As I had satisfied myself that the vessel, having found support, could not sink any deeper, and consequently that there was no farther danger to those on board, I thought that I might dispense with making other voyages, and occupy myself a little with the general, for whom we established a good bivouac around a large fire of dry branches. In the midst of this occupation, Mr. George and Mr. de Syon, with the remainder of the passengers, arrived. We then learnt that at the moment of the wreck, Mr. George, seeing that I was in the boat to watch over his father, had returned to the cabin, into which the water had already penetrated, and had made Bastien and Mr. de Syon, who were imprudently endeavouring to save their effects, leave it. Then, only yielding ground as the water forced him, he had indefatigably occupied himself with the care of those around him. At one moment, the water reached to the middle of his body. But his coolness and presence of mind reassured some persons, who, without him, would perhaps have been dismayed and exposed to the greatest danger. Finally, we were told, he would not leave the vessel, until he was satisfied, that all who remained on board belonged to her and could dispense with his assistance. “Mr. George Lafayette must often have been shipwrecked,” said the captain, “for he has behaved tonight as if he was accustomed to such adventures.”
From other accounts, it appears that almost immediately after the departure of the general, the water entered our cabin with a violence which would not have permitted us to leave it, if we had remained there a few minutes longer.
When we were well assured that no person had perished, we lighted several large fires as well for the purpose of drying ourselves, as to discover our situation. The general slept for some moments on a mattrass which had been found floating, and was nearly dry on one side. The rest waited impatiently for day, and occupied ourselves in cutting wood to keep up the fires. A tolerably heavy rain added to our troubles, but fortunately it was not of long continuance.
At day break, they recommenced their trips to the vessel, to endeavour to save some of the baggage and to procure food. The captain, Governor Carrol of Tennessee, and a young Virginian, Mr. Crawford, directed these researches with great activity. It was a singular and touching event, to see a governor of a state, that is to say, a first magistrate of a republic, without shoes, stockings or hat, doing the duty of a boatman as if it had been his real occupation, and that much more for the benefit of others than for himself, for he had very little on board to lose by the shipwreck. Those different searches obtained us a trunk belonging to the general, in which were his most valuable papers, and a small part of the passengers’ baggage. They also brought a leg of smoked venison, some biscuits, a case of claret and a keg of Madeira. With these provisions, about fifty men, for such was our number, repaired their strength, exhausted by a night of labour and anxiety.
The day, on its return, shone on an interesting picture. The shore was covered with wrecks of all kinds, in the midst of which each eagerly searched for their own property; some mournfully recounted the extent of their losses, others could not avoid laughing at the nakedness or costume in which they found themselves; this gaiety soon became prevalent, and pleasantries circulated around the fires of our bivouac, and at last smoothed the visages of the most sorrowful, and almost transformed our shipwreck into a party of pleasure.
At nine o’clock we induced the general to cross the river, and go to a house we perceived on the other bank, to shelter himself from the storm which threatened us. Mr. Thibeaudot and Bastien accompanied him. He had scarcely left us, when one of the party, who was on the look out on the shore, pointed out to us a steam-boat descending the river, and immediately afterwards another. This double news filled us with joy and hope. Soon these two vessels arrived opposite to us and stopped. One of them, a vessel of large size and remarkable beauty, was the Paragon; she came from Louisville and was going to New Orleans, with a heavy cargo of whiskey and tobacco. By a very lucky circumstance for us, one of our companions in misfortune, Mr. Neilson, was one of the owners of this vessel, and hastened to put it at the disposal of the Tennessee committee to transport General Lafayette, generously taking on himself all the chances of another misfortune and the loss of insurance. Immediately our whole party, abandoning our bivouac, repaired on board of the Paragon. Before leaving the captain of the Artisan, who remained with his vessel to endeavour to save something, we offered him our services, which he peremptorily refused, assuring us that he had hands enough for this work. But the poor man was very much depressed, not from the loss of the vessel, nor that of 1200 dollars he had on board, or even from any fear of not finding employment; his grief arose from having shipwrecked the guest of the nation. “Never,” said he, “will my fellow citizens pardon me for the perils to which Lafayette was exposed last night.” To endeavour to calm him, we drew up and all signed a declaration, in which we attested that the loss of the Artisan could not be attributed either to the unskilfulness or imprudence of Captain Hall, whose courage and disinterestedness had been experienced by us all during the accident. This declaration, which was sincere on the part of all the signers, appeared to give him great pleasure, but did not entirely console him. As soon as the Paragon got under way, I went with Mr. George Lafayette in search of his father. After half an hour’s rowing, we re-joined our new vessel, which in two days, and without accident, conducted us to Louisville, where we remained twenty-four hours. It was about 125 miles from that place, near the mouth of Deer Creek, that we met with our misfortune.
The entertainments given to General Lafayette at Louisville were marred by the stormy weather; but the expression of public feeling was not the less pleasing to him. The idea of the danger he had incurred, excited in all breasts a tender solicitude, which every one testified with that simplicity and truth of expression only appertaining to freemen. In the midst of the joy occasioned by the arrival of Lafayette, the citizens of Louisville did not forget the noble disinterestedness of Mr. Neilson, to whom they presented the strongest proofs of gratitude. His name was coupled with that of the general, in the toasts they gave at the public dinner. The insurance company declared that the Paragon should remain insured without an additional charge, and the city presented him a magnificent piece of plate, on which was engraved the thanks of the Tennesseans and Kentuckians for the generous manner in which he had risked the greater part of his fortune that the national guest should receive no delay nor inconvenience in his journey.
The day after our arrival, notwithstanding the badness of the weather, the general crossed the Ohio to accept the invitation that was sent him by the citizens of Jeffersonville in the state of Indiana. He remained there some hours, and returned in the evening to Louisville to attend a dinner, ball, and various spectacles that had been prepared for him. On Friday morning, the 12th of May, after having presented a standard to a corps of volunteer cavalry that had been expressly formed some days previous, to escort him on his arrival, he began his journey by land to Cincinnati, passing through the state of Kentucky, as he wished to visit its principal towns, Frankfort, Lexington, &c. Governor Carrol, who, after having fulfilled his mission, in placing the guest of the nation under the care of the Kentucky committee, wished to return home, with his staff, yielded to the pressing invitations which were given him by the committee to accompany General Lafayette yet farther. On the day of our departure, all the militia were under arms. We found, by their excellent discipline, armament and uniforms, that they strongly resembled those of Tennessee, with whom they are united in brotherly feeling, to which the events of the last war gave a new force.
At the end of our first day’s journey, we arrived at Shelbyville, a large and flourishing village, situated in the midst of a most fertile and diversified country; the next day, at four o’clock in the afternoon, the general made his entrance into Frankfort, the seat of government of Kentucky. The entertainments given on this occasion by the inhabitants of the town, to which were joined those of the neighbouring counties, were very brilliant, and strongly impressed with that ardent and patriotic character which distinguishes all the states of the Union, but which, among the Kentuckians, is more manifest, and expressed with all the energy of a young people, enthusiastic in the cause of liberty.
After having traversed the principal streets of Frankfort, we arrived in the centre of the town, where we stopped in front of a triumphal arch, under which the governor waited for the guest of the nation; the sound of a cannon, discharged from a neighbouring hill which overlooked all the neighbourhood, arrested the acclamations of the people, when the governor advanced in the midst of a profoundly silent and attentive crowd, and delivered an eloquent and appropriate address. This discourse was loudly applauded by the multitude, and I heard it asserted every where around me that it was impossible to express the sentiments of the people of Kentucky with greater exactness.