"In the recently published address of Bolivar Christian, Esq....we find a number of interesting facts illustrative of the character and habits of the Scotch-Irish settlers of the Valley of Virginia. We have always regarded them...as constituting the very best population that ever came to this continent...for integrity and honor, courage and energy, patriotism and piety, they stand unrivaled among all the men of the past." -Staunton Spectator, Sept. 11, 1860 "We are indebted to Bolivar Christian, Esq., of Augusta, for a copy of...'The Scotch-Irish Settlers of the Valley of Virginia, ' and the address abounds with interesting incidents and facts, and is marked by passages of decided power and beauty." -Richmond Dispatch, Aug. 10, 1860 "On our return to Staunton after an absence of some weeks, we missed the face of our friend Col. Bolivar Christian...we are sorry to lose him as a citizen, and congratulate Lexington upon the acquisition to its society of a genial and cultivated gentleman, to its bar a well-read lawyer." -Staunton Spectator, Feb. 18, 1872. In what way were the Scotch-Irish immigrants, such as those of the Valley of Virginia, a key component of the successful growth of the early United States into what would later become the most powerful country in the world? In 1860, Scotch-Irish American author Bolivar Christian published a well-regarded and much praised short work of 66 pages titled "The Scotch-Irish Settlers in the Valley of Virginia," providing some interesting details of the history of Scotch-Irish settlers in the Valley of Virginia. About the author: Bolivar Christian (1825- 1900), was a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army and a lawyer in Virginia and later Kentucky.