when it was disclosed that a majority of the virginia convention opposed taking the state out of the union, the secessionists became greatly alarmed; for they knew that without the border states, of which virginia was the leader, the cotton states would be speedily crushed. they were positively certain, however, that, in the event of actual hostilities, virginia would unite with her southern associates. accordingly, it was determined to bring a popular pressure to bear upon the government at montgomery to make an assault on fort sumter. to that end my husband went to charleston, and delivered to an immense and enthusiastic audience, a most impassioned and vehement speech, urging the southern troops to "strike a blow," and assuring them that in case of conflict, virginia would secede "within an hour by shrewsbury clock." the blow was struck; mr. lincoln called upon virginia for a quota of troops to subdue the rebellion, and the state immediately passed an ordinance of secession.

mr. pryor, with other gentlemen, was deputed by general beauregard to demand the surrender of the fort, and in case of the refusal which he foresaw, 121 to direct the commandant of battery, johnson, to open fire. when the order was delivered to the commandant, he invited my husband to fire the first shot; but this honor my husband declined, and instead suggested the venerable edmund ruffin, an intense secessionist, for that service. it was the prevalent impression at the time, that mr. ruffin did "fire the first gun"; at all events he fired, to him, the last; for on hearing of lee's surrender, cato-like, he destroyed himself.

i have often wondered what would have been the effect upon the fortunes of our own family, had my husband fired the shot that ushered in the war. even had his life been spared, he certainly would not have become an eminent lawyer in the state of new york and a justice of its supreme court.

fort sumter was reduced on april 12, and virginia was in a wild state of excitement and confusion.

the deputation sent to washington in the interests of peace had failed in its mission. the convention of 1861 was in session at richmond as early as april 11—sitting with closed doors. the people were wrought to the highest pitch of anxiety lest the conservative spirit of the older men should triumph and should lead them to prefer submission, which would mean dishonor, to secession, which could mean nothing worse than death.

business was practically suspended in richmond and petersburg; men crowded the streets to learn the latest news from the north, and were inflamed by reports of the arrest and incarceration in fort 122 lafayette of southern sympathizers. as crowds gathered in different localities the advocates of secession addressed them in impassioned speeches which met with hearty response from the people.

on april 16, a body, calling itself the spontaneous people's convention, met and organized in the metropolitan hall at richmond. the door was kept by a guard with a drawn sword in his hand. david chalmers of halifax county was president, and willoughby newton, vice-president.

patrick henry aylett, grandson of patrick henry, made a noble speech, urging moderation and delay; warmer speeches followed. a southern flag was raised on the capitol amid shouts of applause, but at midnight the governor had it removed, for the convention had not yet passed the ordinance of secession, and those who rose with the dawn of the next eventful day found the state flag calmly floating in its place.

i was a guest of the government house at this time, and in the calm and seclusion of mrs. letcher's rooms i missed much of the excitement. she was a motherly, domestic woman, who chose to ignore outside disturbances for the sake of present peace. we talked together of family matters, as we sewed upon little gowns and pinafores, indulged in reminiscences of the washington life which we had enjoyed together, and said very little of the troubles of the hour. mrs. letcher thought the political storm must pass. it was hard to bear; the governor was nervous and sleeping badly, but quiet would surely come, and when it did—why, then, 123 we would all go down to old point comfort for june, bathe in the sea, and get strong and well. as for fighting—it would never come to that!

on the memorable day of the 17th the "spontaneous convention" again met to discuss a new political organization of the state. while they argued and struggled, lieutenant-governor montague entered the hall with momentous news. an ordinance of secession had been passed by the state convention. this announcement was followed by a thrilling moment of silence succeeded by tears of gladness and deafening shouts of applause. the venerable ex-president tyler made a stirring address. he gave a brief history of the struggles of the english race from the days of the magna charta to the present time, and solemnly declared that at no period of the history of our race had we ever been engaged in a more just and holy effort for the maintenance of liberty and independence than at the present moment. the career of the dominant party at the north was but a series of aggressions which fully warranted our eternal separation; and if we performed our duty as christian patriots, the same god who favored the cause of our forefathers in the revolution of 1776 would crown our efforts with success. generations yet unborn would bless those who had the high privilege of participating in the present struggle. a passionate speech followed from ex-governor wise. he alluded to a rumor that one of his children had been seized and held as hostage at the north. "but," he said, "if they suppose hostages of my own heart's blood will stay my 124 hand in the maintenance of sacred rights, they are mistaken. affection for kindred, property, and life itself sink into insignificance in comparison with the overwhelming importance of public duty in such a crisis as this. virginia is smitten with blindness, in that she does not at once seize washington before the republican hordes get possession of it." the hon. j. m. mason and others followed in the same strain. governor letcher appeared, and pledged himself to discharge his whole duty as executive of the state in conformity with the will of the people and the provisions of the constitution. the ordinance could not become a law until it was ratified by the people—and they would be called to vote upon it on may 23. "not until then," said an ex-congressman, "will those fellows in washington know we are secessionists!" "never as secessionists!" said another; "i detest the word. we are revolutionists,—rebels, as our fathers were." "but perhaps," ventured one of the old washington coterie, to mr. hunter, "perhaps the people will not vote us out of the union after all." "my dear lady," said the ex-senator, proudly, "you may place your little hand against niagara with more certainty of staying the torrent than you can oppose this movement. it was written long ago in the everlasting stars that the south would be driven out of the union by the north."

the fate of virginia had been decided april 15, when president lincoln demanded troops for the subjugation of the seceding states of the south. the temper of governor letcher of virginia was 125 precisely in accord with the spirit that prompted governor magoffin of kentucky to answer to a similar call for state militia: "kentucky will furnish no troops for the wicked purpose of subduing her sister southern states!" until this call of the president, virginia had been extremely averse from secession, and even though she deemed it within her rights to leave the union, she did not wish to pledge herself to join the confederate states of the south. virginia was the virginian's country. the common people were wont to speak of her as "the old mother." "the mother of us all," a mother so honored and loved that her brood of children must be noble and true.

her sons had never forgotten her! she had fought nobly in the revolution and had afterward surrendered, for the common good, her magnificent territory. had she retained this vast dominion, she could now have dictated to all the other states. she gave it up from a pure spirit of patriotism—that there might be the fraternity which could not exist without equality,—and in surrendering it, she had reserved for herself the right to withdraw from the confederation whenever she should deem it expedient for her own welfare. there were leading spirits who thought the hour had come when she might demand her right. she was not on a plane with the other states of the union. "virginia, new york, and massachusetts had expressly reserved the right to withdraw from the union, and explicitly disclaimed the right or power to bind the hands of posterity by any form of government whatever." 126

and so the question of the hour with virginia was not the right to introduce slavery into the territories. nothing was said or thought about slavery. the question was of states' rights only.

one need but go back to the original treaties with france and england in 1778 and 1783, to understand the origin and root of this feeling with the virginians of 1861. france had made her treaty of perpetual alliance with the "thirteen united colonies," naming each one separately as one of the contracting parties. the king of england had named each one separately to be "free, sovereign and independent states" and "that he treated with them as such."

said old john janney, a union man and president of the convention of 1861, when taxed with having taken sides with virginia against the union, "virginia, sir, was a nation one hundred and eighty years before your union was born."

another strong party was the "union party," sternly resolved against secession, willing to run the risks of fighting within the union for the rights of the state. this spirit was so strong, that any hint of secession had been met with angry defiance. a presbyterian clergyman had ventured, in his morning sermon, a hint that virginia might need her sons for defence, when a gray-haired elder left the church and, turning at the door, shouted "traitor!" this was in petersburg, the birthplace of general winfield scott.

and still another party was the enthusiastic secession party, resolved upon resistance to coercion; the 127 men who could believe nothing good of the north, should interests of that section conflict with those of the south; who cherished the bitterest resentments for all the sneers and insults in congress; who, like the others, adored their own state and were ready and willing to die in her defence. strange to say, this was the predominating spirit all through the country, in rural districts as well as in the small towns and the larger cities. it seemed to be born all at once in every breast as soon as lincoln demanded the soldiers.

the "overt act" for which everybody looked had been really the re?nforcement by federal troops of the fort in charleston harbor. when fort sumter was reduced by beauregard, "the fight was on."

on may 23 virginia ratified an ordinance of secession, and on the early morning of may 24 the federal soldiers, under general winfield scott,[11] crossed the potomac river and occupied arlington heights and the city of alexandria. "the invasion of virginia, the pollution of her sacred soil as it was termed, called forth a vigorous proclamation from her governor and a cry of rage from her press." general beauregard issued a fierce proclamation, tending to fire the hearts of the virginians with anger. "a reckless and unprincipled host," he declared, "has invaded your soil," etc., etc.

general scott, our father's groomsman, was knocking at the doors of the "fair ladies" he loved, with the menace of torch and sword. 128

and now there was a mighty gathering of the sons of "the old mother!" she raised her standard, "sic semper tyrannis," and from every quarter of the globe they rallied to her defence, not scurrying home for shelter from the storm, but coming to place their own breasts between her and the blast,—descendants of men who had won freedom in 1776, of light horse harry lee, of peter johnson, ensign of the legion,—robert e. lee, joseph e. johnston, thomas jackson, "jeb" stuart, a. p. hill, muscoe garnett, roger a. pryor, austin smith from far san francisco, dr. garnett from washington, bradfute warwick from naples, powhatan clark from louisiana, judge scarborough from the court of claims at washington, judge campbell, associate justice of the supreme court at washington, and multitudes of others! "the very earth trembled at the tramp of the virginians as they marched to the assize of arms of the mother of them all. from every continent, from every clime, from all avocations, from the bar, the pulpit, the counting-room, the workshop, the virginians came.

"'theirs not to reason why,

theirs but to do and die!'"[12]

among them was a descendant of old sir humphrey gilbert,—him of the sinking ship on his way to virginia,—who cried as he went down: "be of good cheer, my friends! it is as near heaven by sea as by land." 129

and among them were some who quoted old sir george somers of the sea venture, who drew around him his crew and exhorted them to "be true to duty and to return to virginia."

general bradley johnson says these words of the old knight rang like a trumpet all over the country in the early days of the war wherever there was a virginian. "be true to duty and return to virginia!" and few, very few, failed to obey the call.

it is well known that general lee did not approve the hasty, ill-considered action of the early seceders from the union. he foresaw the perils and doubtful results of such action. he knew that war—as my own husband had so earnestly said in congress—"meant widows and orphans, the punishment of the innocent, the ruin of the fortunes of all." still, the "old mother" had been forced to accept it at the hands of others. the simple question was: "with or against blood and kin? for or against the old mother?" and the question answered itself in the asking.

i am sure that no soldier enlisted under virginia's banner could possibly be more determined than the young women of the state. they were uncompromising.

"you promised me my answer to-night," said a fine young fellow, who had not yet enlisted, to his sweetheart.

"well, you can't have it, ben, until you have fought the yankees," said pretty helen.

"what heart will i have for fighting if you give me no promise?" 130

"i'll not be engaged to any man until he has fought the yankees," said helen, firmly. "you distinguish yourself in the war, and then see what i'll have to say to you."

this was the stand they took in richmond and petersburg. engagements were postponed until they could find of what mettle a lover was.

"but suppose i don't come back at all!" suggested ben.

"oh, then i'll acknowledge an engagement and be good to your mother,—and wear mourning all the same—provided—your wounds are all in front."

a few days before the vote was taken upon the ordinance of secession we had a fine fright in richmond. an alarm was rung in the capitol square, and thousands of people filled the streets to learn the cause of its warning. presently notices were posted all over the city that the pawnee—a war-ship of the united states—was steaming up the james river with the purpose of shelling the mansions on the banks, and of finally firing on richmond. we had friends living in those fine colonial mansions all along the river,—at claremont, upper and lower brandon, shirley, westover,—dear old ladies who were unprotected, and would be frightened to death. for ourselves in richmond and petersburg there would be no personal danger, we could escape; but our mills and shipping would be destroyed.

i think i am within the bounds of truth when i say that every man and boy capable of bearing gun 131 or pistol marched with the soldiers and artillery down to the riverside, determined to defend the city. there they waited until the evening, the howitzers firing from time to time to forewarn the war-ship of their presence.

a little after sunset the crowd turned its face homeward. news had been received that the pawnee had steamed up the river a short distance, had thought better of it, and had turned around and gone back to her mooring. all the same one thing was certain, the war-ship "bristling with guns" was there. she could steam up the river any night, and probably would when it pleased her so to do.

when i returned to my father's home in petersburg, i found my friends possessed with an intense spirit of patriotism. the first, second, and third virginia were already mustered into service; my husband was colonel of the third virginia infantry. the men were to be equipped for service immediately. all of "the boys" were going—the three mays, will johnson, berry stainback, ned graham, all the young, dancing set, the young lawyers and doctors—everybody, in short, except bank presidents, druggists, a doctor or two (over age), and young boys under sixteen.

to be idle was torture. we women resolved ourselves into a sewing society—resting not on sundays. sewing-machines were put into the churches, which became depots for flannel, muslin, strong linen, and even uniform cloth. when the hour for meeting arrived, the sewing class would be summoned by the ringing of the church bell. my 132 dear agnes was visiting in petersburg, and was my faithful ally in all my work. we instituted a monster sewing class, which we hugely enjoyed, to meet daily at my home on market street. my colonel was to be fitted out as never was colonel before. he was ordered to norfolk with his regiment to protect the seaboard. i was proud of his colonelship, and much exercised because he had no shoulder-straps. i undertook to embroider them myself. we had not then decided upon the star for our colonels' insignia, and i supposed he would wear the eagle like all the colonels i had ever known. no embroidery bullion was to be had, but i bought heavy bullion fringe, cut it in lengths, and made eagles, probably of some extinct species, for the like were unknown in audubon's time, and have not since been discovered. however, they were accepted, admired, and, what is worse, worn.

the confederate soldier was furnished at the beginning of the war with a gun, pistol, canteen, tin cup, haversack, and knapsack—no inconsiderable weight to be borne in a march. the knapsack contained a fatigue jacket, one or two blankets, an oilcloth, several suits of underclothing, several pairs of white gloves, collars, neckties, and handkerchiefs. each mess purchased a mess-chest containing dishes, bowls, plates, knives, forks, spoons, cruets, spice-boxes, glasses, etc. each mess also owned a frying-pan, oven, coffee-pot, and camp-kettle. the uniforms were of the finest cadet cloth and gold lace.

this outfit—although not comparable to that of 133 the federal soldiers, many of whom had "saratoga" trunks in the baggage train, was considered sumptuous by the confederate volunteer.

as if these were not enough, we taxed our ingenuity to add sundry comforts, weighing little, by which we might give a touch of refinement to the soldier's knapsack.

there was absolutely nothing which a man might possibly use that we did not make for them. we embroidered cases for razors, for soap and sponge, and cute morocco affairs for needles, thread, and court-plaster, with a little pocket lined with a bank-note. "how perfectly ridiculous!" do you say? nothing is ridiculous that helps anxious women to bear their lot—cheats them with the hope that they are doing good.