HRI PH R D D C STO E GA S EN . R I K . E . E N I C F o f S outh e rn H istor A &rom Publications y ssociation , J ul y, R I B G P A H A R S &R , L I H I N G O MP A N Y H A R R I S B &R G P &B S C , 1 898 . A C H R I S T O P H E R G D S D E N . B N I C K Y E . I . RE . It is not so much Christopher Gadsden ’ s achievements as his virtues and his infl uence that attract the attention of his to rians fo r reve nc e ff c , and win him the fi and a e tion of all capable of appreciating patriotism . His character has been well portrayed by his old friend , Dr . David Ramsay , by Mr . F A George Bancroft , and by Mr . Porcher . Mr . Ban ’ croft s well - known eul o gy cl o ses with a command to all who rejoice in the uni o n o f the colonies to name this unwav ering lover of his country as well as James Otis , whenever they “ count up th o se who above others contributed to the great ” n result . What manner of man was this S outh Carolinia “ ” who is thus classed with the inspired madman o f Massa ch us etts o * D ctor Ramsay , who was closely associated with him in ffai r private and public a rs for thirty yea s , gives an account of “ n his life which has b ee relied upon by later historians . Mr . ” “ tu Gadsden , he tells us , had na rally a strong love for inde nden e c e . e o p He was born a republican . &nd r well rdered r gove nment he was a good subject , but could not brook the encroachments of any man o r body of men intrenching on his rights . When the British began their proj ects i of for abridg ng the privileges the colonies Mr . Gadsden was among the first to take fire . He descried inde endenc e o ff p when it was afar , and early foresaw that such was the nature of man that A merica could never be governed ' with an exclusive or even a preferable view to her own in terest whil e the fountain of power was three th o usand miles distant . He had correct ideas of the rights of man and of H i sto r 0 S o uth C a r oli na i i et y / , , 457 seq . C urt. ”( M w We/ (L C. a 4 J a m i — d den . 2 C hristopher G a s . Renick 43 the representative system long b efore Mr . Paine wrote on s r e the subj ect . His pa sions were strong and quired all his religio n and philosophy to curb them . His patriotism was both disint erested and ardent . He declined all offices of profit and through life refused to take the com pensati o n s annexed by law to such offices of trust as were e conferred on him . His character was impress d with the s in hardihood of antiquity ; and h e po sessed an erect , firm , trepid mind which was well calculated fo r b uff etting with ” revolutionary storms . ’ - Mr . a Bancroft , who was familiar with Gadsden s c reer and “ o r h had collected s me of his pape s , declares t at he was a man of deep and clear convictions , thoroughly sincere , of an ‘ o unbending will and a sturdy , impetu us integrity . no t He had only that courage which defies danger , but that n invincible persiste ce which neither peril nor imprisonment , i d a . F nor the threat of e th can shake ull of relig ous faith , a nd and at the same time inquisitive tolerant ; methodical , and yet lavish of his fortune for public ends , he had in his nature nothing vacillating or low and knew not h o w to hesi tate or to: ’ In Mr . Porcher s charming and schol arly Memoir of C hris to her G ads den 1 8 6 p , read in 7 before the S outh CarolinaHis ‘ to ric al S o c ietyg he is described as a man who could not o bend from the dictate of principle to that of policy , and c uld d therefore be neither a good party leader , nor even a goo party man . He followed always the impulse of inco rrupti ble honesty , an d was the impersonation of the most exalted F . n chivalry ear and favor were alike foreign to his ature . Enthusiastic even to rashness in the cause of A merican Independence , his capacious heart beat as keenly for the wrongs of Massachusetts as for the insults to Caro ” . e r lina He served his whol country with his whole hea t . H i s to r t o th e &. S . v . I t i s rati i o o y f , , g fy ng t bs erve th a . ’ i n th e a u th o r s las t re vi s i o n (1 883) th i s c h arac teri &ati o n r e m ai ns u m o ifie . S e e i i i 1 2 1 n d d , . T P u lis h e i n C h arle s to 1 8 8 auth o ri t o f th e i b d n , 7 , by y S o c ety . S outhern H istor A ssociation. 244 y The details of the life of such a man cannot but b e interest “ ” o ing . He was born in Charlest wn , South Carolina, in 2 — — li euten 1 7 4 . His father Thomas is said to have b een a ’ ant in the Royal N avy and the King s Collector for the Port of It is sai d that Christopher was sent to o school near Bristol , England , b ef re he was sixteen years of ’ age , and that th ere he became a favorite with his father s i n A G asc o s . t o relatives , the g , Halls and Gadsdens scho l h e and learned Latin , Greek & Mr . Oliver R . Johnson , the ice and D eputy Con sul General of the &nited States at London , had the kindness f to make inquiries at the Public Record o fice of that city , where the admiralty and o ther rec o rds previous to the year m “ 1 8 00 o . a are kept , and f und that Lieut Tho s Gadsden r and was not in the Royal Navy, but in th e merchant se vice , o n 2 th oth e 1 2 2 was placed half pay from th e 7 to g of Jun , 7 — o d four days only th e am unt being paid to his attorney, E a t w rd Jasper , after which da e there appears to be no furt her t him race of . fl — Mr - Our Consul General at London . John C . New c also n land ~ m uch obtained from an antiquarian of Hertford , E g , a m n valuable inform tion concerning the fa ily of Gadsde , ”but ’ no thing was definitely ascertained about Christopher s i a ther . A simple stone in St Philip ’ s church yard in Charleston b ears the inscription : Here lie th e remains of Tho mas and & h e Eli abeth Gadsden and of many of their descendants . S 1 2 A died in March , 7 7 ; he in ugust , It is related by Dr . Jos eph Johnson in his T raditi ons ’ R am sa P o rch er o s e h o h ns o n s r a di ti o ns o th R e o uti o n y , , J p J T f e v l . R am sa a nd o s e h T y J p J o h nso n . Mr h . o o t s o Mr . Wh ar to N o . S e tem er 1 2 1 8 0 MS S . Tl J n n n , 97, p b , 9 , D e artm e t o f p n S ta te . Mr e Mr . N w to . Wh a r to N o . 1 26 D e m e 1 ec r 8 0 . D e I& n , , b 5, 9 , MSS artm e nt o f p S ta te . — c . 2 C hristopher G ads den . Reni k 45 that Thom as Gadsden lost a large sum of m o ney about the 1 A o year 733 , gaming with Lord ns n , and paid the debt by giving him titles to all those lands which afterwards bore the “ ” u h name of A nso nbo ro g . 1 2 1 2 Lord A n s on did sail for S outh Carolina in 7 3 or 7 4, “ ”< and 1 0 remained there until 73 , and his biographer says it is no t impos sible that whil e on this station he may have pos ” s s o r se sed ome property , either by purchase by grant , as his name was given to certain districts .