Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1853-07-21
NUMBER Il.
RICHMOND WIG.
CsIssel Rs.tsa's His.sry.

and deeply imbucd with Bible images tbis v;,,,o,. p
patriotic whom Mr. Jefferson called .,he l.. n ,h
Romans had long fixed the term Of his poisic.I ext
tenee at the age which the Psamist assigns for tho limit
Of manly life: "Thc days Of our wears are tbr,r-ccr,
years aud ten; and by reason OF strength thrv he s
score years yet their strength labor and sorro r l.
soon cut Oh and We ay away He touched that sxc In
1925 and true 10 all his purposes he was true tn his ~
solve n this and executed with the quetue and irc
ference OF ordinary transaction He v.s in ,he ,,;
die OF third Senatorial term and IN the full posscssioa
OF all ms faculties OF mind and body but his time for p
tirement had conie-he time fixed by himself but TED
upon conviction and for wel-consjdered rrssons an. @
e1orsbie to him as IL liked by fate To the friends who
urged him to remain the end his term and bo in
sisted that his mind good rs ever he would en-
sEer that was good enough yet let him know that ho
ought 70 quit oice before his mind quit him. and that he
did not mean to risk the fate Of the Archbishop Of rena
da lie resigned his Senatorial honors as he had worn
them, meeky, unosenatiously in letter OF thanks and
gratitude TO the General Assembly Of his State and gava
to repose at home that interval Of thought and uetude
which every wise would wish to place between the
turmoil OF life and the Stiffness of eternity He had min.
years OF this tranquil enjoyment and died without main or
suffering June 29th, 1887 characteristics m de.b a.. -
lie II was eight o'clock in the morning when ne ssIt
that the supreme hour had come had himself iressd
Win MS habltual neatness walked in the room and av nm
on the bed by turns conversing kindly with tbose b
were about him, and showing by his conduct thai n. s
ready and waiting, but hurrying nothing Il was tho
death OF Socrates all but the hemock and IN dat flI
iath OF which the Grecian sage had only a rlmmerin
lie directed his own grave the point OF sterile rc
l~nere nobody would wish to plough and covered with
build WITH deemng this sterity and the useessness os
this rock the best security for that undsurbed oe
the bones which is still desirable those who arc nd
ierent TO monuments.
In almost all characters there ia ps,av
some incident or sign in early e which shows that char
acer ana reveals to the close observer the type the h
ture man. SO 1t was with Mr. Macon His frmness hin
patriotism his sefdenia his devotion 70 ut, and dsre
gard OF office and emolumcnt; his modcsty integrity s
control and sutgecton of conduct the convictions q,
reason and the dictates OF virtue all so steadily cxer,
phed in long life all shown from the early sos or
eighteen IN the miniature of individual ac
tion, and only confirmed in the subsequent public exbbi
tons OF long, beautu and exalted career He was OF
that age and student at Princeton College AZ
the time Of the Declaration of American Indepepdence
small volunteer corps then the Deiaware Ue
quit his b Iks joined it, served term returned to Prince
ton and resum his stu Is In the year lfTs the soutr
ern states had become battlefield big with their own
fate, and possibly involving the issue OF the wnr RYb
fleets and armies appeared there strongly sunnort h
the friends Of the British cause and the m ~
South was fully counted upon. Help was needed in tbes
States and Mr. Macon, quitting college returned IN his
tive county in North Carolina Joined militia corn.nv
as private and marched to South Carolina then The
theatre OF the enemys operations He had his share in
all the harshps and disasters of that trying me was AZ
the fall of Fort Moulrie surrender of Charleston desa
at Camden and in the rapid winter retreat the nm
per part oi North Carolina He in the camp ON the
lett bank OF the Yadkin when sudden flooding ~ that
river in the brief interval between the crossing q, the
Americans and the coming of the British arrested the
pursuit Of CORVALLIS, and enabled Greene to allow some
rest 10 his wearied and exhausted men, In this c.n
destitute o every thing and with 81 omy prospects ahead
summons came to Mr. Macon from the Governor OF North
.aron1 requiring him to attend meeting of the General
Assembly, OF which he had been elected member ,y,h
out his knowledge, by thepeope Of his county He rs
fused 70 co. and the incident being talked Of through the
camp came 70 the knoEed of the general Greene was
man himself and able to know n ndy, He felt AZ once
that this report true this young soldier was NO
common character and determined verify the fact Ua
sent for the young man, inquired him. heard the t,b
ana then asked Tor the of this
this preference for suffering camp over Nj
sea- IN the Ieneral Assembly, Mr. Macon answered him.
ia his quaint and sententos that he had seen the ~
cS OF the British many times but had never seen their
oieks and meant to stay in the army till he did Greene
instantly saw tue material the young man was made of
and the handle by which he TO be worked Thai ms.
teral was parotism that handle sense of duty: and
laying hold of this handle he quickly worked be vopng
soldier into diereat conclusion from the one that he
had arrived at He told him he could do more good "A
member oil the General Assembly than soldier; that
III the army he was but man. and in the General a.
semby he might obtain many, with supplies they
died. by showing the destituon and suffering ,xh;ch r.
had seen in the camp and that IL vas bis 5r,v % =
Ihis view OF duty and usefulness decisive Mr. N.
con o6eyed tue Governors summons aud by bis renr,
sentaions contributed TO obtain the snnpies xhb On
Oled Greene to turn back and face CORVALLIS fight him
cripple him, drive him further back than he had nyanc
Uior wilmington Is south of Camden,) disable him rom
remaining in the South, (oC which up 10 the hat ~
Guilford, he believed himself to be master and ssrJ
ing him to Yorktown where he captured and the war
ended. ~ var
The philosophy Of history has not vet laid hold of Tho
hate oil Huiiord its consequences and effects That
battle made the capture at Yorktown The events arn
told IN every history their come xon and t
none IL broke up the plan of CornwalI;s In IN. S,h
and changed the plan Of Washington in the No,S C'
wallis was to subdue the Southern States and was DONG
It until Greene turned upon him at Guilforl Wasbing
ton was occupied with Sir Henry Clinton then In NeSr
York, with 10000 British troops lie had formed ,bo
heroic design to capture Clinton and his aruy the Prench
meet CO operangl IN that city, and thereby putting an
end 10 the All his preparations wore ,o;r, - G.
that grand contamination when he got the news ~ a.
battle OF Guiord the retreat OF Cornwalls TO Wning,or
ns aoy 70 Keep the ed in the South, and his return
northTaId through the lower part Of Virginia Ne
ms adVanage-an easier prey-and the same result if
successful CORVALLIS Clinton or either of them cIn
tured would put an end to the war Washington chang
cd his plan deceived Clinton moved randlv mon ~.
weaker general, captured him aud his OO0 ~ ~
ended the The battle Of Guiord put that can,ara
into Washingions hands and thus Gufor and Yorktown
their dependence and that the lesser event was father 10
the greater. The State of North Carolina gave CcnsrsI
Greene $4,000 acres Of Western land for thar dav vo
worth m lion of dollars but the ,lav it..H 49,
yet obtained is proper place In American hi.torv
The military te Of Mr Macon flushed With M. dena,
ture from the camp the Yadkin and his civil pubI;
ie commenced on his arrival the General Assembly, In
which he bad been summoned-that civil public ile In
which he was continued above forty years by FREQ elections
- Representative in Congress under Washington Adams
Jefferson aud Madison and long the Speaker OF the IIou
Senator In Congress under Madison Monroe and Jobn
Quincy Adams and often elected President Of the Senate
aud until voluntarily declining; twice refusing to be Po-.
master General under Jeers0D never taking apv oace
but that 70 which he was elected and regning his lsat
Senatorial term when it only half run Hut ohar
actestc trait remains 70 be told Of his military BEoe
that has neither precedent imitation 1.-THE erannple Of
Washington being out Of the line Of comparison y be re-
fused 70 receive pay or 20 accept promotion and served
three years ~ private through devotion his cou
Try. And ell the long length bis life vss eope,rmable
to this patriotic and disineres,ed beginning and thus be
patriotic principles Of the future senator we're all revealed
in early lie and IN the obscurity Of unknown situation
Coniormaby 10 this beginning be refused 20 take spv
thing under the modern acts Of Congress or the benefit o
the surviving officers and soldiers Of the revolution and
voted against them all saying they had suffered alike.
(etzens and Military and al been rewarded together in
the establishment oi Independence; that the drbt 10 the
army bad been settled by pay, by pensions the wounded
by hatpay and land 10 the officers; tatno military claim
could be Founded on deprecated continental paper money
from which the civil nctionares who performed servce
and the auuers vho furnished supplies suffered A. much
any On This principle he voted aaains the hin for a.
yette against al the modern revolutionary pensions and
land bounty acts, and refused 10 take sny thing under
| them, Tor many we're applicable 10 himaelfl
Hs political principles we're deep rooted innate sub
c 10 no change sad 70 machiaery of party fe sss
Democratic IN The broad Of the word a. srnfvinv
capacity n the people for self ,d H. M.