The Colonists and the Revolution (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912 Excerpt: ...of the fertile land. The Fairfax estate, on the Potomac, had five million acres. It was quite an expedition to go'from one planter's house to another, for the distance, in some cases, was as much as ten or twelve miles, and the roads were bad. When a visit was undertaken, the great family coach, drawn by four or six horses, driven by a pompous black coachman, conveyed the ladies, while the gentlemen of the party went on horseback. Not unfrequently ladies rode behind gentlemen, mounted on cushions, called pillions; but the more independent of the " fair sex " preferred to manage their own palfrey, and to grace the saddle alone. Colored servants, riding upon mules, jogged after their masters and mistresses, to carry bandboxes and parcels, and to open gates. Southern estates were distinguished by descriptive names, such as " Mount Vernon," " Monticello," " Ingleside," " The Oaks." Particular mansions were known, also, by romantic titles, --such as " Belvoir," " Liberty Hall," " Greenway Court,"----reminding us of old English manorhouses. Such Southern mansions were large and strongly built, and some of them were costly and elegant. " Drayton Hall," on Ashley River, cost ninety thousand dollars--a vast sum to spend on a house at the period of which I write. " Drayton Hall" is yet standing, a fair specimen of old-fashioned architecture. The wainscot and mantels are of solid mahogany. The walls were once hung with tapestry. The planters, like the English rural gentry, laid off their grounds with terraces, hedges, and ponds, and adorned them with shrubbery, summer-houses, and statuary. Many lived at ease in the midst of plenty. They ha...