Excerpt from The Life and Character of Capt. Wm; B. Allen, of Lawrence County Tenn: Who Fell at the Storming of Monterey, on the 21st of September, 1846, With an Appendix, Containing a Number of His Essays and Speeches

Although the J ew, Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Roman, their empires, and almost the story of their wars, have passed away into the regions of for getfulness, and many of their marts of commerce and the havens in which their numerous navies rode, have ceased to be the abode of man, the memory of partien lar individuals, whose talents or virtues commanded the respect and confidence of their contemporaries, continue to be esteemed to this day, and some of their works still retain a conspicuous place in our libraries. The heroes of Homer are the admiration of all readers, who delight themselves with the minute descriptions of the great actions they performed, although the very fields of their achievements, as well as the residence of their chroui clers, are a problem involved in doubt and mists impene trable. Under what monarch, in what kingdom, fesop or Homer were born, by what wars or works of art their unknown rulers distinguished themselves, history saith not. Yet their posterity have handed down to us the charming productions of genius and taste, the labors of single, perhaps unknown and friendless men, now the only persons of their race and time, of whose acts and doings any thing is known. While the names of Augus tus or Claudius are seldom named or thought of, but with execration, the names of Virgil or Longinus are never named but with affectionate respect and admira tion. Such, and so strong is the superior interest felt by mankind in personal narrative.

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