A fire in a prairie never spread or ran faster than his
fame; it was on every tongue, in every newspaper. Such fame from one
speech had never been won by any man in America, save Patrick Henry.
Single-speech Hamilton, of the British Parliament, astonished England;
but he was never afterward heard of, and is known to this day as
"single-speech Hamilton." As with Henry, this was but the beginning of
a fame which was to grow and expand into giant proportions. Prentiss
was now a national man. Soon after this, he visited Boston and New York
during an exciting political campaign. Throughout the North, wherever
he appeared and spoke, he bore the palm from every rival.
The speech of Prentiss in Faneuil Hall will long be remembered as
perhaps the finest specimen of oratory ever listened to in that
venerable hall. It was at the time said by the men of the North to
surpass the best efforts of Fisher Ames. Subsequently he spoke in New
York, and for three hours held spell-bound an immense audience.
The writer was informed by a venerable judge, of New Jersey, that he
had never believed any man possessed such powers of oratory as to
interest him and chain his attention for that length of time.
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