USA > Virginia > Westmoreland County > Westmoreland County > Westmoreland County, Virginia : parts I and II : a short chapter and bright day in its history > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
"225 DELAWARE AVE., WASHINGTON, D. C.
"Dear Miss Critcher:
"I take pleasure in notifying you that at the meeting on March 10th, you were unanimously elected a member of the Society of Washington Artists.
"Very truly yours,
W. B. CHILTON, Secretary."
88
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
Miss Critcher, of Alexandria, Miss Thompson and Miss Perrie, of Washington, are the only ladies who have ever been elected members of this society.
Beside the honor to be done him as a distinguished Judge, the following incident fires the heart of every Virginian and Southern man, and thrills us with admiration and pride. When a member of the Forty-second Congress, he uttered the following words, that made him famous.
An appropriation, in proportion to illiteracy, being the subject under consideration, Mr. Hoar, from Massachusetts in the course 'of his remarks said : "The influence of slavery was not so observ- able in the degradation of the slave as in the depravity of the master."
Mr. Critcher, from Virginia, in reply, begged leave to illustrate the depravity of the master by reminding the House that every signer of the Declaration of Independence was a slave holder, ex- cept those from Massachussetts, and perhaps one or two others. It might be deemed extravagant, but he would venture a bold assertion. He would venture to say, that he could name more ·eminent men from the Parish of his residence than the gentleman could name from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He would proceed to name them, and then yield the floor, that the gentleman : might match them, if he could.
On one side of his estate is Wakefield, the birthplace of Wash- ington. On the other side is Stratford, the residence of Light Horse Harry Lee, of glorious revolutionary memory. Adjoining Stratford is Chantilly, the residence of Richard Henry Lee, the mover of the Declaration of Independence, and the Cicero of the American Revolution. There, too, lived Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Charles Lee, at one time Attorney-General, and Arthur Lee, one of the accomplished negotiators of the treaty of commerce and alliance between these Colonies and France in 1777. Returning you come, as said before, first to the birthplace of Washington. Another hour's drive will bring you to the birthplace of Monroe. Another hour's drive to the birthplace of Madison. . And, if the gentleman supposes that the present generation is unworthy of their illustrious ancestors, he has but to stand on the same estate to see the massive chimneys of the baronial mansion that witnessed the birth of Robert E. Lee.
89
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
These are some of the eminent men from the Parish of his resi- dence, and he now yielded the floor to the gentleman to match them if he could from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
At the time of this incident there was the most intense feeling between the sections, and the remarks were copied from the Sus- quehannah to the Gulf. The challenge somewhat startled the House. James G. Blaine was in the Speaker's chair, and he leaned over his desk to hear every word. Hon. Dan Voorhees was sitting by Judge Critcher, and told him afterwards that when he made the assertion, sweat came out upon his forehead, fearing that he would name some local celebrities and be covered with confusion by so dexterous a debater as Hoar. He said, too, it was the only speech he ever heard and afterwards read, for he could not believe his own ears.
Mr. Hoar's reply was too indelicate for publication, but Judge Critcher instantly stopped him, saying, "I yielded the floor that you might name the eminent men of your Commonwealth, not to give you an opportunity to indulge in the more congenial task of defaming other people."
[Extract from speech of Hon. John Critcher, Forty-second Con- gress United States, in debate with Mr. Hoar (afterwards Senator), of Massachusetts (see Congressional Globe, pp. 800, 801:]
From the decks of the steamer as we sail up the beautiful Yeo- comico River to Kinsale, on the left on an elevated plateau or hill, we see a picturesque grove where Midshipman Sigourney was buried. From this point the view of the landscape and the expanse of the waters as they flow towards the Potomac are exquisite.
"I send herewith the superscription on the slab over the grave of Sigourney.
After the enemy had left, his body was prepared for burial and interred in the Bailey family burying ground by the ancestors of the family now occupying the premises, entirely at their expense.
When I first saw this spot of ground the grave with the slab was entirely covered with briers and undergrowth. Since then these have been removed, and at this time the visitor beholds a spot kept in loving remembrance. This transformation was wrought by Miss Fannie Bailey, who still keeps careful watch over one of this nation's heroes, forgotten by all but her.
Yours sincerely, .
S. B. HARDWICK.
90
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF MIDSHIPMAN JAMES B. SIGOURNEY,
OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY,
a Native of Boston, Mass., Aged 23 Years; Who fell in gallantly defending his Country's Flag on board of the United States Schooner Asp, under his command in an action with five British barges of very superior force, on the 14th day of July, 1813.
Go gallant youth, obey the call of heaven, Your sins were few, we trust they are forgiven; But then, oh what can paint the parent's woe, Your Country will punish the hand that gave the blow.
We now insert notices drawn from various public sources, of some of the other distinguished men of Westmoreland:
Richard Henry Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born at Stratford, January 20, 1732. He spent several years in an academy in England, from which he returned to his native country in his nineteenth year. His fortune being ample, he de- voted his time principally to the elegant pursuits of literature. In 1755 he offered his services as a captain of provincials to Brad- dock; but he refused to accept any more assistance from the pro- vincials than he was obliged to. In his twenty-fifth year, Lee was appointed a justice of the peace, and was shortly after first chosen a delegate to the House of Burgesses, where he soon acquired distinc- tion in debate, and his voice was always raised in support of repub- lican principles. In all the question's of controversy that came up between the mother country and her colonies, Mr. Lee took an active part. He was appointed on the most important committees of the House of Burgesses, and drew up some of the most important papers, which "contained the genuine principles of the revolution, and abounded in the firm and eloquent sentiments of freemen."
It is stated that the celebrated plan of corresponding committees
91
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
between the different colonies, adopted in 1773 by the House of Burgesses, originated with Mr. Lee. The same idea had, about the same time, been conceived by Mr. Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, which circumstance has occasioned much dispute. Mr. Lee doubt- less followed the suggestions of his own mind, as he had, five years previously, requested Mr. Dickinson of Pennsylvania, in a letter, to bestow his consideration upon the advantage of plans which he communicated to him of the same purport.
Wirt, in describing him at this time, says: "Richard Henry Lee was the Cicero of the house. His face itself was on the Roman model; his nose Cesarean ; the port and carriage of his head, lean- ing persuasively and gracefully forward; and the whole contour noble and fine. Mr. Lee was by far the most elegant scholar in the house. He had studied the classics in the true spirit of criticism. His taste had that delicate touch which seized with intuitive cer- tainty every beauty of an author, and his genius that native affinity which combined them without an effort. Into every walk of litera- ture and science he had carried this mind of exquisite selection, and brought it back to the business of life, crowned with every light of learning, and decked with every wreath that all the Muses and all the Graces could entwine. Nor did those light decorations consti- tute the whole value of his freight. He possessed a rich store of his- torical and political knowledge, with an activity of observation, and a certainty of judgment that turned that knowledge to the very best account. He was not a lawyer by profession, but he under- 'stood thoroughly the constitution both of the mother country and of her colonies, and the elements also, of the civil and municipal law. Thus, while his eloquence was free from those stiff and tech- nical restraints which the habits of forensic speaking are so apt to generate, he had all the legal learning which is necessary to a states- man. He reasoned well, and declaimed freely and splendidly. The note of his voice was deeper and more melodious than that of Mr. Pendleton. It was the canorous voice of Cicero. He had lost the use of one of his hands, which he kept constantly covered with a black silk bandage neatly fitted to the palm of his hand, but leaving his thumb free; yet, notwithstanding this disadvantage, his gestur was so graceful and so highly finished, that it was said he had ac- quired it by practising before a mirror. Such was his promptitude that he required no preparation for debate. He was ready for any subject as soon as it was announced; and his speech was so copious, so rich, so mellifluous, set off with such bewitching cadence of voice, and such captivating grace of action, that while you listened to him you desired to hear nothing superior, and indeed thought him per-
92
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
fect. He had a quick sensibility and a fervid imagination, which Mr. Pendleton wanted. Hence his orations were warmer and more delightfully interesting; yet still, to him those keys were not con- signed, which could unlock the sources either of the strong or ten- der passions. His defect was, that he was too smooth and too sweet. His style bore a striking resemblance to that of Herodotus, as de- scribed by the Roman orator: 'he flowed on, like a quiet and placid river, without a ripple.' He flowed, too, through banks covered with all the fresh verdue and variegated bloom of the spring; but his course was too subdued, and too beautifully regular. A cata- ract, like that of Niagara, crowned with overhanging rocks and mountains, in all the rude and awful grandeur of nature, would have brought him nearer to the standard of Homer and of Henry."
In 1774, he was a member of the first general Congress, where he at once took a prominent stand, and was on all the leading com- mittees. From his pen proceeded the memorial of Congress to the people of British America. In the succeeding Congress, Washing- ton was appointed commander-in-chief of the army, and his com- mission and instructions were furnished by Mr. Lee, as chairman of the committee appointed for that purpose. The second address of Congress to the people of Great Britain-a composition unsur- passed by any of the state papers of that time-was written by him this session. But the most important of his services in this term was his motion, June 7, 1776, to declare independence. His speech on introducing this bold and glorious measure was, one of the most brilliant displays of eloquence ever heard on the floor. After a protracted debate. it was determined, June 10th, to postpone the consideration of this resolution until the first Monday of the July following; but a committee was appointed to prepare a declaration of independence. Of this committee he would have been chairman, according to parliamentary rules, had not the illness of some of his family called him home. Mr. Jefferson was substituted for him, and drew up the declaration. He shortly resumed his seat, in which he continued until June, 1777, when he solicited leave of absence on account of ill health, and to clear up some stains which malice or overheated zeal had thrown upon his reputation in Virginia. He demanded an investigation from the Assembly, which resulted in a most triumphant and flattering acquittal, by a vote of thanks for his patriotic services.
In consequence of Mr. Lee's great and persevering exertions to procure the independence of his country. and to promote the cause of liberty, the enemy made great exertions to secure his person. Twice he narrowly escaped being taken. Once his preservation was
93
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
owing to the fidelity of his slaves, and on the other occasion his safety was owing to his own dexterity and presence of mind.
In August, 1778, he was again elected to Congress, but declining health forced him to withdraw, in a great degree, from the arduous labors to which he had hitherto devoted himself. In 1780 he re- tired from his seat, and declined returning to it until 1784. In the interval he served in the Assembly of Virginia, and, at the head of the militia of his county, protected it from the incursions of the enemy. In 1784, he was unanimously chosen president of Congress, but retired at the end of the year, and in 1786 was again a member of the Virginia Assembly. He was a member of the convention which adopted the federal constitution, and although personally hostile to it, he joined in the vote to submit it to the people. He was subsequently, with Mr. Grayson, chosen the first senators from Virginia under it, and in that capacity moved and carried through several amendments. In 1792, he was forced by ill health to retire from public life, when he was again honored by a vote of public thanks from the legislature of Virginia. He died June 19, 1794.
Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independ- ence, was born October 10, 1734. His education was directed by a private tutor, and he inherited a fortune. In 1765 he became a member of the House of Burgesses, and continued in that body until 1775, when the convention of Virginia chose him a member of the Continental Congress, in which he remained until 1779, when he entered the legislature of Virginia. He died in Richmond in 1797.
Henry Lee, a Governor of Virginia and a distinguished officer of the Revolution, was born January 29, 1756. His family was one of high respectability and distinction. At eighteen years of age he graduated at Princeton College. In 1776, when but twenty years of age, he was appointed captain of one of the six companies of cavalry composing the regiment of Colonel Theodorick Bland. In September, 1777, Captain Lee, with his company, joined the main army. He introduced excellent discipline into his corps, and ren- dered most effectual service, in attacking light parties of the enemy, in procuring information, and in foraging.
As Captain Lee, in general, lay near the British lines, a plan was formed in the latter part of January, 1778, to cut off both him and his troop. A body of two hundred cavalry made an extensive
94
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
circuit, and seizing four of his patrols, came unexpectedly upon him in his quarters, a stone house. He had then with him only ten men; yet with these he made so desperate a defence, that the enemy were beaten off with a loss of four killed, and an officer and three privates wounded. His heroism in this affair drew forth from Washington a complimentary letter, and he was soon after raised to the rank of a major, with the command of an independent partisan corps of two companies of horse, which afterwards was enlarged to three, and a body of infantry. On the 19th of July, 1779, Major Lee, at the head of about three hundred men, completely surprised the British garrison at Powles' Hook-now Jersey City-and after taking one hundred and sixty prisoners, retreated with the loss of but two men killed, and three wounded. For his "prudence, ad- dress, and bravery," in this affair, Congress voted him a gold medal.
In the commencement of the year 1780, he joined, with his legion, the army of the south, having been previously promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. In the celebrated retreat of Greene before Cornwallis, Lee's legion formed the rear guard of the army. So hot was the pursuit, that Colonel Lee at one time came in con- tact with Tarleton's corps, and, in a successful charge, killed eigh- teen of them, and made a captain and several privates prisoners. Shortly after, Lee with his legion, and Colonel Pickens with some militia, attacked a party of four hundred loyalist militia under Colonel Pyle, killed ninety, and wounded many others. At the bat- tle of Guilford, Lee's legion distinguished itself; previous to the action, it drove back Tarleton's dragoons with loss, and afterwards maintained a sharp and separate conflict until the retreat of the main army. After this, Greene, in pursuance of the advice of Lee, determined to advance at once into South Carolina, and endeavor to reannex to the Union that and its sister state of Georgia, instead of watching the motions of Cornwallis. The results were as for- tunate as the design was bold and judicious. In pursuance of this plan, Greene advanced southward, having previously detached Lee, with the legion, to join the militia under Marion, and, in co-opera- tion with him, to attempt the minor posts of the enemy. By a series of bold and vigorous operations, Forts Watson, Motte, and Granby, speedily surrendered; after which, the legion was ordered to join General Pickens, and attempt to gain possession of Augusta. On the way, Lee surprised and took fort Galphin. The defences of Augusta consisted in two forts-Fort Cornwallis and Fort Grier- son ; the latter was taken by assault, the former after a siege of six- teen days. In the unfortunate assault upon Ninety-Six, Lee was completely successful in the part of the attack intrusted to his care.
95
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
In the battle of Eutaw Springs, his exertions contributed much to the successful issue of the day. After the surrender of Yorktown, Lee retired from the army, carrying with him, however, the esteem and affection of Greene, and the acknowledgment that his services had been greater than those of any one man attached to the southern army.
Soon after his return to Virginia, he married a daughter of Philip Ludwell Lee, and settled at Stratford in this county. In 1786, he was a delegate to Congress; in 1788, a member of the Vir- ginia convention to ratify the constitution, in defence of which he greatly distinguished himself. From 1792 to 1795, he was Gov- ernor of Virginia. On the breaking out of the Whiskey Insurrec- tion, in 1755, he was appointed by Washington to the command of the forces ordered against the insurgents, and received great credit for his conduct. In 1799 he was again a delegate in Congress, and upon the death of Washington, he was appointed to pronounce his eulogium. It was upon this occasion he originated the celebrated sentence: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." On the election of Jefferson he retired to private life.
His last years were clouded by pecuniary troubles. The hos- pitable and profuse style of living so common in Virginia, ruined his estate, and even abridged his personal liberty. It was in 1809, while confined for debt, that he composed his elegantly written Memoirs of the Southern Campaign.
General Lee was in Baltimore in 1812, at the time of the riot occasioned by the publication of some strictures on the war in the Federal Republican, an anti-war paper. After the destruction of the printing office, an attack on the dwelling of the editor was ap- prehended. Lee, from motives of personal friendship to the editor, with a number of others, assembled for the purpose of protecting it. On being attacked, two of the assailants were killed, and a number wounded. The military arriving soon after, effected a compromise with the mob, and conveyed the inmates of the house to the city jail for their greater safety. In the night the mob reassembled in greater force, broke open the jail, killed, and man- gled its inmates in a shocking manner. From injuries then re- ceived, Lee never recovered. He went to the West Indies for his health. His hopes proved futile. He returned in 1818 to Georgia, where he died.
General Lee was about five feet nine inches, well-proportioned, of an open, pleasant countenance, and a dark complexion. His manners were frank and engaging; his disposition generous and
96
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
hospitable. By his first wife, he had a son and a daughter; by his second (a daughter of Charles Carter, of Shirley), he had three sons and two daughters.
Arthur Lee, M. D., minister of the United States to the court of Versailles, was a native of Virginia, and the brother of Richard Henry Lee. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he also pursued for some time the study of medicine. On his return to this country, he practised physic four or five years in Wil- liamsburg. He then went to London, and commenced the study of the law in the Temple. During his residence in England he kept his eye on the measures of government, and rendered the most im- portant services to his country, by sending to America the earliest intelligence of the plans of the ministry. When the instructions to Governor Bernard were sent over, he at the same time communi- cated information to the town of Boston respecting the nature of them. He returned, it is believed, before 1769, for in that year he published the Monitor's Letters, in vindication of the colonial rights. In 1775 he was in London, as the agent of Virginia; and he presented, in August, the second petition of Congress to the king. All his exertions were now directed to the good of his coun- try. When Mr. Jefferson declined the appointment of a minister to France, Dr. Lee was appointed to his place, and he joined his colleagues, Dr. Franklin and Mr. Deane, at Paris, in December, 1776. He assisted in negotiating the treaty with France. In the year 1779, he and Mr. Adams, who had taken the place of Deane, were recalled, and Dr. Franklin was appointed sole minister to France. His return had been rendered necessary by the malicious accusations with which Deane had assailed his public conduct.
In the preceding year Deane had left Paris, agreeably to an order of Congress, and came to this country in the same ship with the French minister Gerard. On his arrival, as many suspicions hovered around him, he thought it necessary to repel them by at- tacking the character of his colleague, Dr. Lee. In an inflammatory address to the public he vilified him in the grossest terms, charg- ing him with obstructing the alliance with France, and disclosing the secrets of Congress to British noblemen. He at the same time impeached the conduct of his brother, William Lee, Esq., agent for Congress at the courts of Vienna and Berlin. Dr. Lee, also, was not on very good terms with Dr. Franklin, whom he believed to be too much under the influence of the French court. Firm in his attachment to the interest of his country, honest, zealous, he was inclined to question the correctness of all the commercial transac-
97
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA
tions in which the philosopher had been engaged. These dissensions among the ministers produced corresponding divisions in Congress; and Monsieur Gerard had so little respect for the dignity of an ambassador, as to become a zealous partisan of Deane. Dr. Lee had many friends in Congress, but Dr. Franklin more. When the former returned to America in the year 1780, such was his integrity, that he did not find it difficult to reinstate himself fully in the good opinion of the public. In 1784 he was appointed one of the com- missioners for holding a treaty with the Indians of the Six Nations. He accordingly went to Fort Schuyler, and executed this trust in a manner which did him much honor. In February, 1790, he was admitted a counsellor of the supreme court of the United States, by a special order. After a short illness, he died, December 14, 1792, at Urbanna, in Middlesex county, Virginia. He was a man of uniform patriotism, of a sound understanding, of great probity, of plain manners, and strong passions.
During his residence for a number of years in England, he was indefatigable in his exertions to promote the interests of his coun- try. To the abilities of a satesman he united the acquisitions of a scholar. He was a member of the American Philosophical Society. Besides the Monitor's Letters, written in the year 1769, which have been mentioned, he published "Extracts from a Letter to Con- gress, in answer to a Libel by Silas Deane," 1780; and "Ob- servations on Certain Commercial Transactions in France," laid before Congress 1780.
Bushrod Washington was born in this county, and educated at William and Mary. He studied law in Philadelphia, and com- menced its practice with great success in this county. He was a member of the House of Delegates in 1781. He afterwards re- moved to Alexandria, and thence to Richmond, where he published two volumes of the decisions of the supreme court of Virginia. He was appointed, in 1798, an associate-justice of the supreme court of the United States, and continued to hold this situation until his death, in November, 1829. He was the favorite nephew of General Washington, and was the devisee of Mount Vernon. He was noted for sound judgment, rigid integrity, and unpretending manners .- Howe's History of Virginia, pp. 510-513.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.