Micah Taul memoir

19 (natural) of Gen Daniel Morgan, of Revolutionary Memory. His mother, I understood was a highly respectable widow lady but very unnatural having refused to see him, from the moment of his birth. He was brought to Kentucky by an old named Young, who had permitted him to resonate large, perfectly wild, associating only with his negroes. Altho' in a "clerks office" he could scarcely write. He called old Mr. Young "Uncle", but I don't think he was related to him. What was the object of putting him into the office, I never know but he was a good fellow & improved - I was fond of him, tho' I soon discovered, that he envied and disliked me, as I took the lead of him immediately. I was called a "handsome boy" (boys dont forget such things as that) dressed genteelly, wore my hair "ex quan" and was a favorite with all the family - the ladies not excepted. Mitchell made very little progress in business - tho' he continued in the office two years, without much improvement even in clothing. In the latter part of 1799 or first of 1800 his father sent for him & had him taken to Virginia where he put him to school, intending (as I understood) to adopt him, as one of his children; but before his death his legitimate children, contrived to prejudice him against him & he died without making any provision for him. Upon Mitchell's return to Virga his name was changed to Willoughby Morgan; he by some means obtained a liberal education & afterwards read law in the office of Mr. McGill, a distinguished lawyer of Winchester, & after the usual course was admitted to the bar - & in a short time gave promise of future eminence. About the year 1811 he was employed by some person or persons to visit England, for the purpose of procuring evidence or taking testimony in some important causes deponding in Virga. While there, his friends procured for him, from the President, a commission of Captain, in one of the new regiments about to be raised in prospect of

20 a war, with Great Britain. He returned to the U. S. in the spring of 1812, & joined the Northern Army. He was in most, if not all the battles in the Northern frontier, and was distinguished for this bravery & good conduct on all occasions. Before the war closed, he had been promoted, & was retained as a Major, on the peace establishment. He commanded at Council Bluffs on the Missouri in 1819 & 1820 & perhaps later, having been promoted to a Colonelcy. I met with him at St. Louis in Missouri in Septr 1820, the Legislature being in session & found him a general favorite with the elite of that flourishing & hospitable city. My "ogre" had been converted not only into a civilised man, but he was beyond all question one of the noblest looking men, I ever saw - his height 6 feet, 2 or 3 inches with a perfect symetry of form, manly commanding face - keen piercing grey eyes and all in all, a most elegant & accomplished gentleman. We spent two weeks together, very pleasantly, dining almost every day at private houses. From St. Louis, I visited Franklin & upon my return I found my noble & gallant friend, just recovering from a fit of mania a potu. He seldom drank spirits- could not bear the excitement it produced. He had been taken in that situation to a private house, & while there attempted to jump thro' a window, & cut his face, very badly with the glass. He told me he had been in that situation the winter before, occasioned mainly by the want of sleep. I don't think, he lived many years afterwards, but don't at present remember when or where he died, tho' he continued in the army until his death. Genl. Morgan, I believe had no legitimate son, & this illegitimate one never married. I have been thus particular in giving an account of John Mitchell, alias Willoughby Morgan, because he was my first office companion, rough at first as a block of granite just taken from the quary but by culture, became as highly polished, as the

21 most beautiful piece of marble statuary. My second office mate was David S. Collins, son of Thomas Collins of in Virga. He was a wild, harum scarum sort of a fellow, and never done any good. I saw him in 1812, driving a waggon in the North Western Army. I found him out by accident; he told me, he knew me on sight & had been endeavoring to avoid me. Joshua Baker, son of John Baker of Winchester also wrote in the office part of the time as did also, Mr. Edward Shropshire, afterwards a respectable farmer of Clarke County. The Quarter session of court composed of three Judges (Robert Clark, John Martin & Original Young) citizens of the county, sat on the 4th Monday in June, and at that time had a very strong bar - Genl. Levi Todd, James Brown, Henry Clay, George M. Bibb, Jesse Bledsoe & others. Judge Robert Trimble of the Supreme Court of the U. S. was raised in Clarke County, but he came to the bar, a year or two afterwards. Genl. Todd, was an old man, was called the father of the bar, tho' I don't expect he was much of a Lawyer, he is one of the pioneers of the county, a man of high character, & universally esteemed. His brother, Col. John Todd was killed at the battle of the "Blue Licks". Mr. Brown was probably 35 or 40 years of age a gentleman of high literary & legal attainment, a good speaker, but not eloquent. He had been Secretary of State, during the administration of Gov. Shelby: was a man of towering & majestic person, very proud, austere & haughty in fact repulsive in his manners, & was exceedingly unpopular. He was the first Secretary of State in the Territory of Orleans - afterwards Senator to Congress & Minister to France. Mr. Clay, Mr. Bibb & Mr. Bledsoe had come to to the bar a short time before; they were all three great favorites with the people, & considered very promising. Mr.

22 Clay however, took the lead & kept it. Young as I then was, I paid particular attention to the speeches made at that Court, the first I ever heard & I determined then to be a lawyer, if I could. Mr. Clay's success & career are too well known to be particularly noticed. Mr. Bibb also became highly distinguished as a lawyer & has been twice on the bench of the Supreme Court in Kenty, Chancellor at Louisville, Senator in Congress, & Secretary of the Treasury of the U. S. during part of Mr. Taylors administration. Mr. Bledsoe, was a man of the first order of talents, an accomplished classical scholar, a man of exquisite wit - a poet & an orator. He was in fact a most eloquent man & not withstanding his many failings was a favorite with the people. He soon acquired great eminence at the bar & was considered amongst the best advocates in the State. He was Secretary of State during Genl. Scotts administration from 1808 to 1812. He was afterwards in the Senate of the U. S. & a Judge on the Circuit Court bench in Kenty. His besetting sin was "intemperance" that impaired his usefullness from the commencement of his professional & political career, and ultimately brought to his Brave. He died an outcast in Nacogdoches Texas in 1836. He married the eldest daughter of the late Col. Nathaniel Gist of Clarke County; she was at that time one of the "belles" of Kenty & was sister to Mrs Doct. Boswell Mrs Capt Nat Hart brother of Mrs. Clay (killed at the river Raisin) Mrs. F. P. Blair, & Mrs. Gratz. Her mother (Ann Gist) was married to Genl. Charles Scott in 1812 a short time before he was elected Gov. of Kenty. In addition to the members of the bar, particularly noticed, there were others, as usual who were not prominent or distinguished. Mr. Patterson Bullock, a nephew of Capt. Bullock, Mr. William Clark, son of the old Judge & brother of the late Gov. Clark, Jno Cranford & Mr. George Webb.

23 The first day after I was placed in the offices, I was put to writing Blanks. I wrote a neat hand for a boy of 13 - and took a great deal of pains to write well & correctly, being very sensible of the effect of first impressions. My master was so well pleased with my performance, that he put me the next day to "Recording Deeds" while Mitchell was kept to writing blanks. I was very much pleased with the business - improved with great rapidity & in a few months was considered by every body almost as good a Clerk, as the "old man". In fact in less than a year, he hardly ever had occasion to come into the office. I knew I had his confidence & was proud of it; & so much was he my friend that in less than two years he was willing to give me up, if I could get the clerkship of Floyd County, about which there would have been no difficulty, but for the reasons before stated, I was not willing to accept it. In the summer of 1799, I had been summoned as a witness in a case in the District Court at Lexington, in which the Honble John Breckenridge was counsel on one side. I was examined in Court at some length. As before stated (page 7) my father was a favorite of Mr. Breckenridge; who accidently hearing afterwards, that I was spoken of as a candidate for the clerkship, recommended me very highly without my knowledge at the time to one of the Judges of the Quarter Session Court, who told my brother Benjamin, that from Mr. B's recommendation, he should be much pleased to have me go out & get the office. I devoted my time exclusively to the business of the office, which was much in arrear when I went into it & I think it must have been full two years before the neglected business was brought up. I don't remember that during the time I remained in the office, I lost a single day, except now & then a Saturday or part of Saturday on a visit to my fathers, distant 20 miles & occasions