In crafting her narrative of Patrick Henry, Campion relies heavily on William Wirt’s renowned Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry from 1817. However, this choice results in a portrayal that leans towards mythologizing its subject, as Wirt's account does. Despite having access to a wealth of modern scholarship—including works she acknowledges in her bibliography—Campion does not critically assess her primary source. This is evident in her portrayal of Henry as indolent, an image she borrows from Wirt who paints Henry as preferring leisure activities like fishing over diligent work. Yet, historical evidence suggests a starkly different picture: Henry’s remarkable achievements as a lawyer were the fruit of relentless dedication, contrasting with contemporaries like Thomas Jefferson, who, while theoretically proficient in law, did not engage in as much practical legal work as Henry, who sustained a prosperous career throughout his life.

Campion’s narrative further falters by glossing over more recent historical analyses that challenge Wirt’s depiction. Robert Meade’s Patrick Henry: Patriot in the Making (1957), for instance, highlights the significance of the extensive library owned by Henry's university-educated father, John Henry, emphasizing the family’s commitment to self-education. Despite being aware of such perspectives, Campion perpetuates Wirt’s portrayal of Henry as an uneducated individual hindered by a flawed educational system. Her selective use of sources leads to a narrative that ignores inconvenient truths, painting Henry as a paragon of virtue and simplicity—essentially a noble, unprivileged rustic.

This approach, marked by selective emphasis and overlooking conflicting evidence, positions Campion’s work closer to the realm of nineteenth-century hagiography. By magnifying Henry’s feats and venerating his moral stature, her biography presents a romanticized version that often distorts the historical complexities of his life. Such treatment diminishes the nuanced understanding of Henry, who, while undoubtedly influential, was also a man deeply entwined with the socio-political and economic intricacies of his era, including his own substantial frontier land interests, which Campion simplifies into a noble cause for protecting Native American tribes.