CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE -- MISS CARROLL'S YOUTHFUL LETTERS TO HER
FATHER -- RELIGIOUS TENDENCIES -- LETTERS FROM DR. ROBERT J.
BRECKENRIDGE -- SALE OF KINGSTON HALL -- EARLY WRITINGS -- LETTER OF
HON. EDWARD BATES -- BREAKING OUT OF THE CIVIL WAR -- PREOCCUPATION IN
MILITARY AFFAIRS.
On August the 29th, 1815, Anna Ella Carroll was born, at Kingston
Hall. By this time a little brick Episcopal church had also been built
at Rehoboth, but the congregation was too small to support a resident
clergyman, and it had to alternate with other churches in its
services. At this infant church, in due course of time, Anna Ella was
christened by the Rev. Mr. Slemmonds. She was the eldest child, and
thenceforth the pride of her distinguished father, who viewed with
delight her remarkable intelligence, and early made her his companion
in the political interests in which he took such an active part. It
soon became evident that this was a child of decided and unusual
character. When but three years old she would sit on a little stool at
her father's feet, in his library, listening intently as he read aloud
his favorite passages from Shakespeare.
[Illustration: KINGSTON HALL--Birth Place of Anna Ella Carroll.]
All Mr. Carroll's children were so drilled in Shakespeare that there
was not one of them who could not, when somewhat older, repeat long
passages by rote, and they made the rehearsal of scenes from
Shakespeare's plays one of their favorite amusements. Anna Ella showed
no taste for accomplishments; cared neither for dancing, drawing,
music, or needlework. She used to boast to her sisters that she had
made a shirt beautifully when ten years old; but they would smile at
the idea, as they had never seen her handle a needle and could
associate her only with books.
These were to her of absorbing interest, and books, too, of a grave
and thoughtful character. Alison's History and Kant's Philosophy were
her favorite reading at eleven years of age. She read fiction to some
extent, under her father's direction; but, with the exception of
Shakespeare and Scott, she never cared for it. While other girls of
her age were entranced by Sir Charles Grandison and fascinated by the
heroes of Bulwer's earlier novels, she turned from them to read Coke
and Blackstone with her father, and followed with him the political
debates and discussions of the day. She studied with lively interest
the principles and events which led to the separation of the Colonists
from the Mother Country, and buried herself in theological questions.
At a very early age her letters bore reference to the gravest
subjects. Imagination was never prominent; her mind was essentially
analytical. Pure reason and clear consecutive argument delighted her,
and works of that nature were eagerly sought by her.
Her life passed largely in her father's excellent library, which was
well stocked with classic works, both history, biography, philosophy,
and poetry, and her education was to him a constant delight.
Miss Carroll's early associates were the children of the neighboring
proprietors, the Handys, the Wilsons, the Gales, the Henrys, etc., and
she early made acquaintance with the distinguished men who where her
father's associates.
Mr. Carroll continued to serve in the Legislature until elected
Governor of Maryland, in 1829. On this occasion he received an
interesting letter from Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, congratulating
him and expressing his pride and gratification at the event. When
Governor Thomas King Carroll went to Annapolis, in performance of the
duties of his office, he was accompanied by Mrs. Carroll, with the
younger children and a group of servants under the superintendence of
the invaluable Mammy. Mrs. Carroll, by her beauty and accomplishments,
was well fitted to adorn her station. When the weather became warm she
returned with her children to Kingston Hall.
The following charming letters from Miss Carroll, then a girl of
fourteen, show the tenderness of the relation between father and
child, and at how early an age she interested herself in politics and
entered into the questions of the day:
KINGSTON HALL, _Jan. 20, 1830_.
My Precious Father:
My dearest mother received your letter on Monday, and we were all
happy to know you had arrived safely at the seat of government,
although the Annapolis paper had previously announced it.
Oh! my dear father, if I could but see you! I miss you--we all
miss you--beyond measure. The time passes tediously without you.
I have just read Governor Martin's last message.[1] I think it
quite well written. I wondered to see it published in the
_Telegraph_ [an opposition paper, I suppose]. I am anxious to see
what the Eastern papers say of your election. Please, dear
father, when anything relating to your political action is
published, whether in the form of a message, in pamphlet, or in
newspaper, do not fail to let us have them. I read with so much
pride your letter in the Annapolis paper. It merits all the
distinction and fame it has brought you. Too much could not be
said in praise of my noble father. Dr. K---- was here to-day. He
says they feel "quite exalted" to be so near neighbors to a
Governor.
When do you think the Legislature will rise? But I must not write
on political subjects only. Brother is delighted with his new
horse. The little children are begging dearest mother to write
you for them. May every blessing attend you, my precious father.
Be sure and write me a _long_ letter.
Your devoted daughter,
A. E. CARROLL.
[Footnote 1: He was Governor Carroll's
predecessor.]
KINGSTON HALL, _Feb. 17, 1830_.
My Beloved Father:
Again we are disappointed in your arrival home! _and how_
disappointed no tongue can tell. Dearest mother thought it
possible you might come on a little visit, even if the
Legislature did not rise.[2] You said in your last letter to me
that this was "probable." Why did you not say "_certain_?" Then
I would rejoice, for when my father says a thing is certain, I
_know_ it is certain. I am happy to tell you that I am much
better; have had a long and tedious spell. I would lie for hours
and think of you away from me, and if I had not the kindest and
tenderest mother to care for me and for us all, what should we
do. I understand that your appointments have not been generally
approved by the milk-and-water strata of the party, of course,
for no thorough Jackson man would denounce, even if he did not
approve. It is my principle, as well as that of Lycurgus, to
avoid "mediums"--that is to say, people who are not decidedly one
thing or the other. In politics they are the inveterate enemies
of the State. I hear there has been a committee appointed to
visit you on your return to the Hall and present a petition for
the removal of some whom you have recently appointed. They call
themselves reformers. I want reform, too, even in court criers,
but to be forever reforming reform is absurd. I know whatever you
do is _right_, and needs no reform, my wisest and dearest of
fathers.
Write as soon as you can to your loving child,
A. E. CARROLL.
[Footnote 2: At that time the sessions of the
Legislature were not restricted, as now they are,
to sixty days.]
Mrs. Carroll was a devoted member of the Church of England, as was
natural in the daughter of staunch Dr. Stevenson.
As there were no Sunday schools in those days, Mrs. Carroll gathered
her children around her on Sunday afternoons and drilled them in the
church catechism until it was as familiar to them as their A B C; but
Anna Ella always inclined to the Westminster Confession and the tenets
in which her father's childhood had been so rigorously educated.
When about fifteen Miss Carroll was sent to a boarding school, at West
River, near Annapolis, to pursue her studies with Miss Margaret
Mercer, an accomplished teacher.
Thomas King Carroll, at the same age, had been sent to the University
of Pennsylvania, and afterward to the law school; but for this girl of
gifts so remarkable, and of a character so decided, the best thing
that the world of those times offered was a young ladies' boarding
school of the olden time. Well it was for her and her country that her
exceptional position as the cherished daughter of a man of such
education and talent, occupied with political affairs, secured for her
an education that would otherwise have been unattainable to her.
However, she made the best possible use of such education as a
ladylike school permitted, was noted for her intelligence, and made
many friends; but her true education began and continued with Governor
Carroll at home.
Miss Carroll had early shown an intense interest in moral and
religious questions, following her father's views on these subjects.
She became interested in the ministrations of Dr. Robert J.
Breckenridge, of Kentucky, then settled over a Presbyterian church in
Baltimore.
Dr. Breckenridge was the uncle of John C. Breckenridge, afterward one
of the leading secessionists, utterly opposed to his uncle in
political views, and one of the candidates for the Presidency in 1860.
Dr. Robert J. Breckenridge was a valued friend of Governor Carroll.
Miss Anna Ella became a communicant and earnest member of his church,
and a mutual friendship arose, terminated only by the death of the
aged minister, who has left on record his high appreciation of the
mental abilities and the great services afterward rendered by his
remarkable parishioner.
We will give in part two letters from this excellent man to Miss
Carroll, written from Kentucky in after years. For want of space we
must greatly shorten them.
DANVILLE, Ky., _December 6, 1864_.
My Excellent Friend:
It is very seldom I have read a letter with more gratification
than yours of November 29th. How kind it is of you, after so many
events, to remember me; and how many people and events and trials
and enjoyments, connected with years of labor, rush through my
heart and my brain as you recall Maryland and Baltimore so
freshly and suddenly to me; and how noble is the picture of a
fine life, well spent, which the modest detail of some of your
efforts realizes to me. It is no extravagance, not even a trace
of romance; it is a true enjoyment, and deeply affecting, too,
that you give me in what you recount and what is recalled
thereby. For what is there in our advanced life more worthy of
thankfulness to God than that our former years were such that if
we remember them with tears they are tears of which we need not
be ashamed. My life during the almost twenty years since I left
Maryland has been, as the preceding period had all been, a scene
of unremitting effort in very many ways; and now, if the force of
invincible habit permitted me to live otherwise, I should hardly
escape by any other means a solitary if not a desolate old age.
Solitary, because of a numerous family all, except one young
son, are either in the great battle of life or in their graves.
Desolate, because the terrible curse which marks our times and
desolates our country has divided my house, like thousands of
others, and my children literally fight in opposite armies and my
kindred and friends die by each other's hands. There is no
likelihood, in my opinion, that our Legislature will send me to
the Senate of the United States; and will you wonder if I assure
you that I have never desired that they should. Was it not a
purer, perhaps a higher, ambition to prove that in the most
frightful times and through long years a simple citizen had it in
his power by his example, his voice and his pen, by courage, by
disinterestedness, by toil, to become a real power in the State
of himself; and have not you, delicately nurtured woman as you
are, also cherished a similar ambition and done a similar work,
even from a more difficult position? * * * I beg to be remembered
in kind terms to your father, and that you will accept the
assurances of my great respect and esteem.
ROBERT J. BRECKENRIDGE.
DANVILLE, Ky., _April 27, 1865_.
My Dear Miss Carroll:
* * * You will easily understand how much I value the good
opinion you express of my past efforts to serve our country, and
of my ability to serve it still further; and it is very kind of
you to report to me with your approbation the good opinion of
others, whom to have satisfied is in a measure fame. * * * Many
years ago, without reserve and with a perfect and irrevocable
consecration, I gave myself and all I had to Him, and have never,
for one moment, regretted that I did so. The single principle of
my existence, from that day to this, has been to do with my might
what it was given to me to see it was God's will I should do.
You see, my dear Miss Carroll, that I, who never sought anything,
am not now capable of seeking anything, nor even permitted to do
so; and, on the other hand, that I, who never refused to
undertake any duty, am not allowed now to hesitate, if the Lord
shows me the way, nor permitted to refuse what my country might
demand of me. This is all I can say--all I have cared to say for
nearly my whole life. I would not turn my hand over to secure any
earthly power or distinction. I would not hesitate a moment to
lay down my life to please God or to bless my country.
Mr. Lincoln was my personal friend and habitually expressed
sentiments to me which did me the highest honor.
It gives me pleasure to learn that you propose to publish annals
of this revolution, and I trust you will be spared to execute
your purpose.
Make my cordial salutations to your father and accept the
assurance of my high respect and esteem.
Your friend, &c.,
R. J. BRECKENRIDGE.
Miss Carroll was very pleasing, with a fine and intelligent face, an
animated and cordial manner, and great life and vivacity, roused into
fire and enthusiasm on any topic that appealed to her intellect and
her sympathies. Naturally, in so favorable a social position and with
such gifts, she received early in life much attention and had offers
of marriage from many distinguished parties; but she never seemed
inclined to change her condition or to give up the beloved
companionship of her father. A literary life and his congenial
presence seemed to be all-sufficient for her, and she remained his
devoted companion until his death, in 1873, when she also, the child
of his youth, was well advanced in life.
After Governor Carroll's term of office had expired he returned to his
estate, and shortly after he was waited upon by a deputation, who had
been sent to enquire if he would accept a nomination as United States
Senator. But at that time Mrs. Carroll was dangerously ill. His
extensive plantation and group of children required his presence, and
he declined to serve. He was devoted to his wife, and their marriage
was one of unbroken harmony until her death, in 1849. Governor Carroll
devoted himself thereafter to the necessities of his family and
estate.
Anna Ella Carroll frequently visited her friends at Washington, and
early commenced an extended relation with the press, writing usually
anonymously on the political subjects of the day. A friend of her
father, Thomas Hicks, considered that he owed his election as Governor
of Maryland largely to the articles which she contributed in his
favor, and he retained through life a strong personal friendship and
high admiration for her intellectual powers. At his death he left her
his papers and letters, to be edited by her--a labor prevented by her
subsequent illness. In 1857 Miss Carroll published a considerable
work, entitled "The Great American Battle," or Political Romanism,
that being the subject of immediate discussion at that time. This work
was compiled from a series of letters contributed by her to the press,
and her family knew nothing of the project until she surprised them by
the presentation of the bound volume.
Old Sir Thomas King would certainly have been greatly gratified if he
could have known how vigorously his great-granddaughter was to uphold
the banner of religious and political freedom. This work was
accompanied by an excellent portrait of the authoress in the prime of
life, which we here reproduce for our present readers.
In the following year Miss Carroll published another considerable
work, entitled "The Star of the West," relating to the exploration of
our Western Territories, their characteristics, the origin of the
National claims, and our duties towards our new acquisitions, and she
urged the building of the Pacific railroad. This seems to have been
one of her most popular works, as it went through several editions,
and greatly extended her acquaintance with leading men.
The following letter, written by the Hon. Edward Bates, is very
descriptive of Miss Carroll and evinces the admiration and esteem
which she inspired among those best fitted to appreciate her high
character, her uncommon cultivation, and natural gifts.
WASHINGTON, D. C., _October 3, 1863_.
To Hon. Isaac Hazlehurst, _of Philadelphia_.
My Dear Sir: I have just received a note from Miss Anna Ella
Carroll, of Maryland, informing me she is going to Philadelphia,
where she is a comparative stranger, and desiring an introduction
to some of the eminent publicists of your famous city.
I venture to present her to you, sir, first, as an unquestionable
lady of the highest personal standing and family connection;
second, as a person of superior mind, highly cultivated,
especially in the solids of American literature, political
history, and constitutional law; third, of strong will,
indomitable courage, and patient labor. Guided by the light of
her own understanding, she seeks truth among the mixed materials
of other minds, and having found it, maintains it against all
obstacles; fourth and last, a writer fluent, cogent, and
abounding with evidence of patient investigation and original
thought.
I commend her to your courtesy, less for the delicate attentions
proper for the drawing room than for the higher communion of
congenial students, alike devoted to the good of the
Commonwealth.
With the greatest respect, I remain, sir, your friend and
servant.
EDWARD BATES.
As time went on, Thomas King Carroll, now advanced in years, many of
his children married and scattered, began to find his estate and great
group of dependents a burdensome and unprofitable possession.
Under a humane master, unwilling to sell his slaves, they were apt to
increase beyond the resources of the plantation to sustain them.
Ready-money payment was not the general rule upon plantations.
Abundance of food was produced, but money was not very plentiful when
markets were distant and trade very limited.
It was not unusual for debts to accumulate and even to be handed down
from father to son. The creditors rather favored this state of things,
as the debt drew interest. As long as there were plenty of slaves,
their ultimate payment was secure whenever they chose to press for
it. If the money was not then forthcoming, their redress was
certain--a descent followed of that brutal intermediary, "the nigger
dealer," loathed and dreaded alike by master and servant. A sufficient
amount of the human property was speedily secured and driven off for
sale to satisfy the creditor. To the slave, torn from his home and his
life-long ties, it was despair. To the master's family, often a bitter
grief. They might shut themselves up and weep at the outrage, but they
were powerless in the face of an inexorable system. To the master,
therefore, as the slaves increased, there could often be no
alternative between ruthless sale and financial ruin. Thomas King
Carroll, honorable, humane, unwilling to sell his slaves, immersed
during the best years of his life in political affairs, found in later
years his burdens increasing, and his kindness of heart had involved
him also in some especial difficulties. He had on several occasions
allowed his name to be used as security for friends in difficulty. Two
or three of these debts remained unpaid and the responsibility came
upon him. One especially, of an unusually large amount, involved him
in embarrassment which led him to determine on the sale of his
plantation. A neighbor and intimate friend, Mr. Dennis, was desirous
to purchase, and very sorrowfully Thomas King Carroll came to the
resolution to give up his ancestral home. As he was accustomed to say,
he loved every corner and every stone upon the place, but the burden
had become too great for his declining strength.
The sale was effected and Mr. Carroll removed to Dorchester county,
on the eastern side of the Chesapeake, with his unmarried children,
and here he died, in 1873, in his 80th year.
Governor Carroll is described in the annals of the State as "one of
the best men Maryland has ever produced," a man of _character
unsullied_ and of lofty integrity.
At the breaking out of the civil war Mr. Carroll was already an
elderly man. At first his sympathies were with his own section, but
after the attack on Fort Sumter they were steadily enlisted for the
National cause, though he foresaw that its triumph would lead to the
destruction of his own fortunes and those of his children.
Most of the slaves had been left on the plantation, but some had
always been considered the especial property of each of his children.
Thus Anna Ella Carroll had her own group. At the very outset of the
war she fully realized that slavery was at the root of the rebellion,
and she at once liberated her own slaves and devoted her time, her
pen, and all her resources to the maintenance of the National cause.
She immediately commenced a series of writings of such marked ability
that they speedily attracted the attention of Mr. Lincoln and the
Administration. Governor Hicks, too, placed in a situation of unusual
difficulty, turned to his able friend for consultation and for moral
and literary support.
Jefferson Davis, who was aware of Miss Carroll's great literary and
social influence, wrote to her early in the secession movement
adjuring her to induce her father to take sides with the South.
"I will give him any position he asks for," wrote Mr. Davis.
"Not if you will give him the whole South," replied Miss Carroll.
A visitor to her in 1861 says: "Her room was lined with military maps,
her tables covered with papers and war documents. She would talk of
nothing but the war. Her countenance would light up most radiantly as
she spoke of the Union victories and the certainty that the great
Nation must win an ultimate success."
When fresh news from the army came in she would step up to one of her
charts and, placing a finger on a point, she would say: "Here is
General ----'s detachment; here is the rebel army; such and such are
the fortifications and surrounding circumstances; and she would then
begin thoughtfully to predicate the result and suggest the proper
move."
We will give a sketch of the situation in the early days of the
secession movement, mainly in the words of Miss Carroll's own able
account, afterwards published by order of Congress.
_List of Documents in Relation to Services Rendered by Anna Ella
Carroll, to be Found in the Descriptive Catalogue of the Congressional
Library._
* * * * *
(Descriptive Catalogue, page 911.)
Petition for compensation for services. Anna Ella Carroll. March 31,
1870. Senate Mis. Doc. No. 100, 41st Congress, 2d session.
* * * * *
(Catalogue, page 928.)
Report on memorial of Miss Carroll. Senator Howard. February 2, 1871.
Senate report No. 339, 41st Congress, 3d session.
* * * * *
(Catalogue, page 962.)
Memorial for payment of services. June 8, 1872. Senate Mis. Doc. No.
167, 42d Congress, 2d session, vol. II.
* * * * *
(Catalogue, page 1058.)
Petition for compensation for services. Anna Ella Carroll. February
14, 1876. House Mis. Doc. No. 179, 44th Congress, 1st session, vol.
IX.
* * * * *
(Catalogue, page 1099.)
Memorial of Anna Ella Carroll. October 22, 1877. Senate Mis. Doc. No.
5, 45th Congress, 1st session, vol. I.
* * * * *
(Catalogue, page 1128.)
House of Representatives. Mis. Doc. No. 58, 45th Congress, 2d session.
Claim of Anna Ella Carroll. Memorial of Anna Ella Carroll, of
Maryland, praying for compensation for services rendered to the United
States during the late civil war. May 18, 1878.
* * * * *
(Catalogue, page 1149.)
Report on claim of Anna Ella Carroll. Senator Cockrell February 18,
1879. Senate Report No. 775, 45th Congress, 3d session, vol. II.
* * * * *
(Catalogue, page 1241.)
Report of claim of Anna Ella Carroll. Representative E. S. Bragg.
March 3, 1881. House report No. 386, 46th Congress, 3d session, vol.
II.
Note.--Most of these only to be seen by consulting the bound volumes
in the Congressional Library.
* * * * *
(All the following letters, reports, etc., concerning Miss Carroll's
literary and military services are reproduced from these Congressional
documents.)
[Illustration: Thomas A. Scott]