CHAPTER III.
Departure from Washington—American Feelings—Sea-Lion—Family of Free Negroes—Raleigh—Fayetteville—North Carolina.
About the first of February, General Lafayette had received from all the southern and western states such pressing invitations, that he could no longer hesitate as to what course he should pursue; and immediately we were all actively employed in determining our order of march, and the means of surmounting the difficulties which every one assured us, would be very great in a journey of this nature and length. We had, indeed, a distance of more than twelve hundred leagues to pass over, in less than four months, to enable us to be in Boston on the seventeenth of June, where the general had promised to assist at the celebration of the anniversary of Bunker’s Hill; and a part of the country through which we were obliged to travel, was scarcely inhabited, and the roads, rough and difficult, were imperfectly laid out.
But thanks to the experience of General Bernard, to the information of the post master general (M’Lean,) and to the assistance of the members of congress who were in Washington, Mr. George Lafayette was enabled to trace out an such an excellent itinerary, that his father had no fear of neglecting in his course any places of importance inthe various states we had to visit, although most of these places were often many miles to the right or left of our main line of march; and his time was so exactly proportioned, that, unless prevented by sickness or some serious accident, we were to arrive in Boston on the day promised.
We neglected no precaution adapted to aid us in surmounting the obstacles which, in the opinion of every one, threatened us in the course of this new journey. The general’s friends could not think without fear of the fatigues and dangers to which, they said, he was about to expose himself. Mrs. Eliza Custis, of the Washington family, pressed him to accept of her commodious and easy carriage. We purchased good saddle-horses to substitute for the coach on very bad roads; reduced our baggage as much as possible, and on the 23d of February, at nine o’clock in the evening embarked upon the Potomac, which we descended to its outlet in the Chesapeake Bay, and thence proceeded to Norfolk, where we landed early on the morning of the 25th, after a pleasant passage of two nights and one day. On the day following we went to dine at Suffolk, a small village, where they waited for the general with all the eagerness and kindness he had hitherto met with at every step.
Favoured by a good road and pleasant weather, our march was very rapid. A few miles from Norfolk we were obliged to stop some time before a small, solitary inn upon the road, for the purpose of refreshing our horses. We were sitting in our carriage when the landlord presented himself, asked to see the general, and eagerly pressed him to alight for a moment and come into his house. “If,” said he, “you have only five minutes to stay, do not refuse them, since to me they will be so many minutes of happiness.” The general yielded to his entreaty, and we followed him into a lower room, where we observed a plainness bordering on poverty, but a remarkable degree of cleanliness.Welcome Lafayette, was inscribed with charcoal upon the white wall, enwreathed with boughs from the fir trees of the neighbouring wood. Near the fire-place, where pine wood was crackling, stood a small table covered with a very clean napkin, and covered with some decanters containing brandy and whiskey; by the side of a plate covered with glasses was another platefilled with neatly arranged slices of bread. These modest refreshments were tendered with a kindness and cordiality which greatly enhanced their value. Whilst we were partaking of them the landlord disappeared, but returned a moment after accompanied by his wife, carrying her little boy, about three or four years of age, whose fresh and plump cheeks evinced the tenderness and care with which he had been cherished. The father, after first presenting his wife, next took his child in his arms, and, having placed one of his little hands in the hand of the general, made him repeat, with much emphasis, the following: “General Lafayette, I thank you for the liberty which you have won for my father, for my mother, for myself, and for my country!!” While the child was speaking, the father and mother eyed the general with the most tender regard: their hearts responded to the words of their boy, and tears they were unable to suppress, proved that their gratitude was vivid and profound. Were I to judge from what I myself felt on witnessing this simple and yet sublime scene, General Lafayette must have found this one of the most pleasing moments of his life. He could not conceal his emotions, but having tenderly embraced the child, took refuge in his carriage, bearing with him the blessings of this family, worthy of the freedom they enjoyed.
The same day, shortly before reaching Suffolk, some negroes stopped us with an invitation to enter their cabin, situated on the road side, to see a very extraordinary animal, which they told us was a sea-lion. It was about seven feet long, covered with a hairy skin of the colour of the fallow deer, spotted with black: the size of its body near the shoulders was about that of a calf, from whence it diminished gradually till it terminated at the tail in large fins; its head was small, round, and slightly flattened, resembling a little that of the tiger; its mouth was furnished with long, strong and sharp teeth; its extremities were very short and had the shape of a hand; the fingers were united by a membrane capable of great extension, and armed with very strong and sharp claws. The negroes told us that in walking along the shores of Elizabeth River at low water, they perceived this animal upon the sand, where it appeared to have been left by the tide. As soon as it saw these men it moved towards them, but withoutany apparent hostile intentions. The negroes, however, ran away at first, whilst it followed them for some time, but at a slow pace, as it is easy to conceive on examining its short extremities, which appeared better adapted for swimming than walking. After having retreated a hundred steps, one of the negroes, who was armed with a musket, turned and fired at the animal, which received the charge in the flank, and almost immediately expired.[2]
A few compliments accompanied with some small money made these poor negroes very happy, and we left them to go and visit a neighbouring habitation, which was said to belong to a large family of free blacks. The house was very well kept, both externally and internally; I was struck with the order and neatness which prevailed, as well as the fine appearance of the inhabitants, who seemed to enjoy a state of comfort and ease superior to that of most of our European peasantry. One of our travelling companions, a citizen of Norfolk, assured us that this family had more than doubled the value of their property some years, by their intelligence and industry. I invite those who still persist in believing that the negroes are incapable of providing for themselves in a state of freedom, to visit this family, which, however, is not the only one of the kind which could be found in the state of Virginia.
After stopping a few moments among the citizens of Suffolk, we continued on our route to Murfreesborough, where we were to lodge. Our late arrival had the appearance of a nocturnal journey. The bad condition and length of the road had tired our horses, and we thought for a while that we should be compelled to sleep at the foot of the hill on which the town is built. An enormous bonfire, lighted on a neighbouring mountain, whose light displayed our distressed situation; the illuminations of Murfreesborough, which exhibited the appearance of a city in flames; the noise of cannon resounding on our right, with the effect of battery on our flank; the cries of our escort; the whipping and swearing of our drivers, all was insufficient to stimulate our horses, which, sunk in the mud to their knees, appeared to have taken root, refusing tomake the least exertion to draw us out of this sad situation, in which we remained about an hour. At length we arrived, and were very amply compensated by the cordial hospitality of the inhabitants of Murfreesborough, who neglected nothing to prove to General Lafayette that the citizens of North Carolina were not less sincerely attached to him than those of the other states.
From Murfreesborough, we went the next day to Halifax, where we crossed the Roanoak, in a ferry-boat, amidst the thunder of artillery which awaited the arrival of General Lafayette on the opposite shore. Halifax was formerly the head quarters of Cornwallis, during his campaign in North Carolina. It was there that the English chief adopted the resolution, which proved so unfortunate, of entering Virginia. We only slept at Halifax, and in two days, after travelling over frightful roads, reached Raleigh, a pretty little town, situated on the west bank of the river Neuse. It is the seat of government for North Carolina, and contains about two thousand seven hundred inhabitants, of which about fifteen hundred are blacks, both free and slaves. One of the most precious monuments of this town, is the superb statue of Washington, executed in marble by Canova. It is preserved, with the greatest care, in one of the halls of the capitol.
The governor of the state, officers of government, militia, and, in fine, all the population, were prepared to receive and entertain, with proper dignity, the guest of the nation. Such was the height of the prevailing enthusiasm, that, in spite of bad weather, a company of volunteer dragoons had marched nearly one hundred and fifty miles, to assist at this family festival. The gallant men who composed it, had solicited and obtained leave to perform, for this day, the duty of guard to Lafayette; and they had founded their pretensions upon the circumstance, that the county of Mecklinburg, to which they belonged, was the first in the state where independence was declared, during the revolution. “Whenever it becomes necessary to serve for liberty or Lafayette,” said they, “we shall always be found among the foremost.” Nothing was neglected by Governor Burton, in doing the honours of his dwelling to the national guest.
The morning of our arrival at Raleigh was near beingmarked by a very unfortunate accident. In one of the calashes which followed us, was General Daniel of the militia, and a young officer of his staff; their horses ran off, and, the driver not being able to guide them, dashed violently against the trunk of a tree. The force of the shock threw both the riders and the coachman to some distance, but the one most hurt was poor General Daniel, who lay almost senseless upon the spot. Our progress was immediately suspended, and General Lafayette, who, at the time, was a considerable distance in advance of the procession, hastily returned to assure himself of the nature of the accident. General Daniel already began to recover, when the hasty zeal of his friend, General Williams, was upon the point of placing him in greater danger than arose from the fall. This gentleman insisted upon his being immediately bled, and already held the fatal lancet in hand to proceed with the operation, when Mr. George Lafayette besought him seriously to forbear, representing that we had just left the table, and that a bleeding immediately after dinner might be attended with injurious consequences. After having rendered General Daniel the first attentions which his situation demanded, we had him carried to the house of a rich planter, whom we had visited in the morning, some miles off; and, the next day, our wounded friend joined us at Raleigh, entirely recovered from his fall, returning his warmest thanks to Mr. George Lafayette, for having averted the employment of the lancet.
I was, at first, much surprised to see this lancet drawn upon such an occasion, but one of our travelling companions informed me, that in the southern and western states, and especially in those where the population is widely scattered, the art of blood-letting is familiar to almost all the great planters. The difficulty of finding a surgeon at the moment of accident, often makes it necessary to bleed themselves, which they sometimes do so profusely, that the most hardy phlebotomists of the French school would be alarmed at the sight.
On the 4th of March, we arrived at the pretty little town of Fayetteville, situated on the western bank of Cape Fear river. The weather was dreadful, the rain pouring in torrents, notwithstanding which, the road for manymiles in front of the town was covered with men and boys on horseback, and militia on foot. In the town, the streets were crowded with ladies elegantly dressed, hurrying, regardless of consequences, across the gutters, to approach the carriage of the general, and so occupied with the pleasure of beholding him, that they did not appear to notice the deluge which seemed ready to engulf them. This enthusiasm may be more readily conceived, when we consider that it was manifested by the inhabitants of a town, founded forty years ago, to perpetuate the recollection of services rendered by him whom they were this day honouring.
General Lafayette was conducted to the front of the town-house, where, upon an elevated platform, he was received and addressed by Chief Justice Troomer, on behalf of the town council. In the course of his harangue, the orator recapitulated, with enthusiasm, the obligations which America owed to Lafayette, retraced some of the persecutions to which he had been exposed in France and Austria, for having remained faithful to the cause of liberty and the rights of man, which he had been the first to proclaim in Europe, and concluded by drawing a forcible parallel between the young republics of the United States and the old monarchies of the ancient continent of Europe.
After General Lafayette had expressed his gratitude for the reception given him by the citizens of Fayetteville, and his sympathy for the sentiments of the orator, we were conducted to the residence of Mr. Duncan M‘Rae, where, by the attentions of Mrs. Duncan, our lodgings had been prepared in an elegant and commodious manner. The general was there received by the committee, appointed to supply all his wants. “You are here in your own town,” said the chairman of the committee to him, “in your own house, surrounded by your children. Dispose of all—every thing is yours.” Every moment of our short stay at Fayetteville was occupied by festivals of gratitude and friendship. Notwithstanding the bad weather, which never ceased to oppose us, the volunteer militia companies, assembled to render military honours to the last surviving major-general of the revolutionary army, would not quit the little camp which they had formed in front of thebalcony of the house, whence the general could easily see them manœuvre. They were still under arms, on the morning of our departure, and we passed in front of their line on leaving the town. It was then that General Lafayette, wishing to give them an expression of his gratitude, alighted, and passing through the ranks, took each officer and soldier affectionately by the hand. This conduct excited the spectators to such a pitch of enthusiasm, that a great portion of the population, willing to prolong the pleasure of seeing him, accompanied his carrage a considerable distance on the road, and only quitted him when the sun was nearly set.
The commerce of Fayetteville is very flourishing, and must still increase from the vicinity of Cape Fear river, which is navigable to the sea. The products of the surrounding country consist principally of tobacco and grain. Its population is nearly four thousand souls, and increases with remarkable rapidity. Unfortunately more than a third of this population consists of slaves, who increase in the same proportion with the free inhabitants; a circumstance which will probably continue for some time to retard the full developement of its resources. What I here say of Fayetteville is applicable to the whole state of North Carolina, which, in a population of six hundred and forty thousand souls, has above two hundred thousand slaves.
The climate of North Carolina is said to be healthy, and very well adapted to every species of culture. Nevertheless, the part through which we passed did not present an agreeable aspect. We met with numerous pine forests overflown by the rivers which watered them; many sand plains, and but little cultivated ground; that which is cultivated producing only rice and indigo. The mountainous parts of the state are stated to produce abundant crops of wheat, rye, barley, oats, Indian corn, tobacco, hemp and cotton. This last article, when prepared for manufacturing, is produced in the proportion of one hundred and fifty pounds for each slave.
It is also in the highest grounds where native gold is found in considerable quantity. It is obtained by simply washing the earth. Its purity is very remarkable, having been found twenty-three carats fine, and superior in qualityto the American or English gold coins. The pieces are of various weights. The heaviest yet found weighed nearly five pounds. In 1810, the mint of the United States received one thousand three hundred and forty-one ounces, the value of which amounted to twenty-four thousand six hundred and eighty-nine dollars. In Montgomery county, many persons live by hunting for this metal. Every one has permission to seek, upon condition that he gives half he finds to the owner of the soil.
Notwithstanding all its rich resources, North Carolina appeared to me one of the least advanced of all the states we have hitherto visited. Slavery, in my opinion, should be regarded as the principal cause of this condition. Its constitution, though in general founded upon those of the other states, differs from them in some points, and retains some traces of aristocracy. Thus, for example, to be elected a senator, a person must be owner of three hundred acres of land; to be a representative, he must possess one hundred: finally, no man can be elected governor unless he be the free proprietor of an estate yielding one thousand dollars. In the midst of promises of religious liberty, the constitution of North Carolina has nevertheless the misfortune to have preserved an unhappy distinction between sects: thus, any man who denies the truth of the protestant religion, can have no pretensions to any public employment.[3]I am well aware that in a government which supports no established order of clergy, the inconvenience of such a distinction is not so great, but it is nevertheless a serious blow aimed at the equality established and recognized by law. A wrong of still more consequence in this state, is that of having so long neglected the means of propagating primary instruction. In 1808 the legislaturefirst ordered schools to be provided at the public expense. But in spite of the defects which I have pointed out, the inhabitants of North Carolina, from their patriotism, are unquestionably worthy to form a part of the great confederate family of the United States. To prove this, it will be sufficient to cite one fact, which is, that during the revolutionary war, the enemy could never procure a pilot upon the coast of this state. I might add, that the brilliant successes which attended the battles of Briar Creek in 1779, of Waxhaws in 1780, and of Guilford in 1781, were due to the militia of this state.