Part 16 (1/2)
February 5th - When Lawrence handed me my husband's money (six hundred dollars it was) I said: ”Now I ao to the Yankees, for with that pile of money in your hands you rinned, but said nothing
At the President's reception Hood had a perfect ovation General Preston navigated hi him as tenderly, on his crutches, as if he were the Princess of Wales's new-born baby that I read of to-day It is bad for the head of an army to be so helpless But old Blcher went to Waterloo in a carriage, wearing a bonnet on his head to shade his inflaure, truly; an old, red-eyed, bonneted woman, apparently, back in a landau And yet, ”Blcher to the rescue!”
Afterward at the Prestons', for we left the President's
285 at an early hour Major von Borcke was trying to teach the numerous travesties of it in this country, when Charles threw open the door, saying, ”A gentleman has called for Major Bandbox” The Prussian ed this to be the worst he had heard yet
Off to the Ives's theatricals I walked with General Breckinridge Mrs Clay's Mrs Malaprop was beyond our wildest hopes And she was in such bitter earnest when she pinched Conny Cary's (Lydia Languish's) shoulder and called her ”an antricate little huzzy,” that Lydia showed she felt it, and next day the shoulder was black and blue It was not that the actress had a grudge against Conny, but that she was intense
Even the back of Mrs Clay's head was eloquent as she walked away ”But,” said General Breckinridge, ”watch Hood; he has not seen the play before and Bob Acres aht my eye, General Hood nodded to me and said, ”I believe that fellow Acres is a coward” ”That's better than the play,” whispered Breckinridge, ”but it is all good fro”
Between the acts Mrs Clay sent us word to applaud She wanted encouragee responded like a man After that she was fired by thunders of applause, following his lead Those hty Kentuckians turned claqueurs, were a host in themselves Constance Cary not only acted well, but looked perfectly beautiful
During the farce Mrs Clay came in with all her feathers, diamonds, and fallals, and took her seat by e, ”What a splendid head of hair you have” ”And all et false hair enough, so they put a pair of black satin boots on top of her head and piled hair over them
286 We adjourned from Mrs Ives's to Mrs Ould's, where we had the usual excellent Richet hoht as day As alked along I said to General Breckinridge, ”You have spent a jolly evening” ”I do not know,” he answered ”I have asked ht, 'Are you the sa down on the faces of the dead on that awful battle-field, The soldiers lying there stare at you with their eyes wide open Is this the sareat Kentucky contingent cae She said she ”did not like General Hood,” and spoke with a wild exciteray or brown? She then gave her reasons in the lowest voice, but loud and distinct enough for him to hear: ”Why? He spoke so harshly to Cy, his body-servant, as we got out of the carriage I sa he hurt Cy's feelings, and I tried to soothe Cy's mortification”
”You see, Cy nearly caused me to fall by his aardness, and I stormed at him,” said the General, vastly ahly to those who dare not resent it,” said she The General did own himself char all a good joke He and Cy understand each other
February 9th - This party for Johnny was the very nicest I have ever had, and Itheir own , ”they did not care for rowled Isabella Mr Lamar was devoted to Constance Cary He is a free lance; so that created no heart-burning
Afterward, when the whole thing was over, and a success, the lights put out, etc, here trooped in the four girls, who stayed all night with owns they
287 stirred up a hot fire, relit the gas, and went in for their supper; rchauff was the word, oysters, hot coffee, etc They kept it up till daylight
Of course, we slept very late As they caoing on likethe Sabbath You know Sunday began at twelve o'clock last night” ”It sounds to me like fire-bells,” somebody said
Soon the Infant dashed in, done up in soldier's clothes: ”The Yankees are upon us!” said he ”Don't you hear the alarht!” Alex Haskell came; he and Johnny went off to report to Custis Lee and to be enrolled a his ”locals,” who are always detailed for the defense of the city But this time the attack on Richmond has proved a false alarm
A new trouble at the President's house: their trusty man, Robert, broken out with the smallpox
We went to the Webb ball, and such a pleasant time we had After a while the P M G (Pet Major-General) took his seat in the comfortable chair next to mine, and declared his determination to hold that position Mr Hunter and Mr Benjae him Mrs Stanard said: ”Take him in the flirtation room; there he will soon be captured and led away,” but I did not knohere that room was situated Besides, o, and I will prevent her fro with any of you” Supper was near at hand, and Mr Mallory said: ”Ask him if the varioloid is not at his house I know it is” I started as if I were shot, and I took Mr Clay's arirls Venison and everything nice
February 12th - John Chesnut had a basket of chaood things, for a supper after the reception He is going back to the army to-morrow
James Chesnut arrived on Wednesday He has been
288 giving Buck his opinion of one of her perfore drove up, bringing soged she would go down there for a moment She flen, and stood ten e-door open ”But, Colonel Chesnut, there was no hare because I did not mean to stay one minute He did not hold my hands - that is, not half the time - Oh, you saell, he did kiss my hands Where is the harm of that?” All men worshi+p Buck How can they help it, she is so lovely
Lawrence has gone back ignominiously to South Carolina At breakfast already in some inscrutable way he had become intoxicated; he was told to h over his head, s Mrs Grundy's chandelier My husband said : ”Mary, do tell Lawrence to go hory to speak to him” So Lawrence ithout another word He will soon be back, and when he comes will say, ”Shoo!! I knew Mars Jeems could not do withoutmy journal, opened her beautiful eyes in amazement and said: ”So little do people know theirls heard him say to you, 'Oh, you are so childish and so sweet!' Now, Buck, you know you are not childish You have an abundance of strong common sense Don't let men adore you so - if you can help it You are so unhappy about men who care for you, when they are killed”
Isabella says that war leads to love- here in a day than they would do at home, without a war, in ten years
In the pauses of conversation, we hear, ”She is the noblest woman God ever made!” ”Goodness!” exclai we hear in these so to the front, and they
289 say their say desperately I airls tell me And I overhear - I can not help it But this style is unique, is it not? ”Since I saw you - last year - standing by the turnpike gate, you know- my battle-cry has been: 'God, my country, and you!' ” So many are lame Major Venable says: ”It is not 'the devil on two sticks,' now; the farce is 'Cupid on Crutches' ”
General Breckinridge's voice broke in: ”They are ood-by Good-by nowadays is the very devil, it ainst us So I advanced to the charge soberly, discreetly, and in the fear of the Lord The girls stood in a row - four of the very prettiest I ever saw” Salued to the floor, cried: ”You were afraid - you backed out” ”But I did nothing of the kind I kissed every one of them honestly, heartily”
February 13th - My husband is writing out so to get soood soldiers but got into a scrape Buck calish hat, with the pheasant's wing Just then Hood entered irl: ”You look ate, where I surrendered at first sight” She nodded and s back to say that she meant to ith him as far as the Executive Office
The General walked to theand watched until the flutter of her gar fault with some of his officers in command, and I said: 'Mr President, why don't you come and lead us yourself; I would follow you to the death' ” ”Actually, if you stay here in Richrow to be a courtier And you cah Texan”
290 Mrs Davis and General McQueen came He tells me Muscoe Garnett is dead Then the best and the cleverest Virginian I know is gone He was the her than his requireht was made upon the President for nepotis the charge that the President's cotton was unburned, or that he left it to be bought by the Yankees, have enraged the opposition How much these people in the President's fanant
February 16th - Saw in Mrs Howell's rooro Mrs Davis rescued yesterday frouardian The child is an orphan He was dressed up in little Joe's clothes and happy as a lord He was very anxious to show s in life too sickening, and cruelty is one of them
Somebody said: ”People who knew General Hood before the war said there was nothing in hi his property by the war, some say he never had any, and that West Point is a pauper's school, after all He has only an”
”Now,” said Burton Harrison, ”only ained during the war - that is Hood What was Napoleon before Toulon? Hood has the inity of an Indian chief He has always a little court around hifall, hiet within Hood's lines”
February 17th - Found everything in Main Street twenty per cent dearer They say it is due to the new currency bill
I asked my husband: ”Is General Johnston ordered to reenforce Polk, They said he did not understand the order”
291 ”After five days' delay,” he replied ”They say Sheret inside of our armies what is to molest them, unless it be women with brooia refuses hiia writes: ”The roads are open to him and in capital condition I have furnished him abundantly with provisions from time to time, as he desired them” I suppose both of these letters are placed away side by side in our archives
February 20th - Mrs Preston was offended by the story of Buck's perfore told her ”it was the most beautifully unconscious act he ever saw” The General was leaning against the wall, Buck standing guard by hied that way, and she held out her arm to protect him from the rush After they had all passed she handed him his crutches, and they, too, moved sloay Mrs Davis said: ”Any woman in Richmond would have done the saracefully Buck is made so conspicuous by her beauty, whatever she does can not fail to attract attention”
Johnny stayed at hoot several thousand Confederate dollars, and in the afternoon drove out with Mrs K -At the Bee Store he spent a thousand of his loves, but linen is next to life itself
Yesterday the President walked holad to see my husband at church; had never seen him there before re about 24,000 hout Mississippi and Alabama, found it impossible to check the advance of Sherman at the head of some 40,000, and moved from Meridian south to protect Mobile February 16, 1864, Sherman took possession of Meridian
292 looked, etc I replied that he looked so well ”because you have never before seen hiht place' ” My husband has no fancy for being planted in pews, but he is utterly Christian in his creed
February 23d - At the President's, where General Lee breakfasted, a ht to do; planned a cah he did perress who refrained fro the battle-field in person, but from afar dictated the movements of armies My husband said that, to his amazement, General Lee came into his room at the Executive Office to ”pay his respects and have a talk” ”Dear racious!” said I ”That was a compliment from the head of the army, the very first man in the world, we Confederates think”
February 24th - Friends ca day They played cards One man, a soldier, had only two teeth left in front and they lapped across each other On account of the condition of his h he told some funny stories Finally a story was too azed, and then called out as the negro fiddlers call out dancing figures, ”Forward two and cross over!” Fancy our faces The hero of the two teeth, relapsing into a decorous arrangement ofthe news; the artillery are the boys to eneral or so gets all the glory”
February 26th - We went to see Mrs Breckinridge, who is here with her husband Then we paid our respects to Mrs Lee Her roohters were all there plying their needles, with several other ladies Mrs Lee showed us a beautiful sword, recently sent to the General by some Marylanders,
293 now in Paris On the blade was engraved, ”Aide toi et Dieu t'aidera” When we came out someone said, ”Did you see how the Lees spend their time? What a rebuke to the taffy parties!”