Painted in New York City by Samuel L. Waldo in 1840 or 1841 on a panel which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. This panel picture is thought to be the original of the portrait of Jackson that hangs in the Mayor's office, New Orleans, Louisiana.

CHAPTER 10.

Narrative of the life, travels and circumstances
incident thereto, of William G. Brownlow,
written by himself.

"Few persons, who have arrived at any degree of eminence in life, have written memorials of themselves, that is, such as have embraced both their private and public life; but many, very many, who never arose to anything like eminence in this life, have written such memorials of themselves; therefore, knowing as I do, that I have never arisen to anything like eminence, and that it is the custom of such only, to write out a full history of themselves, I proceed to the performance of the task. However, the public transactions of many great men, have been recorded by their contemporaries or themselves, apparently too with the best of motives; but why such and such things occurred, and are thus recorded; and why such and such other events which are not related, have been passed by in silence, we are rarely told.

"Now, I maintain, that the bad as well as the good acts of a man should be related; and then, the reader, having the whole man before him, is the better prepared to award to him a righteous verdict. But it will, perhaps, be urged, that a man should so conduct himself as to be wholly free from improprieties, especially a minister of the gospel. To this I reply, that if the memoirs of only such as have lived and died without fault, were written, we should seldom, if ever, see a production of the kind.

"But if there be more evil than good attached to a man, what are we to do? Why, put your veto upon him, and determine not to follow his footsteps. But what shall we do when there is more good than evil attached to the life and travels of a man? Why, faithfully relate the whole, and then profit by his example, in that he has done good. But when the scale is so perfectly poised that neither end preponderates, what shall we do? Why, balance accounts and strike off even!

"Few men can be said to have inimitable excellencies, or inimitable failings; let us watch them in their progress from infancy to manhood, and we shall soon be convinced that while we imitate their virtues, we should shun their vices. Then to profit by the past lives and conduct of others, we should exhibit them in full. This done, we cannot fail to receive benefit by an attentive perusal of what has past, unless we are 'such as cannot teach, and will not learn.'

"That a man, engaged solely in thework of propagating christianity-in carrying the light of the gospel among the people-in opposing error, and defending the cause of truth-and, finally, in going about it like his Saviour, endeavoring to do good to all,

should find himself exposed to enemies, or should meet with opposition, may seem strange! But history and observation inform us, that this has been the lot of all public men, in a greater or less dedegree. While some emblazon a man's virtues, others will amplify his faults. A majority, however, labor

"The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,

To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,'

rather than pursue the opposite course; and, it is not unlikely, that on this account, so few public characters have justice done them.

"Again: While the shafts of unmerited censure are hurled against some men, and they are doomed to bear the base insinuations of invidious tongues, they never-the-less rise to victorious eminence, having to all appearance, taken fresh courage from the circumstance! But alas for others! They seem to sink beneath the load, and, with the poet they are ready to exclaim:

'While sorrow's encompass me round,

And endless distresses I see:

Astonish'd I cry! can a mortal be found,
That's surrounded with troubles like me.'

"Perhaps it may be asked, who is the person that offers this volume to the world? In this the inquisitive reader shall be gratified, for short and simple are the domestic annals of one who has not even reached his thirtieth year. I am the eldest son of Joseph A. Brownlow, who was born and raised in Rockbridge county, in Virginia, in the year 1781, and died in Blountville, in Tennessee, in the year 1816. My father died when I was so young that I could not have been a judge of his character-but it has been a source of comfort to me, to hear him spoken of by his old associates, as a man of good sense, brave independence, and great integrity.

"The death of my father was a grevious affliction to my mother, as she was left with five helpless children, three sons and two daughters, all of whom are still living. Her maiden name was Catherine Ganaway, a Virginian likewise, and of respectable parentage. But she departed this transitory life in less than three months after the death of her husband. Being naturally mild and agreeable in her temperament, she was strongly endeared to a large circle of friends and acquaintances. But their consolation is in this, that when sinking into the cold embrace of death, she was happy in the religion of Christ.

"However, accounts of the parentage of a man, unless connected with some very peculiar circumstances, are generally uninteresting; and more particularly, when their names are not intimately interwoven with the history of their own country, or of any other. Besides this, if a man's parents, whether dead or alive, are known to have possessed great merits, they will be appreciated, and therefore need not to be blazoned by the pen of eulogy.

"I was born (and chiefly raised) in Wythe County, in Virginia. After the death of my parents, I lived with my mother's relations, till within three years of the time I joined the Methodist itinerancy, and was appointed to labor as a circuit preacher. I can say and I think it my duty not to pass over the fact in this brief narrative, that I feel towards those relations for their parental care over me, a degree of gratitude and affection, which can only spring from the laws of nature, and the social relations of life.

"As to the days of my childhood, they passed away as those of other children, carrying with them the pleasures and pains, common to that season. I could, however, relate many interesting incidents, connected with the history of my boyhood; but lest I justly incur the charge of egotism, I will pass them by in silence. "At a very early period in my life I had impressions of a religious nature, which were never erased from my mind; and though I made no profession of religion until I arrived within two years of mature age, and was even rude, yet, I had the utmost respect for professors of religion, and particularly ministers of the gospel.

"During the month of September, in the year 1825, at which time I resided in Abingdon, I attended a camp-meeting, at the Sulpher Springs, twenty miles east of that, when it pleased God to give me the witness of the Spirit. There is a concentration of feeling, a glow of fancy,-I may say of religious affection, connected with the recollection of that circumstance, which I delight. to enjoy. It was here I felt the Lord gracious, and was enabled to shout aloud the wonders of my redeeming love. All my anxieties were then at an end-all my hopes were realized-my happiness was complete. From this time I began to feel an increasing desire for the salvation of sinners; and in order, more effectually, to engage in this work, I returned to Wythe, and spent the ensuing year in going to school to William Horne, an amiable young man, and a fine scholar, who, poor fellow! has long since gone to his long home.

"My education was plain, though regular in those branches taught in common schools. And even now, though I have endeavored to study one science after another, and have been pouring over books, pamphlets, and periodicals of every description, by night and by day, for the last nine years, my pretensions are of the most humble kind.

"At the second regular session of the Holston Annual Conference, held in Abngdon, Va., under the superintendence of Bishop Soule, in the fall of 1826, I was received into the traveling connection on trial, and appointed to the Black Mountain circuit, in North Carolina, under Goodson McDaniel. I had now to exchange the company of affectionate friends, for the society of persons with whom I had no acquaintance. This was a most affecting time, and will not soon be forgotten by the writer. I entered on the labors of this year with many painful apprehensions. There were not a few on this circuit, as I was previously informed, whose minds were very much prejudiced against the Methodists.