Page:The partisan leader- a novel, and an apocalypse of the origin and struggles of the southern confederacy (IA partisanleadernotucker).pdf/8

taken the venerable copy and turned it over and said, so skeptically, this indeed looks like an old book, as that, by an unpleasant association of ideas, I have almost fancied myself suspected as a sort of Thomas Chatterton, with his affected old Saxon style, and black-lettered, artificially-blurred volumes, attempting to impose on the literary world. Many, however, will hail it as an old friend, whose eccentricities once served to amuse their idle hours; but treated at best with neglect, had withdrawn, and so secluded himself, that when by experience, they discover that "his folly was wiser than their wisdom," comes not promptly, when in their perplexity they call for him, but waits for the darkest hour,^[1] and then in the benign and venerable aspect of a prophet of God, comes to remind "of how these things must needs be," and in his very salutation speaking words of cheer, and heralding a bright and glorious day.

It was for a number of years unknown who "Edward William Sidney" was. Indeed, that the public has remained in doubt to a very recent period, if not to this hour, will appear from the following quotation from the Southern Literary Messenger of June 1861. The editor, introducing a notice of the "Partisan Leader," as recently re-published in the North, taken from the Baltimore Exchange, says: "We see that some of our exchanges have given tion to the credit to the novel in question to the pen of Judge Upshur, of Virginia, who was killed by the bursting of the 'Peacemaker;' but we believe the Baltimore Exchange is correct in attributing it to Judge Beverley Tucker of Virginia." It will be, therefore, gratifying to see this question set fully at rest, as is most satisfactorily done, in the following communication furnished me by Lieut. Governor Montague, of Virginia:

Richmond, July 6th, 1862.

Dear Sir—I have received yours of the 30th ult., asking me to give you any information I possess as to the authorship of a book called "The Partisan Leader." The late Judge Beverley Tucker, of Williamsburg, was the author of the work; and the first time I ever heard him declare he wrote the book was under the following circumstances: In 1842 or 43, I do not now remember the precise period, the Hon. J. M. Botts accused the late Judge A. P. Upshur, in a printed communication, of being a disunionist, and among other items of evidence brought forward by Mr. Botts to sustain this charge, as well as I now recollect, it was insinuated that Judge Upshur was the author of "The Partisan Leader." This controversy excited a good deal of interest in Williamsburg, where Judge Upshur had many warm friends and admirers. I was at that time a student of William and Mary College, and a member of Judge Tucker's class, and on this occasion I heard him declare to his class that he wrote the book and was responsible for whatever sins or heresies it contained. This was the first time I ever heard him refer to the subject. After this I heard him refer to it frequently in private. I have often heard him

1. Written during the bloody week at Richmond.