Though ingenuous in his disposition and unassuming and conciliating in his manner, he was remarkable for discretion and steadiness. His opinions, when once formed, were maintained with modest but persevering firmness; and the propriety of his decisions generally justified the spirit with which they were defended. Yet, though rigid in his adherence to principle and in his estimate of what was right or improper, in cases of minor importance he was all compliance. I never met a youth who would so cheerfully sacrifice every personal gratification for the wishes or accommodations of his friends. In sickness and disappointment he evinced patience and fortitude which could not have been exceeded by any veteran in the schools of misfortune or philosophy. If I were asked to name the most prominent features of his character, or, rather, the prevailing dispositions of his mind at this period, I should answer, decision and urbanity; the former resulted from the uncommon and estimable qualities of his understanding, and the latter came from the concentration of all the “sweet charities of life” in his heart.
I have seldom seen Colonel Croghan during the last eight years; but I subjoin the testimony of those who have observed him during that whole period. An intelligent young gentleman who was his associate in study and in arms has given me the following brief sketch of Colonel Croghan’s military career. I am transmitting his account together with such corroborative and additional facts as I have collected from other sources.
“Lieutenant Colonel George Croghan was born at Locust Grove, Kentucky, near the Falls of the Ohio, on November 15, 1791. His father, Major William Croghan, left Ireland at an early period of his life; he was appointed an officer in the Revolutionary Army and discharged his duties to the satisfaction of the commander in chief. His mother is the daughter of John Clark, Esq., of Virginia. His maternal grandfather was a gentleman of worth and respectability; he exerted himself and contributed towards the support of our just and glorious contest with Great Britain. John Clark had five sons, four of whom were officers in the Revolutionary Army. William, together with Captain Lewis, explored the Louisiana Purchase lands and is at present governor of the Missouri Territory. He was too young to participate with his brothers in the achievement of our liberties. His conduct since has been a sufficient demonstration of the part he would have taken had he been riper in years. The military talents of another son, George R. Clark, have obtained for him the flattering appellation of ‘the Father of the Western Country.’
·····ADMIRER OF THE WRITINGS OF SHAKESPEARE·····
“Colonel Croghan has always been esteemed generous and humane. When he was a boy, his manly appearance and independence of thought and action commanded the attention and admiration of all who knew him. The selection of his speeches for scholastic exercises tended in some measure to mark his peculiar talent and were of an entirely military nature. He read with delight whatever pertained to military affairs and listened for hours to conversations dealing with battles. His principal amusements were gunning and fox hunting. He would frequently rise at twelve o’clock at night and would repair to the woods alone (or accompanied only by his little servant), either to give chase to the fox or to battle with the wildcat and the raccoon. Nothing offended him more than for anyone, even in jest, to say a word disrespectful of Washington.
“While in Kentucky, his time was principally occupied with the studies of his native tongue, geography, the elements of geometry, and the Latin and Greek languages. In these different branches of knowledge he made a respectable progress.
“In 1808, he left Locust Grove for the purpose of prosecuting his studies in William and Mary College. He graduated from this institution with a Bachelor of Arts degree on July 4, 1810; on that day he delivered an oration on the subject of expatriation. This oration was deemed by the audience to be concise, ingenious, and argumentative, and it was delivered in a manner which did great credit to his oratorical powers. During the ensuing summer he attended a course of lectures on law, and upon the termination of the course, he returned to his father’s home. Here he prosecuted the study of law and occasionally indulged in miscellaneous reading. Biography and history have always occupied much of his attention. He is an enthusiastic admirer of the writings of Shakespeare and can recite most of the noted passages of that great poet and philosopher. He admires tragedy but not comedy. He has (as his countenance indicates) a serious mind; yet no one admires a pleasant anecdote or an unaffected sally of wit more than he. With his friends he is affable and free from reserve. His manners are prepossessing, he dislikes ostentation, and he has never been heard to utter a word in praise of himself.
··HE LEFT HIS FATHER’S HOUSE AS A VOLUNTEER··