• -^^^ -^^ ■ S "^. -.^^ ^ ^ -^^ "S c-v f-v^ ^<;--^---/ \:Wv^ "^^^^v V-»^^-V ^'-r^-V V^^'V^ ^" V. ■^:.^' ^,^ ,,VN^.f<^ -^^.^^ —-'^ i o ^^ .^' '^c ^ .^ .^>r^'. -^^^^ ,: , v/ '^^\ Vo^' '^o^ .0' o " « ^0^ »<» « o > ^ T .0 " " , xO-r^^ y ;; * l"p ■ t A. ^ • ^* -^y^ <<« ^. 'iiii' x> • t5 y « ,^^ 0*1 ^ '■^•■^;>^/ .^ o y (P' t^-o^ ^'. ^^ .V ^ i 'b V ^0v^ '^t-o^ ^0■ { '' • »0 -r \ / .v-^. ^* V < '/ BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 4^ 2-7/s?. M E i\I O I R OF Col. Chas. S. Todd. p. Y G. W. GRIFFIN, U. S. CONSUL AT COPENHAGEN, AUTHOR OF "STUDIES IN LITERATURE," ETC., EIC. PHILADELPHIA: CLAXTON, REMSEN & HAFFELFINGER. 1873- £7-340 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by CLAXTON. REMSEN & HAFFELFINGER, ■"c the OfSce of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. STEREOTYPED BY J. PAGAN t SON, PHILADELPHIA. ritlNTKll IIV MOORE BROTriBnS, Fr.iiiklin lliiildinpn. Sixth St., below Arch, riiiladvlpbia. ^c TO THE HON. JOHN SCOTT HARRISON THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED, AT THE EXPRESSED WISH OF HIS FATHER'S EARLY FRIEND, WHOSE LIFE AND HISTORY ARE RE- CORDED IN IT. IN the publication of this volume, I can but feel that the people of Kentucky, and of the West, will take some degree of interest in the perusal of a work devoted to the life and public services of one who played such a prominent part in the history of the times in which he lived. Since this volume was ready for the press, I found, among some papers left at my disposal by Colonel Todd a short time before his death, a manuscript copy of a lecture he delivered in 1849, at Frankfort, Ky., on " Russia, her Resources, Religion, Literature, &c." Colonel Todd's residence in Russia, in the capacity of United States Minister to that country, his fine classical education and taste in literature, gave him many advantages for the investigation of the history and resources of that semi- barbarous nation about which so little is known even to this day. I have, for these reasons, thought best to print the lecture entire in this memoir. I have also embraced in this work, to the exclusion of much matter of my own, a number of Colonel Todd's speeches and state papers; and also some extended ex- tracts from a work entitled " Sketches of the Civil and vii VIU PREFACE. Military Services of William Henry Harrison," by Colonel Todd and Mr. Benjamin Drake. This book is now out of print ; but it had in its day a v^ery large sale. It was published by G. P. James, of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1840. More than twenty thousand copies were sold, and as many more were distributed, in pamphlet form, through- out the country as a campaign document. Colonel Todd, on one occasion, pointed out to me such passages of the book as were written by himself, and those written by Mr. Drake. Colonel Todd, as many of my readers doubtless know, bore a very prominent part in the election of Harrison, which was perhaps the most exciting Presidential canvass in the history of the country. Many a story have I heard, when a boy, from the lips of my dear and venerated grandfather, of that interesting epoch, so familiarly known as the Log Cabin or Hard Cider Campaign. My grandfather was a very zealous Democrat, and he used to tell me how much the enthu- siasm of the Whigs annoyed him at that time. " For once, and only once," he said, " in the history of our country, did the Whig speeches, and barbecues, and banners, and trans- parencies, and cannon, strike terror into the hearts of the Untcrrificd:' I remember his telling me, on one occasion, of some of the most enthusiastic Harrison men carrying, in the midst of a great parade through the streets of Louisville, an immense log cabin on their shoulders, the weight of which would have been enough to crush them to death, had it not been for their enthusiasm and the shouts of thousands of people enlivening their march. In one of these parades, Jim Porter, the great Kentucky PREFACE. IX giant, who was by far the tallest man in all the world, appeared, wearing a large coon-skin cap, and dressed in a hunter's uniform made of deer-skin and trimmed with bright-colored fringe. He swung his great rifle, which was over eight feet long, across his huge shoulders, and excited the utmost delight and astonishment wherever he went. Some years afterward, I went to see the great giant at Shippingport, a little town a few miles below Louisville, where he then resided. I expressed to him my deep regret at not having been able to see him in that famous parade, when he very kindly opened' a wardrobe, and donned his coon - skin cap and gay uniform - coat. He presented a magnificent picture to my boyish sight, before which all my wildest dreams about giants paled into utter insigni- ficance, and even to-day I think of that interview with no ordinary satisfaction and delight. " Those were great times," said the giant, " that we had in the Hard - Cider Campaign. We shall not see the like again." And in- deed, judging from all that I have heard in regard to that memorable canvass, few, I think, will be inclined to dis- agree with him. I could relate many such incidents, interesting enough, doubtless, in their way; but I have preferred to give in the following pages the more solid facts of history, and I have given them as well as I could. CHAPTER I. The Author's first Acquaintance with Colonel Todd — Characteristics of vT Colonel Todd as a Writer and a Man 13 CHAPTER H. Birth and Parentage of Colonel Todd — Sketch of his Father, Judge Thomas Todd — Education of Young Todd 16 CHAPTER HI. War of 1812 — Young Todd volunteers and is rapidly Promoted — His Gallantry — Battle of the Thames — McArthur's Expedition — Todd's Distinguished Services 21 CHAPTER IV. Colonel Todd resumes the Practice of the Law at Frankfort — Becomes interested in Masonry — His Address before Mt. Horan Lod<:;e — He is married to Miss Shelby 28 CHAPTER V. Colonel Todd is appointed Secretary of State — His Election to the Legislature over Judge Marshall and Judge Bibb — His Re-election over General Hardin — Is appointed Minister to Bogota — His Dis- charge of his Mission approved by John Q. Adams — He returns to the United States, and settles on a Farm in Shelby County, Kentucky — His Intelligence and Enterprise as a Farmer — His Services to Agriculture 35 CHAPTER VI. The Harrison Campaign — Colonel Todd one of its Master-Spirits — He removes to Cincinnati, and takes Charge of the Cincinnati Republican — He speaks as well as writes — He, in Conjunction with Benjamm Drake, prepares a Life of General Harrison — Ex- tracts from this Work — Incidents of the Campaign 45 CHAPTER VII. General Harrison expresses his Gratitude for Colonel Todd's Services — His Appointment as Minister to Russia — Success of His Mission — Felicitous Speech of Colonel Todd at a Banquet in St. Petersburg — Motley and Maxwell in his Official Family — Colonel Todd's Visit to the Interior of Russia — Important Despatches 7S xi Xll CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. PAGE Colonel Todd returns to Frankfort — Delivers a Lecture on Russia — Withdraws from a Contest for the Governorship of Kentucky — Ac- cepts the Office of Commissioner under the Mexican Treaty — Ad- vocates a Railroad to the Pacific 9° CHAPTER IX. Colonel Todd prepares a Series of Articles on Texas — Letter from Daniel Webster to Colonel Todd — Colonel Todd prepares a Sketch of Tecumseh for the Louisville Journal — He proposes to write the Early History of Kentucky — An Incident in the College Life of Colonel Todd — His Confidential Report to the War Department in 1815 122 CHAPTER X. Colonel Todd takes an Active Part in the Taylor Campaign — His Characteristics as a Popular Orator — His Opinions of Jeflerson and Jackson — His Acquaintance with the Presidents — His Admiration of Madison — His Accomplishments as a Man of the World — His Moral Characteristics — Anecdote of Bernadotte, King of Sweden 127 chaptp:r XI. Colonel Todd's Embarrassed Fortunes — His Personal Resemblance to Louis Philippe — Anecdote of that Monarch — Colonel Todd's Zeal for the Preservation of the Union — His Claim to a High Military Ap- pointment in the Civil War acknowledged but not discharged — Evil Eft'ects of Conferring Militaiy Appointments on Civilians — Colonel Todd's Military Talents — He severs his Connection with the Gazette... 133 CHAPTER XII. Colonel Todd's Friendship for the Author — His Opinion of Actors and Acting — His Exalted Estimate of the Character of Dr. Theodore S. Bell — A Letter to the Author — Colonel Todd's Address before the Perry Monument Association — Friendship between Colonel Todd and the Hon. J. Scott Harrison '37 chaptp:r XIII. Letter from the Hon. William C. Rives to Colonel Todd — Colonel Todd prepares several Articles for Dr. Sprague's " National Portrait Caller)" — Dr. Si)rague's Acknowledgments — Governor Shelby's Pride in Colonel Todd — Colonel Todd's Last Illness— His Death 143 APPENDIX. Correspondence of Colonel Todd with the Colombian General San- lander — Memoir of Governor Shelby '47 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S.TODD. CHAPTER I. The Author's first Acquaintance with Colonel Todd — Characteristics of Colonel Todd as a Writer and a Man. I DID not become personally acquainted with the distino-uishecl soldier and statesman who forms the subject of this memoir until the spring of 1867. We had, however, been associated some time pre- viously in the editorial management of the Louisville Industrial a7id Commercial Gazette. At that time he resided in Owensboro, Kentucky, where he prepared no inconsiderable portion of the editorial matter for the paper. He was a quick and fluent writer, and almost every mail was sure to bring something from his pen. I was forcibly struck by the readiness with which he comprehended all the plans of the paper, and by the spirit and determination with which he entered into them. It seemed that the slightest hint from the publisher that an article was desired upon any subject was all that was necessary to have him produce it in the most complete and satisfactory 13 14 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. manner. He displayed a knowledge of every sub- ject upon which he wrote that was really extraordi- nary. He seemed to have a high and a noble purpose in everything that he undertook. He had been all his life a very active and energetic man. He was a highly accomplished classical scholar. He scorned to make a show of knowledge which he did not pos- sess. He was a thorough hater of all shams and conceits. All the best attributes of humanity were centred in him. There was not a particle of selfish- ness in his nature. There was no ostentation about him. He possessed dignity without haughtiness, and a courafre which no mortal man could overcome. He was of a very kind disposition. He seemed to have lived always in an interchange of the gentlest offices. He never allowed trifles to fret and annoy him. He was in every respect a perfect model of a Christian gentleman. He could not do a mean or a little act. No weeds of bitterness ever grew in his manly bosom. He was a good man, a true man, and a brave man. I shall never forcret the first time I saw hini. I was busy one morning writing at my desk upon a subject that I knew very little about. I could not write a single line that seemed to me to have any sense in it. My poor brain was taxed almost beyond endurance, antl 1 was about to give up in despair, when I haj)pened to cast my eyes toward the door, and saw a tine-looking, elderly gentleman, with the kindliest face in tlie world, advancing toward me. He seemed lo understand, as if 1)\- intuition, the nature of my trouble, and I immediately rose to speak lo him and tell him m\' name and ask his in return. He did not give me an opportunil)', but BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. I 5 took me by both hands, and said, "If I judge cor- recdy, you are my editorial associate." I bowed an assent, when he said, " I liave often helped you be- fore, my young friend, and I beg the pleasure of be- ine allowed to do so atrain." He immediately sat down at m\- desk, and, after looking at my article, which was entitled, "The Duty of the Government to repair the Levees of the Mississippi," he smiled pleasandy, tore off the heading and pasted it on another slip of paper, and wrote, in about ten or fifteen minutes, one of the best articles ever written upon this subject. It is scarcely necessary for me to say that I was grateful for the kindness of my ben- efactor, and tried to make known to him my grati- tude in the best way I could. He rose from his seat, and, again taking me by both hands, said, " It is in our power to be of much help to one another. You have youth, and I experience, which, perhaps, next to an unsullied conscience, is the most valuable thing in this life." He did not part from me without giv- ing me a verv cordial invitation to visit him at the residence of his son, Mr. Isaac Shelby Todd, where he said he would remain for several weeks, and would expect me every day until I called. Such was the beeinnincj of one of the most charm- ing acquaintances of my life, and I record with no litde satisfaction that from that time up to the day of his death the warmest feelings of personal friend- ship existed between us. When he died I lost one of the best and truest friends I ever had. I shall not see his like again in this world, but the memory of his love and unremit- ting kindness will ever be to me a pleasure inesti- t6 biography of colonel CHARLES S. TODD. mable. In endeavoring to give some account of his life and public services, I shall not attempt anything like a panegyric or eulogy upon his character, but will try to relate faithfully and conscientiously some important incidents in the history of Kentucky and of the nation, and to describe, in a plain, truthful, and straightforward manner, the characteristics of a man who for more than half a century was felt to be a power in the land, and who was loved, honored, and respected by all who knew him. CHAPTER II. Birth and Parentage of Colonel Todd — Sketch of his Father, Judge Thomas Todd — Education of Young Todd. CHARLES STEWART TODD was born on the 22d of January, 1791, between Danville and Stanford, Kentuck)-, in the old county of Lincoln. At the time of his birth, the State was not a member of the confederacy. It was in what is called the transition period, but was jiassing rapidly from the jjioneer stage to the dignity of an established and well-reeulated commonwealth. The Hon. Thomas Todd, the father of the subject of this sketch, was one of the most eminent men in the nation. He immii/rated to Krntuckv from X'irsjinia when about twenty years of age. I le chose the profession of the law, antl devoted himself so earnestly to its duties that he soon became known as one of the ablest lawyers in the Western country. The honors ot his KIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. I 7 profession came thick and rapidly upon him. His counsel was sought not only at home but abroad. He rose to the position of chief justice, the highest judicial office of the State. It is said that his means were so limited that he studied his profession by fire-li<'ht. Some idea of his ability can be formed from the marvellous facility with which he comprehended the difficulties of the celebrated Land Law of Virginia of 1779. In the passage of this law, the legislative authorities neglected to provide for a general survey of the State, but authorized every owner of a land- warrant to make his own entry and survey. The owner, of course, located his land-warrant wherever he chose, but was required to do so in such a way that a subsequent locater could enter the adjoin- ing land. The system of registration under no cir- cumstances could have been more defective. It was with the greatest difficulty that a title could be estab- lished at all. As a natural consequence, intermi- nable disputes and litigation followed. The Ingenuity and talent of the greatest lawyers In America were called into requisition. No one, however, achieved a greater reputation In the ad- justment of these perplexing difficulties than Judge Todd. His success was such that President Jeffer- son, in 1807, called him to a seat on the Supreme Federal Bench. He held this position until his death. His friend and associate. Justice Story, pro- nounced the following tribute to his memory : " Mr. Jusdce Todd possessed many qualities admirably fitted for the proper discharge of judicial functions. He had uncommon patience and candor in investi- 3 1 8 BIOGRArHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. gation ; great clearness and sagacity of judgment; a cautious but steady energy ; a well-balanced indepen- dence ; a just respect for authority, and, at the same time, an untlinching adherence to his own deliberate Opinions of the law. His modesty imparted a grace to an integrity and singleness of heart which won for him the oreneral confidence of all who knew him. He was not ambitious of innovations upon the set- tled principles of the law, but was content with the more unostentatious character of walking in the trodden paths of jurisprudence — 'super antiquas vias leo-is.' From his diffident and retirinor habits, it required a long acquaintance with him jusdy to ap- preciate his judicial as well as his personal merits. His learnin;^ was of a useful and solid cast ; not. perhaps, as various or as comprehensive as that of some men, but accurate and transparent, and appli- cable to the daily purposes of the business of human life. In his knowledge of the local law of Kentucky he was excelled by few, and his brethren drew largely upon his resources to administer that law, in the numerous cases which then crowded the docket of the Supreme Court from that judicial circuit ; what he did not know he never affected to possess, but sedulously sought to acquire. He was content to learn without assuming to dogmatize. Hence he listened to an argument for the purpose of instruc- tion and securing examination, and not merely lor that of confutation or tlebate. Among his associates he enjoyed an envial)le respect, which was constandy increasing as he became more familiarly known to them. ilis death was deemed by them a great public calamity, and in the memory of those who BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 1 9 survive liim his name has ever been cherished with a warm and affectionate remembrance. No man ever clune to the Constitution of the United States with a more stronof and resohite attachment. And in the grave cases which were agitated in the Su- preme Court of the United States during his judicial hfe, he steadfastly supported the constitutional doc- trines which Mr. Chief Justice Marshall promulgated in the name of the Court. It is to his honor, and it should be spoken, that, though bred in a different political school from that of the Chief Jusdce, he never failed to sustain those great principles of con- stitudonal law on which the security of the Union de- pends. He never gave up to party what he thought belonged to the country. For some years before his death he was sensible that his health was declining, and that he mieht soon leave the bench, to whose true honor and support he had been so long and zealously devoted. To one of his brethren, who had the satisfaction of possessing his unreserved confi- dence, he often communicated his earnest hope that Mr. Justice Trimble might be his successor, and he bore a willing testimony to the extraordinary ability of that eminent judge. It affords a striking proof of his sagacity and foresight; and the event fully justi- fied the wisdom of his choice. Although Mr. Justice Trimble occupied his station on the bench of the Su- preme Court for a brief period only, yet he has left on the records of the Court endurinij monuments of talents and learning fully adequate to all the exigen- cies of the judicial office. To both of these distin- guished men, under such circumstances, we may well apply the touching panegyric of the poet: 20 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. ' Fortunati ambo ; Nulla dies unquam memori vos eximet avo.' " Judg-e Todd gave every attention to the education of his son. He encouraged him to cultivate a taste not only for the classics but for almost every species of knowled^re. Young Todd was placed at an early age at the Transylvania Seminary at Lexington, Kentucky, ior the purpose of preparing for a more thorough course of study at the celebrated college of William and Mary in Virginia. He graduated at this last-named institution of learning in 1809. About a year afterward he went to Litchfield, Conn., to attend a course of law lectures by judges Reeves and Gould. At Litchfield he pursued his studies with the utmost energy. He was licensed to practise law in iSii, and opened an office in the following year at Lexington, Ky. ; but at that time the second war with Great Britain broke out, and he determined to take part in the contest. BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S, TODD. 21 CHAPTER III. War of 1812 — Young Todd volunteers and is rapidly Promoted — His (Gallantry — Battle of the Thames — McArthur's Expedition — Todd's distinguished Services. THE Spirit of war was nowhere more brilliantly illustrated than in Kentucky. The whole State, from the Big Sandy to the Mississippi, was alive, as it were, with restless energy and activity. In the mean time Hull's surrender was announced. It served only to add fuel to the flame. Hull was at once proclaimed a traitor. No language was suf- ficiendy strong to express the detestation in which he was held. The Kentucky troops were impatient to be led to the scene of action, but they moved amid the most distressing circumstances. lliey were indifferently armed and wretchedly clothed. They suffered privations almost unheard of. The country to be crossed was but a succession of swamps and marshes. The Secretary of War was unable to supply means of transportation. Notwith- standino- these obstacles, the ardor and enthusiasm of the volunteers remained unabated. William Henry Harrison, on whom the President had conferred the rank of Major-General, assumed command of the forces in the West. Harrison was an especial favorite with the Kentucky troops, and his appointment served to increase their enthusiasm. Youno; Todd was amontr the first to volunteer his services, and he was elected ensign in one of the Lexington companies, but was soon afterward ap- 2 2 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. pointed to a position in the Quartermaster-General's Department, He was afterward assigned to another position, and was soon acdvely engaged against the enemy. We learn from McAfee's History of the War of 1812, and from Hall's Life of Harrison, that in the campaign which followed Colonel Todd ren- dered invaluable service. General Harrison, in a letter to the War Depart- ment, recommended him for a captaincy in the line, saying that "he appeared to combine the ardor of youth with the maturity of age." The campaign terminated in the unfortunate batde of the River Raisin. The movement to that point was made by General Winchester. It was made m violation of Harrison's instrucdons in regard to the campaign. Harrison's instructions were conveyed by the subject of my sketch from the right wing to the left of the army, a distance of one hundred miles, through a swampy wilderness. ^McAfee, in his His- tory of the War of 181 2, says that "Colonel Todd performed the hazardous journey with a secrecy and dispatch highly creditable to his enterprise." The defeat of Winchester was the defeat of the campaign, but measures were taken to obtain command ot the lake prior to active operations in the next cam- paign. In the mean time the British General Proctor attempted to take Camp Meigs on the Maumee, and Fort Stevenson on the Sandusky, but both attempts were signal failures. Harrison made a requisition upon the Governor of Kentucky for troo[)s to act in the decisive opera- tions of the campaign. The CJovernor, the noble and gallant Shelby, around whose peerless name so BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CFL\RLES S. TODD. 23 many brieht and olorlous recollections cluster, offered to lead the troops in person. Four thousand mounted men rallied on thirty days' notice. The venerable Governor reached the scene of operations just as Perry had obtained command of the lake. The crenius of Harrison now shone out in the fulness of its splendor. He had entire command of the lake, and was ready at any moment to attack De- troit and Maiden. The British forces became alarmed at the condidon of affairs, and began to re- treat. Their Indian allies fast deserted them. Less than one half remained faithful in adversity. Even the eallantTecumseh refused to share the fortunes of Proctor, except on condition that the first favorable ofround should be selected for battle. The division of Major-General Desha was formed at riLrht aneles, which caused it to face the Indian line. But, just as the order to advance was about to be eiven to Trotter's bricrade of Hennino^'s division, information was obtained through Colonel Wood, of the Engineers, that the enemy was formed in open order. This information decided Harrison to charge the Bridsh line with Colonel Johnson's regiment. Harrison placed himself at the head of the right bat- talion of this regiment. The enemy was unable to resist the charge, and gave way in the wildest confu- sion. The Indians fought with the utmost despera- tion ; but, Tecumseh being killed, they were driven from every position they assumed. Colonel Todd was emratTed in the battle from the beginning to the close. He was by the side of Har- rison in the charge upon the British regulars, and was despatched with orders to Governor Shelby, 24 BIOGRArilV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. whose command was stationed at the intersection of the two divisions. Colonel Todd, with this portion of the army, now participated in the action against the Indians, but when the Indians were driven from their posidon he was recalled to engage in the pur- suit of Proctor. In this pursuit Colonel Todd was accompanied by Colonel Wood, Major Payne, Major Chambers, and Captain Langham. There is scarcely an historian, who has given an account of this en- crauement, but makes some honorable mention of these gallant and accomplished soldiers. The pur- suing force, though unable to overtake Proctor, sue- ceeded in capturing his sword, carriage, and papers. Wood and Todd were far in advance of the other offi- cers. The pursuing party succeeded in capturing quite a number of prisoners. A mounted British officer, who was among the captured, endeavored treacher- ously to shoot Colonel Todd. This attempt was instandy discovered by Captain Wood, who struck the coward down with his sword. Captain Wood was breveted major for gallant conduct in defence ot Fort Meigs, lieutenant-colonel for conspicuous service at the battle of Lundy's Lane, and colonel for his he- roic part in the defence of Fort Erie. He would have been made brigadier-general of the elite of die army had he not falK-n in the sortie from the Fort on the 17th of September, 1814. He was wounded in the thigh, and was bayoneted while tendering his sword. That our readers may form some idea (A the im- portance of the victory on the Thames, we give the following extract from an article entided "The Mili- tary (Genius of Harrison." from the pen of Colonel Todd, first printed in 1840, in the Cincinnad Re- publican: BlOGRAniY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 25 "The strong position of the enemy rendered it probable, that, if the American army should be victo- rious, the result would be achieved by the loss of many gallant men. "The British troops occupied the left of the allied army, resting upon an unfavorable view, with its right extending into swamps filled with Indians under Tecumseh. To undertake to turn the Indians' rieht w^ould have been hazardous, and certainly at- tended with great loss of life. The British line was then properly regarded as the weakest point of the enemv. In the first instance the charofe was in- tended to be made by the infantry, the front of which was commanded by Trotter; but the fortunately dis- covered error committed by Proctor in opening his files led to the brilliant conception of charging with the mounted troops of Colonel Johnson. The result is known to the world, — an entire British army cap- tured and two thousand Indians defeated, with an immense loss of life, by less than fifteen hundred Americans, whose loss was less than thirty killed and forty wounded ; and an end put to the war in the Northwest, an important territory restored to the United States, and the uppermost part of Canada conquered. Other generals have acquired renown by great bloodshed, but in the career of Harrison we recognize equal glory in the results, with much greater prudence and humanity in the preservation of the lives of his patriotic soldiers." In the fall of 1S14, General McArthur undertook an expedition into Canada. Colonel Todd, having been previously appointed Assistant Inspector-Gen- eral, acted as McArthur's Adjutant-General. It was 2 6 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. one of the most brilliant and successful expeditions of the war. It was organized at Urbana, and marched from Detroit. It consisted of seven hun- dred mounted men. Its object was to prevent the enemy from molesting Michigan. Headley, in his "Second War with England," says: " It was, however, no holiday march. Expedidon was necessary for success. The horses were kept to the top of their endurance — straining up acclivities, floundering through swamps, struggling with the rapid current of rivers. This detachment succeeded in penetradng more than two hundred miles into the enemy's country, and to within twenty-five miles of Burlineton Height. It marched more than four hun- dred miles, one hundred and eighty of it through an unbroken wilderness, defeated five hundred militia strongly posted, killed and wounded twenty-seven men, took one hundred and eleven prisoners, and returned with a loss of but one man. McArthur showed himself a skilful and able commander, while his subordinates deserved the hi i^hest covwiendation y McAfee, in speaking of this expedition, says (see McAfee's History of the War of 1S12, page 453): " And thus terminated an expedition which was not surpassed during the war in the boldness ot its de- sign and the address with which it was conducted. It was attended with the loss of one man only on our part, while that of the enemy was considerable in nun, as well as the injury done to his resources. It was with Lrreat difficuhv that General Hrummond could subsist his troops, with tlu! aid of all the mills in his vicinity, and widiout them his difficulties must have been sjrcatlv increased. General McArthur, BIOGRAniY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 2/ who conceiv^ed and conducted the expedition, dis- played great bravery and mihtary skill. No one could have managed his resources with more pru- dence and effect. His officers and men were also entitled to the highest praise and gratitude of the country for their firmness in danger, and the cheer- fulness and fortitude with which they obeyed his orders and endured the greatest hardships," Major Todd was particularly distinguished. " I have the support of all the troops," says General McArthur, "in assuring you that to the niilitary skill, activity, and intelligence of Major Todd, who acted as my Adjutant-General, much of the fortunate pro- gress and issue of this expedition is attributable, and 1 cheerfully embrace this occasion to acknowledge the important services which he has at all times ren- dered me whilst in command of the district. His various merits justly entitle him to the notice of the Government." The following spring Colonel Todd was promoted to the position of Inspector-General of the district. 28 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. CHAPTER I\; Colonel Todd resumes the Practice of the Law at Frankfort — Becomes interested in Masonry — His Address before Mt. Horan Lodge — He is married to Miss Shelby. AT the close of the war, Colonel Todd returned to Frankfort, Ky., and resumed the practice of the law. He soon became reirarded as one of the foremost men at the bar. At this time he became very much interested in the study of Masonry. He delivered a number of addresses on this subject that attracted a good deal of attention. The followino- address he delivered before the Mt. Horan Lodge, at Frankfort, June 24th, 181 5. It displays in an able and learned manner the precepts of this noble brotherhood : Worshipful Master, Officers, and Brethren : — Meeting on the level of equal privileges, social feelings, and humble hearts, let us endeavor, in a concise manner, to do justice to the purpose for which we are convened this day — the celebration of the anniversary of a distinguished patron of Freemasonry, St. John the Baptist. The attempt, it is hoped, will be received with that charity which forms a main pillar in our ancient edifice ; and, whilst " the imper- fections of a brother claim a brother's indulgence," you will bear with me in an unadorned exposition of some of the fundamental principles of our Order. Masonry, if not coeval with mankind, originated with the fall o{ man, and with the wants which that fall produced. It has, tiierefore, been justly asserted, that the causes more immediately contributing to the introduction of the art m.i\- be tiaccil to the period of the first sin, since, in the desire BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 29 to afford a covering and protection to Eve, Adam resorted to suitable contrivances, which, upon gradual improvement, became the foundation of operative Masonry. Thus in its early origin do we recognize that special regard to the fair sex which characterizes all true and faithful Masons ; and if the most lovely part of creation be denied the beauties of the Mystic Order, a satisfactory apology may be found in the consideration that their own feelings, open as day to melting charity, prompt them to offer balsam to the wounded spirit, and their "own hearts are the Lodges in which \-irtue presides." Man in the pristine ages of barbarism was too fatally in- clined to regard as his enemy that fellow-being whom the Creator in his wisdom had destined to become the partici- pator of his blessings. Consequently, at different periods of the world. Masonry was suffered to decline ; but, founded as it is on the eternal rock of truth and brotherly love, it withstood the shocks of superstition and prejudice, and, in proportion to the progress of science and civilization, its pillars were strengthened, and further knowledge disclosed new beauties. The introduction of the Christian Religion, the revival of letters, and the doctrines of Masonry, each operating upon the hopes, the understanding, and the heart of man, gradually directed his efforts to the purposes of civilization; and under their influence it was happily found, that, renouncing the contracted views of the selfish in order to embrace the more enlivening qualities of the social prin- ciple, he threw off the fetters of national animosity, and became himself the ardent advocate for the amelioration of his species. In the history of the character and progress of Masonry, we can boast among its members and patrons the most dis- tinguished men of every age. Cc-esar, Alfred, and the most illustrious monarchs of the British Empire deigned to de- scend to the level o{ a brother, and participated in all the rites and blessings of the institution. The most pious of divines, the most moral of moralists, the most renowned of 30 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. warriors, the most zealous of patriots, and the rr.ost enlight- ened of every art and of every science, have been classed among the members of an institution which embraces the noblest feelings and the most liberal principles — whose canopy is Heaven ! and whose usefulness is commensurate with creation ! The first corner-stone in Masonry is a belief in the Eter- nal God, the Grand Architect of the Universe. With this foundation, can its tendency be presumed to be either irre- ligious, immoral, or disorganizing? Yet in every age at- tempts have been made to inculcate such doctrines ; and, even at this day, the horrors of the Inquisition have ex- tended to the persecution of the meek and humble tenets of brotherly love. In regard to the secrec}- with which our proceedings are conducted, it may be proper to remark that benefits which are common and easily procured are but slightly appreciated. It is the veneration created by im- penetrable mystery, added to the usefulness and moral worth which ought to distinguish Masons, that has pre- served it unimpaired through the lapse of ages; for " Ma- sonry is not only the most ancient, but the most moral in- stitution that ever subsisted. Every character, figure, and emblem depicted in a Lodge, has a moral tendency, and inculcates the practice of xirtue." Upon entering the Lodge, we (//rrsf ourselves, as far as practicable, of all the follies, the vanities, the petty ambi- tion, the vexation, and the turmoil to which an intercourse with the world necessarily exposes us. In the bosom of the Lodge, private animosity, family jealousy, political bicker- ings, and religious altercation are forgotten; and, in the lan- guage of our excellent Constitution, we may say that " free- dom of opinion thus indulged, but its points never discussed, is the happy influence untler which the unity of this honor- able societ\' has been preser\etl from time immemorial — upon which account Masonr)' has become the centre of union, ami the means of conciliating among those that might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance, BIOGRArHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 3! causin"- thcni to love as brethren and heirs of the same hope, partaking of the same promises, children of the same God, and candidates for the same Heaven." And, again, " Masons, being declared of the oldest religion, universally acknowledged as such, and of all nations, are bound to live upon the square, level, and plinnh with each other, following the footsteps of their predecessors in cultivating the peace and harmony of the Lodge, without distinction of sect or political party." Upon the subject of the abuses of Masonry, it is important that we sliould seriously reflect. Let us convince theworld, by our conduct, whilst out of the Lodge, of the excellence of the principles inculcated iti it. Tiie institution is holy and enlightened ! Let not the world, therefore, withdraw its regard because some of our professors are unwortlu'. It behooves us, by the correctness of our conduct, to rebut an imputation so dishonorable. That some of us do not act conformably to the principles of our Order is not conclusive evidence that those principles are in themselves improper. As well might the enemies of Masonry deny us in this world the comforts of the religion of the meek and humble Jesus, and the hopes that religion encourages of life ever- lasting, because we know that some of its professors are found unworthy of the high trust committed to them. Let us, then, cherish a strict regard to truth and brotherly love. Let us regulate our conduct according to the golden rule of" doing unto all men as we would that all men should do unto us." Let us cultivate peace and harmony with our fellow-creatures ; gently reprove the foibles of each other ; extend to the distressed, either of mind or body, the hand of diffusive charity; and. above all, like the Great Architect of the Universe, let us judge a brother in mercy. When the best men, and the most distinguished patriots — when such men as Washington, Franklin, and Warren have condescended to labor \\\\\\ us in the same vineyard, ought we not to be doubly excited to honorable exertion in the path of rectitude? Respect for the constituted authorities 32 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. is a fundamental pillar of the Order. Let us, then, by a just sense of patriotism, convince our country that we are worthy of the glorious inheritance purchased by the blood of our fathers. Let us show that, by a temporary retirement from worldly commerce into the bosom of the Lodge and the " All-seeing Eye," we may. from the reception of virtuous precepts, return again with better capacities to discharge our duty as citizens. In becoming Masons we do not cease to be men, because whilst nature exists the passions and the frailties incident to that nature will also continue. No civil, no moral institution can totally eradicate the sin inseparably connected with our existence. To correct its tendency has been the principal design in all societies. So, in Masonry, we do not entirely cease to feel all those dangerous passions which not unfrequently set a troubled world in motion. To calm the impetuous dispositions of the heart, " to square our actions by the rules of rectitude, persevere in the rule of our duty, and restrain our passions within the compass of propriety," are among the benign principles of our Order; and thrice happy is he who, prac- tising them, can sav: This institution and these things have made me a better man, and a more useful citizen. Among the causes which have tended, at various periods of the world, to excite temporary prejudice against the nature and effects of Masonry, the character and deport- ment of its members whilst out of the Lodge may be deemed most serious. It is, as it ought to be, the touch- stone of our creed. Those ivithout can only appreciate the principles taught iLnihin by an attentive observance of our conduct as men and as citizens. Let us, then, my brethren, by a discreet, honorable, and virtuous career, study to evince our attachment to the landmarks of the Order, and thereby command the confidence of the world in their beneficial tendency and effect. We cannot presume to be exempt from those evils that arc necessarily attendant upon human- ity. Let us, lu)wcver, reclaim, as far as practicable, the frailties of our nature. Let us cultivate the social virtues — BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 2i3 zealously regard the qualities of prudence, temperance, and of a meek demeanor. And, finally, let us show to the world, that, in becoming Masons, we become better men. In regard to those who may hereafter solicit the benefits of our institution, let us be particularly careful to embrace none whose honorable principles and whose correct deport- ment do not guarantee an observance of the admirable tenets of Masonry. A disregard of this principle has, in every instance, procured for the craft temporary unpopular- ity. Let us, as far as possible, repair the breach, and in future let none enter who are not worthy of the high estate. Let us at all times trust in our Leader, the Grand Architect of the Univ^erse. Let us, by due preparation, be the better enabled to /-^i-i- through the tria/swe may have to encounter. Let us, by prudence and caution, avoid the dangers that sur- round us in the rugged path of life, that, when " removed from this terrestrial Lodge, we may be admitted, by the passzvord of grace , into 'Oi\Q Lodge celestial, to an everlasting refreshment within the vailT Finally, my brethen, by "faith in God, liope in immortality, and charity to all mankind," may we ascend, by the ladder o( honorable exertion, to that Lodge which is the residence of " the spirits of just men made perfect," and governed by the Grand Master of the Universe, whose Tyler is death, and whose portal the grave! In 1816, Colonel Todd was married to Letitia Shelby, the youngest daughter of Governor Shelby. She was one of the most beautiful and gifted women in the State. Her features were regular and clas- sical, and her complexion was of the most dazzling whiteness. No one could be in her presence with- out being impressed with her beauty and accomplish- ments. I have seen a portrait 01 her by Jouett, one of the finest artists in the country. It is indeed a splendid specimen of art, and is regarded as a per- 5 34 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. feet likeness; but I am satisfied that no art could do justice to the beauty that took all hearts captive. Colonel Todd first saw her at Frankfort, Ky., the capital of the State, and was at once deeply im- pressed with her charms. She was surrounded by a gay and brilliant circle, but her eyes were fixed on him alone. It was with both a clear case of love at first sight. "At first sight they changed eyes." Colonel Todd was then an officer in the regular army, and was compelled to join his regiment. After standing the separation as long as he could, he ap- plied for a furlough. This being denied him, he addressed Miss Shelby in an open letter enclosed to her father. Governor Shelby saw proper to withhold the letter. It was, however, accidentally discovered by her, and, after reading it, she evinced such attach- ment for her lover that the most cordial consent was given to their union. Colonel Todd lived very happily with his wife until her death, which occurred the 2 2d of July, 1S68. ''S^m^ BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 35 CHAPTER V. Colonel Todd is appointed Secretary of State — His Election to the Legis- lature over Judge Marshall and Judge liibb — His Re-election over Gen- eral Hardin — Is appointed Minister to Bogota — His Discharge of his Mission approved by John Q. Adams — He returns to the United States, and Settles on a Farm in Shelby County, Kentucky — His Intelligence and Enterprise as a Farmer — His Services to Agriculture. TN the fall of 18 16, Colonel Todd was appointed Secretary of State by Governor Madison. On the death of Madison, Colonel Todd resigned his position, as it was expected that the incoming admin- istration would be under the control of a different political policy. In 1 81 7. Colonel Todd was elected to the legisla- ture of Kentucky, after a very exciting and hody contested canvass. There were two candidates op- posed to him, Judge Marshall and Judge Bibb. Both of these men had great popularity in the district ; but Colonel Todd came out triumphant In 18 18 he was again elected, and this time over General Hardin, one of the ablest men in the State. In 1820, Colonel Todd was appointed minister to Colombia, South America, for the purpose of com- pleting negotiations which had been suspended by the death of Commodore Perry, and to remain as a confidential agent with the pay of a charge d'affaires. He was permitted to return to the United States in 1 82 1. He elicited from the administration, during this mission, the hiohest commendation. The follow- ing is a copy of a letter to Colonel Todd from John .^6 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. Ouincy Adams, who was then Secretary of State. The original letter is in possession of L. J. Cist, the distinguished autographic collector of St. Louis : Department of State, Washington, 19th July, 1S21. Colonel Charles Todd, Frankfort, Ky. Sir: Your despatches and letters, with their enclosures, during your absence from the United States, and since your return until your letter of the 20th ultimo, have been duly received at the Department. I am directed by the President U. S. to express to you his approbation of your conduct during your agency, and his regret that the state of your health prevented you from proceeding to your ultimate destination ; and to add his wish that, as soon as your health shall have been restored, so that it may suit your convenience to resume your duties, you would again proceed to the post of your destination. Your compensation will recommence from the time of your leaving home to repair to that post. You will take such course for proceeding to the Southern continent, as you shall judge most advisable and most convenient to yourself No particular addition to the instructions hereto- fore given you is believed to be necessary. I am, with great respect, Sir, Your ver}' humble and obedient servant, (Signed) John Qulncv Adams. In 1S22 he was sent out, in a frigate, with the re- cognition of the independence of Colombia. The suhjoincd despatch, sent from Bogota the 4lh of Jul)-, 1S23, to the State Department at Washing- ton, will give the reader some idea of the ability and fidelity with which he discharged the duties assigned him at Bogota. BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 37 Bogota, 4tli July, 1823. Sir : I have the honor, by a safe private conveyance, of enclosing a duplicate of Nos. 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54; to- gether with their enclosures. You will receive herewith a copy, also, of the statement communicated on the i6th ultimo to General Santander, with the report made by the Judge of the Supreme Court of the Conference already referred to. I submit, at the same time, a copy of what I supposed to be the substance of that conversation, that you may be possessed of every circumstance connected with that unpleasant alternative. Among the documents deliv- ered to General Santander, was a translation of so much of the messages of the President of the United States in 181 1, 18 17, 18 1 8, 1 8 19, and 1820, as referred to the South Amer- ican contest, and the views and acts of the Government growing out of its progress ; a translation of the con- fidential conversation with the President in September, 1 82 1, the substance of which has been already communi- cated to you; and a translation of so much of the Instruc- tions to Commodore Perry as contains an account of the efforts of the Government by negotiation in favor of the South American Cause, and of the reasons recommending the propriety and advantages of the neutral policy of the United States. The admission made by the Vice-President of his enter- taining the same impression which other persons in author- ity had candidly acknowledged with respect to the United States completely confirmed the propriety of the course pursued in soliciting that conference ; and, though communi- cated informally, is entitled to great consideration, as afford- ing evidence of views that have prevailed to our injury among the highest authorities. There are some allusions in my statement, which, on a cursory view, might be regarded as digressions ; but they were introduced with the special object of replying to certain misrepresentations in the Report of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and of showing particularly that the Executive Decree requiring all con- 38 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. signments of foreign goods to be made to citizens of Colombia was not justified by the principle of reciprocity- adopted in the United States. You will have observed an obvious negligence on the part of the Executive in having failed when, from a re- gard to their own professions, to press the repeal of the five per cent. ; and the very reasons assigned by Congress contradict, by inference, the opinion so confidently urged in the accompanying letter of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Government entertaining the most friendly feeling-s towards the United States. In this view of the subject, it may be considered highly impolitic in this Gov- ernment to regard the sense of gratitude toward the United States for the recognition, instead of the immutable prin- ciples of justice, as a reason for the repeal of a law which is indirectly acknowledged to have originated in the desire of cultivating sentiments neither of peace nor friendship toward the Government, whatever may have been their feelings toward our virtuous people of the United States. It gives me great pleasure to repeat the assurance of a friendly feeling toward us pervading the mass of the people, of the Congress, and a majority of the Executive ; and if they have ever entertained the prejudices, which still influ- ence the conduct of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, they have forcfotten them so far as not to suffer them to interfere with their duty to both countries. Unfortunately, however, for the United States, the leading men of this country have formed their opinions upon certain assumed facts and prin- ciples not justified by the real attitude between the two coun- tries. They have undertaken to suppose that there was a perfect identity in the causes and consequences of the two struggles, and have proceeded on the unwarrantable infer- ence from this supposition that the United States, their elder brother on the same continent, were bound to unite their destinies with them ; ami thus not only involve their own l)eace and .safety, but encounter the general hostility of the Powers of Europe. In the indulgence of their unreason- BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 39 able expectations, they appear to have forgotten that the United States, as a sovereign and independent power, were the sole judges of their duty and of the occasions in wliich it might be considered i)roper, if ever, to "abandon " their own, to stand "on foreign ground." The justice and jjru- dcnce of their counsels in avoiding any measure which might involve them in the war, will necessarily impose on them the propriety of mature consideration before they form any other than commercial relations with this country. Indeed, the necessity of their deriving certain benefit against any possible designs by the European powers would alone justify any political connection with it. With respect to the propriety of having conferred with the Vice-President, by the aid of one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, rather than that of the Secretary of Foreign Afijiirs, I might content myself with the remark that, as it was an unofficial interview, I was not only not required to maintain it through the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, but, having received information from the Judge of some of the circumstances rendering it necessary, there seemed to be a peculiar fitness in making the explanation through that channel. But I had, notwithstanding, abundant evidence of the indelicacy and inexpediency of committing it to the agency of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, — the depreciat- ing allusions in his letter of the loth of May ; the want of cordiality in his personal intercourse; his notorious un- friendliness towards the United States; the circumstances in my statement implicating his sincerity; a measure of the most extraordinary nature adopted by him Vvhilc in the United States; his general character and the breach of confidence in causing his letters to me to be translated by a foreigner, who is distinguished for the jealousy and ma- lignity with which he regards the United States, and the rights and interests of their citizens, although I had, with a view to avoid this circumstance, previously requested them to be translated by a Colombian, as there were not citizens of the United States in this capital. All these 40 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. circumstances precluded the hope of obtaining justice and conciliation through his agency, and imposed on me the imperious duty of avoiding any measure which might afford him the opportunity of further deceptions, or of widening the breach. I have the honor of enclosing herewith a copy of a note of the 2Sth ultimo from Mr. C. J. Bunkle, together with his correspondence with the Secretary of the Treasury, and a copy of two letters of the 30th ultimo from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, with their enclosures, by which }'ou will be advised officially of the repeal of the discrimination in the Tariff to our prejudice, — and of a decree, by the Executive, of the 1 8th September, 1821, respecting the seizure of a portion of the cargo of the brig " America." On the sup- position that the parties may not have transmitted to the Department a copy of the proceedings in this case, I have the honor of enclosing a copy of the several decrees adopted b\- the authorities of Colombia, and known to the interested prior to their application to the Govern- ment of the United States; together with that lately com- municated, and purporting to have been authorized on the 1 8th September last. I cannot pretend, in the short space of a letter, to unfold all the circumstances connected with this transaction, and therefore content myself with men- tioning the principal features. The cargo of the Brig "America" consisted of sundry military supplies, to be delivered, under contract, with this Government, and a large amount of merchandise, chiefly East India. In con- sequence of the heav\- duties on the importation, amounting from various causes to fifty per cent, upon an extravagant valuation, though at Augostua the duties of imiiortation did not exceed, at the same time, fifteen or twent\- per cent., the supercargo determineil to enter the goods for re- exportation to the United States ; but he was not permitted to carry this resolution into effect, and the goods were re- quired to be landed without delay. The public store-houses not being sufficientl\' spacious, they were disembarked under BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 4 1 a special and written permission, and in the usual mode in open day, and deposited in the house of a private individual near to the custom-house. During the landing of the goods, the written permission, according to custom, was delivered to the officer who has the direction of that pro- ceeding; but upon the trial, which was instituted on the ground of an attempt clandestinely to introduce the twenty- two cases of goods, contrary to law, this necessary docu- ment could not be produced. It was the duty and in the power of those who condemned, or procured the con- demnation, of the goods, to have furnished the paper, and the result authorizes the irresistible conclusion that it was purposely withheld or destroyed. The seizure was made by the Government, and a condemnation had by General Montilla, with the advice of the assessor or judge, D. Gual, at present Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and according to the laws supposed at that time to be in force, a considerable portion of the proceeds of said seizure was divided between those officers. The supercargo was prevented from prose- cuting an appeal to the superior board of the Treasury in this capital, by his passport being refused, as consequence of certain process issued against him by the collector for defamation, in stating the goods had been illegally con- demned. As soon, however, as the sentence below had been confirmed in this capital, though in the absence and without an opportunity of defence by the supercargo, the proceedings for defamation were dismissed and the passport granted. But upon his arrival at Mompox, where he had engaged all the boats, his further progress was again ar- rested, for six weeks, by the impressment, under the order of General Montilla, of those boats for the transportation of a detachment of troops to quell an imaginary revolt at Ocana. The supercargo, at length, however, arrived in this capital, though after the expiration of six months, within which a rehearing could usually be had. Fortunateh- he succeeded, in consequence of the interference of the Attor- ney-General appointed by the Government, in procuring a 6 42 13IOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. rehearing and reversal of the decision at Santa Martha. It may be pertinent here to remark that General Montilla, entertaining doubts of the legality of the proposed con- demnation, required the written opinion of D. Castillo, the present Secretary of the Treasury, to showing that the Assessor, D. Gual, would be responsible for any error of opinion in the case, so that he is considered eventually liable for the principal, and whatever damages this Govern- ment may be compelled to pay for the irregular seizure and detention. The enclosed copy of the letter from Mr. C. J. Bunkle to his employers will show the measures he adopted to procure indemnification ; and that, after reference to all the Departments of the Government, as may be seen in the decrees, he finally requested the Executive to inform him, to what authority to make effectual application. I have the most satisfactory assurances that the Depart- ment of the Treasury, if not of the members of the Govern- ment, were advised that Mr. Bunkle had left an agent in this capital with authority to receive the amount of the claim ; and, on the 20th of March last, D. Gual was in- formed that I had received instructions from my Govern- ment to submit a claim in this case. A copy of all the proceedings was accordingly enclosed with my despatch ot 5th April. The case, however, was not noticed by this Government, until his letter of the 4th June, in whicli, so far from intimating the existence of a subsequent decree on the 18th September by the Executive who had previously disavowed any authority to interfere in the sentence, the Secretary offered certain transferable debentures in pay- ment as soon as the amount of the claim should be pre- cisely ascertained. He was informed, in my letter of the 16th June, of the exact amount to which the claim would be reduced; ami, although Mr. Bunkle has been in this capital since the nth of May. this Government, with a knowledge of these circumstances, ventures on the indelicate and unwarrantable proceeding of endeavoring " to transfer the negotiations," by a communication on the 23d ot June, through the Secretary of the Treasury, of a silent decree, BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 43 to an individual who liad irrevocably ceded all agency in the business — after his refusal, very properly, to enter into any discussion upon the subject. Received on the 1st July the letter and accompanying documents from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. It is not necessary, in this place, to animadvert on the ne- farious complexion of the whole transaction, so derogatory to the good faith and integrity of the Government, or on the suspicious circumstances attending the development of the extraordinary decree of the i8th September, in the main- tenance of which the Secretary of Foreign Affairs is indi- vidually so deepK- interested. The merits of the controversy are forgotten in the unjustifiable act of attempting to with- draw the negotiations from the hands in which it had been legitimately vested by the Government of the United States and the parties concerned. At a more convenient time, I shall do myself the honor of developing all the circum- stances connected with this case, and suggest, for the pres- ent, that the facts already noticed and the gross intimation conveyed in the concluding paragraph in the Secretary's letter of the 30th of June, have imposed on me the painful necessity of considering all further official intercourse, on my part, with this Government as at an end ; and that, whilst the present Secretary continues to be the organ of this Government to foreign nations, no intercourse will be renewed, until the arrival of Mr. Anderson, or of further powers to myself Indeed, the anxious solicitude I feel to avoid any act which might embarrass the attitude of Mr. Anderson, or the future views of the United States in rela- tion to this country, alone prevents me demanding my passports immediately. It is proper, also, to apprise you that it is possible I may yet adopt this course, and that I may hesitate, even on the receipt of additional instructions, to renew the intercourse through U. Gual. I have the honor to be Your obedient servant, C. S. Todd. Hon. I. O. Ad.ams. 44 lilOGRAniY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. At the close of the mission to Colombia, in 1824, Colonel Todd returned to the United States, and established himself upon a tract of land in Shelby County, ori^^nnally located by Governor Shelby. It is no exaggeration to say that Colonel Todd made his farm the most valuable in the State. He intro- duced Blue erass into the woods, and introduced the first blooded catde. When he took charge of this tract of land, it could not have been sold for more than five dollars per acre; but his improved system of cultivation soon made it worth from fifty to sixty dollars per acre. Indeed, his knowledge of farming became so widely known that he was chosen President of the State Agricultural Society. The pages of many of our most prominent agricultural journals and magazines are enriched with able and interesting ardcles from his pen. In January, 1839, he delivered an address before the State Agricultural Society, which was very generally read and admired. Some years ago it was republished in a Louisville paper, and attracted al- most as much attention as if it had been written at a more recent period. I have been unable to get a copy of it, or I should certainly have included it in this memoir. ^:d:^ ■:^ii BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 45 CHAPTER VI. The Harrison Campaign — Colonel Todd one of its Master - Spirits — He Removes to Cincinnati, and takes Charge of the Cincinnati Republican — He Speaks as well as Writes — He, in Conjunction with Benjamin Drake, Prepares a Life of General Harrison — Extracts from this Work — Inci- dents of the Campaign. ONE of the most interesting events in the life of Colonel Todd is the part that he enacted in the election of General Harrison to the Presidency. As soon as Harrison was nominated, Colonel Todd removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and took charge of the Cincinnati Republican, then one of the most influen- tial Whig papers in the State. Besides attending to his arduous editorial duties, he addressed the people in nearly all the large cities and towns in the West. He was also employed, in conjimction with Benjamin Drake, an able and effective writer, by the Whig Central Committees of Ohio and Kentucky, to pre- pare a Life of General Harrison. The work was soon completed. It consisted of a small volume of one hundred and seventy pages. It was published by G. P. James, of Cincinnati. Many thousand copies were sold. It was used as a campaign document, and as a sort of text-book by the leading politicians and journalists of the country. It is divided into thirteen chapters, written alternately by Colonel Todd and Mr. Drake. So nearly did the st)les of these two writers resemble one another, that it was a sub- ject of curious inquiry which parts of the book were written by Colonel Todd and which by Mr. Drake. 46 BICGRArHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. At my solicitation, Colonel Todd pointed out the chapters from his pen. The Introduction to the book is the joint work of both. The first chapter, (an extract of which I sub- join, giving an account of the education and early life of General Harrison, his entrance into the army, and of the battle of ^Nlaumee, etc.,) Colonel Todd wrote. It will enable the reader to form a very cor- rect idea of the character of the work. " \Vm, Henry Harrlson was educated at Hamp- den Sydney College, and then repaired to Philadel- phia to pursue the study of medicine under the instruction of the distinguished Dr. Benjamin Rush, and under the guardianship of Robert Morris, the great financier of the Revolution, both of whom were signers of the Declaration of Independence. The youth, who had laid the foundations at college for a taste in the literature and histor)- of the ancient clas- sics, was thus afforded an opportunity of drinking deep at these fountains of the genius and spirit ot the Revolution. He had derived from his patriotic father the lessons of republican liberty, and in the school of Rush, o{ Morris, and of JWis/iiiiofon, he imbibed a love of countr\', which led hini to encounter difficulty and danger in her defence. About this period the disasters of the Northwestern army, imder the accomplished Harmar, excited a deep sympath\' in the public mind, and the youthful Harrison, partaking largely of the generous impulses of the da\', resolved to abandon the studies in which he was engaged, and to partici- pate in the perils as well as the sacrifices which were incident to this o-reat border warfare. His LTuardian BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 47 and his friends opposed his wish to enter upon this hazardous duty; but he appHed in person to General Knox, Secretar)- of War, and to the immortal Wash- ington, who o;ranted him a commission of ensio^n in the first regiment of the United States Artillery ; and in November, 1791, when but nineteen years of age, he marched on foot to Pittsburg, and, by descending the Ohio, joined his regiment, then stationed at Fort Washington. Shortly before the disastrous defeat of the veteran St. Clair, ensign Harrison formed the resolution to devote his energies to the military ser- vice of his country, at a period when his judgment and feelings m.ust have been guided by a high sense of patriotism, and a disinterested love of fame. The theatre of the war was in the remote wilderness, and the character of the enemy such that laurels were to be won only by great suffering and exposure in situ- ations destitute of the comforts or even the necessa- ries of civilized life. A o'reat national disaster had occurred in 1790, under the gallant Harmar, who was seconded by the heroic conduct of Colonel Hardin, himself a sacrifice to the treachery of the Indian char- acter. Congress authorized, at its next session, the raising of two thousand men, under the denomination of levies ; and General St. Clair, governor of the Northwestern territories, was appointed commander- in-chief. On the 4th of November, 1791, he was met and likewise defeated, with irreat loss, bv a formida- ble body of Indians, on the waters of the Big Miami River. This defeat of St. Clair, thoucrh Conorress subsequently acquitted him of all blame, produced a deep impression on the public mind, and, connected with the previous disasters of the war, rendered the 48 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. service unpopular, drained the public treasur}', and brought the country into a crisis which developed the enercjies of Washinc^ton's trreat intellect. The war had assumed a national importance, inducing the President to select for the chief of the army a soldier of prudence, of experience, and of energy. The choice was balanced for a time between Clarke and Wayne, both distini/uished leaders in the war of the Revolution, though on a different theatre : the former acting under the immediate eye of the father of his country, earning for himself the reputation of intre- pidity, with fertility of expedient ; the latter having won the distinctive title of the Hannibal of the M'est. The command was eventually assigned to Wayne, who acquired a new wreath of glory for himself, and added to the proofs of the sagacity of Washington. Ensi^rn Harrison joined his regiment at Fort Wash- ington, just in time to witness the return of the frag- ments of that gallant band, which, marching out in the proud anticipation of victory, was destined to a sad reverse under the veteran St. Clair. Under these discouraging circumstances, and with the near ap- proach of winter, Knsign Harrison commenced his jjublic service in the command of an escort having charge of a train of pack-horses destined for Fort Hamilton. It was a dut\' invohing peril and kitigue b)' night and by day, and recjuiring the exercise ot sagacity and self-denial. His performance ot the arduous task elicited the commendations of General St. Ckiir, and exhibiteil an interesting instance of a character in which the artlor of youth was combined with the maturit\- of age. In 1792 he was promoted to tile rank of lieutenant, and in 1 793 joined the legion BIOGKAnrV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 49 under General Wayne, and was not long afterwards selected by him as one of his aids-de-camp, — illus- trating, in an eminent degree, the confidence of that tried soldier, since Lieutenant 1 larrison was only twenty-one years of age. He continued to act as aid to General Wayne during the whole of the ensuing campaign, receiving, as he merited, repeated instances of high encomium from his commander. The first occurred upon the occasion of a detachment having been sent on the 23d of December, 1793, to take possession of the field of battle of the 4th of No- v^ember, 1791, and to fortify the position. To the new post was given the name of Fort Recovery. The folio winyf creneral order was issued on the return of the troops from that interesting duty : ' The Com- mander-in-Chief returns his most grateful thanks to Major Henry Burbeck, and to every officer, non- commissioned ofiicer, and private, belonging to the detachment under his command, for their soldierly and exemplary good conduct during their late arduous tour of duty, and the cheerfulness witli which they surmounted every difficulty, at this inclement season, in repossessing General St. Clair's field of battle, and erecting thereon Fort Recovery, a work impregnable by savage force ; as also for piously and carefully collecting and interring the bones, and pa)ing the last respect and military honors to the remains of the heroes who fell on the 4th of November, i 791, by three times three discharges from the same artillc7'y that was lost on that fatal day, but now recovered by this detachment of the legion. The Commander-in- Chief also requests Major Mills, Captains I)e Butts and Butler, Lieutenant Harrison, and Ur. Scott, to 7 50 BIOGRAPHV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. accept his best thanks for their voluntary aid and services on this occasion.' " The other instance of commendation of the gal- lantry of Lieut. Harrison is to be found in the report made by General Wayne to the War Department, in relation to the celebrated batde of the Maumee, which we shall presendy introduce to the notice of the reader. The youth, the early habits of study, and the delicate frame of Mr. Harrison, not less than the perils and privations incident to the border war- fare, would have intimidated a spirit less heroic than his, in entering upon the arduous service in the Northwest. As illustrative of the aspect of affairs, and of his first appearance in the army, an old sol- dier of St. Clair, who was present, has remarked : ' I would as soon have thought of putdng my wite in the service as this boy; but 1 have been out with him, and I find those smooth cheeks are on a wise head, and that slight frame is almost as tough as my own weather-beaten carcass.' General Charles Scott, a veteran of the Revolution, who enjoyed the special confidence of Washinoton, arrived in fulv from Ken- tuckywith his command of mounted volunteers ; and, on the 8th of August, General Wayne took up a position at Oand Glaize, sevent\- miles in advance of Greenville. A strong work was erected at the junction of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers, and General Wayne again opened a communication with the Indians before striking the final blow. ' 1 have thought proi)er,' he said. ' to offer the enemy a last overture of peace; and. as they have everything that is dear and interesting at stake, I have reason to expect they will listen to the jiroposition mentioned in the BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 5 1 enclosed copy of an address dispatched yesterday by a special flag, under circumstances that will insure his safe return, and which may eventually spare the effusion of much human blood. But, should war be their choice, that blood be upon their own heads. America shall no longer be insulted with impunity. To an all-powerful and just God, I therefore com- mit myself and gallant army.' The enemy rejected the offer of peace ; and the celebrated Little Turtle, who advised its adoption in a council on the night before the battle, spoke as follows : ' We have beaten the enemy twice under separate commanders. We cannot expect the same good fortune to attend us always. The Americans are now led by a chief who never sleeps; the night and the day are alike to him. And during all the time he has been marching upon our villages, notwithstanding the watchfulness of our young men, we have never been able to surprise him. Think well of it. There is something whispers me, it would be prudent to listen to his offers of peace.' We refer the reader to the official report of General Wayne, of the 27th of August, i 794, for a perspicuous account of the celebrated battle oi JMauinee, and deem it sufficient for our present purpose to give an extract relating to the conduct of his aid-de-camp, Lieutenant Harrison : ' The bravery and conduct of every officer belonging to the army, from the generals down to the ensigns, merit ni)' highest approbation. There were, however, some whose rank and situation placed their conduct in a very conspicuous point of view, and which I observed with pleasure and with the most lively oratitude : amonof whom I beLf leave to mention Brigadier- General Wilkinson and Colonel 0- 2 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. Hamtramck, the commandants of the right and left win- had never been obtained over them where the force on both sides was nearly equal ; and in no batde that had ever before been fought with diem, were there so many killed in proportion to the number engaged.' The same writer adds : ' That mutual confidence, which ought always to subsist between the commander of an army and the troops commanded, perhaps never had been in a higher deofree manifested than at the batde of Tip- pecanoe. Wherever his presence was required during the action, there was the Governor to be found. The plan he had laid down previous to the batde was so well understood by his men, that, notwithstanding the 9 66 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. enemy was not really expected that night, within less than two minutes after the first fire was heard every man was at his post.' Judg-e Hall, himself an officer in the late war with Great Britain, in speaking of the battle of Tippecanoe, says : ' As far as any commander is entided to credit, independent of his army, he (General Harrison) merits and has received it. He shared every danger and fatigue to which his army was exposed. In the battle he was in more peril than any other individual; for he was personally known to every Indian, and exposed himself fearlessly on horse- back, at all points of the attack, during the whole en- gagement. Every important movement was made by his express order.' Finally, we take leave of this subject, in the language of the same eloquent writer : 'The field of Tippecanoe has become classic ground ; the x^merican traveller pauses there to contemplate a scene which has become hallowed by victory ; the people of Indiana contemplate with pride the battle- ground on which their militia won imperishable honor, and their infant State became enrolled in the ranks of patriotism.' " This work formed the basis of all the succeedinof Lives of Harrison. Colonel Todd included in it the peroration of the General's famous speech on Kosci- usko, and an extract from his speech on Jackson's conduct in the Seminole War. This last contains the passage so often quoted about the age of deification being past, and about Jackson living in the songs of the virgins, and the Constitution of the country remaining immortal. This speech is remarkable for its bold criticism on Jackson's policy, and its defence BIOGRAniV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 67 of such of the acts of that distinguished citizen as Harrison thought right. It is gratifying to me to know that Harrison did not think favorably of the in- stitution of slavery, — that great blot upon the fair fame of our country. He did not grapple with this question, as did the statesmen of a later period; but he acknowledged the evil, and said that we must wait " the slow but certain progress of those good prin- ciples which are everywhere gaining ground, and which assuredly will ultimately prevail." Colonel Todd also gives us Harrison's opinion on duelling, another wretched and barbarous practice, not yet wholly without its advocates in many parts of our country. General Harrison said that "the wealth and honor of the world would not tempt him to level a pistol at the breast of a man whom he had injured." He also said that, while he was in command of the Northwestern army, he declared his determination to punish, by all means that the military laws placed in his hands, any injury, or even insult, which should be offered by the superior to the inferior officer, and diat durinir his entire command he had the satisfac- tion of knowincr that not a sinole duel had been fought in his army, or even a challenge given. He said, in 1838, in a letter to a gentleman from New Jersey, who had addressed him on the subject: "In relation to my present sentiments, a sense of higher obligations than human laws or human opinions can impose, has determined me, never, on any occasion, to accept a challenge or seek redress for a personal injury by a resort to the laws which compose the code of honor." These passages from the Life of Harrison, by 68 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. Colonel Todd and ^Ir. Drake, are very interesting, and embrace nearly all the important events in the life of that great and good man up to the time of his nomination for the Presidency in 1840, The book well deserved the large circulation it had, and should, I think, be published again. Colonel Todd wrote the concluding chapter, in which Harrison's claims to the office of President of the United States are ably set forth : "Our narrative," says the writer, in conclusion, "of the civil and military services of Harrison is now closed. Brief and imperfect as it may appear, it is sufficient to establish his claim to a high rank as a civilian and a general. He has been thoroughly tried in the council and in the field, and in every situation has proved himself equal to the circumstances by which he has been surrounded. No citizen of the United States, it is believed, has ever filled so many civil and military offices as the subject of this memoir; and certainly no one has ever been more uniformly successful in discharoincr the trusts confided to him. If it be true that to jjlan and carry on a successful campaign ' requires an almost intuitive sagacity, great powers of combination, with prudence, caution, promptness, and energy, combined with perlect selt- reliance and self-control,' it may be assumed that General Harrison, who is admitted to possess these attributes, is an accomplishetl civil rukr; inasmuch as these are precisely the qualities whicli lit an indi- vidual for acting efficiently upon men and things as they exist around them. lUit there are other and more practical evidences of his capacity as a states- BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD, 69 man. More than twenty years of his Hfe have been spent in various important civil offices, many of them requiring indexible integrity, firmness, intelhgence, and wisdom. To prove that he possesses these vir- tues in a high degree, it is only necessary to recur to his acts as Governor of Indiana, as Indian Commis- sioner, and as a member of the national legislature. The messages, letters, and speeches, called forth by these different situations, are not only fine specimens of composition, but exhibit great accuracy of informa- tion, consistency of political principle, and maturity of judgment. Rising above all sectarian or party intluence, his views were at once national and deeply Imbued with the love of liberty; his voice and influ- ence have ever been exerted in sustainino^ the cause of freedom in this as well as other kindred lands. In his military capacity. General Harrison is not less distlnoulshed. As Commander-in-Chief of the North- western army, he was entrusted with more extensive and responsible powers than have been confided to any officer in our country, Washington alone excepted. The command assigned to him embraced an immense extent of territory, with a frontier of several hundred miles in length, stretching along the lakes (then in possession of the enemy), with harbors, inlets, and rivers, admirably suited to favor their attacks upon our scattered border settlements. To defend this extended line of frontier, the commander's forces were chiefly undisciplined militia — entirely wanting experience in the field — engaged for short terms of service, and held in obedience more by personal in- fluence than the force of authority. But it was not to the defence alone of this district that General Har- 70 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. rison's duties were confined. He was directed by his Government to act offensively against the enemy, by re- taking Detroit, and capturing tlie uppermost Canada, defended, as it was, by experienced British officers and soldiers, aided by a large body of Northwestern Indians. Detroit and Canada were separated from General Harrison's source of troops, munitions of war, and provisions, by a trackless and swampy wil- derness, without roads, and presenting almost in- superable obstacles to the transportation of army supplies, while, at the same time, it was precisely the region of country best adapted to the peculiar mode of warfare practised by the bold and ferocious Indians. Notwithstandinir these manifold difficulties, in about one year from the time when he was invested with the chief command of the Northwestern army. General Harrison drove the enemy from his extended military district, retook Detroit, defeated the combined army of Proctor and Tecumsch, on the Thames, conquered the uppermost Canada, and passed, as a victorious chieftain, down to the seat of war on the Niagara fron- tier. In many points, the military career of Harrison bears a strong analogy to that of Washington. The same extent of discretionary powers and responsibil- ities ; the same difficulties in procuring supi)lies of troops and provisions ; and, in part, the same obstacles in the nature of the country to be traversed, marked th<' history of both. They never hazarded tlie grand result by a minor enterprise, however tempting ; they sought no laurels by the wanton sacrifice of their soldiers, but regulated all their movements with a single aim to the public good. Both exercised the extensive powers with which they were invested BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 7 1 without any invasion of the laws or the rights of tlie citizen, and both retired to the peaceful pursuits of agriculture when the object which called them to the field had been effected ; finally, to both may be jusdy awarded the valor of Marcellus, the caution of Fabius, and the disinterestedness of Cincinnatus. Inflexible integrity and a self-sacrificing patriotism may be considered the crowning virtues of General Harrison's character. These virtues have marked his career in the council and in the field, in youth and in age. When asked by what means he was enabled so successfully to gain the love and obedience of the militia, who followed his banner during the late war, he replied : ' By treating them with affection and kindness — by always recollecting that they were my fellow-citizens, whose feelings I was bound to respect, and by sharing with them, on every occasion, the hardships which they were obliged to undergo.' Throughout the whole of his military campaigns, he shared with his soldiers in all their fatigues, dangers, and privations. We were lately assured by a member of his military family in the campaign of 1813, that the table of the Commander-in-Chief was often not as well supplied with provisions as those of the common soldiers; and that he has frequendy seen the General sitting by the fire roasting a piece of beef, and then eatinir it without salt or bread. On one occasion, after marching all day through a beech bottom cov- ered with mud and water, without their baggage or any provisions, the General, by way of preventing his troops from being discouraged, sat down upon a log, wrapped in his cloak, — the rain falling fast, and the gloom of a night in the wilderness only broken by a 72 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. few glimmering camp-fires, — and then gaily calling upon the officers to sing songs, he spread content and cheerfulness throuo-hout the whole detachment. By examples such as these, he gained the confidence and affection of the crowds of volunteer militia, who were attracted to his standard not less by their patri- otism as by the distinguished reputation of the Com- mander - in - Chief Since his retirement from the army, he has been the chief representative of the military class of our citizens in the region in which he lives. '1 hose who served under him in the late war make frequent pilgrimages to North Bend ; while the old soldiers, who foui/ht under Harmar, and St. Clair, and Wayne, not only throng his hos- pitable fireside, but look to General Harrison, above all other men, to present their claims to Congress for land or pensions on the score ot past services and sacrifices. While Governor of Indiana and Superintendent of Indian Affairs during a period of twelve years, he disbursed at his discretion, and with but few, if an\-, checks, very large sums of money ; and in the course of the late war he drew on the Treasury for more than six hundred thousand dollars for military purposes. Yet General Harrison retired from the public service poorer than he entered it, and has never been a defaulter to his Government. There are but two instances, it is believed, in which even a whisper of suspicion against the purity of his official conckicL has been heard. One of these, made by an army contractor, was investigated in Congre.ss, and the charge triumphanil)- refuted. The other occurred while Governor of Indiana. A foreigner residing in that Territory-, by the name of iNlcIntosh, EIOGRAPIIV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TOUD. 73 and possessing very considerable wealtli, having taken some offence, charged Governor Harrison widi having defrauded the Indians in the treaty of Fort Wayne, made in the year 1809. The accused very properly concluded that it was due to his own reputation, not less than to the interests of the general Government, that a charge of this kind should be fully investigated in a court of justice. He, therefore, instituted a suit in the Supreme Court of the Territory, and, after a full and fair trial before a judge and jury of admitted impartiality between the parties, a verdict was ren- dered against the defendant for four thousand dollars. The evidence was so conclusive in favor of Governor Harrison, that Mcintosh did not attempt to press the truth of the charge upon the jury, but only sought to lessen the amount of damages by pleading some matters in extenuation of his conduct. When the property of the defendant was levied upon to satisfy the judgment, it was bought in by an agent of the Governor, who immediately distributed one-third of it among the orphan children of his fellow-citizens that had died in battle ; and then restored the remainder to Mcintosh himself. It has been well observed that 'no language of praise can add to the truth and force of the simple beauty of such an example of magnanim- ity, disinterestedness, and generosity.' Some years since it was discovered that a large tract of land, adjoining Cincinnati, which had been sold long pre- viously for a very small sum, under an execution against the original proprietor of the Miami country, could not be held under this sale in consequence of some defective proceedings in court. The legal title to this tract, now immensely valuable, was vested in 10 74 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. Mrs, Harrison and another individual, as hcirs-at-law. Immediately upon being informed of the situation of this property, General Harrison procured the con- sent of the co-heir, and joined liim in releasing to the purchasers the whole of this land, without claiming any other consideration than the few hundred dollars which constituted the difference between the actual value at the time when sold, and the amount paid at the sheriff's sale. In 1804, the Governor of Indiana was, upon the suggestion of President Jefferson, made ex-offjcio Governor of ' Upper Louisiana.' Under the impression that it was sound policy to convince the inhabitants of the newly-acquired territory that they had lost nothing by the change. Governor Harrison declined receivinof the fees he was entitled to bv law, although those for Indian licenses alone would have brouijht him several thousand dollars. At the same time, the proprietor of St. Louis offered him, for a mere nominal sum, an undivided moiety of three- fourths of the town of St. Louis, and the adjoining lands, if he would assist in ])uildlng up that place. Such, however, was his nice sense of honor, that he declined the offer, feariuij it mioht be said that he had used his official station to promote his private interest. The property thus voluntarily refused, and which might have been accepted without an\- violation of principle, is probably worth al this time a million of dollars. While acting as Commander-in-Chief of the Northwestern army, General Harrison's expenses, owing to the extent t)f his command, and ihc amount of comj)any he was obliged to entertain at hoadtpiar- ters, so far exceeded his \>?l\\ that lie was comi)elled, before the close of the war, to sell a \aluabie tract BIOGRAniY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 75 of land to meet the current demands upon his purse. Soon after his resignation in the army, while the claims of a large family were pressing upon him, General Harrison had made up his mind to ask an appointment for one of his sons at West Point. Be- fore the application was made, however, a poor boy, the child of a neighbor, who had not the means of obtaining an education, made a personal appeal to the General to procure him a place in this institudon. He immediately waived the claims of his own son, and obtained a warrant for this poor lad, who was educated at the academy, and is now a distinguished citizen of Indiana, and takes great pleasure in bearing tesdmony to the noble disinterestedness of his patron. Similar instances of integrity and generosity might be multiplied, had we further space to narrate the inci- dents in the life of the veteran, whose patriotic policy founded, and whose skilful valor defended, the vast Northwest. The literary talent and attainment of General Harrison are uncommonly good. He is a sound scholar, not only familiar with the passing liter- ature of the day, but possessing a familiar acquaint- ance with ancient history, especially with tlie classic annals of Greece and Rome. His own writings and convcrsadon are forcibly illustrated by allusions to these works, and frequendy bear evidence of a mind richly imbued with the philosophy of history. The producdons of his pen, which are thrown oft" without an effort, are at once smooth, strong, and perspicuous, and written with remarkable simplicity and beauty ot style. As a speaker, he is animated, fluent, and forci- ble ; correct in his language, and peculiarly ready in bringing the resources of a cultivated understanding 76 inOGRAPHV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. to bear upon any given subject. Both in body and mind, General Harrison enjoys a 'green old age.' His step is firm, his spirits buoyant, his conversation sprightly, instructive, and rich in anecdote. His countenance is expressive of kindness and genuine philanthropy ; and his dark, piercing eye has lost little, if any, of the fire and vivacity of his more youthful days. The strength of his memory and the accuracy of his judgment remain unimpaired. One of the latest productions of his pen, written but a few weeks since, is strongly characterized by the force, raciness, and nice discrimination, which belong to the meridian of his life. In temperament, warm and impulsive ; in man- ners, plain and unassuming ; in his habits, generous and hospitable, General Harrison combines, in an eminent degree, the manly frankness of a soldier, with the sturdy independence of a farmer." The campaign closed in a blaze of glory. Harrison was elected by one of the largest majorities ever given to any President. He was very popular with the people of the West, many of whom to this day love to recall arountl their hearthstones the incidents of that famous campaign. The terms Lo£- Cabin and Hard Cider, which were inscribed upon the Whig banners, transparencies, etc., originated in this way. General Harrison's house at North Rend, Ohio, or at least a part of it. was one of the original log cabins built by the early settlers of that countr)', and covered with clap-boards. The story became current tliat the great chieftain lived in the plainest manner in his log cabin, and that his kitch-string was always hung on the outside, and that the humblest man in the country BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 77 could enter whenever he pleased, and would always find a hearty welcome and a mug of cider ready for him. General Harrison was a very temperate man, and said, I think, in one of his speeches, that the strongest liquor he ever drank was a mug of hard cider. Anyhow, the story became popular, and pic- tures represendng a log cabin and barrels of cider were emblazoned on the banners and transparencies of the Whigs, which were carried triumphantly in their processions, in the midst of the wildest cheers, in which all classes joined, the high and low, and rich and poor. It is no exaggeration to say that more than a thousand and one songs were written in praise of the log cabin and " Old Tippecanoe," as Harrison was familiarly called. The followintr is a verse from one of the sones which any number of persons now living have helped to sing, or had dinned in their ears: "Hurrah for the Log Cabin, chief of our choice! For the Old Indian Fighter, hurrah! Hurrah ! and from mountain to valley the voice Of the people re-echoes hurrah ! Then come to the ballot-box, boys! Come along! He never lost battle for you : Let us down with oppression and tyranny's throng, And up with Old Tippecanoe I " 78 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. CHAPTER Vn. General Harrison expresses his Gratitude for Colonel Todd's Services — His Appointment as Minister to Russia — Success of his Mission — Felicitous Speech of Colonel Todd at a Banquet in St. Petersburg — Motley and Maxwell in his Official Family — Colonel Todd's Visit to the Interior of Russia — Important Despatches. GENERAL HARRISON was very grateful for the services Colonel Todd rendered him during the campaign. And he often said that he owed,, in a great part, his triumph to him, and on one occasion, w^hile discussing with his Cabinet the appointments and duties of the administration, said to Mr. Web- ster: "I shall not be sadsfied with the appointments of the Department of State, unless a first-class posi- tion is given to my old friend and companion-in-arms, Colonel Todd." As an instance of the regard in which Colonel Todd was \ut\d by General Harrison's family, it maybe added, that, when General Harrison was takino- leave of his family for his inauouration at Washington, iMrs. Harrison, putting her arms around him, exclaimed: ''General, I want you to take care of our dear friend. Colonel Todd ; he loves you so viuchy Colonel Todd accompanied General Harrison to Washington, and remained with him as a member of his family during the short interval that he occupied the Presidential chair ; and, as the last sad office, ac- companied his remains to North Bend, and, by request of Mrs. Harrison, selected the spot for his burial. On die death of Harrison, President Tyler, desir- ing- to carry out the wishes of Harrison, appointed BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 79 Colonel Todd envoy - extraordinary to St. Peters- burg. While in Russia, Colonel Todd elicited the most flattering compliments from the Administration. Mr. Webster was particularly lavish in the praise he bestowed on him. The Emperor of Russia showed him many marks of his esteem, and would have him attend his parades, where often more than one hun- dred and fifty thousand troops exhibited their skill and discipline. Colonel Todd induced the Emperor to secure the services of the distincruished eneineer, Mr. Whisder, for the construction of railroads in the empire. Colonel Todd was elected a member of the Imperial Agricultural Society, which is the only com- pliment of the kind, I believe, that has ever been paid to an American citizen. Colonel Todd was one of the best speakers at a banquet I ever heard. After-din- ner speeches are seldom readable, on account of the subjects which present themselves being so hack- neyed that it is almost impossible for a speaker to say anything new in reference to them. The following speech of Colonel Todd's, delivered at the celebration of the English Diplomatic Club, is, I think, wholly free from objections of this kind. It was extensively copied by the English and American papers, and Mr. Webster spoke of it as being in very fine taste. The President of the Club, Count Worontzord Daschhoff, after having proposed the health of the Emperor, offered a toast to the nations in unity with Russia. Colonel Todd then said : " I rise to address the President with mingled emo- tions of pleasure and regret, — pleasure, for the com- pliment you have conferred in asking me to respond 80 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. to the toast to the nations In unity with Russia ; and reeret, on beholdincr the vacant chair of Baron Sle- ghtz, whose animated eyes gave evidence a year ago of the dehght he enjoyed in this anniversary. He was the Rothschild of Russia. If there are any Enolishmen here, I thank them in the name of the descendants of those Enghshmen who first planted a oovernment of laws in Massachusetts and in Vir- ginia, the mother of nearly all the American Presidents. I conorratulate Encjland and America on the recent treaty that has reconciled their principal difficulty. This treaty will give new vigor to their commercial relations. I congratulate them on being preserved from war, which, in its progress, might have involved even eieantic Russia, whose colossal arms reach over Europe, Asia, and America. May England and America be rivals only in the race for true glory. " If there are any Swedes here, I thank them in the name of the descendants of those that first civilized New Jersey, whose gallant and intellectual sons ren- der her worthy of sucli worthy sires. If there are any Frenchmen here, I thank them in the name of the descendants of the Huguenots, who fied from the Old World after the revolution of the Edict of Nantes, and formed a home in the New World, and imparted their noble character to South Carolina, the Palmetto State of the South. "If there are any Dutchmen here, I thank them in the name of the descendants of those Hollanders who first peopled the Em^/ire State, New York; one of whose sons, Was/iiiiolon Irving, now adorns the American 1 )iplomatic service as Minister to Spain, and dcliglus all Europe with sketches ot England — mOGRArilV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. Si enlightened, free, and poiuerfid England, who would place his name to the remotest posterity in the same wreath of lame that encircles the brow of her own i.'\ddison. "If there are any Germans here, I thank them in the name of their German brethren in Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and of the beautiful city of Cincinnati, which, in respect to the mechanic arts, internal trade, archi- tectural taste, and noble institutions of literature and benevolence, may be justly regarded as the Moscow of the New World. If there are any Russians here, 1 thank them in the name of my forefathers, who were indebted to the friendship of the great Catharine in the Armed neutrality of 1780. I thank them in the name of my compatriots of 1814, who were under obligations to the liberal views and good offices of the Emperor Alexander of glorious memory. "It is indeed a delightful task, to dwell upon the re- lation existing between Russia and the United States. It is something worthy of the contemplation of other Powers, to see two great nations, the most extensive in territory and resources in the Old and the New World, always living in peace. "Ancient and modern history present no such bright examples. To Russia and America the tem- ple of Janus has ever been closed. May it never be opened. I conclude with offering an apology for having probably exhausted your patience. When my beloved country is complimented in a foreign land, my heart is full, and out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh. I propose the health of the hereditary Grand - Duke. May he emulate in his career the destiny which his august father has ful- II b2 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. filled in combining the energy of Peter with the mag- nanimity of Alexander." At the time Colonel Todd was appointed to the embassy at Russia, John Lathrop Modey was chosen the First Secretary of Legation. Mr. ^lodey had travelled in Europe, and had passed a )ear at the University of Gottingen, and a year at Berlin, and he proved a delightful companion and a v/arm personal friend of Colonel Todd's. ^lodey had published, the year previous, a very interesting novel, entitled A/or- ioJLs Hope, or the Memoirs of a > ^oiing Provincial, and he was anxious to make himself thoroughly acquainted wnth Russia and the Russians, for the purpose of writ- ing a book on the subject. The salary of the Secretary' of Legation at St. Petersburor is verv small, and INTr. Modey was not able to support his family with it ; and, after a short residence there of about two months, he returned to the United States; but during that short dme he became so well acquainted with the customs of the country, that he was enabled to prepare one of the most valuable essays on Peter the Great that has ever been written. Mr. Maxwell, another able and accomplished author, was appointed to the place vacated by Mr. Modey. Mr. Maxwell accompanied Colonel Todd to the inte- rior ^A Russia during the great fair at Xishnci Xovo- ijrodek. This was the first instance of an American Minister ever hax'Ing penetrated iiUo the interior of the Em- pire further than Moscow; and Colonel Todd gave a highly interesting account of the trip in a despatch to the State Department. Colonel Todd mentioned. BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. S3 that, after having secured the necessary passport, lie set out from St. Petersbure^ on the iStli of Auoust, and extended his journey as fa-r as Nishnei, at the junction of the Oka with the Volga, and from thence to Kazan, the ancient Tartar capital, situated a short distance above the mouth of the Kama. If he had travelled two days further, he would have reached the western limits of Asia. I have often heard Colonel Todd speak of the pains he took to interest the peo- ple on his route in America, and to encourage among them a friendly feeling toward us. Colonel Todd also witnessed the terrible conflagration at Kazan, which destroyed more than two-thirds of the entire city. This was one of the most extensive fires in the world, equalled probably only by the recent conflagration at Chicago. Colonel Todd, in one of his descriptions of the annual fair at Nishnei, said that more than three hundred thousand strangrers had orathered there from all parts of the world. He said that it was a rare spectacle to see so many people speaking so many different lanoruasfes. I remember his tellinij me how much interested he was in seeing in the interior of Russia the cotton and rice from our own country by the side of that erown in Rukaria. Colonel Todd's despatches to the Secretary of State while at Russia are very interesting and instructive. In his letters to -\I. Bodisco and Count Nesselrode he showed how utterly impossible it was for him to allow anything to escape his attention that concerned the interest of the United States. The following despatch, in reference to our commerce with Russia, addressed to that accomplished scholar and diplo- matist, Count Nesselrode, explains itself: 84 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. "The United States Legation at St. Petersburg. " The undcrsitjned pays his respect, etc., to his E.xcel- lency Count Nesselrode, the Chancellor of the Empire, and has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of his Excellency's note of the 23d June (O. S.), together with its enclosure, consisting of a despatch of that date to his Excellency M. Bodisco, his Imperial Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiar}' at Washington, which his Excellency the Chancellor is pleased to regard as a full reply to the note of the undersigned of 12th June, '24, in relation to the right of the United States to participate in the recent favor granted to English com- merce. " The undersigned regrets to perceive, from the general tenor of that despatch, an unwillingness on the part of the Imperial Ministry to extend the favor to the United States. He the more regrets the result from the special ground on which his Excellency the Chancellor has predicated the opin- ion that the United States cannot, in this case, insist upon the application of the stipulations of the thirteenth article of the existing treaty between Russia and the United States ; his Excellency asserting the right of the Imperial Government to deny this privilege to the United States upon the plea that the concession to England was not gratuitous, hut was a part return for certain reductions in the tariff of her Britannic Majesty favorable to Russian exports. " The undersigned, in adverting to the adnu'ssion made by his Excellenc)' in the recent interview, that this favor was without condition, does not doubt that his Excellency had reference in that remark to the terms of the Ukase, containing, as it does, no allusion to the modifications in the English tariff. The undersigned, however, did not un- derstand his Excellency as maintaining in that interview, nor in the despatch to M. Bodisco, that these British modi- fications were avowed by that Government to be condi- tional upon the fact of his Majesty's Government adopting eciuiv.ilcnt regulations in favor of Great Britain. On the BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S, TODU. 65 contrary, the undersigned supposes that these changes in the English tariff were made without cor.Htions; for if they had been made conditional, he presumes, the Ukase would have contained a reference to such conditions in addition to the other motives stated in that document. In the absence, then, of such conditions upon the face of the Imperial Ukase, or of the contingency supposed that the British regulations were not conditional, the undersigned deems it due to the interest of his country, designed to be secured by the thir- teenth article of the existing treaty, not to admit the sound- ness of the position which his Excellency has advanced in the despatch to M. Bodisco. He is equally at a loss to per- ceive the applicability of the suggestion that the exports of Russia to the United States do not find a ready sale in con- sequence of the heavy duties in the American tariff. No treaty, or public law, prevents either nation from regulating its duties on imports in such mode as to it may seem right and proper. In the exercise of this right, the United States have only sanctioned the principle and practice of Russia in similar cases. Both nations desire, very justly, to protect their own industry; and if the United States, by a protec- tive duty, are making progress in securing even a partial supply at home of hemp and its fabrics, his Majesty's Gov- ernment has exercised a similar right in the heavy duties upon tobacco, amounting to a prohibition in the direct trade. The right to impose countervailing duties is ad- mitted as belonging to both nations. But the undersigned cannot perceive the propriety of the Imperial Ministry treating the duties on Russian products in the United States as authority for granting a special favor to ICngland. which, upon its face, is without conditions, but which is attempted by subsequent explanations to be regarded as conditions, and therefore not subject to the stipulations of the thirteenth article of the existing treaty. His P^xcellency the Chancellor has suggested that this favor to England is an experiment for this season, made with the design to foster the native industry of Russia in the establishments 86 LIOGRAPIIV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. for refining sugars ; and that it is, therefore, impracticable to enter into negotiations on this subject, until there shall be time afforded to test the result of the experiment. The undersigned cannot suppose it was the intention of his Excellency to advance the opinion that a favor granted to England does not enure to the benefit of the United States, under the thirteenth article of the existing treaty, merely be- cause it is an experiment for this season of navigation; nor does he suppose that the recent changes in the English tariff are designed only as an experiment for this season. On the contrary, he supposes that, if they were made per- manent without reference to a repeal at any specified time, the favor to England must become permanent, and thus this ground for delay in extending the favor to the United States during this season looses the force which his Excellency the Chancellor has been pleased to attach to it. " The undersigned repeats his solicitude to be able to trans- mit to his Government an answer to his note of the I2th of June, O. S., of a character more favorable to American interest than that contained in the despatch to M. Bodisco ; for he is aware that the season for navigation is passing away too rapidly to expect that any shipments can be made during this year from America, if they are to depend upon the result of explanations between his Excellency M. Bodisco and the Department of State at Washington. " In the hope that the Imperial Ministry may, upon a review of this subject, extend to the United States the favor already granted to England, the undersigned avails him- self of the occasion to renew to his Excellency the Chan- cellor an assurance of his perfect respect. C. S. Todd." "iSth July, I845." The despatch of Colonel Tockl to M. Bodisco, in June, 1845, "^^^ ^o ^^'^^ importation of crushed sugar, is a ver\- valuable document, and may appropriately be introduced here : BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 87 " St. Petersburg, 23(1 June, 1845. " Your Excellency is aware that the manufacture of sugar from the cane has, for a number of )'ears, formed a branch of industry with us, which our commercial legislation al- ways protects. From a regard to the interests of our native refineries, raw sugar alone is allowed to enter by the tariff; and all sugar of the cane which has passed through any degree of purification, excluded. This system has been maintained until now. The disasters suffered during the past year by the plantations of Cuba, however, have led the Imperial Government to consider the means that may be necessary to prevent too great a rise in the price of sugar; and, by the Ukase of 19th of March, the importation of sugar half refined, bruised, or in lumps, commonly called (in commerce) cnishcd liniips, has been allowed. At the same time, in order to protect native manufactures, they are admitted only under certain restrictions ; they must be im- ported for the use of refineries alone, and pay the same duties as raw sugar, \'iz., three roubles, eight j capites, silver, per pound. The importation, furthermore, is limited to the harbor of St. Petersburg and to the duration of the navigation of 1845. Besides, even this temporary admission has not been generally granted, but is confined to the sugar lumps comine from England. Aside from the interests of our refineries, this last arrangement has been induced by the steps taken on the i)art of the British Government for sev- eral years past, to obtain for English commerce the right of importing lumps, but especially by the facilities and marked deductions of duties which the new English tariff offers to Russian commerce. " The preference conceded to ICngland, though but tem- porary, seems to have alarmed the American commerce. The United States Minister has come to converse with me on the subject; citing, among others, the stipulations of the treaty of 6-1 8th December, 1832, which assures to Amer- ican commerce in Russia the same rights and privileges enjoyed by the most favored nations. I have hastened 88 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. to present to Mr. Todd the explanations best suited to exhibit the nature and object of the arrangements in question. Not only are they provisory and adopted as a simple experiment, but they do not seem to us to be op- posed to the stipulations of the treaty cited by Mr. Todd. " These stipulations have never been lost sight of. On the contrary, wc think they have been constantly and scru- pulously observed. American commerce has always met with the most favorable treatment from us, and the prin- ciple of reciprocity consecrated in the treaty has never experienced, and could never experience, the slightest in- fraction at our hands. But the eleventh article of the treaty reserves to us expressly the right of granting to other na- tions any special favor in point of commerce and naviga- tion, provided this favor be made common to the United States, and the latter enjoy it gratuitously, if the concession be gratuitous, or by means of the same compensations, if conditional. "Now the admission of crushed lumps coming from England has not been gratuitously conceded. It is, as already said, a just return for the arrangement of the new English tariff. The Imperial Government has, therefore, thought itself justified in making this concession to Eng- land, with the reserve, if need be, of having an understanding with the Government of the United States on the conditions under which the American commerce could be admitted to participate in the same. Even now would we be ready to enter into negotiations on this matter, if, as observed above, the arrangement concerning crushed lumps were not a tem- porary and provisory measure. "The >-car 1S45 will, doubtless, be sufficient to show how iar it will be necessary to prolong the duration or ex- tend the application of this measure. Experience alone, however, will be able to influence the Imperial Government in deciding on this matter. ^'et, if, without too great injury to native industry, the possibilit\- of admitting con- ditionalK' half-rcfined sugars should be thereby demon- BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 89 strated, the Russian Government would not fail to take into due consideration the interest and wishes of American commerce, l^he Government of the United States, on the other hand, will no doubt lend its aid to facilitate the realization of these friendly arrangements, manifesting, in return, due regard to the interests of Russian commerce, and the wishes that might be expressed by us. " Too heavy duties are imposed on several Russian pro- ducts in the United States to allow of their being sold with any advantage there. A reduction of duties on these ob- jects would, therefore, take away one of the obstacles which still hinder the entire development of commercial relations between the two countries. " I invite you, Sir, to make explanations in this sense to the Cabinet at Washington." 12 ^r^ QO r.IOGRArilY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. CHAPTER Mil. Colonel Todd returns to Frankfort — Delivers a Lecture on Russia — Withdraws from a Contest for the Governorship of Kentucky — Accepts the Office of Commissioner under the Mexican Treaty — Advocates a Railroad to the Pacitic. COLONEL TODD'S mission to Russia expired in 1846, and he returned to the United States, and resumed the practice of law at Frankfort, Ky. A short time after his return he was invited to dehvcr a lecture before the Frankfort Athoicdiun, on the Russian Empire. The lecture may be appropriatcl\- introduced here entire. It is one of the best condensed accounts that I have ever read concerning that empire : "RUSSIA: HER RESOURCES, RELlOluN, LITERATURE, ETC. "The Empire of Russia, in her vast extent and resources, in her history and distinctive character, is new to us, as she is indeed to many of the nations of the Old World. She reaches from the Frozen Ocean to the Black Sea, and from the lialtic and Gulf of Bothnia to the Ural Mountains, sep- arating Europe from Asia, and thence through Siberia to the Indian Ocean. She exceeds in territory all the nations of l^urope. Throusj^hout her vast extent, wilh the exception of the L'l'al .Mountains, she i)resents one continuous jtlain, embracing every variet}' of climate and production, w ith a soil so rich and iliversified that hem]), and m.ui\- of the tropical fruits, and nearl)' e\-ei-\- species of grain, except Indian corn, may be foinul among her exports. " In considering this subject, I may be led to speak very brieflN' of her history, religion, sciences, fine arts, literature, BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 9 1 commerce, a^^riculture, manufactures, revenue, debt, ex- ports, navy, army, climate, nobility, merchants, and peas- ants ; resources, government, police, and Emperor. The most cursory examination of these various aspects of the subject would alone fill a volume. It is my present purpose to give them only a passing glance. " Of her History. — Prior to the time of Peter the Great, who assumed the title of Autocrat and Emperor, with abso- lute power, the ancient dynasty resided at Moscow under the title of Grand-Duke or Czar, with princes of the Grand Duchy exercising regal powers in the different govern- ments or provinces, somewhat on the plan of the petty sovereignties in Germany. At a very remote period, all of the country beyond Poland was under the Tartar au- thority, with their capital at Kazan on the Volga, seven hundred miles beyond Moscow. The religion of that day was Mohammedan, and it was not until some eight hundred years ago that the Greek religion was introduced into Russia by the baptism of the Grand-Duchess Olga, at Constantinople. Peter, by the establishment of his capital on the Baltic, brought his nation, made up of many tribes, into contiguity with Europe, and Russia thus ceased to be an Asiatic power. Karamzin, her great historian, has described, and Poushkin, her great poet, has sung the ancient heroes of the country ; but the story of Russia is little known beyond the days of her first great law- givers in the persons of Ivan and Alexis. Napoleon, on witnessing, as he advanced into Russia, the destruction of her resources and the burning of her ancient capital by the self-sacrificing patriotism of her own subjects, affected to speak of them as the modern Scythians ; but, at this day, the memory of Rostopchin, the governor of Moscow, is regarded with the veneration due to a national benefactor. Catharine the Second endeavored to carry out the system of Peter, and rendered our patriotic fathers noble service by her armed neutrality of 1780; and, in the war of 1812, the enlightened Alexander placed our country under last- 92 BIOGRArHV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. ing obligation by the offer of his mediation with Great Britain. While we were struggling as Colonies, the great Peter was founding his city of palaces, and bringing East- ern magnificence into contact with the energy and arts of Europe. Yet it is a memorable coincidence, that, when Peter, the great Northern light, descended below the horizon in 1725, Washington, the bright star of the West, arose in 1732, to become also the founder of a great nation, and to present to distant ages 'an immortal example of true glory' destined to ' shine on, like the path of the just, more and more into the perfect day.' " The best historv- of Russia is that bv Karamzin, brought up to the close of Alexander's reign. Interesting histories of the War with Napoleon have been written by Bowtourlin and Danilefsky. Bell's history is chiefly an epitome of Karamzin. The most impartial account of travels in that empire is by Elliott, an Englishman ; also, in Letters from the Baltic, by an English lady ; in Travels by Kohl, a Ger- man ; and in Lectures by our excellent Dr. Baird. " The Greek is the religion of Russia. Of the sixty millions of subjects, upwards of forty millions are of the national faith. The Emperor stands in the same relation to the Greek that the Pope does to the Romish Church. Until Peter assumed to himself all ecclesiastical as well as political power, the head of the Church was called tlie Patriarch, with archimandrites, metropolitans, and bishops. I refer to an article published in the Presbyterian Herald, at Louisville, about the first of Januar\' last, as showing a comparison between the doctrines held in the Eastern or Greek, and the Western or Romish Church. iWX Protestants uill recognize the Greek articles as according more nearly with their own ; while the P!mperor treats the Romish as not orthodo.x. The forms in the Greek services are even more imposing than those in the Romish, and the feast- days are equally numerous. The period of Lent is kc[)t with great strictness, especialK' during the first and last week. The festivities in the Carnival are \er\- boisterous. BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 93 The ceremonies on Easter morning are peculiar, and par- take largely of the courtesy belonging to Eastern manners. To be a witness of five hundred Russian men kissing each other in the streets on that day might perhaps be a com- pensation to some tastes for a trip to that distant region. There are no seats in a Greek church ; all the worshippers stand up, and, during particular parts of the service by the priests, the people cross themselves and bow, which is re- peated from time to time when some more solemn occasion leads them to kneel down and place their foreheads on the floor. They are coming in and going out during the two hours' service. None but vocal music is employed, and this is rendered solemn and touching from a choir of twenty or thirty boys from eight to twenty years of age; each chanting one note. The priest usually reads with his back to the congregation, and the service is performed inside of a partition of lattice-work, perhaps like the inner veil of the Temple. While the Emperor is jealous of proselytes being made from his own Church, and all officers under the Gov- ernment are required to take the sacrament once a year in some church, his policy is above all praise in allowing freedom of conscience and of public worship by every sect, Catholics, Jews, Mohammedans, and Protestants; and it is a fact creditable to the liberality of a monarch possess- ino- unlimited power in Church and State, that, during my residence in Russia, four, if not more, of his principal min- isters — General Count Clein Michel, Minister of Ways and Communications ; Count Cancrire, Minister of Finance ; Count Nesselrode, Chancellor of the Empire and Secretary of Foreiern Affairs ; and General Count Benkendorf, Chief of the Military Staff and of the Secret Police — were all Protestants, and among the ablest men in his Cabinet. " The institutions for the promotion of science arc enti- tled to high commendation. The records of the Imperial Academy of Sciences show a valuable addition to the department of universal knowledge. Their researches, by land and by sea, are worthy of a place by the side of those 94 BIOGRArilV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. prosecuted by Great Britain, France, and America. The observatory, near St. Petersburg, is an honor to the Impe- rial taste, and contains the largest telescope in the world. It was manufactured at Munich, in Bavaria. The Museum connected with the Academy of Sciences is admirably ar- ranged, with choice specimens from ever>' quarter of the globe ; among them the remains of the Mammoth found sixty years ago on the ice in the River Lena, the Mississippi of Siberia. The Imperial Botanical Garden is a proud monu- ment of the public taste for this interesting science. The plants occupy a space of three-quarters of a mile, and have been collected, at vast expense, from every climate of the globe. Rich contributions have been made from I^razil, the Cape of Good Hope, from Australia, and from the Himalaya Mountains in Asia. A visitor to this great panorama of ^ nature will be gratified by an inspection of the green and. black tea trees of China, of all the acacias of the East, of all the fruit-trees of the tropics, and even the cane of the Mississippi. The collection would be unrivalled, if it had that most magnificent of evergreens, our own noble mag- nolia. The Imperial Library contains four hundred thousand volumes and twenty thousand manuscripts, among them a letter from Washington, whom they regard as the Amer- ican Peter. "The system of Public Instruction is entrusted to a min- ister of state. There are five universities in the Empire: at St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, on the Volga, Keif, near the IMack Sea, and at Dorpat, near Riga, on the Baltic. The colleges for boys, and institutes for girls, are sustained on the most liberal plan. There is a college connected with the Foreign Office, in which those destined for the diplomatic service are taught the Asiatic languages. It is this system, and their aptitude to acquire foreign languages, that gives such efficiency to the representatives of the lunpire abroad. The edifice devoted to the Academy of F"inc Arts conveys a just impression of the public taste; it contains a rich col- lection, not only of foreign and ancient paintings, but many BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 95 of oreat merit bv native artists. The Russians are distin- guished as copyists. Their genius is particularly displayed in the erection of the Bronze Horse; and the Equestrian Statue of Peter, in the St. Isaac's Square, is the most cele- brated effort o( the kind in Europe. The collection of paintings in the Hermitage, connected with the winter palace, claims the attention of the traveller as much as the collections at Berlin, Dresden, Versailles, and the Louvre. "The Imperial Arsenal, at Tsarsko-Celo, is a remarkable curiositv ; the armor of the last six centuries is there dis- played ; the object of deepest interest in the collection being the celebrated Tippoo-Saib sitting upon the stuffed skin of his identical war-horse, the most perfect model of that animal extant. "In touching briefly upon the Fine Arts, I may add that too much praise cannot be awarded to Peter the Great, for inculcating among his subjects, by his own noble example, the importance of the mechanic arts to the welfare of a State. He visited Holland, to study the trade of a ship- builder ; and I saw, near the church of the Ancient For- tress, where the remains of the Imperial family are deposited, and near the Mint, in which the precious metals of Siberia are coined, the first boat which that great artist constructed, and with which he navigated the Baltic. This practical knowledge became the means of several victories over the Turks, in which the Czar himself was the admiral. I saw, also, the first log cabin he had erected on the island where the veneration of his people has preserved the clothes and the implements with which he followed the trade of a cob- bler, presenting to his subjects the same brilliant contrast of public usefulness to the lazy career of the nobility, which the great Roger Sherman (the shoemaker of Connecticut) exhibited to the aristocracy of our own country. But it should be borne in mind, that the handicraft specimens of the sji'eat mechanic were onl\' the trifles of his industry; that these did not interfere with his gigantic energy, as a statesman, in consolidating various tribes into one govern- 96 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. ment, and in giving character and nationality to the whole mass of what were then his barbarous subjects; nor did his enlightened plans of policy arrest his efforts, by skill and valor in the field, to fortify his dynasty against the invasion by Charles XII. of Sweden. " The Literature of Russia deserves more respect than the journals of other nations have assigned to it. In the departments of history, of science, of poetry, and of diplo- macy, she should rank with many nations claiming to be more civilized. The language resembles the Greek in sound, having six Greek letters in the alphabet. Their historians have been already named ; Lomonosoff, Kaute- mar, Derjavine, Poushkin, and Koukolnic, will compare with the poets of ancient or modern times ; while the fame of Romanozoff, Lieven, Matenzervic, and Nesselrode will descend to posterity in the same diplomatic wreath with that of Talleyrand, Metternich, and Castlereagh, and only equalled by the ability that has distinguished the State papers of our own loved land. "The Commerce of Russia is chiefly internal and con- tinental, especially in the interchange of products with China and the East Indies. The vast canals, commenced by Peter, have been completed by his successors ; and there is now an internal communication between the Baltic and the Caspian Sea, independently of canals in Siberia that lead to rivers emptying into that great inland lake. Along this route the coarse cloths of Russia find their wa}' to Kiatka, on the frontier of China, and the famous tea of the East, grown only in the northern districts and never e.xported by sea, is brought to the Caspian, and thence up the Volga to the great annual fair at Nishnai, Novogorod, and thence b\- that river and canals to St. Petersburg. This voyage is effected in two \ears, owing to the long winter blocking up the canals. The foreign commerce is carried on from St. Petersburg and Riga on the Baltic, and from Odessa and Tangarog on the Black Sea. I deem it unne- cessar)-, in this place, to speak of the extent of this foreign BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 97 commerce, bein"; content to allude only to the character of her import duties ; these are eminently protective upon all the articles entering into competition with her manu- factures, and are, in some instances, prohibitory, as in the case of the direct introduction of our tobacco, while our cotton is scarcely burdened with any duty. A recent Ukase, permitting'the introduction of crushed sugars from England, has nearly destroyed the indirect trade so profit- able to our navigating interests, in which we send the Havana sugars to Russia. It is a source of satisfaction, however, to know that the manufacturing establishments in that Empire are inducing a fourfold increase in the con- sumj)tion of our cotton. " The Agriculture of Russia has not advanced as rapidly as her other branches of national industry, notwithstanding the Emperor is aided by the enlightened labors of an agri- cultural society, of which I had the honor to be elected a member. A laudable spirit, however, is just waking up there, as elsewhere, to advance this greatest of national in- terests. The implements of husbandry, in the interior, are of the rudest kind, though the cheapness of labor enables the cultivator to prepare his lands in a mode much neater than we should expect from the character of the implements. In this respect, a happy change is taking place in the desire to procure from America the improvements that distinguish our genius and energy, of which we have a gratifying evi- dence in the selection of a celebrated American engineer, Major Whistler, to superintend the railroad to Moscow, four hundred and forty miles, and the employment of Messrs. Harrison and Eastwick and W'inans to construct the locomotives and cars — a proud monument to American genius, skill, and integrity. Indeed, all the valuable inven- tions of our country are sought for, except our greatest invention, that of a Representative Democracy. The Agri- cultural Society of Russia is beginning to exercise the wholesome influence of giving dignity to the profession. The F^mperor often suggests plans for its consideration, 13 98 EIOGRAPIIV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. and adds valuable premiums for judicious improvements. Two of these plans were intimately connected with the national welfare : one, to procure an account of the most improved mode of kiln-drying grain, for exportation to the warm climates ; and the other, the most effectual scheme for preventing a scarcity of food in one province, while there should be a great supply in other provinces. This great desideratum is to be obtained solely by the construc- tion of eood roads, and other facilities of intercommunica- tion, and is doubtless occupying at this time the sagacity and energy of her indefatigable sovereign. In travelling to the interior, I was struck with the practice, so little known among us, of women reaping in the harvest-fields, a practice so general on the continent, and which is even tolerated in intellectual Scotland. In Russia, as indeed throughout the continent of Europe, the fields are culti- vated without division-fences, — the cattle and the sheep are attended by shepherds with their dogs, while the pigs are kept up in small lots near the dwelling. How different from the vast extent and care bestowed in our country upon fences to head that little animal ! " The Manufactures of Russia are beginning to elevate her in the estimation of other powers; vast efforts are in progress to extend the manufacture of refined sugar, of glass, and of cotton, the latter of which is leading to a rapid increase in the introduction of our great staple. A few years ago we had only ten, now we have sixt\- large ships engaged in that trade. There are nian\- large manufac- turing establishments for sheet-iron, and cotton and woollen cloths, around Moscow; an interesting establishment, at Tula, for the manufacture of fire-arms and cutler>- ; and, in the district of Crimea, a large capital is empkned in the manufacture of sugar from beets. At Moscow there is an annual fair for the exhibition of native manufactured arti- cles ; and a fair for the exchange of Asiatic, European, and American products at Nijnel Novogorod. on the Volga, four hundred miles beyond Moscow. Two hundred thousand BIOGRAPIIV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 90 merchants, of different nations, are collected at the fair, and I could, in a two hours' walk along the respective streets, hear twenty different languages spoken. It was here that I found the cotton of the Mississippi, and the rice of South Carolina, by the side of the cotton and rice of Bokhara in the East Indies, each brought six thousand miles to be ex- changed in the centre of Russia ; and it was here, too, that I encountered the rare incident of being supplied at a Per- sian hotel with barbecued mutton, and with what we call a Barrett melon, grown from the seed of a melon cultivated at Astrachan, at the mouth of the Volga, on the Caspian Sea. "The Revenue of Russia amounts to about one hundred million silver rubles, and is derived chiefly from the fol- lowing sources, to wit: Silver Hubles. Capitation tax on serfs ...... 20,000,000 Tax on peasants (in lieu of personal service) . . 16,000,000 Customs for St. Petersburg (other parts not inc Salt tax ..... Brandy tax .... Stamps ..... Mints ..... Per cent, tax on merchants' capital Tax on private mining in Siberia 218 poods of gold from Government mines in Siberia, at 12,000 silver rubles each pood Total uded) 15,868,904 14,500,000 36,500,000 2,000,000 2,105,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,616,000 93,089,904 "The Debt, though large, is relatively small compared with her resources and with the debt and resources of other Continental powers ; it is about three hundred million silver rubles, or two hundred and twenty -five million dollars, to which may be added the expenses of the railroad to Moscow at fift}' million rubles. The debt is a perpetual loan, subject to redemption at any time by the Government; and her credit is higher than that of any government in Europe. The exports of the Empire consist lOO BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. chiefly of wheat and rye, hemp and its fabrics, such as sail- duck, cordage, See, tallow, deal,&;c. ; and the large item of tallow indicates that it is a fine grass country, — blue grass, timothy, clover, and orchard grass being cultivated exten- sively and with great success. Oats, barley, and manna are cultivated chiefly for home consumption. The Irish potato is grown in abundance, and of a quality equal to that culti- vated on the Island of Michilimackinac. On visiting Mars Hill, near Moscow, — from whence Napoleon and his army first saw the object of their toils and ambition, and from whence I could have an entire view of that ancient city, with her gorgeous churches and mosques, with her venera- ble Kremlin, with her undulating, winding streets, and her magnificent edifices, partly Asiatic and partly European, — I could but designate the valley for miles along the adjacent river as a great cabbage patch ; cabbage soup, rye bread, and salt, being the general and national diet of the peas- antry. " The Navy of Russia, so far as ships are concerned, ranks as the third, if not the second, among the powers of Europe. It consists of nearly three hundred ships, many of them eighty, and a few of one hundred and twenty, guns. These are employed chiefly in the Baltic and Black seas; the want, however, of a great comn>ercial marine must limit the efficiency of these heavy floating batteries. The Em- peror manifests a laudable ambition in his efforts to increase this arm of his power. He is multiplying the number of his war-.steamers, and thinks the day is not far distant when these will supersede, in some degree, the use of the line-of- battle ships. The ' Kamschatska,' built by his authority at New York, is decidedly the finest war-steamer in Europe, bein'T second onlv to our own ' Missouri ' burned at Gibraltar. The voyages of Kruzenstern, written in masterly style, do honor to the enterprise of Russia ; and this venerable ad- miral permitted me to witness the exercises of the naval cadets under his care, where my national pride was gratified bv seeing a model of our late frigate 'President' used in '!d BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. lOI their naval lectures. The naval character of Russia was well sustained by Peter, as her admiral in the Black Sea, and subsequently by Potemkin in the reign of Catherine, and more recently by Admiral Heyden, who commanded her fleet in the battle of Navarino. "The Army of Russia exceeds in numbers that of any power in Europe. The regular force, which, in 1841, was nearly one million, has been reduced to seven hundred thousand ; of these, one hundred to one hundred and fifty thousand are employed on the frontier of the Caucasus; fifty thousand constitute the Imperial Guard at St. Peters- burg, and the rest arc stationed among the interior govern- ments of this vast Empire. The Emperor readily avails himself of the improvements introduced into other coun- tries in the equipments of this his great hobby, and it ap- pears to be an object of great solicitude to keep pace with the condition of the French troops. The army is recruited from time to time, according to the Emperor's opinion of the public exigencies, by a requisition upon the nobility for a certain per cent., from the peasantry, and such an amount as he may choose to raise from the Crown peasants. Mili- tary colonies are maintained in the interior, particularly in the direction of the Black Sea, where the soldiers are exercised in the winter and assist their families during the summer in the cultivation of the Crown lands. P^or mus- cular energy and intelligence, the Russian soldiers do not compare favorably with the French or American ; but in the precision of the military movements, especially on parade, they are superior to any other troops. Their firm- ness and constancy under a murderous fire have been at- tested on many of the best fought fields in Europe, whether under Suwarrow in Italy, or Benningsen and Platoff in Germany, or Kutosof and Barclay de Tolly. No adequate conception can be formed, in this country, of the brilliancy of an Imperial review of St. Petersburg, or of the interesting manoeuvres of fifty to one hundred thousand regulars at the summer encampment. The army, in two opposing divi- I02 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. sions, executes all the supposed operations of a real cam- paign. To these exercises I was always invited by the Emperor; and, during 1845, witnessed the combination of one hundred thousand men, of which twenty thousand were cavalry, each regiment with a different major and horses of different colors, though each horse, in a regiment, was precisely alike. These horses are taught to move, at the sound of music, from a walk to a trot, then to a gallop, and thence back to a walk, always marking time. I should scarcely venture to state these facts, if some visitor to St. Petersburg had not published a similar account. "I beg leave, in this place, to read an extract from my Despatch No. 61, addressed to the Department of State, in September, 1845, in which my views as to the value of flying artillery, and suggestions as to our naval force, were placed in the possession of our Government before the commencement of the present war with Mexico: ' I add a copy of sundry notes from Aid-de-camp-General Count Or- luff, invitinijj me to the military review during the months of June,July, and August, in which one hundred thou.sand troops were entracfed. Prince Charles of Russia and the brother of the King of Holland, who married a sister of the Empress, attended these reviews. It was a gratifying spectacle to witness, as I did, from an eminence, a line of troops extend- ing two miles on my right and an equal distance on my left, in a plain so level that I could see the smoke of the artillery upon each of the distant flanks, and the exercises were closed by a magnificent display in three columns, one of seventy-five thousand infantr\', a battalion deep, and extending more than a mile ; another of two hundred pieces of artillery ; and the other, of twenty thousand cavalry of twenty-five regiments, each with a different uniform and horses of different colors, though the horses of the same regiment were precisely alike. I was impressed by the richness of the uniforms of the cavalry regiments, as well as In- the action and discipline of the horses; by the remark- able precision with which the infantry moved; and, most BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. IO3 of all, by the celerity with which the flying artillery was managed. It was this new arm, followed by the combina- tions and rapid concentrations of an adept, which gave to Napoleon his superiority over the tactics of the great Frederick ; and although, in a defensive war, it may not be so valuable to us, the plains of Texas, Oregon, California, or Mexico, may present a theatre for its successful applica- tion in our service. The corps of Cossacks, both of the Don and of the Black Sea, so formidable to the retreating Frencli in the invasion of 1812, as well as a small battalion of Circassians, excited a peculiar interest from their skilful use of the lance b}- the one, and the adroit horsemanship and practised gunnery of the other at half speed, so like the mounted riflemen of our great Western Valley. It struck me as a very judicious plan, to attach a squadron of lancers to each park of flying artillery, and the whole scene afforded evidence of the vast superiority which discipline gives over mere valor, in all cases where the local position and natural defences do not impart to raw troops the con- fidence which discipline alone inspires. " ' I have pleasure in noticing frequent allusion in the St. Petersburg Journal, published under the eye of this Govern- ment, to our country as a great maritime power. It is this impression which is best calculated to insure a respect for our rights ; and perhaps no disposition of the steamer Mississippi, and of the Pennsylvania, would be more judicious than to show them to the Emperor, whose estimate of our capacity, of our power, is chiefly regulated by his conviction of our ability to contend for the freedom of the seas, of which Great Britain arrogantly assumes to be the mistress. I trust you will pardon me for this suggestion upon subjects strictly- military and naval ; but when we look at the unauthorized efforts of leading European papers to control the action of independent American States, we cannot avoid examining the means by which all European interference with the affairs of the New World shall be rebuked.' " The Climate of Russia was to me a subject of much I04 BIOGKAPIIV OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. misconception, before my arrival in that countr\' ; I found the winters to a'(ars old, thanking me for some military sketches I r.ent him at Providence, 1\. 1. I will IjrinL;' it with me when I come to Louisxille." BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 1 39 In Speaking of actors and acting, Colonel Todd said : "I do not go to the theatre; but I take a great interest in the drama, and often find myself reading even the gossip about the players, that have been well called the ' abstract and brief chroniclers of the time.' " In a postscript to this letter he added : " Do not think I have written the above for an excuse to praise your article on Booth's lago, which, by the way, is the best thing I have seen from your pen ; but, to tell you candidly, I have always taken an interest in such thinofs." Of Dr. T. S. Bell he said : " I have always, though personally unknown to Dr. Bell, cherished the most exalted estimate of his character." The following letter I print entire, as it shows the pains Colonel Todd took in preparing his essay on the Battle of the Thames, to which I have before referred : " OwENSBOROUGH, 6th December, '67. "Accept my thanks for your kind letter of the 4th instant; and while I am greatly flattered by your opinion of the second number of the Battle of the Thames, I had hoped the first number was acceptable, — please to excuse my jeal- ousy. The third number is postponed until next week, by a part of the manuscript being misplaced in the office. It consists chiefly of an extract of General Harrison's official letter as to the conduct of his officers and men; a criticism by Major AVood ; Mr. Madison's report to Congress, and their vote of thanks, and medals, &c., with a neat com- mentary by Ritchie, of the Riclinwnd Enquirer. I hope it may meet your expectations, and that, as a zvliolc, the article will command the attention of the descendants of the dis- interested patriots on that great occasion. " I have taken occasion to dwell on the merits of Major Wood, who was breveted lieutenant -colonel for gallantry 140 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. in the Battle of Lundy's Lane, 25th July, 18 14; and General Brown did himself great honor in reporting to the Gov- ernment that he owed the safety of his army to Colonels IVIcKee and Wood more than to any other officers in his army. My notice of his heroic career is but a feeble ex- pression of my gratitude to him for once saving my life." In September, 1864, Colonel Todd was invited to deliver the Annual Address before the Perry Monu- ment Association, composed of the surxiving- soldiers of the war of 181 2, at Put-in-Bay Island, on the vic- tory of Lake Erie, September, 181 3. This address w^as the best public speech he ever made. The fol- lowing is the concluding paragraph. "And now, venerated friends, let us rejoice that we have been permitted once more to celebrate the most memorable event in the heroic period of the country, the second war of Independence, which aided essentially in making us a commanding power among the nations of the earth. It developed our resources in agriculture, in internal commu- nication, in minerals (especially of iron and coal so neces- sary to a manufacturing people), in a commerce whitening every sea. The generations which have grown up since that war should know that the war of the Revolution led to separation from the mother countr\', while the war of 1 8 12 was a war for our nationality. Dr. Franklin said that the war of the colonies was a revolution, but the war of real independence was yet to come. The prophecy of the great philosopher and statesman was fulfilled in our suc- cessful struggle in iS 12-15." About the time Colonel Todd elclivered this ad- dress, he wrote me : " I have received the enclosed beautiful letter from my Iriend, Mr. Yeaman. the minister to Denmark. In it you will see how Bis- BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. I4I marck speaks of his old schoolmate. Give my regards to our excellent friend. Dr. Pxdl, by whom I shall stand in every emergency. 1 have read his reply to Gail- lard. It is a masterpiece of criticism." In (October, 1869, he wrote : " I wish that you would write something about the Hon. J. Scott Harrison. He is the only surviving son of General Harrison, and he ought to have charge and possession of the grounds and remains for a monument. I am anxious to hear from Mr. Motley." The warmest feelings of personal friendship existed between Colonel Todd and the Hon. J. Scott Harrison. Colonel Todd never heard Mr. Harrison's name mentioned without saying something in his praise. The subjoined extract from a letter written to Col- onel Todd shows how Mr. Harrison reciprocated the friendly feeling : " Colonel C. S. Todd. "My Dear Sir: — Your criticisms on the Northwestern campaign of the war of 1812 are in generous accord with that zealous devotion so often manifested before in the de- fence of my father's mihtary reputation, and for which the surviving members have ever felt the deepest gratitude. It has always been a sense of great regret to me that my father did not live long enough after his official exaltation to manifest to the nation and the world — in a more emphatic way than he ever before had opportunity — his high appreciation of the gallantry and services of those noble officers and men who served with him in his arduous campaign ; and whose valuable services have never yet been fully appreciated, either by Congress or the American people. I need not say, my dear sir, that (in my father's estimation) yoii stood pre-eminently distinguished among these devoted heroes. J. Scott Harrison." 14-2 15I0GRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. When Colonel Todd's name was brouQrht before the President as a suitable person to represent the country abroad, Mr. Harrison wrote: " I cannot close this communication without expressing to you the deep anxiety our family feel for the successful termination of Colonel Todd's application. My mother, particularly, would feel great pleasure in seeing this true and devoted friend of her lamented husband placed in a situation that would relieve him from embarrassment, and feel that he had not been neglected by that countr\' he served so early and so faithfully. You may be assured that Colonel Todd has a strong hold on the affections of the people of the West ; they know him as the youthful but gallant soldier of the last war, as well as the confidential friend and supporter of their General in the conflict which has just ended ; which contest, though less bloody, was equally as vindictive and proscriptive toward their favorite chief I hope you will pardon this liberty. I was embold- ened by your friendly request to communicate my wishes freely. " With my best wishes for your successful administration of the .Government, I remain, with sentiments of high re- spect and friendly consideration, J. Scott Harrison'." BIOGRAniY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 1 43 CHAPTER XIII. Letter from the Hon. William C. Rives to Colonel Todd — Colonel Todd prepares Several Articles for Dr. Sprague's "National Portrait Gallery" — Dr. Sprague's Acknowledgments — Governor Shelby's Pride in Colonel Todd— Colonel Todd's Last Illness— His Death. THE HON. WILLIAM C. RIVES, of Virginia, often consulted Colonel Todd upon state af- fairs. I introduce here a letter from Mr. Rives, which not only expresses the confidence he felt in Colonel Todd's friendship, but in his judgment and ability. "Castle Hill, i 8th January, 1848. " My Dear Sir : — It gives me great pleasure, I assure you, to hear from you, as renewing the impressions of an early friendship, which I have been most happy to cherish through all the vicissitudes of my life. " I rejoice with you in the great event which has de- livered us from the reign of folly and madness in our public councils, and opens to the country a new future bright with hope and the promise of a noble destiny. I have not the satisfaction, as you doubtless have, of a personal acquaint- ance with the illustrious character whom the nation has called to its head ; but I have formed the highest opinion of his wisdom, moderation, and patriotism ; and I look with entire confidence to his administration to restore the earlier and better days of the Republic. " I am very sensible, my dear sir, of your partiality and kindness in wishing to see me again called into the public service. I have long considered this a matter of so much uncertainty that I have formed no particular wishes on the subject, but readily conform to whatever the course of events brings along with it, as marking both the path of duty and inclination for me. 144 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. " Wishing you every prosperity both in private and public life, and assuring- you of the pleasure it will give me at all times to hear from you, " I remain, very truly and faithfully, your friend, " Chas. S. Todd, Esq. \V. C. Rives." In October, of the same year of the date of the above letter, Colonel Todd prepared several articles for Dr. \V. B. Sprague's great work, entitled "The National Portrait Gallery." One of these articles consists of a carefully written biographical essay on Governor Isaac Shelby. The annexed letter from Dr. Sprague expresses his thanks to Colonel Todd for the same, and for the interest he had taken in the work : " Albany, Octoher 19th, 1849. "My Dear Colonel: — Your most welcome and grati- fying communications have come safely to hand, and I cannot tell you how much I feel obliged for them. I'e- sides containing beautiful and, I doubt not, faithful sketches of your two distinguished friends, they secure to my work the influence of your own name, and to me the gratifica- tion of being associated with \-ou in what to me is a vcr\- favorite enterprise. You will be glad to hear that your friend, ex-President Tyler, has also given mc his recollec- tions of Bishop Madison, in a \cr\- neat and highly graphic communication. Man\- thanks for the Bishop's letter. Jt was a precious morsel to my ' omnivorous ' appetite. " My faiiiil}- join nic in kindest regards to \-ou, and I am. my dear sir, with the highest regard, faithfully and gratefully yours, W. B. Spkague." Governor Shclb)- was very proud of his son-in- law, Colonel Todd, and did not fail to consult him about national affairs and the relatie)ns of private life. 1 have, since writing the above, found an inipublished BIOGRAniY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. 1 45 letter from Governor Shelby to Colonel Todd, dated December 19, 1818. It is expressive of the wise judsj;-ment and sagacity of that distinguished military chieftain. This letter was written at Traveller's Rest, the beautiful home of Governor Shelby. " The Secretary of War is much pleased with the Chicka- saw treaty ; it is most probable you will soon hear of its ratification by the Senate. The Legislature should be prepared to act upon it very promptly ; this is certainly a favorable moment to settle the question of boundary between the two States whose interests seem to invite a renewal of the discussions on the subject; it is one that has been long at issue, and for fifty years back engrossed the minds of the wisest men on the Western waters. If it is renewed, in terms of delicacy and conciliation, I have no doubt it may be settled, although it is a question on which the people of Tennessee are very tenacious, and would be easily roused to desperation. If this occasion is passed over, it may not be settled in another half-century of years. I hope the Assembly will take care to guard the lands west of the Tennessee river from all unjust claims ; it is the last stake we have to accomplish any great public purpose. Those lands, if rightly appropriated, would clear the falls of the Ohio ; or cut a canal around them, and make a turn- pike way from the gap of Cumberland mountain to Louis- ville. If this Assembly suffers that fund to slip through their hands, they should be execrated forever and forever." A short memoir of Governor Shelby will be found in the Appendix to this volume. In the last letter Colonel Todd wrote me, he said : " I regret that you have incurred the ill-will of W and R . The truth is, they look upon you as a rising man, and want to put you down. You must not be intimidated. Their unkind feelings proceed from something out of joint in themselves. '9 146 BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL CHARLES S. TODD. You could not have given them any just cause for such treatment. Jealousy is at the bottom of it. If 1 am spared long- enough, I shall help you make them retTret their course." I wrote to my dear old friend several times after the receipt of the above, but no answer came to me. I bet^an to fear that he was ill. I thought of his advanced age, and felt that I should never see him again in this world. I kne.-w that he expected soon to come to Louisville, and was cheered with the hope that he did not write because he expected so soon to be with me. He left New Orleans for a visit to his grand - daughter's at Baton Rouge. The weather was so pleasant that he would not listen to the advice of one of his children to i)ut on his great-coat, and the result was that he took a severe cold, which was followed by a severe attack of pneumonia, from which he never recovered. A few days before his death he called his daughter, Mrs. Letitia Carter, wife of Dr. John Carter, of Xew Orleans, La., to his bed-side, and asked her to find the psalm which says, " Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." She uirned to the chapter containing it, and asked him if she should read it. when he said that he wished it for a reference only. On the Tuesday before he died, he said to his physician : "I trust. Doctor, that I shall go quietly;" and then, addressing Mrs. Carter, said, " Let me, my i)recious child, feel the pressure of your hand when ni\- spirit is about to take its tliL-ht." It was then ten o'clock in the evening. He continued to grow worse, and. while struoivlino- to utter some loving word to those around him, his noble spirit took its llight to its home beyond the skies. APPENDIX. Correspondence of Colonel Todd with the Colombian General Santander — Memoir of Governor Shelby. Bogota, June ist, 1823. THE Undersigned, Colonel C. S. Todd, presents his most respectful compliments to his Excellency, Gen- eral Santander, and begs leave, informally and unofficially, as a citizen of the first Republic of the North, animated by the most anxious solicitude, to omit no occasion of pro- moting a frank and cordial intercourse between Colombia and the United States ; and, to avoid every measure cal- culated in the slightest degree to interrupt the most perfect harmony between them, to submit to a distinguished citizen of the first Republic of the South the following statement and correspondence, in the firm persuasion that he ad- dresses himself to an individual whose character may be found in the great qualities of valor in the field, uniform and patriotic devotion to the best interests of his country, a display of practical wisdom in the civil administration, and who, loving " Colombia first and Colombia last," has been signalized by the maintenance of feelings of justice and impartiality towards all nations. The enclosed document. No. i, consists of a translation of the Commission granted to the Undersigned by the Government of the United States, on the 20th April, 1820, of the correspondence, which, by virtue of that instrument and his instructions, he had the honor of instituting with the authorities of Colombia, from the 2d August, 1820, to the 15th February, 1821, and of sundry extracts. These papers are communicated now in consequence of the Undersigned having lately received information from a 147 148 APPENDIX. most respectable source that they were not made known to the Congress at Cucata, and therefore they may possibly be still unknown to his Excellency General Santander. The Undersigned has been further informed, on the same authority, of the great probability that the discrimination in the law of the 25th September, 1821, unfavorable to the commerce of the United States, would not have been adopted, if the views, acts, and feelings of the Government of the United States conveyed in these documents had been communicated to that Congress. The Undersigned positively states, that his letter of the 2d August, 1820, was received by the Government of Angostura in the following September; and that his letter of the 25th February, 1821, with its enclosures, was delivered prior to the 3d of May, and thereafter to General Narino, then at Cucata, and Presi- dent of Colombia. He is greatly concerned to be obliged, from a sense of duty to the United States, to state his belief that the existence of the mission with which he was intrusted by his Government, and of this letter of the 15th Februar}', 1 82 1, was known to the present Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who was a member of that Congress, and one of the projectors and supporters of the particular article in the law of the 25th September, not less prejudicial to the real interests of Colombia than those of the United States. If, as is positively asserted to have been the case, papers transmitting intelligence of events and circumstances so interesting to the Congress and people of Colombia, were withheld by the Executive and the particular department charged with foreign affairs, at a period when the false representations were industriously circulated to the injury of the United States concerning their acts and feelings, and whilst a law was enacted imposing a discrimination unfavorable to their commerce, His Excellency General Santander cannot be surprised that the Undersigned should suspect him to be still unadvised of the proceedings as well as of the precise import of other transactions to which the Undersigned will have occasion presently to refer. APPENDIX. 149 It is respectfully submitted to the enlightened judgment and honorable views of his Excellency General Santander, to say what would be the impression produced on his mind, if, under such circumstances, the Congress of any foreign nation were to proceed from unfriendly opinions to hostile legislative acts towards Colombia — at a precise period when the Executive, or one of its subordinate officers, withheld from their knowledge official documents that would have removed these unfavorable feelings and consequently the law founded on them. In this case, an impression generally prevailed among the members of the Congress atCucata, that, in the late treaty acquiring posses- sion of the Floridas, the United States agreed not to recognize the independence of any of the new governments in South America; whilst an examination of the letter of the Under- sio-ned with its enclosures, dated on the 2d August, 1820, would have shown what had been previously published to the world, that the Government of the United States, so far from acceding to so odious a stipulation, considered it im- possible to discuss a proposition so incompatible with their honor and independence. Deeply as the Undersigned regretted, at the time, the necessity which the alarming state of his health imposed on him of returning to the United States in February, 1821, the knowledge lately acquired of the extraordinary direc- tion given to his correspondence, and the numerous bane- ful impressions which were then falsely and maliciously suggested and permitted respecting the acts and feelings of a sister republic, induce him now to lament, that his absence afforded an opportunity for the enemies of both republics to infuse these prejudices into the minds of the members of that Congress ; and if, in the course of his present mission, he shall be enabled, by removing the effects of misrepresentation, to place the relations of the two countries where they should be, on a footing of the most intimate and unreserved cordiality, he shall regard the effort with the proudest recollection. 1 50 APPENDIX. The Undersigned regrets that any combination of cir- cumstances should impose on him the painful necessity of appearing to give explanations with regard to the acts and views of his Government, whose attitude towards this coun- try is so pure and magnanimous ; but the sincere desire he cherishes for the preservation of perpetual harmony between the two republics requires of him to contribute his efforts toward removing the seeds of future collisions between them. The conduct of the United States has been open to the World, and cannot be misunderstood but through the machinations of those whose passions and interests may lead them to misrepresent it. With regard to the strug- gle for independence in the South, their course has been that of deep sympathy in favor of their oppressed brethren ; and, although they have not participated directly in the war, their system of neutrality has entirely satisfied the wishes of the true friends of both countries. The mis- representations of this conduct, which have been circulated for several years in Colombia, chiefly from the want of correct information, will be a sufficient apology for the Undersigned in claiming the attention of his Excellency General Santander; whilst he briefly reviews the several acts and declarations of his government in relation to the interesting struggle in South America. He has the honor of referring to an extract of the Message of the President of the United States in December, 181 1, and the report of the committee of that Congress, translations of which are herewith enclosed, containing a beautiful and enlightened allusion to the interest the Government and people of the United States should feel in the welfare of their Southern brethren. During that session a very generous and timely supply of one hundred thousand dollars, in provisions, was voted to relieve the distresses of the people of Venezuela, occasioned by the earthquakes of March, 18 12, — a supply denied them by the authorities of the adjacent islands. The war, which the rights and honor of the United States compelled that Congress to declare against the same Power APPENDIX. I 5 I whose cruelties and oppressions led to the war of the Revo- lution, and made them free and independent States, neces- sarily engaged the exclusive attention of the Government and people of the United States ; and it was not, therefore, to be expected that, in the midst of its difficulties, any particular notice could be taken of the progress of the South American contest. It may be, perhaps, deemed unnecessary here to remind his Excellency General Santander of the distin- guished reputation acquired by the United States in that portentous struggle for the preservation of their liberties ; but the Undersigned cannot resist the suggestions of a just pride in stating, that every portion of the ci\ ilized world has resounded with the imposing and animating facts that a handful of Republicans, after a peace of thirty years, tri- umphed in a war of less than three years over the veteran forces of an empire which claimed dominion in every quarter of the globe ; that, though Great l^ritain had all the influence of the moral power of the States, with the ex- ception of France, composing the present " Holy Alliance," aided by that of Spain and Portugal, the United States came out of the contest with their rights asserted, their national resources developed, and their national character exalted; that the sacrifices encountered and the energies success- fully displayed promise them a long harvest of peace — the natural state and essential policy of all republics ; that, in the course of this momentous struggle, that gallant navy, which had been contemptuously styled " a few fir-built frigates with a piece of striped bunting at the masthead," by its daring chivalric deeds, with inferior force, repeatedly humbled the pride of the leviathan of the deep, who, after a thousand victories over the fleets of Europe, had arrogantly assumed to be "mistress of the seas;" that this same valorous spirit led to the capture with inferior force of whole squadrons on the inland seas which skirt our fron- tiers ; that our armies, as if inspired with the energy and sublimity of the mighty cataract in their vicinity, had routed British veteran troops in open combat at the point of the I 5 2 APPENDIX. bayonet ; and that, finally, on the plains of New Orleans, a few undisciplined freemen, with the impetuosity of the floods of their own Mississippi, proudly repelled the bar- barian invasion of the " conquerors of the conquerors of Europe." It is these moral energies of a free people in a just cause which the tyrants of Europe so much dread, and the display of which gives us, for the present, the blessings of peace. The Undersigned begs leave to refer to the enclosed translations of extracts of the messages of the President of the United States to Congress on the opening of the sessions, in December, 1817, 18 18, 18 19, and 1820, and to state that, while the Executive Department was evincing its lively interest in the course of events in South America by these public declarations, and the appointment of the Undersigned on the 20th April, 1820, to maintain informally commercial and political relations with the Government of Colombia, the popular branch of the Legislative Depart- ment solemnly avowed, in 1820 and in 1821, its wishes in behalf of their struggling brethren, and its readiness to unite witli the Executive in instituting witli the new gov- ernments in South America all the relations incident to free and independent States. It is thus seen, that, long before 1822, the applications of the Government of Colom- bia, to be practically recognized b)' the United States, had been acceded to by the adoption of the public acts and declarations just referred to ; and the records of the Supreme Court of the United States will show, also, that the flag of Buenos Avres and Cartha^ena was recrarded as lec^al, as early as 181 5, in consequence of the declarations made by the President of the United States that the Government of the United States viewed the contest not as a rebellion or insurrection, hut as a ci\il war entitling each party to equal rights in tluii- ports. .\iul here the I'^ndersigned would beg leave most respectful!)' to inquire whether, until the last year, the head or supreme authorities of any other nation have considered the Government of Colombia to be ArrENDix. 153 of such importance as to induce them, by their public acts and declarations, to proclaim to the world the existence of a stru\ He was a lieutenant in the company of his father, the late General Evan Shelby, in the memorable battle fought lOth of October, 1774, at the mouth of the Kenhawa, at the close of which his father was the commanding officer. Colonels Lewis, Fleming, and Field having been killed or disabled. The result of this battle gave peace to the frontier, at the critical period of the Colonies venturing into the eventful contest of the revolu- tion, and deterred the Indians from uniting with the British until 1776. This was, probably, the most severely contested conflict ever maintained with the Northwestern Indians ; the action continued from sunrise to sunset, and the ground, for half a mile along the bank of the Ohio, was alternately occupied by each of the parties in the course of the day. So sano-uinary was the contest, that blood was found on each »57 158 APPENDIX. side of the trees behind which the parties were posted. The Indians, under the celebrated chief Cornstalk, abandoned the ground under cover of the night. Their loss, according to the official report, exceeded that of the Americans ; the latter amounting to sixty-three killed and eighty wounded. This report was drawn up by Captain Russell, reputed to be the best scholar in camp, and the father of the late Colonel William Russell, of Kentucky. The fortune of the day, as stated in Doddridge's notes of " Border War," was decided by a bold movement to the rear of the left wing of the Indians, led by Captain Evan Shelby, in which the subject of this memoir bore a conspicuous part. The garrison at Kenhawa was commanded by Captain Russell, and Lieutenant Shelby continued in it until the troops were disbanded in July, 1775, by order of Governor Dunmore, who was apprehensive that the post might be held for the benefit of the rebel authorities. He proceeded immediately to Kentucky, and was employed as a surveyor under Henderson & Co., who styled themselves proprietors of the country, and who had established a regular land- office under their purchase from the Cherokees. He resided in the then wilderness of Kentucky for nearly twelve months, and, being witliout bread or salt, he re- turned home. In July, 1776, during his absence from home, he was appointed captain of a minute company by the committee of safety of Virginia. In the year of 1777 he was appointed by Governor Henr\' a commissary of supplies for an ex- tensive body of militia, posted at different garrisons to guard the frontier settlements, and for a treaty to be held at the Long Island of Holston river with the Cherokee tribe of Indians. These supplies could not have been obtained nearer than Staunton, Va., a distance of three hundred miles; but by the most indefatigable perseverance (one of the most conspicuous traits of his character) he accom- plished it to the satisfaction of his country. In 1778, he was engaged in the commissary department, MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHEL13Y. I 59 providing supplies for the Continental army and for an expedition, by the way of Pittsburg, against the Northwest- ern Indians. In the early part of 1779, he was appointed, by Governor Henry, to furnish supplies for the campaign against the Chicamauga Indians, which he effected upon his oxvn individual credit. In the spring of that year he was elected a member of the Virginia Legislature from Washing- ton County; and in the fall of that year was commissioned a major, by Governor Jefferson, in the escort of guards to the commissioners for extending the boundary line between this State and North Carolina. By the extension of that line his residence was found to be within the limits of the latter State, and shortly afterwards he was appointed by Governor Caswell a colonel of the new county of Sullivan, established in consequence of the additional territory ac- quired by the securing of that line. In the summer of 1780 Colonel Shelby was in Kentucky, locating and securing those lands which he had five years previously marked out and improved for himself, when the intelligence of the surrender of Charleston, and the loss of the army, reached that country. He returned home in July of that year, determined to enter the service of his country, and remain in it until her independence should be secured. He could not continue to be a cool spectator of a contest in which the dearest rights and interests of his country were involved. On his arrival in Sullivan, he found a requisition from General Charles McDowell, requesting him to furnish all the aid in his power to check the enemy, who had overrun the two Southern States, and were on the borders of North Carolina. Colonel Shelby assembled the militia of his county, called upon them to volunteer their services for a short time on that interesting occasion, and marched, in a few days, with three hundred mounted rifle- men across the Alleghany Mountains. In a short time after his arrival at McDowell's Camp, near the Cherokee Ford of Broad River, Colonel Shelby and Lieutenant-Colonels Sevin and Clarke, the latter a refugee 1 60 APPENDIX. officer from Georgia, were detached with six hundred men to surprise a post of the enemy, in front, on the waters of Pacolet river. It was a strong fort, surrounded by abattis, built in the Cherokee war, and commanded by that distin- guished loyalist. Captain Patrick Moore, who surrendered the garrison with one British sergeant-major, ninety-three loyalists, and two hundred and fifty stand of arms. Major Ferguson, of the British army, though a brigadier-general in the royal militia, and the most distinguished partisan officer in the British army, made many ineffectual efforts to surprise Colonel Shelby. His advance, about six or seven hundred strong, came up with the American commander at Cedar Spring, and, before Ferguson approached with his whole force, the Americans took two officers and fifty men prisoners, and safely effected their retreat. It was in the severest part of this action that Colonel Shelby's attention was arrested by the heroic conduct of Colonel Clarke. He often mentioned the circumstance of his ccasinsj in tiie midst of the battle to look with astonishment and admira- tion at Clarke's fighting. The next important event was the battle fought at Musgrove's Mill, on the south side of the Enoree river, dis- tant forty miles, with seven hundred men, led by Colonels Shelby, Clarke, and Williams, of South Carolina. This affair took place on the 19th of August, and is more particularly described in the sketch of Colonel Shelby, inserted in the first volume of the " National Portrait Gallery," published in 1834 under the direction of the American Academy of Fine Arts. It has been introduced into the historical romance called " llorse-Shoe Robinson," and noticed, also, in McCall's " History of Georgia," where the British loss is stated to be si.xty-three killed and one hundred and sixty wounded and taken; the American loss four killed and nine wounded, — among the former Captain Inman, and among the latter Colonel Clarke and Captain Clarke. Colonel Innes, the British commander of the " Queen's American Regiment," from New York, was wounded ; and all the MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHELBY. l6l British officers, except a subaltern, were killed or wounded; and Captain Hawsey, a noted leader among the Tories, was killed. The Americans intended to be, that evening, before Ninety-six ; but at that moment an express from General McDowell came up, in great haste, with a short note from Governor Caswell, dated on the battle-ground, apprising McDowell of the defeat of the American grand army, under General Gates, on the i6th, near Camden. Fortunately, Colonel Shelby knew Caswell's handwriting, and by dis- tributing the prisoners among the companies so as to make one to every three men, who carried them alternately on horseback, the detachment moved directly toward the mountains. The Americans were saved by a long and rapid march that day and night, and until the evening of the next day. without halting to refresh. Colonel Shelby, after seeing the party and prisoners out of danger, retreated to the Western waters, and left the prisoners in the charge of Clarke and Williams, to convey them to a place of safety in Virginia; for at that moment there was no corps of Americans south of that State. The brilliancy of this affair was obscured, as indeed were all the minor events of the previous war, by the deep gloom which overspread the public mind after the disastrous defeat of General Gates. Ferguson was so solicitous to recapture the prisoners, and to check these daring adventures of the mountaineers, that he made a strenuous effort, with his main body, to intercept them ; but failing of his object, he took post at a place called Gilberttown, from whence he sent the most threatening messages by paroled prisoners to the officers west of the mountains, proclaiming devastation to their country if they did not cease their opposition to the British Government. This was the most disastrous and critical period of the revolutionary war to the South. No one could see whence a force could be raised to check the enemy in their progress to subjugate this portion of the continent. 21 1 62 APPENDIX. Cornwallis, with the main army, was posted at Charlotte- town in North Carohna, and Ferguson, with three thou- sand, at Gilberttown ; while many of the best friends of the American Government, despairing of the freedom and independence of America, took protection under the British standard. At this gloomy moment, Colonel Shelby pro- posed to Colonels Sevin and Campbell to raise a force from their several counties, march hastily through the mountains, and attack and surprise Ferguson in the night. Accordingly, they collected with their followers, about one thousand strong, on Doe Run, in the spurs of the Alleghany, on the 25th of September, 1780, and the next day commenced their march, when it was discovered that three of Colonel Sevin's men had deserted to the enemy. This disconcerted their first design, and induced them to turn to the left, gain his front, and act as events might suggest. They travelled through mountains almost inaccessible to horsemen. As soon as they entered the level country, they met with Colonel Cleveland with three hundred men, and with Colonels Williams and Lacy, and other refugee officers, who had heard of Cleveland's ad- vance, by which three hundred more were added to the mountaineers. They now considered themselves to be sufficiently strong to encounter Ferguson ; but being rather a confused mass, without an\- head, it \\as proposed by Colonel Shell))- in a council of officers, and agreed to, that Colonel Campbell, of the Virginia Regiment, — an officer of enterprise, patriotism, and good sense, — should be appointed to the command. And haxing determined to pursue F"erguson, with all practicable dispatch, two nights before the action, they selected the best horses and rifles, and at the dawn of da\- commenced their march with nine hundred and ten expert marksmen. As F'erguson was their object, they would not be diverted from the main point by any collection of Tories in the \icinity of their route. They had pursued him for the last thirty-six hours without alighting from their horses to refresh but once — at the Cowpens — for MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHELBY. 1 63 an hour, although the day of the action was so extremely wet that the men could only keep their guns dr\' by wrap- ping their bags, blankets, and hunting -shirts around the locks, which exposed their bodies to a heavy and incessant rain during the pursuit. By the order of march and of battle, Colonel Campbell's regiment formed the right, and Colonel Shelby's regiment the left column, in the centre ; the right wing was composed of Colonel Levier's regiment, and Major Winston's and '^ McDowell's battalions commanded by Levier himself; the left wing was composed of Colonel Cleveland's regiment, the followers of Colonels Williams, Lacy, Hawthorne, and Hill, headed by Colonel Cleveland in person. In this order the mountaineers pursued until they found Ferguson securely encamped on King's Mountain, which was about half a mile long, and from which he declared the evening before, that "God Almighty" could not drive him. On ap- proaching the mountain, the two centre columns deployed to the right and left, formed a front, and attacked the enemy, while the right and left wings were marching to surround him. In a few minutes the action became general and severe, — continuing furiously for three-fourths of an hour, — when the enemy, being driven from the east to the west end of the mountain, surrendered at discretion. Ferguson was killed, with three hundred and seventy-five of his officers and men, and seven hundred and thirty cap- tured. The Americans had sixty killed and wounded; of the former, Colonel Williams. This glorious achievement occurred at the most gloomy period of the Revolution, and was the first link in the great chain of events to the South which established the independence of the United States. History has heretofore, though improperly, ascribed this merit to the battle of the Cowpens, in January, 1781 ; but it belongs, justly, to the victory on King's Mountain, which turned the tide of war to the South, as the victor}' of Trenton under Washington, and of Bennington under Stark, did to the North. It was achieved by raw, undisciplined 1 64 APPENDIX. riflemen, without any authority from the government under which they lived; without pay, rations, ammunition, or even the expectation of reward, other than that which re- sults from the noble ambition of advancing the liberty and welfare of their beloved country. It completely dispirited the Tories, and so alarmed Cornwallis, who then lay only thirty miles north of King's Mountain with the main British army, that, on securing information of Ferguson's total defeat and overthrow by the riflemen of the West, under Colonels Campbell, Shelby, Cleveland, and Levier, ^\ and that they were bearing down upon him, he ordered an immediate retreat ; marched all night in the utmost confu- sion, and retrograded as far back as Trainsborough, sixty or eighty miles, whence he did not attempt to advance until reinforced three months after by General Leslie, with two thousand men from the Chesapeake. In the mean time the militia of North Carolina assembled in considerable force at New Providence, on the border of South Carolina, under General Davidson ; and General Small wood, with Morgan's light corps and the Maryland line, advanced to the same point. General Gates, with the shattered remains of his army collected at Hillsborough, also came up, as well as the new levies from Virginia, of one thousand men, under General Stevens. This force enabled General Green, who assumed the command early in December, to hold Cornwallis in check. The Legislature of North Carolina passed a vote of thanks to Colonel Shelby and several other officers, and directed each to be presented with an elegant sword for their patriotic conduct in the attacks and defeat of the * enemy on King's Mountain, on the memorable 7th of October, 1780. This resolution was carried into effect as to Colonel Shelby, in the summer of 1813, just at the mo- ment when, in the language of Secretary Monroe, "disclaim- ing all metaphwsical distinctions tending to enfeeble the Government," he was about to lead his troops far beyond the limits of the State of which he was Governor. The MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHELBY. 1 65 presentation, at that particular time, afforded a presage of tlie new glory he was to acquire for himself and country in that eventful campaign. If any were entitled to special commendation in this band of heroic spirits on King's Mountain, the claim of Colonel Shelby would be well founded. He originated the expedition, and his valor and unshaken resolution contributed to rally the right of the front line, when driven down the mountain bv a tre- mendous charge from the enemy at the outset of the battle. Nor have the histories of the war in the South done justice to the sagacity and judgment of Colonel Shelby upon another interesting occasion just following the affair on King's Mountain. As soon as he had placed the prisoners beyond the reach of the enemy, he repaired to the head- quarters of General Gates, and suggested to him the plan of detaching General Morgan towards the mountains. The details of this arrangement were submitted by him, and approved by Gates, and Greene had the good sense to adopt them, after he assembled the command. The result of his advice was exhibited in the splendid affair at the Cowpens, which added fresh laurels to the veteran brows of Morgan, Hozcard, and Washington. In the campaign of the fall of 1781, Colonel Shelby served under General Marion, a distinguished partisan officer of the boldest enterprise. He was called down by General Greene to that lower country, with five hundred mounted riflemen from the Western waters, in September, 1781, to aid the General in intercepting Cornwallis, at that time blockaded by the French fleet in the Chesapeake, and who, it was suspected, would endeavor to make good his retreat through North Carolina to Charleston ; but, upon his lordship's surrender in Virginia, Colonel Shelby was attached to General Marion's command below, on the Santee, and was second in command of a strong detach- ment of dragoons under Colonel Mayhew, ordered to carry a British post at Fairlawn, near Monk's Corner, eight or ten miles below the enemy's main army under General 1 66 APPENDIX. Stuart. Information had been received by General Marion that five hundred Hessians, at that post, were in a state of mutiny, and would surrender to any considerable force that might appear before it. l^ut the officer commanding the post, having some apprehensions of their fidelity, had marched them off to Charleston the day before Colonel Mayhew appeared before it. The post, however, was sur- rendered with one hundred and fifty British prisoners. The British General at Ferguson's Swamp, nine miles in the rear, made great, though unavailing efforts to intercept Mayhew's party on their return with their prisoners to General Marion's encampment. Immediately after this excursion, the British commander retreated with his whole force to Charleston. As the period for which the mounted volunteers had engaged to serve was about to expire, and no further active operations being contemplated after the retreat of the enemy towards Charleston, Colonel Shelby obtained leave of absence from General Marion to attend the Assembly of North Carolina (of which he was a member), which w^ould sit two hundred miles distant, about the first of December. Marion addressed a letter on the subject to General Greene, which Colonel Shelby was permitted to .see, speaking in high terms of the conduct of the moun- taineers, and assigning particular credit to Colonel Shelby for his conduct in the capture of the British post, as it sur- rendered to him after an ineffectual attempt by an officer of the dragoons. In 1782 Colonel Shelby was elected a member of the North Carolina Assembly, and was appointed one of the commissioners to settle tiie preemption claims upon the Cumberland river, and to lay off the lands allotted to the officers and soldiers of the North Carolina line, south of where Nashville now stands. He performed this service in the winter of 1782-83, and returned to Boonsborough, Ky., in April following, where he married Susanna, second daughter of Captain Nathaniel Hart, one of the first MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHELBY. I 67 settlers of Kentucky, and one of the proprietors styled Henderson & Co., by their purchase of the county from the Cherokees. He established himself on the first settlement and pre- emption granted in Kentucky, for the purpose of pursuing his favorite occupation, the cultivation of the soil ; and it is a remarkable fact, pregnant with many curious reflections, that, at the period of his death, forty-three years after, he was the only individual in the State residing upon his own settlement and preemption. He was a member of the early conventions held at Danville for the purpose of obtaining a separation from the State of Virginia; and was a member of that convention which formed the first constitution of Kentucky in April, 1792. In May following he was elected the first chief magistrate, and discharged its arduous duties with signal advantage to the State. The history of his administration of an infant republic in the remote wilderness would fill a volume with deeply inter- esting incidents, exhibiting him advantageously in the character of a soldier, of a lawgiver, and a diplomatist ; but the limits prescribed to this sketch will not permit a detail of them. After completing the organization of the government under the constitution by filling the various offices created by it, the earnest attention of the Governor was directed to the defence of the State against the Indian incursions and the border war to which the people were exposed by their remote and unprotected position in the wilderness. Gen- eral Washington's paternal regard to the same high object was manifested in the cautious and extensive arrangements which were made under the direction of General \Va\'ne for a strong expedition against the Northwestern Indians who were stimulated and aided by the British and pro- vincial forces occupying posts within our boundary. The confidence of Washington, as well as of the people of Kentucky, was reposed in the energy and patriotism of Governor Shelby. This was evinced in his almost unan- 1 68 APPENDIX. imous election to the chief magistracy, as well as in the answer of the first legislature to his message, and in a letter from General Knox, Secretary of War, of July 12, 1792. In the subsequent letter from the War Department, the defensive operations for the protection of Kentucky were committed exclusively to his judgment and discretion ; and, whenever there was a prospect of acting offensively against the Indians of the Northwest, the President made an ap- peal to his patriotism and that of the State in furnishing mounted volunteers in aid of the regular force. His energy and the gallantry of Kentucky was signally displayed in the valuable succor rendered to General Wayne on the memorable 20th of August, 1794. His enlightened fore- cast and the valor of Kentucky' contributed on this occasion, as on the equally glorious 5th of October, 18 13. the means of victory both in men and transportation, at a critical moment leading to victories more decisive in their results than any heretofore proven in Indian warfare. While the people of Kentuck\- were interrupted in their business and prosperity b\- the attention necessary to the progress of the Indian war, thev were annoyed bv con- tinued apprehensions of losing the navigation of the Mis- sissippi on which their commercial existence depended. In the midst of these difficulties, a new and unexpected occasion presented itself for the display of Governor Shelby's diplomatic sagacity. The complaints and remonstrances of the Spanish minister induced the general government to open a correspondence with Governor Shelby, for the pur- pose of suppressing an expedition, which was represented to be in contemplation by La Chaise and other French agents against the possessions of Spain on the Mississippi. Governor Shelby had no apprehensions that they would succeed in organizing the necessarj' force, and under this impression his reply to the Department of State, October 5th, 1793, was forwarded without considering that he had not authority under existing laws to interfere in preventing MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHELBY. 1 69 it. But the cfrantincf of commissions to General Clarke and other influential individuals, and the actual attempt to carry the plans of French emissaries into effect, induced the Governor to examine the subject more thoroughly; and, conceiving that he had no legal authority to interfere, he addressed a letter, January 13th, 1794, to the Secretary of State, expressing these doubts, and assuming an attitude which, though professing the most devoted regard to the Union, had the effect of drawing from the general Govern- ment a full development of the measures which had been pursued for securing the navigation of the Mississippi. These explanations by the Department of State and by the special commissioner, the eloquent Colonel James Innes, Attorney-General of Virginia, who was deputed by General Washington to proceed to Kentucky, to communicate with the Governor and Legislature, removed all ground for uneasiness, and created a tranquillity in the public mind which had not existed since the first settlement of the State, The whole subject was communicated by Governor Shelby to the Legislature on the 15th of November, 1794; and the part he took in it was approved by that body. The act of Congress, on the subject, passed after the re- ceipt of Governor Shelby's letter, shows conclusively that the legislature of the United States did not conceive that previously he had authority to interfere in the mode re- commended by the Department of State. This measure on the part of Governor Shelby, though it might seem to conflict with the opinions and policy of General Washing- ton, did not produce in the mind of the father of his coun- try any diminution of the respect and confidence he had theretofore reposed in him ; for, in May following, General Knox, Secretary of War, in a letter detailing the plans of the general government in relation to Wayne's proposed campaign, takes occasion to say that "the President, con- fiding in the patriotism and good disposition of your Ex- cellency, requests that you will afford all the facilities, countenance, and aid in your power, to the proposed expe- 22 I 70 APPENDIX. dition; and from which, if successful, the State of Ken- tucky will reap the most abundant advantages." In the next paragraph he is appointed president of the Board for selecting the field and company officers, and concludes with the assurance that General Wayne has been written to not to interfere in the defensive protection of Kentucky, which is hereby, in the name of the President of the United States, confided to your Excellency under the following general paragraph, (Sec, &c. At the close of his gubernatorial term, he returned to his farm, in Lincoln, with renewed relish for the cares and enjoyments which its management necessarily created. He was as distinguished for the method, and judgment, and industr}', which he displayed in agricultural pursuits, as he had exemplified in the more conspicuous duties of the general and statesman. He was the model of an elevated citizen, whether at the plough, in the field, or in the cabinet. He was repeatedly chosen an elector of President, and voted for Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison. He could not yield to the repeated solicitations of influential individuals in different parts of the State, requesting him to consent to be a candidate for the chief magistracy, until the exigencies of our national affairs had brought about a crisis which de- manded the services of every patriot. In this contingency he was elected, upon terms very gratifying to his feelings, a second time to the chief magistracy at the commencement of the war, in 1812, with Great Britain. Of his career at that eventful period it would be impracticable, in the limits v{ this sketch, to present even an outline. His energy, associated with a recollection of his revolu- tionary fame, aroused the patriotism of the State. In every direction he developed her resources, and aided in sending men and supplies to the support of the Northwestern army under General Harrison. The Legislature of Kentucky, in the winter of 1812-1813. contemplating the necessity of some vigorous effort in the course of that >'ear, to regain the ground lost by the disasters at Detroit and at the River MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHELBY. I7I Raisin, passed a resolution authorizing and requesting the Governor to assume the personal direction of the troops of the State, whenever in his judgment such a step would be necessary. Under this authority, and at the solicitation of General Harrison, he invited his countrymen to meet him at New Port, and accompany him to the scene of active, and, as he predicted, of decisive operations. Upon his own responsibility he authorized the troops to meet him with their horses. Four thousand men rallied to his standard in less than thirty days ; and this volunteer force reached the shore of Lake Erie, just in time to enable the commander-in-chief to profit by the splendid victory achieved by the genius and heroism of Perry and his associates. It was a most interesting incident, which augured favor- ably for the issue of the campaign, that Governor Shelby should arrive at the camp of General Harrison, precisely at the moment when Commodore Perry was disembarking his prisoners. The feelings of congratulation which were exchanged by the three heroes, at the tent of the General on the shore of Lake Erie, may be more readily conceived than described. The writer of this article had been previ- ously dispatched by General Harrison to Commodore Perry, to ascertain the result of the naval battle, and, re- turning with Perry, was present at this interview. In the organization which Governor Shelby made of his forces, he availed himself of the character and respectability of the materials at his command. Generals Henry and Desha were assigned to the com- mand of the two divisions, and General Calmes, Caldwell, King, Chiles, and Calloway to the brigades. His confiden- tial staff was composed, among other respectable citizens, of the names of Adair, Crittenden, and Barry, so well known in the history of the State and of the nation. As Governor of Kentucky, his authority ceased as soon as he passed the limits of the State; but the confidence of General Harrison and of all the troops in his judgment and patriotism was 1-2 APPENDIX. so exalted, that he was regarded as the mentor of the campaign, and recognized as the senior major-general of the Kentucky troops. In the general order of march and of battle, the post assigned to him was the most important, and the subsequent battle evinced that the arrangement was as creditable to the sagacity of General Harrison as it was complimentary to the valor of Governor Shelby. In all the movements of the campaign, whether in council or execution, monuments of his valor and of his energetic character were erected by the gratitude of the commander- in-chief, of all his troops, and of the President of the nation, who spoke officially of his services with the veneration which belongs only to public benefactors. The Legislature of Kentucky and the Congress of the United States ex- pressed their sense of his gallant conduct in resolutions which will transmit his name to posterity as a patriot with- out reproach, and a soldier without ambition. The vote of Congress, assigning to him and to General Harrison each a gold medal commemorative of the decisive victory on the Thames, was delayed one session in con- sequence of some prejudice prevailing in the public mind in relation to General Harrison. As soon as Governor Shelby was advised of this fact, he solicited his friends in Congress, through Mr. Clay, to permit no expression of thanks to him, unless associated luith the name of General Harrison. This magnanimous conduct and the unqualified commendation which he gave of the career of General Harrison on that campaign, connected with a favorable report of a committee at the next session of Congress, instituted at the request of the General, of which Colonel R. M. Johnson was chairman, led to the immediate adop- tion of the original resolution. Governor Shelby was unremitting in the aid which he extended to the operations of the general government during the war. He furnished troops to defend the country around Detroit, and dispatched an important reinforcement to General Jack.son for the defence of New Orleans. His MEMOIR OF GOVERNOR SHELBY. I 73 sagacity led him to send General Adair, as adjutant-general with the rank of brigadier- general, to meet the precise contingency, which actually occurred, of General Thomas beine sick or disabled. The result of this measure was ex- hibited in the critical succor afforded by General Adair on the memorable 8th of January. In the civil administration of the State, Governor Shelby's policy continued to estab- lish and confirm the sound principles of his predecessors.^ Integrity, fidelity to the Constitution, and capacity, were the qualifications which he required in public officers ; and his recommendations in the Legislature enforced a strict regard to public economy and to the claims of public faith. In the fall of i8i6 his term expired, and he retired again to the sweets of domestic life, in the prosecution of his favorite pursuit. In March, 1817, he was selected by President Monroe to fill the Department of War ; but his advanced age, the details of the office, and his desire in a period of peace to remain in private life, induced him to decline an acceptance of it. In 18 18, he was commissioned by the President to act, in conjunction with General Jackson, in forming a treaty with the Chickasaw tribe of Indians, for the purchase of their lands west of Tennessee river within the limits of Kentucky and Tennessee, and they obtained a cession of the territory of the United States, which unites the Western population, and adds greatly to the defence of the country in the event of future wars with the savages or with any European power. This was his last public act. In February, 1820, he was attacked with a paralytic affection, which disabled his right arm, and which was the occasion of his walking lame on the right leg. His mind continued unimpaired until his death by apoplexy on the 1 8th July, 1826, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. It was a consolation to his afflicted family to cherish the hope that he was prepared for this event. In the vigor of life he professed it to be his duty to dedicate himself to God, and to seek an interest in the merits of the Redeemer. 174 API'ENDIX. He had been for many years a member of the Presbyterian Church ; and in his latter days he was the chief instru- ment in erecting a house of worship upon his own land. The vigor of his constitution fitted him to endure active and severe bodily exercise, and the energetic symmetry of his person, united with a peculiar suavity of manner, ren- dered his deportment impressively dignified ; his strong, natural sense was aided by close observation on men and things; and the valuable qualities of method and persever- ance imparted success to all his efforts. STUDIES IN LITERATURE. By G. W. griffin, UNITED STATES CONSUL AT COPENHAGEN. ^cb ^icbiscb €bitioit, 12mo. $1.75. CLAXTON, EEMSEN & HAFFELFINGER, PHILADELPHIA. From the Philadelphia Age, The volume opens with a portraiture of George D. Prentice, the widely known editor of tlie Louisville "Journal." The author was his pers. nal friend. The insight which it gives into the ciiaracter of Mr. Prer.tice, will interest all who have heard of his prose and poetry. Besides a number of careful and very original criticisms on the Plays of Shakspei.re, we find two articles on Booth's Hamlet and Macbeth. Our national pride in the fame of this dramatic artist is a warrant that these notices of him will be read, and they will be found to contain the best elements of criticism, intelligence, and good taste. From the Philadelphia Press, Varied in its range of subject, rich in thought, light and graceful in treatment and st\le, and the result of wide and conscientious study, we can commend this volume unhesitatingly as an admirable selection for general reading. /Esthetically, its educational influence will be most happy. From the New York Home Journal. Mr. Griffin treats, in the present volume, twenty-two subjects with wonderful originality and clearness. Poets, actors, dramatists, and philologists whose names are familiar to the educated of both hemi- spheres, are sketched with rare skill ; and one lingers over his de- scriptions, and his chaste, beautiful English, with no ordinary pleasure. From the Cincinnati Enquirer. The best notice we have ever seen of Mr. Prentice and his works, is from the pen of Mr. Griffin — the first of a series of biographical sketches in this volume. It is characterized, as all his articles are, by historical and literary research, by great purity of diction and vigor of style. From the New Orleans Times. A new edition of a work very fivorably received upon its first pub- lication. It consists of a series of essays upon prominent topics, in- cluding some excellent theatrical reviews, written in chaste style, and with considerable powet The work will commend itself to al' I From the Carlisle Mercury, It is, indeed, as is indicated by its title, a study in literature, and should be in the hands of every intelligent person. From R. Shelton Mackenzie. The recollections of the laie Geo. D. Prentice, the great newspaper editor, are so considerably extended as indeed to form a satisfactory biography. Mr. Griffin handles his subject with delicacy and vigor; he doth " nothing extenuate," but presents a true portrait of one who was very eminent in his profession, who might (and ought to)have stood in the van of American literati, but who, in newspaper work, on which his life was spent — ■ " To party gave up what was meant for mankind." Through Mr. Griffin, in this sketch, a very intimate knowledge of Prentice and his varying moods of mind can be formed. Not alone his readiness and wit, but the tenderness and poetry of his nature are brought before the reader. Considering how fugitive is the fame of even the greatest of the journalistic craft, very fortunate has George D. Prentice been in having such a permanent memorial from the friend- ship, the ability, and the judgment of Mr. Griffin. From Paul R, Shipman, This interesting volume deserves all the praise it has received. It is characterized by deep thought, careful research, mature judgment, and rhetorical grace of very high order. Mr. Griffin calls his essays studies. If they are studies, what may we not expect from his mature performances! The world, I predict, will not have to wait long to see. From Henry T. Stanton, The first pages in this valuable lx)ok are devoted to a sketch of the life and character of Mr. Prentice, and a higlily interesting account of his death. We have never read a more impressive article. Wliile it contains every elegance requisite to finished writing, it is full of that irrepressible feeling, that genuine warmth of attachment, for which mere words are no medium of expression. The author has put his heart in his labor, and all his essays appear inspired. From the Louisville Courier Journal. Next to a good hater, we like an ardent lover. Nc one can read the sketch of Geo. D. Prentice's life in the revised and enlarged edi- tion of Mr. Griffin's Studies in Literature, without being impressed by liie warm and enthusiastic tribute to that remarkable editor and man of letters. It is the eulogy of a friend who can only speak of what was noble and wise. 2 From the Philadelphia Post. Mr. Griffin is an easy writer. Some of his criticisms and general essays indicate the faithful and studious course of reading pursued. His essay on V'alhek and its author details many interesting points not known to the general reader. A F^hilological Study coniams much useful information. The examples taken in illustration, prove to what an extent the English language is misused. From the Savannah, Ga., Republican. Mr. Griffin is a conscientious and jiainstaking writer. The intimacy which existed between him and the great statesman, journalist, and phi- losopher Prentice, was one of the most cordial character, and the writer of this note can vouch for the fidelity with which Mr. GrifTin has told the story of the great man's life, and presented to the reader a pen- picture of the closing scene of a great career. From the Louisville Commercial. The new revised edition of G. W. Griffin's Studies in Literature has been accepted as a text-book by the faculty of " Forest Academy," and will hereafter be used as a rea(ling-l)ook for the advanced scholars of this well-known institution of learning. From the Detroit Free Press. The most noticeable of these papers, which Mr. Griffin is so kind as to call "studies," is a memoir of the late George D. Prentice, of the Louisville " Journal." In fact, it was the success which this paper met with upon its first publication which has induced the writer to rewrite and enlarge it, and to give it the place of honor in the second edition. The author writes with a gracefulness of diction which is evidently the result of long practice. From the Boston Literary World. "Studies in Literature" consists of a collection of essays on literary, biographical, and dramatic subjects, generally well written, and evi- dently the work of a refined and cultivated mind. From the Frankford (Kentucky) Yeoman, The very large sale of the first edition of this tasteful, valuable, and substantial contribution to American literature, by a gifted Kentuckian, was not unanticipated by Mr. Griffin's immediate friends, and fully justifies the warm greeting and cordial recognition accorded it by the "Yeoman" upon its first appearance. From the Louisville Jeffersonian Democrat, The book is the product of careful research and mature thought. It compares most favorably in these respects with the best literature of this country. 3 From the Louisville Evening Sun. From enrly boyhood Mr. Grifim has been an enthusiastic philomatli He is a "hook-worm." He has been a contributor to tlie daily and weekly press of Louisville for years, and has won for himself an envi- able reputation as a polisher of sentences, as well as for his deep re- search and thorough knowledge of the most intricate and literary subjects. From the Toledo American. It is certainly to the credit of " Studies in Literature," by G. W. Griffin, that such a publishing house as that of Claxton, Remsen, & Haffelfinger find it worth their while to issue a second edition. From the Sunday Herald. The writer shows that he is no novice in the field of criticism, and his work fully justifies the success which has compelled the publishers to bring out this second edition. From the Louisville Ledger. The present edition of " Studies in Literature" is handsomely gotten up, as regards typography, paper, and binding, and is, on the whole, vastly superior to the first. Tlie work has been stereotyped, and we shall not be surprised to see it run through a half dozen editions. From the Transatlantic Magazine, Mr. Griffin's sketch of the lamented Prentice will be read with inter- est and satisfaction by the numerous admirers of that rarely gifted man. Philadelphians will read with pleasure this author's able, impartial, and very laudatory review of Dr. R. Shelton MacKenzie's " Life of Dickens." From the Washington Capital, The author of this handsome volume has embodied the results of his tastes and readings in literature in a very agreeable and satisfactory manner on a variety of interesting topics. The leading chapter in the book, however, is perhaps the most valuable, because it gives us an insight into the life and character and the editorial career of George D. Prentice, who was, during his latter years, an intimate personal friend of the author. Mr. Griffin devotes nearly a hundred pages to his remi- niscences of, and the literary and journalistic historj' of Mr. Prentice. CLAXTON, EEMSEN & HAFFELFINGER ALSO PUBLISH Prenticeana; or, "Wit and Humor in Paragraphs, By Gi:i)K(;fc: D. I'kemice. New Edition, with BiograjilHcal Sketch of llie Author, by G. W. Griirin, U. S. Consul at Cojienhagen, author of "Studies in Literature." i2mo. Cloth. $1.50. 4 H 136 80 t « * s • <-. o 1/ » *♦ ,0* * # . > • -.^ • .0^ ^^ - . .0 .,-, /\ •■ TN -^0 ^^o J • *1 Ct 1 • o. ^^ O'. « o X- %■ ./ -aWa'. % A* .-v >1 ^ • ^ •" .V^ ¥t . t • • / r^ P , .0 .0 "^^ a"^ »^^ ■- Vo*'^ ^>^^ %/ ^:^^-V:^.^' -^^I^ % ^ ^>^%^^ '^% -.^l^/ ^^^ -^i^^ -^ ^ •-* ^^•n^. « «0 ^7- ^^' -kv - K r :.' .0-' ,\' '^' LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 011 895 032 A