The Memories of Fifty Years: Containing Brief Biographical Notices of Distinguished Americans, and Anecdotes of Remarkable Men; Interspersed with Scenes and Incidents Occurring during a Long Life of Observation Chiefly Spent in the SouthwestSparks, W. H. (William Henry)
History
The Memories of Fifty Years: Containing Brief Biographical Notices of Distinguished Americans, and Anecdotes of Remarkable Men; Interspersed with Scenes and Incidents Occurring during a Long Life of Observation Chiefly Spent in the Southwest
Sparks, W. H. (William Henry)
Georgia -- History -- 1775-1865; Southwest, Old -- History; United States -- Biography
"Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous,
Old, feeble, carious, and such suffering souls
That welcome wrongs, unto bad causes. Swear
Such creatures as men doubt, but do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprise,
Nor the unsuppressive mettle of our spirits,
To think that our cause, or our performance,
Did need an oath; when every drop of blood
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a several bastardy
If he do break the smallest particle
Of any promise that hath passed from him."
Though a boy, the effect upon the audience was electrical. The nature
of his boy representative was the same as that which animated Rome's
noblest son. From his soul he felt every word, and they burned from his
lips, with a truth to his soul and sentiments, that went home to every
heart in that assembly of plain farmers, and their wives and daughters.
There were not ten, perhaps, who had ever witnessed a theatrical
entertainment, but their hearts were mortal and honest, and they saw in
the mimic youth the impersonation of the nobility of soul, and mighty
truth, and the spontaneous burst of applause was but the sincerity of
truth. The exclamation of one I shall never forget: "He is cut out for
a great man." There was no stage-trick; he had never seen a theatre.
There was no assumption of fictitious feeling; but nature bubbled up in
his heart, and the words of Shakspeare, put into the mouth of Brutus,
were but the echo of the deep, true feelings of his soul. Through all
his life this great nature adorned his conversation, and exemplified
his conduct.
The soul of Brutus was born in Lamar. All the truth and chivalry
illustrative of the conduct of the one, was palpable in the other. Let
those who saw him, at San Jacinto, at the head of his sixty horsemen,
ride upon the ranks of Santa Anna's hosts, tell of his bearing in that
memorable charge, when he rose in his stirrups, and, waving his sword
over his head, exclaimed: "Remember, men, the Alamo! Remember Goliad,
Fannin, Bowie, and Travis! Charge! and strike in vengeance for the
murdered of our companions." Resistless as the tempest, they followed
his lead, and swept down upon the foe, charging through, and
disordering their ranks, and, following in their flight for miles, made
many a Mexican bite the dust, or yield himself a prisoner to their
intrepidity. To this charge was solely attributable the capture of
Santa Anna, Almonte, and the principal portion of the Mexican army, and
the establishment of Texan independence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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