The anxiety of all classes for the safety of Richmond is now
intense, though a strong faith in the goodness of God and the valour of our
troops keeps us calm and hopeful. A gentleman, high in position, panic-struck,
was heard to exclaim, yesterday: “Norfolk has fallen, Richmond will fall,
Virginia is to be given up, and to-morrow I shall leave this city, an exile and
a beggar.” Others are equally despondent, and, as is too frequently the case in
times of trouble, attribute all our disasters to the incompetency and
faithlessness of those entrusted with the administration of public affairs.
Even General Lee does not escape animadversion, and the President is the
subject of the most bitter maledictions. I have been shocked to hear that a
counter-revolution, if not openly advocated, has been distinctly foreshadowed,
as the only remedy for our ills. The public authorities of Richmond, greatly
moved by the defenceless condition of the city, appointed a committee, and
appropriated funds to aid in completing the obstructions at Drury's Bluff. The
Legislature also appointed a committee to wait upon the President and ascertain
the progress of the work. A member of this committee, a near connection of
mine, has given me an account of their interview with Mr. Davis. He received
them, as is his invariable custom, with marked cordiality and respect. The
subject was opened by the chairman of the Senate Committee, who stated the
object of the mission, and made appropriate inquiries for information. The
President proceeded to give a distinct narrative of the progress of the work,
expressed his great desire for its early completion, and regretted, that the
natural difficulties arising from frequent freshets in the river, which the
efforts of man could not overcome, had rendered the progress of the work slow.
He said he had just returned from a visit to the Bluff, accompanied by General
Lee; and having heard complaints against the man in charge of the work, he had
discharged him, and had appointed another, strongly recommended for efficiency.
That the flood was now subsiding, and he thought he could assure the committee
that the obstruction of the river would be complete in twenty-four hours. At
this point the door-bell rang, and General Lee was announced. “Ask General Lee
in,” said the President. The servant returned, saying that the General wished
to see the President for a few moments in the ante-room. The President retired,
met General Lee and the Secretary of the Navy, and soon returned to the
committee. The conversation being renewed, some further inquiry was made with
regard to Drury's Bluff. The President replied: “I should have given you a very
different answer to your question a few moments ago from that which I shall be
compelled to give you now. Those traitors at Norfolk, I fear, have defeated our
plans.” “What traitors?” asked nearly every member of the committee at the same
moment. He then proceeded to give a detail of the desertion of the captain and
crew of a steamer engaged in transporting guns from Norfolk to Drury's Bluff,
who had gone over to the enemy with vessel and cargo, and full information as
to the unfinished condition of the works. A member of the committee asked: “Can
nothing be done to counteract these traitors?” The President replied: “Every
thing will be done, I assure you, which can be done.” The member continued: “But,
Mr. President, what will be done?” The President politely declined to answer
the question, saying there were some things that it was not proper to
communicate. The member again pressed for the information, saying: “This is a
confidential meeting, and, of course, nothing transpiring here will reach the
public.” The President, with a smile on his countenance, said: “Mr. –––, I
think there was much wisdom in the remark of old John Brown at Harper's Ferry: ‘A
man who is not capable of keeping his own secrets is not fit to be trusted with
the business of other people.’” There was no unpleasant feeling manifested in
the committee, and the parting was kind and cordial on both sides; yet, next
morning, it was rumoured on the streets that the President had been rude to the
committee, and that the meeting had been extremely unpleasant. On the night of
this meeting the river was obstructed by the sinking of the steamer Patrick
Henry, and other vessels, in the channel. This, it is supposed, was the
plan agreed upon by Mr. Davis and General Lee in their short interview. Several
days have passed since this interview, and I trust that all is now safe. How
thankful I am that I knew nothing of this until the danger was passed!
The Legislature is in almost constant session during these
dark days. It contains many gentlemen of great intelligence and of ardent zeal
in the public cause. The whole body is as true as steel, and its constant
effort is to uphold the hands of the President, to fire the popular heart, and
to bring out all the resources of Virginia in defence of the liberty and
independence of the South. I am told that day after day, and night after night,
“thoughts that breathe and words that burn” are uttered in that hall, which, in
other days, has often rung with the eloquence of the noblest statesmen,
patriots, and orators of the land. These proceedings are all in secret session,
and, for prudential reasons, are withheld from the public; but are they never
to see the light? Is no one taking note of them? I trust so, indeed, that the
civil history of Virginia, during this great struggle, may not be lost to posterity.
SOURCE: Judith W. McGuire, Diary of a Southern
Refugee, During the War, p. 112-5
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