die; but civilization still survived; and the race that found its welfare and happiness only in bondage seemed pretty well off, and tolerably happy, — witness the negro village close by; and the world of progressive ideas still moved on. Yet this great champion of slavery did not appear to have learned the first lesson of the times. All his arguments were the old arguments; he knew nothing but the past, which was gone forever; and the future to him was chaos. accom His two daughters, young and accomplished, came and sat with us in the twilight, together with a vivacious young lady from Richmond. Or our return to the city, Miss accompanied us, with their visitor. The latter proved to be an audacious and incorrigible little Rebel, and regaled us with secesh songs. I remember a few lines. "You can never win us back, Never, never, Though we perish in the track Of your endeavor!" "You have no such noble blood For the shedding: In the veins of Cavaliers Was its heading! You have no such noble men In your abolition den, To march through fire and fen, Nothing dreading!" DOUBTFUL UNION SENTIMENT. 187 CHAPTER XXV. PEOPLE AND POLITICS. ONE day I dined at the house of a Union man of a different stamp from the twenty-one I have mentioned. He was one of the wealthy citizens of Richmond, — a man of timid disposition and conservative views, who had managed admirably to conceal his Union sentiments during the war. He had been on excellent terms with Jeff Davis and members of his cabinet; and he was now on excellent terms with the United States authorities. A prudent citizen, not wanting in kindness of heart; yet he could say of the Emancipation Act, "It will prove a good thing for the slave-owners; for it will be quite as cheap to hire our labor as to own it, and we shall now be rid of supporting the old and decrepit servants, such as were formerly left to die on our hands." On being asked if he considered that he owed nothing to those aged servants, he smoothed his chin, and looked thoughtful, but made no reply. An anecdote will show of what stuff the Unionism of this class is composed. His name happened to be the same as that of one of our generals. During the war, a Confederate officer, visiting his house, said to him, — “I am told you are a near relative of General — of the Federal army." "It's a slander!" was the indignant reply. "He is no kin of mine, and I would disown him if he was." After the occupation by our troops, Union officers were welcomed at his house; one of whom said to him, "Are you related to our famous General ——?" "Very likely, very likely," was the complacent answer; "the -'s are all connected." Next to the uncompromising Union men, the most sincerely loyal Virginians I saw in Richmond, or elsewhere, were those who had been lately fighting against us. Only now and then a Confederate soldier had much of the spirit of the Rebellion left in him. "The truth is," said devil whipped out of us. It is only those who kept out of the fight that are in favor of continuing it. I fought you with all my might until we got whipped; then I gave it up as a bad job; and now there's not a more loyal man in the United States than I am." He had become thoroughly converted from the heresy of secession. "No nation can live that tolerates such a doctrine; and, if we had succeeded, the first thing we should have done would have been to repudiate it." Colonel D- 66 we have had the I became acquainted with several officers of this class, who inspired me with confidence and sympathy. Yet when one of them told me he had been awarded a government place, with four thousand a year, I could not help saying, "What right have you to such a place? How many capable and worthy men, who have been all the while fighting for the government you have been fighting against, would be thankful for a situation with one half or one quarter the salary!" The animus of the secessionists who kept out of the war, and especially of the women, still manifested itself spitefully on occasions. "It is amusing," said Mrs. W—, "to see the pains some of them take to avoid walking under the flag we keep flying over our door." Two female teachers of the freed people had, after much trouble, obtained board and lodgings in a private family, where the treatment they received was such as no sensitive person could endure. They were obliged to leave, and accept quarters in a Confederate government building not much better than a barn. Many Richmond families were glad enough to board army officers for their money; but few were prepared to receive and treat decently "nigger teachers," at any price. |