he was in his
element, and captivated all by his bold and splendid
eloquence. But as soon as they came to specific matters, to
sober reasoning and solid argumentation, he had the good
sense to perceive that his declamation, however excellent in
its proper place, had no weight at all in such an assembly
as that, of cool-headed, reflecting, judicious men. He
ceased, therefore, in a great measure, to take any part in
the business. He seemed, indeed, very tired of the place,
and wonderfully relieved when, by appointment of the
Virginia convention to be colonel of their first regiment,
he was permitted to leave Congress about the last of
July."[195]

Perhaps the principal value of this testimony is to serve as an
illustration of the extreme fragility of any man's memory respecting
events long passed, even in his own experience. Thus, Jefferson here
remembers how "wonderfully relieved" Patrick Henry was at being
"permitted to leave Congress" on account of his appointment by the
Virginia convention "to be colonel of their first regiment." But, from
the official records of the time, it can now be shown that neither of
the things which Jefferson thus remembers, ever had any existence in
fact. In the first place, the journal of the Virginia convention[196]
indicates that Patrick Henry's appointment as colonel could not have
been the occasion of any such relief from congressional duties as
Jefferson speaks of; for that appointment was not made until five
days after Congress itself had adjourned, when, of course, Patrick
Henry and his fellow delegates, including Jefferson, were already far
advanced on their journey back to Virginia. In the second place, the
journal of Congress[197] indicates that Patrick Henry had no such
relief from congressional duties, on any account, but was bearing his
full share in its business, even in the plainest and most practical
details, down to the very end of the session.

Any one who now recalls the tremendous events that were taking place
in the land while the second Continental Congress was in session, and
the immense questions of policy and of administration with which it
had to deal, will find it hard to believe that its deliberations were
out of the range of Patrick Henry's sympathies or capacities, or that
he could have been the listless, speechless, and ineffective member
depicted by the later pen of Jefferson. When that Congress