▁to ▁be ▁worthy ▁of ▁publishing ▁in ▁the ▁Baltimore ▁Sunday ▁Vis itor ▁because ▁of ▁its ▁dark ▁and ▁mac ab re ▁atmosphere ; ▁they ▁therefore ▁awarded ▁a ▁prize ▁giving ▁the ▁young ▁future ▁author ▁and ▁poet ▁his ▁first ▁publication . ▁Also ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 5 , ▁he ▁helped ▁later ▁introduce ▁Po e ▁to ▁Thomas ▁Will is ▁White , ▁editor ▁of ▁the ▁Southern ▁Liter ary ▁M essen ger . ▁ ▁While ▁abroad , ▁Kennedy ▁became ▁a ▁friend ▁of ▁William ▁Make pe ace ▁Th acker ay ▁and ▁wrote ▁or ▁out lined ▁the ▁fourth ▁chapter ▁of ▁the ▁second ▁volume ▁of ▁The ▁Vir g ini ans , ▁a ▁fact ▁which ▁accounts ▁for ▁the ▁great ▁accuracy ▁of ▁its ▁scen ic ▁descri ptions . ▁Of ▁his ▁works , ▁Hor se - S ho e ▁Robinson ▁is ▁the ▁best ▁and ▁ranks ▁high ▁in ▁ante bell um ▁fiction . ▁Washington ▁Ir ving ▁read ▁an ▁advance ▁copy ▁of ▁it ▁and ▁reported ▁he ▁was ▁" so ▁tick led ▁with ▁some ▁parts ▁of ▁it " ▁that ▁he ▁read ▁it ▁al oud ▁to ▁his ▁friends . ▁Kennedy ▁sometimes ▁wrote ▁under ▁the ▁pen ▁name ▁' Mark ▁Little ton ', ▁especially ▁in ▁his ▁political ▁sat ires . ▁ ▁Law yer ▁and ▁politician ▁Kennedy ▁enjoyed ▁politics ▁more ▁than ▁law ▁( although ▁the ▁Union ▁Bank ▁was ▁a ▁prime ▁client ), ▁and ▁left ▁the ▁Democratic ▁Party ▁when ▁he ▁realized ▁that ▁under ▁President ▁Andrew ▁Jackson ▁it ▁came ▁to ▁opp ose ▁internal ▁improvements . ▁He ▁thus ▁became ▁an ▁active ▁Wh ig ▁like ▁his ▁father - in - law ▁and ▁fav ored ▁Baltimore '