca Burwell
whom Mr. Thomas Jefferson, in his college correspondence, now published,
mentions under the names of Belinda; and, spelling the name
backward in Greek, and in Latin, Campana in die, Bell in
Day. She married Mr. Jaqueline Ambler, the exemplary Treasurer
of Virginia.
XVI.
Thomas Jefferson, his co-worker, says of Henry: “He was as well
suited to the times as any man ever was, and it is not now easy to
say what we should have done without Patrick Henry. He was far
before all in maintaining the spirit of the Revolution.... His
eloquence was peculiar, if indeed it should be called eloquence, for it
was impressive and sublime beyond what can be imagined....
On one or two occasions I have seen him angry and his anger was
terrible; those who witnessed it were not disposed to rouse it again.
... After all, it must be allowed that he was our leader;..
he left us all far behind.”
... “He is by far the most powerful speaker I ever heard,”
says George Mason. “Every word he says, not only engages, but
commands the attention, and your passions are no longer your own
when he addresses them.”
... “Mr. Henry,” says Jefferson, “certainly gave the first
impulse to the ball of the Revolution.”
XVII.
This chair is now in the House of Delegates, at Richmond.
XVIII.
“On the afternoon of the day on which he offered his resolutions,
he might have been seen passing along the street, on his way to his
home in Louisa, clad in a pair of leather breeches, his saddle-bags on
his arm, leading a lean horse, and chatting with Paul Carrington, who
walked by his side.”
Mr. Grigsby's “Convention of '76.”
XIX.
“He was always plain in his dress, and disliked changes in the fashions.
`Here,' said he to a friend, holding up his arm and displaying
the sleeve of a coat the worse for wear; `here is a coat good
enough for me, yet I must get a new one to please the eyes of other
people.'.... He was wont to tell, with great zest, an incident
that happened in the yard of Prince Edward court house, just
before leaving the county to take his seat in the federal Convention,
in Richmond. An old fox-hunter gave him a sharp tap on the shoulder,
and said to him, `Old fellow, stick to the people; if you take the back
track, we are gone!' ”
Mr. Grisgby's “Convention of '76.”
XX.
“That mysterious and almost supernatural transformation of appearance,
which the fire of his own eloquence never failed to work
in him.”
Wirt's Life of Henry.
XXI.
“His perfect mastery of every fact connected with the settlement
and progress of the colony, had given him the name of the Virginia
Antiquary. He was a politician of the first class, a profound logician
and was also considered as the first writer in the colony.”
Wirt's Henry.
“I am an old man, almost deprived of sight.”
Bland's speech in the Convention of '75.
XXII.
The traits here referred to are all historical.
XXIII.
John Marshall, afterwards Chief Justice of the United States, was
at the battle of “Great Bridge”—not then twenty-one.
XXIV.
“Taken all in all, he was the ablest man in debate I have ever met
with.”
Jefferson's Memoirs.
“He had that silvery voice (vox argentea), of which Cicero makes
such frequent and honorable mention.... A perennial stream
of transparent, cool, and sweet elocution.”
Wirt's Life of Henry.
“His person was of the first order of manly beauty, his voice clear
and silver-toned, and under perfect control; and his manners were so
fascinating as to charm all who came in contact with him....
He had that intuitive love of prescription, which was a marked trait
in the character of almost all the eminent lawyers to whose exertions
the liberties of England were indebted for their existence....
He was called on, not by one party, but by both parties, to fill all
the great posts of the day, the duties of which he performed with
masterly skill.... He may be regarded as yet only in the beginning
of his wonderful career.”
Mr. Grigsby's “Convention of '76.”
XXV.
“He was nearly six feet high.... Exposure had deepened
the tints of a light-brown complexion.... His portrait...
may still be seen at Clermont. As you look upon it you perceive
that his dark eyes have that peculiar expression, half sad, half severe,
which is seen in the eyes of the painter Giotto, the shepherd boy,
whom Cimabue found in the recesses of the Alps, tending sheep, and
who, like Mason, when he was summoned from his forest home made
an era in the history of his art.... The Declaration of Rights
is indeed a remarkable production.... It is the quintessence
of all the great principles and doctrines of freedom, which had been
wrought out by the people of England from the earliest times...
It received the applause of the generation which hailed its birth, and
of those generations which have passed away, and will receive the
applause of those to come. It stands without a model in ancient or
in recent times.”
Mr. Grigsby's “Virginia Convention of '76.”
“Virginia, Gunston Hall, June 3d, 1781.
“Dear George,
... “God bless you, my dear child! and grant that we may
again meet, in your native country, as freemen; otherwise, that we
never see each other more, is the prayer of
“Your affectionate father,
“G. Mason.”
“I recommend it to my sons, from my experience in life, to prefer
the happiness and independence of a private station to the troubles
and vexations of public business; but if either their own inclinations,
or the necessities of the times, should engage them in public affairs, I
charge them, on a father's blessing, never to let the motive of private
interest or ambition induce them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty
and disgrace, or the fear of danger or death, deter them from asserting
the liberty of their country, and endeavoring to transmit to their
posterity those sacred rights to which themselves were born.”
Mason's
Will.
XXVI.
“Cary barely reached the middle stature. He received, mainly
from his indomitable courage, the soubriquet of `Old Iron.' The face
of Cary, in youth, was remarkably handsome; his features small and
delicately chiseled, his eyes of that peculiar brightness which may
yet be seen in all his race.... He was a descendant of Lord
Hunsdon, and was himself, at the time of his death, the heir apparent
of the barony. He delighted in blooded horses and improved breeds
of stock.... When the scheme of a dictator was talked of in
the Assembly... the friends of the measure were in favor of
Patrick Henry. Bitterly opposed to such a scheme,... Colonel
Cary... met the half brother of Henry in the lobby of the
House, and accosted him, `Sir, I am told that your brother wishes
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.' ”
Mr. Grigsby's “Convention of '76.”
XXVII.
“Richard Henry Lee was in person tall and well proportioned;
his features bold and expressive, nose aquiline; the contour of his
face noble. He had lost, by an accident, the use of one of his hands,
and was sometimes styled `the gentleman of the silver hand.' This
hand he kept covered wtth a black silk bandage, but leaving his
thumb free. Notwithstanding this disadvantage, his gesture was
preëminently graceful.... His eloquence flowed on in tranquil
magnificence, like the stream of his own Potomac.”
Campbell's Virginia.
XXVIII.
“When I first saw Mr. Henry, which was in March, 1773, he wore
a peach-blossom colored coat, and a dark wig, which tied behind,
and, I believe, a bag to it, which was the fashion of that day.”
Wirt's Life.
XXIX.
“And this day, at ten o'clock, the honorable members of the late
House of Burgesses met, by agreement, at the long room in the Raleigh
tavern, in this city, called the Apollo, when the following agreement
was unanimously entered into by that patriotic assembly.”
Letter from Williamsburg, 27th May, 1774, in Purviance's “Narrative
of Events which Occurred in Baltimore town, &c.”
“Yesterday, between three and four o'clock, P. M., the Right
Honorable the Earl of Dunmore sent a message to the Honorable the
House of Burgesses, by the clerk of the council, requiring their immediate
attendance in the council chamber, when his Excellency
spoke to them as follows:...
“This evening there is to be a ball and entertainment at the capitol,
given by the Honorable the House of Burgesses, to welcome Lady
Dunmore, and the rest of the Governor's family, to Virginia.”
Virginia
Gazette, May
27th, 1774.
XXX.
“Williamsburg,6th, April, 1776.
... “I conjure you as you value the liberties and rights of the
community of which you are a member, not to lose a moment, and
in my name, if my name is of consequence enough, to direct the commanding
officer of your troops at Annapolis, immediately to seize the
person of Governor Eden; the sin and blame be on my head. I will
answer for all to the Congress.... God Almighty give us wisdom
and vigor in this hour of trial.
“Dear sir,
“Yours, most affectionately,
“Charles Lee.” —Purviance's Narrative.
XXXI.
“Many proofs are preserved of the general anxiety of the other
colonies as to the course of Virginia. The Maryland committee
`flatter themselves with great hopes, from the well-known spirit and
zeal of the gentlemen of this province, one of the most ancient, exteusive
and prosperous in America, and hitherto foremost in the assertion
of American rights.... Much depends upon the determination
of Virginia, which we shall anxiously expect.' The men
of Boston write to the Marylanders: `The accounts you give us of
the spirit and magnanimity of the people of Virginia, confirm us in
the opinion we have ever had of that ancient colony, of whose disinterested
virtue this province has had ample experience.' ”
Purviance's
Narrative.
XXXII.
“Yesterday being the Day set apart by the Members of the late
House of Burgesses, as a Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer,
devoutly to implore the Divine Interposition for averting the heavy
Calamity which threatens Destruction to the civil Rights of America,
the same was accordingly observed by the Inhabitants of this Place,
who repaired to Church and heard an excellent Sermon preached by
the Reverend James Marye, from Psalm xii., Verse iii.—Help, Lord,
for the godly Man ceaseth, for the Faithful fail from among the Children
of Men.—The Reverend Mr. Wilson read Prayers.”
Virginia Gazette, June 2d, 1774.
LETTER FROM FREDERICKSBURG.
“Enclosed you have the Boston Trade Act, and a resolve of our
House of Burgesses. You will observe that it is confined to the members
of their own House, but they would wish to see the example
followed through the country, for which purpose the members, at
their own private expense, are sending expresses, with the resolve,
to their respective counties. Mr. Massie (the minister of Fairfax),
will receive a copy of the resolve from Colonel Washington, and
should a day of prayer and fasting be appointed in our county, please
to tell my dear little family that I charge them to pay a strict attention
to it, and that I desire my three eldest sons and my two oldest
daughters may attend church in mourning, if they have it, as I believe
they have.”
George Mason to Martin Cockburn, May 26, 1774.
XXXIII.
... “I do not know of any of the chiefs besides the Cornstalk,
but the Blue Jacket, a Shawnee chief, who was known to be at the
Governor's camp, on the 9th of October, and in the battle on the 10th.
On the day of battle, Dunmore and a Captain O'Connolly (Conolly),
were walking together, afterwards a noted tory. The Governor observed
to him that Lewis had hot work about that time of day. He
evidently intended General Lewis' army to be cut off, and if you
could see Colonel Stewart's narrative, it would convince you and
every other man that the battle at Point Pleasant was the first blood
shed in the revolutionary war.”
Letter from Colonel Lewis, son of the General, in Campbell's History of Virginia.
The proof of Major Conolly's collusion with Dunmore, and their
treachery, crowds the records of the war of '74. See Jacob's Account,
and many others.
XXXIV.
“Whatever resolves or measures are intended for the preservation
of our rights and liberties, will be reserved for the conclusion of the
session. Matters of that sort here are conducted and prepared with
a great deal of privacy, and by very few members, of whom Patrick
Henry is the principal.”
George Mason to Martin Cockburn, of Fair
fax, Williamsburg, May 26th, 1774.
XXXV.
“This elaborate production displays a profound knowledge of the
history and constitutional rights of the colony. It breathes a fiery
spirit of defiance and revolution; and the splendor of elevated declamation,
in some of its passages, is not inferior to Junius....
Owing to the authorship of it, Lord Dunmore, it is said, threatened
Mr. Jefferson with a prosecution for treason, and his name was enrolled
in a bill of attainder, commenced in one of the Houses of Parliament,
but never consummated. Among the proscribed were Peyton
Randolph, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Patrick
Henry.”
Campbell's Virginia, page 148.
XXXVI.
“General Lewis, upon learning the enemy's approach, lit his pipe,
and immediately sent forward the main body of his army, a detachment
of Augusta troops, under his brother, Colonel Charles Lewis,
and another of Botetourt troops under Colonel Fleming.”
Campbell's
History of Virginia, page 143.
XXXVII.
“This gallant and estimable officer, when struck by the fatal ball,
fell at the foot of a tree, when he was, against his own wish, carried
to his tent, by Captain Morrow and a private, and died in a few
hours. His lost was deeply lamented.”
Campbell's Virginia, page
143.
XXXVIII.
“Patrick Henry desired,” says Mr. Wirt, in his Life, “that the
blow which must be struck, sooner or later, should be struck at once.
These sentiments were then avowed by him to two confidential
friends (Colonel Richard Morris, and Captain John Dabney), to
whom he further declared that he considered the outrage on the
magazine a most fortunate circumstance, and as one which would
rouse the people from north to south.”
XXXIX.
“When the British were about landing on James river, and Yorktown
was peculiarly exposed, General Nelson, then in arms against
them, was obliged to send Mrs. Nelson, with an infant three weeks
old, to the upper country. When near Williamsburg, she met a company
of youths, some of them mere boys, armed with their guns, and
marching down to fire at the enemy. On meeting the well-known
old English coach, they halted and presented arms to Mrs. Nelson,
wishing to show her all honor. She received their salutation very
courteously, but perceiving among them two of her own sons, mere
boys at the preparatory school, she directed the coachman to stop,
and, opening the door, requested them to enter the carriage. Mortifying
as it must have been to them, they were too much accustomed
to obey to think of refusing. Taking them with her, she sent them
to Philadelphia, to complete their education, placing them under the
care of Mr. Rittenhouse.”
Bishop Meade's “Old Churches of Vir
ginia.”
XL.
“Colonel Carter Braxton was chiefly instrumental in persuading
Henry to halt at Doncastle's, and in negotiating the settlement of the
affair.... Finding that Henry would not disband without receiving
the powder, or compensation for it, Mr. Braxton returned to
Williamsburg and procured from his father-in-law, Corbin, the
deputy receiver-general, the amount demanded, and delivering it to
Henry, succeeded in warding off the threatened blow. In this pacific
course he coincided with the moderate counsels of Pendleton,
Nicholas, and Peyton Randolph. He was an active member of the
Assembly and the convention that met in Richmond,... one
of the Committee of Safety,... elected a delegate to Congress
in the place of Peyton Randolph,... and was a signer of the
Declaration of Independence.”
Campbell's Virginia.
