Charles Carroll played a big part in the drama of American Independence, a far bigger part than is popularly supposed. School histories dismiss him with a few lines and most histories give larger space to men who played for minor parts. For this reason historical justice has never been fully accorded to Charles Carroll. This book corrects that injustice. Its author, a Marylander by birth, with the zeal and enthusiasm of a native son for his own heath, its traditions and its men of note, has given years to the research needed to unearth such a mine of historical knowledge. And with him it has been a labor of love. His forbears were intimately connected with the Carrolls and so Mr. Leonard has more than musty old records for the source of his inspiration. I believe that he has done simple justice to the name and fame of Charles Carroll and nothing more. The great pity is, it was not done years ago.
George Washington had no truer, no stauncher friend than Charles Carroll, though the world has partially blinked the fact. Others of the Colonial fathers might waver here, and falter there, but Charles Carroll always upheld the hands of Washington as Aaron and Hur upheld the hands of Moses in his battle with Amalek. In this country Charles Carroll saw the Promised Land for which sages had sighed and philosophers had dreamed and for it he risked his all on the turn of the Revolutionary die, and his all was more in worldly goods than any other signer of the Declaration of Independence.