The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-12-05
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MAC0 N Z


THE NORTH CAROLINA PUB
LISING sOCIETY'S: PRIZE >
SKETCH.
BY CLARENCE R. POE, OF RElEIcH, NC.
AFine sketch ofone ef Nos<h c.rolina,s
alas i.tinxsiehed soas more Such
slstches Of the ststs,s Great Men
Should be Written.
Nathaniel Macon was born in
North Carolina, in what is now
Warren county, in 1853. His faith.
cr was native of Virginia; his
mother, of North 0Atplina. The
father dying a few years. after Ma
thaniel's birth, the boy was left 10
the care Of his widowed mother
with but moderate means of sup
port. To the nearest old field school,
he was regularly sent,
and he also studied much by fire.
light at night. On the whole, he
gave evidences Of such marked
ability that arrangementswere made
for sending him to Princeton lin
which college the early days of the
found him. Very early
in that struggle he joined volun-.
teer company, served term, then
returned to Princeton.
But in 1778 British t,aops threat
ened to <overrun our Southland, and
again Mr.. Macon left his studies for
the field. This time heseturned to
Warren county and, enlisting as a
private in company commanded
by his brother John, marched to
South Carolina. Pay for his ser
vices he refused to receive and pro-
motion he would not accept trait,
says Benton, that has neither pre-
cedent nor imitation in history. It
was time of deep dependency.
Macon was at the fall of Fort Moul-
trie, the surrender of Charleston,
the defeat at Camden, and then
took part in Greene's famous re-
treat.
He was still with Greene on that
retreat and in camp on he Yadkin,
Febrnarys 17sl, whea ~ received
from the Governor of North Caro-
lima a summons to attend meeting
of the General Assembly, in which
body his countrymen had, without
his knowledge, elected him to rep
resent them. Macon said at once
he would not obey the summons.
Hearing of this, General Greene saw
him and inquired the reason for his
extraordinary action. Macon re-
piled by saying that he 'had often
seen the faces of the British but. in
tended to stay in the army till he
saw their backs" Greene realized
that men of that mould were ne. d.
ed in the Legislature. He also re-
allied that private who had served
through three gloomy years with
out pay or promotion and still chose
the hardships Of the camp rather
than the comforts of the General
Assembly, would not reconsider his
action unless he felt that by so do.
ing he could better serve his coun
try. 1t was to this very spirit o1
patriotism, therefore, that Greene
appealed, and he finally convinced
the young soldier that he could be
more service to his country in re-
preventative than in individual ca
pacity. Taking this view of the
case, Macon decided to obey the
summons; and so ended his military
career and began his political life
And all must admit that he was q
''faithful over the few things" as {
private soldier as he was faithful t.
greater trusts as a statesman.
Though only % years Of age
Macon's ability was soon recognized
by his colleagues in the Legislature
our ssColonial Records" showing tina
he served on some Of the most i'm
portant committees. The condition
OF GIeene's army was, lturally, tn
subject nearest his heart, and hi
best work was in behalf of move
ments looking to the better equip
ment of Greene's forces.
In 1885 Macon's brother John SUI
seeded him in the General Assembly
and Nathaniel seems to have playe
no further part in public affairs tt
after the framing of the Nations
Constitution in 1887. Its adoptio
he opposed bitterly, insisting that
gave too much power to the csntrs
government. But it here may
added, parenthetically, that thoug
he seems not to have wavered in h
belief that the Constitution toul
have been improved, he (1814) d
clared that ''To dissolve the Unic
. and destroy the Constitution wouI
, be to throw from us as great bles
ing as Providence has bestowed upt
= any people in modern times"
. Macon was elected by the peop
r of his district to represent them
r the lower House of the second Co
< gress; which met in Philadelphi
i October Oath, 1871. There he
' gan that long service in the counc
of the nation that was to make hi
~ famous. The seventh Congrt
elected him (l8O1) Speaker Of. +