Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/132

 126 Southern Historical Society Papers.

tional liberty. And Mr. Davis's Southern tour is nothing less than a vertical moral triumph for that cause and for himself as its faithful chief, manifesting to the world that the cause still lives in the hearts of the Southern people, and that its resurrection in the body in fit- ting- hour may yet come.

Here, in the North, that is naturally presumptuous and arrogant in her vast material power, and where consequently but little atten- tion has, in general, been given to the study of the nature and prin- ciples of constitutional liberty, as connected with the rights of States, there is, nevertheless, an increasing understanding and appreciation of the Confederate cause, particularly here in the New England States, whose position and interests in the Union are, in many re- spects, peculiar, and perhaps require that these States, quite as much as those of the South, should be the watchful guardians of the State sovereignty. Mingled with this increasing understanding and appre- ciation of the Confederate cause, naturally comes also a growing admiration of its devoted defenders ; and the time may yet be when the Northern as well as the Southern heart will throb reverently to the proud words upon the Confederate monument at Charleston : —

"These died for their State."

Benj. J. Williams.

The Confederate Steamship " Patrick Henry."

BY CAPTAIN J. H. ROCHELLE.

During the winter of 1 864-' 65, Commodore Lynch was detailed by the Navy Department at Richmond to write a report on the bat- tles and combats fought or participated in by the Confederate States Navy. Commodore Lynch wrote to Flag-Officer Tucker, then com- manding the Confederate States Naval Forces at Charleston, for information in relation to the battle of Hampton Roads and the sub- sequent repulse of the United States squadron at Drewry's Bluff. Flag-Officer Tucker having, as Commander Tucker of the Confed- erate steamship Patrick Henry, been present at both these engage- ments. I was in command of the Confederate steamship Palmetto State, one of the iron-clads of Fiag-Officer Tucker's squadron at Charleston, when he received Commodore Lynch's letter, and as I