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Don Gara brought to my attention this anecdote by Henry Churchill Semple, which was recorded in 1892 and published in the William and Mary Quarterly, 1st ser., 26 (1917):174-7. I've eliminated some irrelevant passages to reduce the length somewhat. -- Marg B.

[...] My father, Judge James Semple, owned the land on each side of the Yorktown road below Williamsburg. His estate extended to the waters of the York River, King's Creek, on the north side of the road, towards those of the James on the south. [...]

It appears that in the earlier part of his Peninsular campaign Cornwallis crossed the James at Harrison's Landing where McClellan took refuge after his battles on the Chickahominy and that before moving on through the "White Oak Swamp" to Richmond he encamped at "Malbon Hill," as he called it. The Legislature fled from Richmond to Charlottesville. Tarleton with a portion of his Legion and some mounted infantry pursued them and Jefferson, the Governor, narrowly escaped capture. Some members of the Assembly and one Congressman were taken prisoners. Lafayette fell back through the "Wilderness" towards Fredericksburg while Simcoe with his mounted rangers advanced to "Point of Forks" and destroyed munitions which Steuben had collected there with some eighteen months men whom he was drilling for service. Cornwallis then descended the Peninsula towards Williamburg, Tarleton covering his left on the Pamunkey and Simcoe his right on the James. [...]

Tarleton's men passed St. Peter's Church which is a few miles from New Kent Court House. The venerable edifice with its walls three feet thick has withstood the hand of time and its convulsions and stands as solid as when it was built in the old colonial days. A marauding party stopped at the Glebe House of the Parish of which the Rev. James Semple was then Rector. At the time there was present at the Glebe no white person except the writer's father, the late Judge James Semple of Williamsburg, then a lad thirteen years of age. His father, the Parson, was absent on a visit to a sick parishioner. Tarleton's men ransacked the house for valuables, taking off all the plate and silver, cutting holes in the oak wainscotting in search of hidden treasure, and wantonly slashing and disfiguring the portraits on the walls. They did not burn the house but drove off all the cattle. When the Parson got home at night his son told him of the outrageous conduct of the troopers. The Parson said he was sure the men were marauders acting without orders and directed his son at once to mount the gray mare Malvina and take old Jacob a trusty slave with him and go to Tarleton's camp near the "White House," (since become famous), and ask the restoration of the cattle.

The barefooted and barelegged boy rode off to the camp and after some difficulty secured an audience from Tarleton who was seated in his tent before a table on which there were a decanter and glasses among his papers. When told of the conduct of his men, he at once arose and began to swear furiously. He declared that he had given special orders for the protection of the property of the Church and that he would punish those guilty of violating them. He immediately called the Quartermaster and hurled a volley of oaths at him. The Quartermaster tried to get in an explanation that the Rev. James Semple of St. Peter's was one of the most pestilent rebels in the colony. But Tarleton would not hear him and ordered him at once to return the cattle and plunder and bring the receipt before he marched in the morning. Tarleton asked my father if he knew the Parson's cattle and being told that he had brought with him Jacob, who knew them all, the Colonel sent the negro with the Quartermaster to separate the cattle from the rest and invited my father to take a glass of wine, saying, "You are a fine tall fellow for your age and will some day make a brave soldier for the King. Let us drink King George's health." My father knew that he would get a sound whipping if he drank the King's health and yet feared to lose the cattle if he refused to do so, so he replied, "I drink the health of King George's bravest soldier, Colonel Tarleton," and tossed off his wine. Tarleton replied, "Ah, my lad, I fear you have more of the courtier about you than of the soldier, but we will take another glass to his Majesty." My father replied, "I am but a young lad and my father does not allow me to drink more than one glass of wine at a time." He then went out and found that Jacob had claimed nearly all the cattle of the Parish as his master's and that the Quartermaster had allowed the claim rather than again face his angry Colonel. There was great rejoicing among the neighbors when Jacob drove back home their rescued cattle. I have this incident from my father who told it to me when I was a little boy and I have it also from my elder brothers to whom father told it when they were more advanced in years. My father had a carriage-driver named Jacob, son of his old companion on the visit to Tarleton. Many Williamsburg boys will remember the gray mare Malvina which my father used to ride to William and Mary College when he was professor. She was a descendant of the Malvina which he rode into Tarleton's camp.

HENRY CHURCHILL SEMPLE.

Montgomery, Alabama, 1892.