We need hardly commend to the American public this attempt to describe
and familiarize the habitual dwelling-places of some of the more
eminent of our Statesmen. In bringing together such particulars as we
could gather, of the homes of the men to whom we owe our own, we
feel that we have performed an acceptable and not unnecessary service.
The generation who were too well acquainted with these intimate personal
circumstances to think of recording them, is fast passing away; and
their successors, while acknowledging a vast debt of gratitude, might
still forget to preserve and cherish the individual and private memories
of the benefactors of our country and race. We therefore present our
contribution to the national annals with confidence, hoping that in
all respects the present volume will be found no unworthy or unwelcome
successor of the "Homes of American Authors."
Dr. R.W. Griswold having been prevented by ill health from
contributing an original paper on Marshall, we have availed ourselves,
with his kind permission, of the sketch which he prepared for
the "Prose Writers of America." All the other papers in the present
volume have been written expressly for it: and the best acknowledgments
of the publishers are due to the several contributors for the zealous
interest and ability to which these sketches bear witness.
For several of the original letters which we have copied in
_fac-simile_, we are indebted to the kindness of the Rev. Dr. Sprague
of Albany.
The drawing of the residence of the "Washington Family," and a few of
the smaller cuts, have been copied, with some variations, from
Mr. Lossing's very valuable work, "The Field-Book of the Revolution."
Most of the other illustrations have been engraved from original
drawings, or daguerreotypes taken for the purpose.