The Virginians
Page 88
CHAPTER LXXXVIII. Yankee Doodle comes to Town
One of the uses to which we put America in the days of our Britishdominion was to make it a refuge for our sinners. Besides convicts andassigned servants whom we transported to our colonies, we dischargedon their shores scapegraces and younger sons, for whom dissipation,despair, and bailiffs made the old country uninhabitable. And as Mr.Cook, in his voyages, made his newly discovered islanders presents ofEnglish animals (and other specimens of European civilisation), we usedto take care to send samples of our black sheep over to the colonies,there to browse as best they might, and propagate their precious breed.I myself was perhaps a little guilty in this matter, in busyingmyself to find a living in America for the worthy Hagan, husband of mykinswoman,--at least was guilty in so far as this, that as we could gethim no employment in England, we were glad to ship him to Virginia, andgive him a colonial pulpit-cushion to thump. He demeaned himself thereas a brave honest gentleman, to be sure; he did his duty thoroughly byhis congregation, and his king too; and in so far did credit to mysmall patronage. Madam Theo used to urge this when I confided to her myscruples of conscience on this subject, and show, as her custom was andis, that my conduct in this, as in all other matters, was dictated bythe highest principle of morality and honour. But would I have givenHagan our living at home, and selected him and his wife to ministerto our parish? I fear not. I never had a doubt of our cousin's sincererepentance; but I think I was secretly glad when she went to work it outin the wilderness. And I say this, acknowledging my pride and my error.Twice, when I wanted them most, this kind Maria aided me with hersympathy and friendship. She bore her own distresses courageously, andsoothed those of others with admirable affection and devotion. And yetI, and some of mine (not Theo), would look down upon her. Oh, for shame,for shame on our pride!
My poor Lady Maria was not the only one of our family who was to besent out of the way to American wildernesses. Having borrowed, stolen,cheated at home, until he could cheat, borrow, and steal no more, theHonourable William Esmond, Esquire, was accommodated with a place at NewYork; and his noble brother and royal master heartily desired that theymight see him no more. When the troubles began, we heard of the fellowand his doings in his new habitation. Lies and mischief were hisavant-couriers wherever he travelled. My Lord Dunmore informed me thatMr. Will declared publicly, that our estate of Castlewood was only oursduring his brother's pleasure; that his father, out of consideration forMadam Esmond, his lordship's half-sister, had given her the place forlife, and that he, William, was in negotiation with his brother, thepresent Lord Castlewood, for the purchase of the reversion of theestate! We had the deed of gift in our strongroom at Castlewood, and itwas furthermore registered in due form at Williamsburg; so that we wereeasy on that score. But the intention was everything; and Hal andI promised, as soon as ever we met Mr. William, to get from him aconfirmation of this pretty story. What Madam Esmond's feelings andexpressions were when she heard it, I need scarcely here particularise."What! my father, the Marquis of Esmond, was a liar, and I am a cheat,am I?" cries my mother. "He will take my son's property at my death,will he?" And she was for writing, not only to Lord Castlewood inEngland, but to his Majesty himself at St. James's, and was onlyprevented by my assurance that Mr. Will's lies were notorious amongstall his acquaintance, and that we could not expect, in our own case,that he should be so inconsistent as to tell the truth. We heard of himpresently as one of the loudest amongst the Loyalists in New York, asCaptain, and presently Major of a corps of volunteers who were sendingtheir addresses to the well-disposed in all the other colonies, andannouncing their perfect readiness to die for the mother country.
We could not lie in a house without a whole window, and closing theshutters of that unlucky mansion we had hired at Williamsburg, MadamEsmond left our little capital, and my family returned to Richmond,which also was deserted by the members of the (dissolved) Assembly.Captain Hal and his wife returned pretty early to their plantation; andI, not a little annoyed at the course which events were taking, dividedmy time pretty much between my own family and that of our Governor, whoprofessed himself very eager to have my advice and company. There werethe strongest political differences, but as yet no actual personalquarrel. Even after the dissolution of our House of Assembly (themembers of which adjourned to a tavern, and there held that famousmeeting where, I believe, the idea of a congress of all the colonies wasfirst proposed), the gentlemen who were strongest in opposition remainedgood friends with his Excellency, partook of his hospitality, and joinedhim in excursions of pleasure. The session over, the gentry went homeand had meetings in their respective counties; and the Assemblies inmost of the other provinces having been also abruptly dissolved, it wasagreed everywhere that a general congress should be held. Philadelphia,as the largest and most important city on our continent, was selected asthe place of meeting; and those celebrated conferences began, which werebut the angry preface of war. We were still at God save the King; wewere still presenting our humble petitions to the throne; but when Iwent to visit my brother Harry at Fanny's Mount (his new plantationlay not far from ours, but with Rappahannock between us, and towardsMattaponey River), he rode out on business one morning, and I in theafternoon happened to ride too, and was told by one of the grooms thatmaster was gone towards Willis's Ordinary; in which direction, thinkingno harm, I followed. And upon a clear place not far from Willis's, as Iadvance out of the wood, I come on Captain Hal on horseback, with three-or four-and-thirty countrymen round about him, armed with every sort ofweapon, pike, scythe, fowling-piece, and musket; and the Captain, withtwo or three likely young fellows as officers under him, putting the menthrough their exercise. As I rode up a queer expression comes over Hal'sface. "Present arms!" says he (and the army tries to perform the saluteas well they could). "Captain Cade, this is my brother, Sir GeorgeWarrington."
"As a relation of yours, Colonel," says the individual addressedas captain, "the gentleman is welcome," and he holds out a handaccordingly.
"And--and a true friend to Virginia," says Hal, with a reddening face.
"Yes, please God! gentlemen," say I, on which the regiment gives ahearty huzzay for the Colonel and his brother. The drill over, theofficers, and the men too, were for adjourning to Willis's and takingsome refreshment, but Colonel Hal said he could not drink with them thatafternoon, and we trotted homewards together.
"So, Hal, the cat's out of the bag!" I said.
He gave me a hard look. "I guess there's wilder cats in it. It must cometo this, George. I say, you mustn't tell Madam," he adds.
"Good God!" I cried, "do you mean that with fellows such as those Isaw yonder, you and your friends are going to make fight against thegreatest nation and the best army in the world?"
"I guess we shall get an awful whipping," says Hal, "and that's thefact. But then, George," he added, with his sweet kind smile, "we areyoung, and a whipping or two may do us good. Won't it do us good, Dolly,you old slut?" and he gives a playful touch with his whip to an old dogof all trades, that was running by him.
I did not try to urge upon him (I had done so in vain many timespreviously) our British side of the question, the side which appears tome to be the best. He was accustomed to put off my reasons by saying,"All mighty well, brother, you speak as an Englishman, and have cast inyour lot with your country, as I have with mine." To this argument I ownthere is no answer, and all that remains for the disputants is to fightthe matter out, when the strongest is in the right. Which had the rightin the wars of the last century? The king or the parliament? The sidethat was uppermost was the right, and on the whole much more humanein their victory than the Cavaliers would have been had they won. Nay,suppose we Tories had won the day in America; how frightful and bloodythat triumph would have been! What ropes and scaffolds one imagines,what noble heads laid low! A strange feeling this, I own; I was on theLoyalist side, and yet wanted the Whigs to win. My brother Hal, on theother hand, who distinguished himself greatly with his regiment, neverallowed a wor
d of disrespect against the enemy whom he opposed. "Theofficers of the British army," he used to say, "are gentlemen: at least,I have not heard that they are very much changed since my time. Theremay be scoundrels and ruffians amongst the enemy's troops; I dare saywe could find some such amongst our own. Our business is to beat hisMajesty's forces, not call them names;--any rascal can do that."And from a name which Mr. Lee gave my brother, and many of his roughhorsemen did not understand, Harry was often called "Chevaleer Baird" inthe Continental army. He was a knight, indeed, without fear and withoutreproach.
As for the argument, "What could such people as those you were drillingdo against the British army?" Hal had as confident answer.
"They can beat them," says he, "Mr. George, that's what they can do."
"Great heavens!" I cry, "do you mean with your company of Wolfe's youwould hesitate to attack five hundred such?"
"With my company of the 67th, I would go anywhere. And, agreed with you,that at this present moment I know more of soldiering than they;--butplace me on that open ground where you found us, armed as you please,and half a dozen of my friends, with rifles, in the woods roundabout me; which would get the better? You know best, Mr. Braddock'saide-de-camp!"
There was no arguing with such a determination as this. "Thou knowest myway of thinking, Hal," I said; "and having surprised you at your work, Imust tell my lord what I have seen."
"Tell him, of course. You have seen our county militia exercising. Youwill see as much in every colony from here to the Saint Lawrence orGeorgia. As I am an old soldier, they have elected me colonel. What morenatural? Come, brother, let us trot on; dinner will be ready, and Mrs.Fan does not like me to keep it waiting." And so we made for his house,which was open like all the houses of our Virginian gentlemen, and wherenot only every friend and neighbour, but every stranger and traveller,was sure to find a welcome.
"So, Mrs. Fan," I said, "I have found out what game my brother has beenplaying."
"I trust the Colonel will have plenty of sport ere long," says she, witha toss of her head.
My wife thought Harry had been hunting, and I did not care to undeceiveher, though what I had seen and he had told me, made me naturally veryanxious.