Virginia Colony at Jamestown and who experienced in his journey
separation of his ship from the rest of the small fleet, was
shipwrecked on the Islands of Bermuda and eventually arrived at
Jamestown. Strachey, who had written some poetry before coming
to America, used his shipwrecked experiences described earlier
as background for a most descriptive letter concerning a tempest
at sea. The original title of Strachey's manuscript was "A True
Repertory of the Wrecke, and Redemption of Sir Thomas Gates" (Gates,
Governor of the colony, was also a passenger on the same ship with
Strachey). It is believed by some literary critics that William
Shakespeare who read this letter selected much of its contents as
background material for his play, "The Tempest." Another writer who
left a vivid description of his voyage from England to Virginia is
Henry Norwood: his work entitled "A Voyage to Virginia" is regarded
as one of the best realistic, detailed accounts of early voyages to
America.
Only two poets are remembered for their writings in Virginia
during the early period: Richard Rich and George Sandys. Rich
utilized his journey from England to the New World as the basis
for his poem, "A Ballad of Virginia," sometimes entitled "Newes
from Virginia." George Sandys, an Oxford gentleman, did not write
concerning Virginia but while he was in Jamestown as the treasurer
of the colony, he completed a most unusual translation of Ovid's
"Metamorphoses." An anonymous elegy found in the "Burwell Papers" is
considered one of the finest literary attempts during the colonial
period: entitled "Bacon's Epitaph, Made by His Man," it eulogizes
the courage and steadfastness of purpose of Nathaniel Bacon who
dared to revolt against the autocratic rule of Governor Berkeley and
to lead Bacon's Rebellion. Bacon's untimely death from fever caused
many Virginia settlers to feel, as the author of this elegy felt,
that the loss of the champion of their cause was a severe one.
A different type of writing was furnished by Reverend James
Blair, founder of the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg
and president of the second oldest educational institution in
the United States for over fifty years. Reverend Blair wrote a
scholarly article on the organization of churches in Virginia in
an account called "Concerning the Church and Religion." Another
minister, Reverend Hugh Jones, who held the position of professor of
mathematics at the College of William and Mary and who had a strong
personal interest in history, wrote "The Present State of Virginia"
in 1724. His writing was characterized by seriousness of purpose,
accuracy and keen observations. He later authored the first English
grammar book written in America.
When Robert Beverley, a native-born Virginian of Middlesex County,
was visiting in London, he was asked by a London bookdealer to
review a manuscript which had been submitted concerning the American
colonies. Beverley disagreed with much of the information included
in the manuscript and decided to write a book himself on Virginia.
Consequently, he wrote "The History of Virginia." This book was
considered such enjoyable reading that it was later published in
French. Robert Beverley is considered the first Virginia formal
history author.
The man whose writings are usually classified as the best writings
in Virginia before the Revolutionary Period was William Byrd II.
He was born on a plantation along the James River and was sent
to England for his education at the age of ten. He traveled in
Holland, studied law and was admitted to the bar at the age of
twenty-one. After returning to Virginia, he was elected to the
Virginia Assembly. He built a beautiful home, Westover, became a
leading figure in politics and in Virginia society and instituted
a personal library in his home which exceeded 3,000 volumes, the
largest library in the colonies. He returned to England as the
legal representative of the Virginia Assembly where he enjoyed
the companionship of the socially elite in England. When his
father died, he returned to Virginia and inherited 25,000 acres,
political supremacy and a high place in social circles. Byrd's
writings did not appear publicly until more than two hundred years
after his death. Three papers are believed to be his best literary
achievements: "The History of the Dividing Line" (concerning the
boundary line established between Virginia and North Carolina), "A
Progress to the Mines" (concerning a journey to some iron mines) and
"A Journey to the Land of Eden" (concerning a journey to the Dismal
Swamp area). These chronicles were combined and included in the
"Westover Manuscripts." Notes from Byrd's personal diary, which was
kept in code and later translated by Mrs. Marion Tingling, have been
published and reveal many human-interest incidents in his eventful
life.
Another colonial Virginia historian is Reverend William Stith.
He used colonial records, personal papers of his uncle, Sir John
Randolph, London Company official records and material available in
the Byrd Library to write a most comprehensive history of Virginia
entitled "The History of Virginia from the First Settlement to
the Dissolution of the London Company." Although it has been
criticized for its extreme length and detailedness, this history
is a scholarly, authoritative source still used by researchers for
knowledge of this period of history.
As the colonists in America were beginning to rebel against the
mother country, were gradually learning the feeling of freedom
and democracy and were becoming more settled in their mode of
living, their interests changed from problems of existence to
serious thoughts concerning government, rights of individuals and
political theories. The changing thoughts of the colonists were
reflected in the type of writings which began to appear prior to the
Revolutionary War.
George Washington, who is usually remembered foremost as the first
President of the United States and as the great military leader of
the Revolutionary War, must not be overlooked in the literary field.
Washington left numerous addresses, official documents, orders and
letters of various types. However, one of his finest literary works
is a personal diary kept by him, at the age of sixteen, while on a
surveying trip in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It has become
famous for its human quality and is simply named, "Journey over the
Mountains, 1748." Washington's acceptance as Commander-in-chief of
the United States Army, his "Farewell Speech" to the soldiers at the
end of the war, his acceptance of the Presidency and his "Farewell
Address"--all reveal the literary qualities which he possessed.
Patrick Henry of Hanover County spoke in dramatic fashion about
ideas and ideals which abounded in the minds of many other
Americans. Henry's arguments in the "Parsons' Case," his authorship
of the Virginia Resolutions prefaced by his famous "Caesar-Brutus"
Speech, his pleading address at the Continental Congress for the
arming of Virginia and his famous "Give me Liberty or Death"
Speech--all these words, written or spoken, are recorded for
posterity in the literature of the times.
Thomas Jefferson, the "Monticello Wizard" of multi-talents, made
considerable contributions to the historical, social and educational
fields. His "A Summary View of the Rights of British America,"
although considered radical in part, was a pamphlet which brought
widespread attention to the important issues of allegiance and
natural rights. Jefferson's language predominates in the Declaration
of Independence, and, as some authors of history and of literature
have asserted, Jefferson's fame would have been international from
this one document alone even if he had died at the conclusion
of this task. Jefferson rated his "Act for Religious Freedom in
Virginia" as one of the three greatest personal achievements of his
lifetime. After Jefferson retired to his home at Monticello upon
the completion of his Governorship, he wrote his famous "Notes on
Virginia."
George Mason, a native of Fairfax County, used a literary style
that is described as frank often to the point of bluntness, clear,
democratic and unassuming yet distinguished. An illustration of
this type of writing is a group of resolutions called the "Fairfax
Resolves"--so-called because they were presented at a meeting in
Fairfax County. George Mason was selected later at the Virginia
State Constitutional Convention at Williamsburg to pen a declaration
of aims for a State constitution. The Virginia Bill of Rights which
he proceeded to describe consists of the fundamental rights of man
which he believed must be guaranteed if happiness and peace are to
be attained. These ideas were considered so necessary to mankind
that eventually they were drawn upon for the Bill of Rights in the
United States Constitution and Bills of Rights in various other
State constitutions. Thus, the influence of George Mason of Gunston
Hall will be forever enshrined in the literary field as well as in
the political field.
Richard Henry Lee of Westmoreland County is included in a survey
of literary contributors because of his carefully worded public
addresses, his well-written "Leedstown Resolutions" and his
introduction of the famous resolution "that these united Colonies
are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States ..." at
the Philadelphia convention.
Excellent information about life on a Southern plantation is found
in "The Journal of Philip Vickers Fithian." This manuscript was
written in the form of a one-year diary and includes a description
of the life of Philip Fithian as a tutor to the children of Robert
Carter at Nomini Hall, Westmoreland County. His various letters and
a second diary describing a mission tour in Virginia taken after he
had become a Presbyterian minister also make enjoyable reading. His
untimely death at the age of twenty-eight while he was working as a
chaplain in a Revolutionary Army camp ended a literary career which
had begun most successfully.
Besides his political career, James Madison developed persuasive
writing techniques as illustrated in his contributions to "The
Federalist" papers. He wrote twenty articles in an effort to
encourage ratification of the United States Constitution. "The
Federalist" remains the greatest single written influence which
persuaded Americans who were doubtful about the Constitution to
decide finally in favor of it. Another example of his written powers
of persuasion is "A Memorial and Remonstrance to the Virginia
General Assembly" wherein he successfully defeated a proposal to
provide state support for the teaching of religion in Virginia.
He was an ardent believer in the separation of church and state.
The voluminous, lucid notes which Madison recorded during the
Philadelphia Constitutional Convention are still the sole source of
detailed, accurate information about this historical meeting.
St. George Tucker, a student and later a law professor at William
and Mary College and a Virginia judge, wrote two lyrical poems,
"Resignation" and "Days of My Youth," in addition to an annotated
edition of Blackstone's "Commentaries" consisting of five volumes.
Principles of government and of the Federal Constitution included
in the appendix of these works are regarded as legally significant.
Tucker showed his versatility by writing drama and political satires
as well as poetry. He is probably remembered best in literary
circles for "A Dissertation on Slavery: With a Proposal For the
Gradual Abolition of It in the State of Virginia."
John Taylor, a statesman, who served in the House of Delegates and
in the United States Senate, wrote many economic and political
treatises. His most widely-read work was "An Inquiry into the
Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States." His
strong advocacy of Jefferson's agrarian program gained him a reading
audience of farmers as well as statesmen.
John Marshall, a famous Virginian in the federal judiciary,
published in 1804-1807 a five-volume scholarly biography of George
Washington: "The Life of George Washington."
Mason Locke Weems, often called "Parson" Weems, was a native of
Maryland who married a Virginian and spent much of his life in
Virginia. In 1800, he published "A History of the Life and Death,
Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington, With Curious
Anecdotes Equally Honorable to Himself and Exemplary to His Young
Countrymen." He combined fact and fiction at his own discretion and
had a highly imaginative mind. He is believed to have introduced the
method of anecdote writing; the cherry tree episode and the throwing
of the Spanish dollar across the Rappahannock were included in his
biography of Washington. He later wrote biographies of Francis
Marion, Benjamin Franklin and William Penn. Weem's biographies are
enjoyable reading rather than accurate accounts of the lives of
these individuals.
Henry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee and widely known as "Light
Horse Harry" Lee, was selected as the individual to deliver the
funeral oration of George Washington. His "Tribute to Washington"
is a literary masterpiece which included the oft-quoted lines, in
referring to Washington, as "first in war, first in peace and first
in the hearts of his countrymen." Later, during his imprisonment
for an unpaid debt, he wrote "Memoirs of the War in the Southern
Department."
James McClurg, a delegate from Virginia to the Philadelphia
Constitutional Convention, enjoyed writing light verse. "The Belles
of Williamsburg" illustrates his type of poetry.
Although William Wirt is usually associated with law, his name is
also associated with literature. His best known work is "The Letters
of a British Spy" in which he included the oratorical ability of the
blind Presbyterian evangelist, James Waddell. Wirt published two
series of essays, called "The Rainbow" and "The Old Bachelor." He
also wrote a biography, titled "Sketches of the Life and Character
of Patrick Henry," which has been both favorably and unfavorably
criticized.
An individual whose original remarks, both written and oral, have
been classified as literarily significant is the famous political
leader, John Randolph of Roanoke. He is believed to have symbolized
the turning-point of the minds of Virginians from democratic and
international viewpoints to aristocratic and states rights' beliefs.
His stepfather was St. George Tucker who influenced him in his youth
to become intellectually acquainted through reading with some of
the great writers of the world: Shakespeare, Voltaire, Pope and
Goldsmith. In the literary field, he became noted for his clever,
though often sarcastic, epigrams, particularly those referring to
political leaders of the times. Although he himself did not publish
any material, his remarks have been recorded and were later printed
in a two-volume biography, entitled "John Randolph of Roanoke
1773-1833" by William Cabell Bruce.
Nathaniel Beverly Tucker was the half-brother of John Randolph of
Roanoke and the son of St. George Tucker. Born in Chesterfield
County, he became a lawyer, a judge and a professor of law at
William and Mary College. Although he was never able to attain
economically and socially this high planter type of social status,
he taught the necessity of an aristocracy. He expounded the doctrine
of secession, defended slavery in spite of his father's energetic
campaign against slavery and disliked practically everything outside
of Virginia. In 1836, he wrote "The Partisan Leader" under the
assumed name of Edward William Sidney. Since he strongly disliked
Martin Van Buren, he wrote this book in direct opposition to Van
Buren. He placed the time of the story as 1856 and then proceeded
to describe the happenings of a "dictatorship" which had been
established by Van Buren and the eventual secession of the Southern
states from the Union with a civil war as the result. Peculiarly
enough, this book was reprinted in 1861 as a propaganda technique by
both the North and the South: the North used it as an illustration
that the theory of secession had been planned and discussed for
years in the South and the South used it as an illustration that the
theory of secession had been justified and accepted for years. Two
major literary works of Tucker are "A Discourse on the Importance of
the Study of Political Science" and "The Principles of Pleading."
Francis Walker Gilmer, a native of Albemarle County and a brilliant
student at William and Mary where he prepared himself for a law
career, wrote an anonymous volume entitled "Sketches of American
Orators." His "Sketches, Essays and Translations" were published
posthumously.
William Alexander Caruthers was a medical doctor who enjoyed
writing. His most well-known book is "The Knights of the Horse-Shoe;
a Traditional Tale of the Cocked Hat Gentry in the Old Dominion."
He also wrote "The Kentuckian in New-York, or the Adventures of
Three Southerners," "The Cavaliers of Virginia, or the Recluse of
Jamestown" and "An Historical Romance of the Old Dominion."
The greatest literary genius of Virginia is generally considered to
be Edgar Allan Poe. Although born in Boston, Poe was adopted just
prior to his third birthday by the John Allan family of Richmond.
He is said to have once remarked to a friend: "I am a Virginian. At
least I call myself one." His early years were spent in Richmond,
and his early education was acquired in Richmond. Upon the death
of his stepmother, his stepfather arranged to get him appointed
to West Point. He had published two sets of poems before he was
twenty: "Tamerlane and Other Poems" and "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and
Minor Poems." After he had been dismissed from West Point one year
later, he decided to dedicate his life to writing. His third volume
of poetry entitled "Poems" was published by the age of twenty-two.
Poe spent the rest of his life combatting mental sickness, poverty
and loneliness. At the age of twenty-four, he began writing prose
work. He created the modern short story, the detective story and
wrote critical essays for the Southern Literary Messenger which
thrived through his writings. He became editor of this publication
in 1835. Other works written by Poe include "The Narrative of Arthur
Gordon Pym," "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque," "The Murders in
the Rue Morgue and The Man That Was Used Up," "Tales," "The Raven
and Other Poems" and "Eureka: A Prose Poem." He died at the age of
forty, the greatest literary purist the country had yet produced.
Another writer who contributed much to the Southern Literary
Messenger was Philip Pendleton Cooke of Martinsburg, Virginia (now
West Virginia). Although a lawyer by career, he spent much of his
time writing. His best-liked poem is "Florence Vane," a memorial
lyric. He wrote several poems and prose during his comparatively
short life of thirty-three years.
A survey of outstanding Virginia authors of the Mid-Nineteenth
Century Period would not be complete without mentioning the name
of Matthew Fontaine Maury who is not only recognized for his broad
knowledge of science and his unique ability of mapping winds and
ocean currents but also for his numerous articles on scientific
information. His "Physical Geography of the Sea" (1855) is the first
textbook written on modern oceanography and two other books, a
"Manual of Geography" and "Physical Geography," were well received
by the public.
Robert E. Lee became famous in a literary sense for his sincere,
humble, cleverly worded letters, particularly those concerning his
declining the command of the Federal army, his acceptance of the
command of the Virginia forces, his farewell to his Confederate
colleagues at the end of the War between the States and his
acceptance of the Presidency of Washington College after that war.
More books have been written about the period of the War between the
States than about any other similar period in United States history.
One writer who kept a detailed daily account of personal happenings
from May 1861 to May 1865 was Judith W. McGuire of Richmond. Her
"Diary of a Southern Refugee, During the War, by a Lady of Virginia"
was written originally for the benefit of younger members of the
family who at that time were not old enough to understand what
was happening but would presumably appreciate a first-hand report
when they were older. Mrs. McGuire's husband was a chaplain in
the Officers' Hospital in Richmond, and she served as a nurse in
Richmond after fleeing from their home in Alexandria. She later
authored a brief biography of Lee, entitled "General Robert E. Lee,
the Christian Soldier."
Individuals today are still writing biographies about military
leaders who participated in the War between the States. The first
important biography of "Stonewall" Jackson, however, was written
by an army chaplain, Robert Lewis Dabney. Although he had written
several articles on theology and religion, his most remembered work
is "Life and Campaigns of Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Jackson."
Since Dabney served as a Major on Jackson's staff, he had access
to first-hand information and personal observations of Jackson and
proceeded to utilize such information advantageously.
John Reuben Thompson, who was editor of the Southern Literary
Messenger from 1847 until 1860, was an author and a poet. He wrote a
description of his travels in Europe entitled "Across the Atlantic,"
but his literary reputation was based upon his pro-Confederate
articles and his war poems.
George William Bagby was an essayist and humorist of Buckingham
County. He succeeded Thompson as editor of the Southern Literary
Messenger. Although educated as a doctor, he preferred writing for
a career; six years after his graduation, he pursued his literary
interest. He contributed several articles to leading magazines of
the times: Harper's, Appleton's, Lippincott's, and Putnam's. His
sketches of everyday living are characterized by his human interest
touch and his unique technique of realism at that time. His lofty
idealism was supplemented by the ability to admit weaknesses as
well as strength of whatever or whomever he was discussing. The
work which is usually associated with his name is "The Old Virginia
Gentleman," a series of talks which he delivered to raise money for
historical societies of the state. He was an ardent devotee of the
Commonwealth and his writings exemplify this affectionate feeling.
James Barron Hope, a native of Norfolk, is another poet who also
contributed newspaper articles. He published "Leoni de Monote and
Other Poems," "A Collection of Poems" and "An Elegaic Ode," but his
most famous poem was created in 1882 when he wrote "Arms and the
Man: A Metrical Address" upon the invitation of Congress in honor of
the 100th anniversary of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
He also wrote a novel, "Under the Empire," and numerous stories for
children.