Depicting his life from his childhood in Pennsylvania to his time as a
public official, including his experiences recruiting and training his
own troops for the Revolutionary War, Graydon's memoirs provide a unique
and personal view of the American Colonial period. First published in
1811, his memoirs were not initially popular, probably because of their
inflammatory remarks about public figures ranging from Albert Gallatin
to Thomas Jefferson and his followers. Memoirs of a Life Chiefly Passed
in Pennsylvania shows Graydon's disdain for those he saw as seduced by
power and money and leaves the reader with a critical view of some of
the most popular figures of his time.