Spent the whole day
cutting out shirts at home. This evening we hear (through the Rebels) that Lyon
has been killed and our forces defeated in consequence of our attempting to
stand the attack of 21,000 men with 5,000. Bull Run over again. As the news
comes from the Secessionists, it is, of course, exaggerated and we may hope
that it is only a check, if it be a reverse at all. The public mind appears to
be in a very desponding state; all the news from everywhere is uncomforting,
our army is said to be in a dreadful condition and every responsible person at
Washington, from Lincoln down, is either “a knave or a fool,” as a letter from
the Capital to Mr. Gay said today. George wrote a very fine letter to Mrs.
Gaskell (24 pages) and read it to us this evening; also some splendid
resolutions he has formed for the committee of Richmond County. England and
France are to have a consultation as to the course they shall pursue in regard
to us, and Father and George say that if they say we must absolutely make some
settlement, we shall of course do so, because we cannot possibly fight all the
world. Ah, well! We shall see. These are extraordinary times and splendid to
live in. This war will purify the country of some of its extravagance and
selfishness, even if we are stopped midway. It can't help doing us good; it has
begun to do us good already. It will make us young ones much more thoughtful
and earnest, and so improve the country. I suppose we need something every few
years to teach us that riches, luxury and comfort are not the great end of
life, and this will surely teach us that at least. Mother had a nice letter
from Rob today. He still enjoys himself, although he does have to sleep on the
bare ground in a little tent of boughs and has hard work to do. He says a
Connecticut Regiment came there a few days ago, and on their arrival the men
dispersed and got drunk, whereupon one of the officers was not ashamed to ask
Rob to send a guard of Gordon's men to make them behave, which he did, and
since that time they have had chief charge of the Connecticutians, who don't
mind their officers in the least.
SOURCE: William Rhinelander Stewart, The
Philanthropic Work of Josephine Shaw Lowell, p. 15-6
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