Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Love Life of Brig. Gen. Henry M. Naglee: Consisting of a Correspondence on Love, War and Politics
Tionate character. Their tenor is, in the main, of that easy nature people adept when corresponding with those to whom they are, or anticipate to be, nearly related. Indeed, many passages stress very strongly on points of a marital nature, and which by all law, human and divine, an ingenuous and confiding. Woman would be right in. Considering as an earnest of promised marriage. It is unnecessary to speak particularly of these passages, since the reader can find no difficulty in their discovery, and, in sooth, their number places them beyond the pale of our limited space. Of the letters themselves, viewed with the most good-natured eye, and bearing in mind the fact that heroes are not always remarkable for their intel lect, we must admit that they are by no means of a classic style of literature. It is true, that epistles in tended only for one person are not expected to display a very astonishing amount of ability. This is espec ially true of love letters, which are written, or sup posed to be written, under the wild impulses of passion. And are therefore not to be compared to the disquisi tions of the swie mind when not in?uenced by dis turbing emotions. This may in part atone for the erratic style which the martial author is so prone to follow in each of his amatory sketches. His or thography was not as correct as we would have it, so we took the liberty of making a number of judicious corrections. Should any errors, herefore, appez'u inthe spelling, they must be tacked to the comm tor's and not to the General's reputation. His (the General's) style is, if we may use the expression, somewhat Pindaric, since he scorns, like that cele brated poet, all rules but what himself ordains. He has a singular fecundity of words, and can reel out the most endearing terms of affection with the rapidity of a garrulous and practiced hand in the art of love. In short, these epistles bear the evidences of marked originality; and while they serve to throw a little light on his character, they also show what bushels of devotion he proposed to the fair re cipient. These'epistles - the accumulation of years have ever been regarded by the lady to whom they were addressed, as the sacred mementoes of the man upon whom she had trusted with such certain, but alas! Unrequited affection. It was with a struggle she consented to have them made pub lic, and then only when it became imperative for her to defend herself from the calumnies of pur chased miscreants. She has endured poverty, re proach and privation, rather than compromise the reputation of the man she loved, notwithstanding their publication would have secured her ample means, and this too while the amatory penman was rioting in the enjoyment of superabundant wealth.' Yet these tender missives remained locked in secret, bedewed mayhap with many'a tear, while Slander sent its hydrahiss abroad, and the faithless hero mocked at the ruin he had caused. Forbearance at length ceased to be a virtue; and this volume is made public that all may read of what a grievous wrong hath been done in the land. Aside from their amatory charac ter, these epistles are invested with many principles of social and political interest. Some treat of times, eternal for their stirring events, when the cloud of rebellion was upon the land, and men now famous struggled in the thick darkness. Others trench upon more subdued scenes, having in them much that is In dicrous, while all are seasoned with a passionate.
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