APPENDIX II

1928

FRANCIS TALIAFERRO BROOKE.

The life of Francis Taliaferro Brooke, the subject of this sketch, covering a period of almost eighty-eight years, extended from those stirring events leading up to the American Revolution almost to the very threshold of the Civil War. A soldier, statesman and jurist, his life covers an intensely interesting and important portion of the history of Virginia, his native State, and of the republic he helped to establish.

Robert Brooke, the great-grandfather of Francis T. Brooke, was in 1689 living with his wife, Catherine1 or Katherine,2 the daughter of Humphrey Booth, in Essex County, Virginia. From 1692 to 1706 he served as a justice in the same county.3 There were three sons born to Robert Brooke and Catherine, one of them being Robert Brooke, Jr., the grandfather of Judge Brooke. When Governor Spotswood set out in 1716 to search for a passage through the Blue Ridge, this same Robert Brooke, who generally styled himself as "Jun'r," was one of the persons that composed that picturesque and adventurous company.5 Upon their return from the mountains Robert Brooke, Jr., was presented by the Governor with a medal, which later Judge Brooke reports having seen and describes as "a gold horseshoe set with garnets, and worn as a brooch." For a while he was surveyor of the State, and in 1700 he was clerk of "ye old. court" in Essex county.3 Some time later he married Phoebe (Sale3), and with her moved to Farmer's Hall, which he had established on his inherited lands.8 Farmer's Hall was probably located not far from Brooke's Bank, which was built by the widow of William Brooke, a brother of the "Knight of the Golden Horseshoe."4

Richard Brooke, one of the sons of Robert Brooke, Jr., was born prior to April 5, 1736, as on that date his father made a will in which Richard and Humphrey were described as "my youngest sons." How long Richard lived in Essex County we do not know, but in 1756 he had married Anne Hay, daughter of Francis Taliaferro, and was living in Spotsylvania County.10 In 17636 they were living at Smithfield, four miles below Fredericksburg, on the Rappahannock River, and it is probable that they were living there in 1756, as that is the date of Francis Taliaferro's will10 in which he gave to Anne Hay Brooke land and the plantation in Spotsylvania whereon she then was residing. To Richard and Anne Hay Brooke was born in 175111 Robert Brooke, destined to be Governor and afterwards Attorney General of Virginia; Lawrence (or Laurence) Brooke, another son, who thereafter was to serve as surgeon of the "Bon Homme Richard" under the illustrious John Paul Jones, was born in or about 1753.11

Tradition has connected the name of Captain John Smith with that of Smithfield, the Brooke homestead, but it seems that the place was really named for one Lawrence Smith, who in 1674 was empowered to build a fort near the falls of the Rappahannock, and who in 1691 "laid out the city of Yorktown." Many years ago the Brooke home burned down and subsequently was replaced by another, which, Judge Brooke records, was "not so large, and higher up the river." The place, however, continued to be known as Smithfield until 1890, when, after considerable alterations had been made in the building then standing, the name was changed to Mannsfield Hall.14 On this property now stands the Mannsfield Hall Country Club, the old residence having been converted into a club house. Here on the 27th day of August, 1763, Francis Taliaferro Brooke was born, along with his twin brother, John. His birthplace is near the center of that section of Virginia12 in which were born George Washington, George Mason, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall, the history of whose lives so largely make up the history of our own country, and the date of his birth follows eight years after that of John Marshall, the youngest of that brilliant group.

The early life of Judge Brooke must have been spent at his home, Smithfield. His brothers, Robert and Lawrence, were at an early age sent to Edinburgh College, Robert to take law and Lawrence to study medicine. The same paternal interest in education that sent Robert and Lawrence to Edinburgh College caused Francis and John, while still very young, to go to school. Judge Brooke describes these schools as "several English schools, some of them at home." At nine years of age the two younger boys were sent to the grammar school in Fredericksburg, "taught by a Trinity gentleman from Dublin, by the name of Lennegan."13 Then followed Latin and Greek schools, and finally a private tutor, by whom Francis and John were taught Latin and Greek. Thus briefly does Judge Brooke inform us of his education, for without further information regarding it, he records his having passed the age of sixteen, the military age of the period."

Very interesting are some of the happenings before he reached the age for enlisting in the army. In 1773 George Washington, then a colonel in the British army, came to Smithfield with General Spotswood, a neighbor of Francis Brooke. Again, in 1774, Washington came to Fredericksburg to review the "independent companies" and after the review attended a collation given him in the old market house, "where he had all the boys of a large grammar school, of which I (Judge Brooke) was one, brought to him; gave them a drink of punch, patted them upon their heads, and asked them if they could fight for their country." As a school boy in Fredericksburg he once heard Patrick Henry in a case between a Mrs. Middleton and one named Hunston, a saddler, and in 1773 saw John Paul Jones, who had come to Fredericksburg to administer on the property of his brother, William Paul, a Scotch tailor, who made clothes for Francis Brooke.14

But it must not be supposed that Fredericksburg was the only place of interest. At home he must have ridden the fine horses a great deal and roamed over the fields and through the woods of the surrounding territory. We know that when he was about thirteen years old he often visited in the home of General Alexander Spotswood, grandson of Governor Spots

wood, and there, mounted upon one of the General's most spirited horses, often ranged through that section near his later home, St. Julien. The reference to the fox hounds at the Spotswood home also leads to the conclusion that Francis and his friend and neighbor, General Spotswood, must have indulged in that sport so familiar to boys in tidewater Virginia. There was also at the Spotswood home a little lady, Mary Randolph Spotswood, then one year old,15 whom Francis must have seen and doubtless played with, without any thought of her later becoming his wife. If his visits to her home continued during the next few years, as they doubtless did, the impression made upon her by his horsemanship, his learning, and his courage must have made less difficult his winning her in 1791.

Judge Brooke in the story of his life records the events set forth in the two preceding paragraphs. He does not refer to many other things of importance that were taking place around or near him, but about which he must have known much and considered very thoroughly, or as thoroughly as his youthful mind would allow. It must be remembered that only a few months after Francis Brooke was born, on December 1, 1763, to be exact, Patrick Henry had made his first great impression on the public by his victory in the "Parson's Case";10 that on May 29, 1765, Mr. Henry, as a representative from Louisa County, had introduced his resolutions concerning the Stamp Act, 18 thus inaugurating open opposition to the British crown; that on the 15th day of May, 1776, the Convention of Virginia passed resolutions instructing the Virginia delegates in Congress to propose to that body "to declare the united colonies free and independent States";18 that on the 12th of June, 1776, the "Bill of Rights" and on the 29th of the same month "The Constitution or Form of Government," both prepared by George Mason, had been adopted;16 and that Thomas Jefferson had written the Declaration of Independence, the colonies declared themselves independent of the British crown, Washington made commanderin-chief of the army, and the miseries of Valley Forge come and gone.18 What a relief it must have been to Francis T. Brooke to reach the military age and take up his part in the struggle.

In the latter part of 1780 he was made a first lieutenant in

General Harrison's regiment of artillery, and his first campaign was under Lafayette in 1781 during the invasion of Cornwallis. In March of that year he was ordered to Richmond, thence down to Curles, where he was put on board the "Renown," commanded by Commodore Lewis, of Fredericksburg. It was proposed to send the "Renown" down the river to Portsmouth to furnish supplies and military stores for repairing the fortification at that. place, destroyed the winter before by General Arnold, but news that the British fleet was in Hampton Roads caused the force to be landed and the "Renown" and the other boats to be sent higher up the river.19 Lieutenant Brooke then returned to Richmond and was ordered to take command of the magazine and laboratory at Westham, seven miles above the city.

A few days later Thomas Jefferson, then Governor of the State, with Mr. Blair, a member of his council, visited Westham and the magazine located there, the purpose of their visit being to find flints for the army. It was then that Francis Brooke met Jefferson for the first time; later he was to know Jefferson well.

The movements of Cornwallis during the latter part of May, 1781, and the first part of June, during the same year, caused considerable shifting of the stores under the command of Lieutenant Brooke, resulting finally in the throwing of the cannon "into the creek" and the removal of the rest of the stores to the Point of Fork, now Columbia. His movements of the next few days brought him very close to Tarleton, his orderly pointing out to him "some of Tarleton's dragoons on the mountain there that had been sent to catch the Governor." This must have been on June 4th.17 Proceeding in the direction of Staunton, Lieutenant Brooke and his men marched with drums beating and colors flying, with the result that word was carried to the Legislature, which had gone to Staunton from Charlottesville, that Tarleton was coming. The Journal of the House of Delegates discloses that when the House adjourned on Saturday, June 9th, it was to meet again on Monday morning. But the dreaded news must have caused otherwise, for the Journal shows that the House met on Sunday, June 10th, and made preparations for meeting elsewhere if the danger required it, and then