Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-05-28
EDGE-IIIII..

whom ne thinks illuminated by the CritiGuo oc 4
"Rcvoutonary Man" does so much honor to his hear.
and understanding, should persist in indirectly Gen.
surng us for publishing the Critique, by the express
sion Of his renewed astonis!uncnt. Weagain plcdrc
him our assurance, that we knew not the real char
actors fctiously brought upon the stage in Edre-
Ii!ii either IN person. from tradition. We had
never heard or read Of any snch incidents in the Re-
volutionary war, as arc described in Edge-IIiN and
imputed tn any Of the characters in the Novel; and
III truth except whom actors in the struggle arc in
trodnced by their real names, supposed the whole
story to be fiction. We glanced with g-ea: haste
and siighness over the manuscript of Revolution
airy Man. and strange as may appear 10 Veri,as it
did not strike u.s. that the author intended or inflicted
any SANDER upon the living or the dead. This Oh
tu7eness no doubt results from extreme deficiency in
the knowledge Of pedigree; misfortune which we
hope will be pted rather ihGn blamed
One word on the CrItique, as it is apain l,ro,c,t
under review. We conSi,ered The whole sar.,s or
objections urged by the venerable author ,c,irs,
tdgc-llII, unreasonable and untennblc and for ,sc
plain ann simple reason, that the author of EdccH
proposed TO write Novel. and not n History. r
therefore he assigned to character the merit of
speech made by another (ns TO Patrcl; Henry, tho
defence made ny Gen. Marshall Of Warden, 10 anc
theT, some brave deed achieved bv somebody else
and inverted the whole order of time and c;rcuin-
stance still he did not transcend Lhc Legitimate
license allowed TO fiction 6y crtcis,a. assumed bv
Homer, b. Shakespeare and by Scott. a History is
one thing, and Poem. Play Novel another; in
one, truth only protested to be told aud ruth only is
eXpoctod III another, instruction IS enforced bv the
means of amusement, and the writer is allowed the
scope OF his imagination to paint things rs they
ought 10 be, or as they might have been. 1t is rdi.
cuious therefore, 10 subject Novel although it be
historical Novel, To tho rigor Of hist orical rule.
Fop RlcHMoND Wsra
Edge Hill and tie C,ifique By a Recoiatioa-
CRY Nm.
! Mcssrs, Editors: Over the s'-Hat;Irc Of Vertns
addressed 10 you some remarks and stated some facts
! 10 prove that tie author OF the Crque was wholly
unacquantcd with the family which he has slanJeroj
Thought instant denial of the truth of his state
tnent was necessary and pioper-aud 1 now take the
liberty of saying that my establishment Ton re pc
r!sal Of Sc article" ~ greatly Increased at your rl-
wing currency 20 such q miserable effort to vify the
memory oi the dead, and wound the feelings of
the living. h'd been told tilat the author Of Edre
iihi intended 10 rcpr'enut that work, occurrences
which took place at WCs.ovcr. during the Rcvolu-
ton. knew that If this were the fact II was desti-
tutc of truth IN une particular, that there the
British army landed with the traitor Arnold, when
mat place was IN the occupancy of dckercclcss WI
dow. surrounded by numerous family. [ had the
fact from ono whose tongue knew not l;sChood that
the personal snciy of the family was all that the or
! hccr IN command would prolicr, and that the c,ors
were destroyed the cattle consumed the negroes chr
rcd oil, ana ~ short the estate laid waste bv he ~
vad,ng army, fr which she never received one cert IN
compensation. In the power ofsucb m prrn- with.
out another place Of refuge, what should "a widow
with number Of helpless children hnvc done, At
tis period uf her life too she was entirely dcp.r,.t
, nd q L..
/ tamil Should she have have nrd To RicLr,oud,
The Government could not have protected hcr as il
mad already sought It's own safety in the mountains;
and even there, Iaro,ons corps was suciCrt IA nuf
II to fright The continuance &c the British arDv al
We'tovcr gave rise 10 reports Injurious to the a.
tacmcnt OF ITS occupant TO o." Am mean cause: one
~ thcs", which was excessively distorted was this.
General Philips was very SICK and sent on shore TO
ask for loaf OF fresh bread; the loafwa sent and
PRINT Of butter; Es civiiy which che could not re-.
fuse, Tor bc house scfwas under The mouths Of tho
British CaHnOn) was UNANIMOUSLY exaggerated and ~
~ addition made 20 IL which tho tonic OF cauronv
could utter. Slender on s1ndcr was gotten M, until
she was formally charged with digacction TO the Go
ytrnnent, and summoned 10 appear IN Itichmond-
i " I'm conscious innorcrCc, she repaired thithCv
where hor vi!c calumniators had not The hlrdhccd
! 70 confront her. I'm a letter 10 one Of her female
friends, sic Gays "You no doubt perfectly remember
That nv anxiety was 90 great 10 havr ul improper
TcGnstons stopped. that told the British officers
'Hat u 'Ppt' Evans would osk nothing OF me- incon-
'stcnt with my character to graut would dt,lrcss-
~" as " would be 10 me, 10 part with my child fwho
would probably cry himself sicl) send him OF board
~ hostage for my good behavior. but they must a-
! loW nc T." cay, would die before would bctgay my
country; that my property md nv life was IN thor
power. but not my houor TINT had seriously consi.
dcrcd TIE wrelclcl situation might rodrcc myself
10 Nv refusal aud never could speak so certainly ON
the subject ms them for We had been pinchcd by cold
and hunger for want Of servants 10 provide MS with
ncccssarcs; Tint nobody existed less able ~ hear The
caaIn'cs of poverty than myeclE but still fot my
self ready 10 endure Il, or the loss Of life bu hc loss
/ Of honour would never survive" From THIS, pcn-
tlcmcn. you clearly perceive that this adys conduct
had given rise to suspicious the part ofhc British
n 'hc vcrv moment shc w' ce'uu'0ic'od w he-cynf