Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/408

 408 Southern Historical Society Papers

weather would not permit. It was a great disappointment to the many who had come from a distance to hear him. There was an immense crowd here, including a large number of fair damsels from the neighborhood, and I was sorry to see them dispersing in the rain without a speech. Yesterday was ushered in with a snow-storm, which soon turned into rain, and there was every prospect that the address would have to be postponed until to-morrow; but at two o'clock it ceased raining, and the Governor harangued the brigade for an hour and a half, notwithstanding the dampness and the high wind, as he is very anxious to get back to Raleigh. He left this morning for Hanover Junction, where he will address Johnston's brigade to-morrow. He was called upon this morning at Gordons- ville for a speech, but refused as it was the Sabbath. It is the first time that I have had the pleasure of meeting him. He is a large, fine-looking man and one of marked intelligence. In him is happily blended true eloquence and sound reasoning, with an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes. His speech to Scales' brigade was a much finer intellectual effort than the one delivered to ours. His appeal to the soldiers to stand by their colors, his enumeration of the qualities of heroes out of whose blood spring nations and empires, and his show- ing that all things earthly as well as heavenly that are truly worth having must be purchased at the sacrifice of blood, were really grand, and brought tears to the eyes of many of the old battle-scarred vete- rans. It was an interesting sight to witness these old heroes wipe away tears, and a few moments later be convulsed with laughter. J. E. B. Stuart followed .him around and seemed to be completely carried away with his speeches, and I understand General Lee on one or two occasions forgot his usual dignity and laughed heartily at his anecdotes. I am sure the visit of such a fine speaker to the army has had a beneficial effect upon the soldiers. The Governor must be heard to be properly appreciated. *

[III.] LIBERTY MILLS, ORANGE Co., VA., April o, 1864.

water. It is still coming down in torrents, and we are having prac- tical demonstrations that a worn-out tent without a fly is not the most comfortable abode in such weather. Our old fly gave up the ghost in a recent contest with the wind, and I am now occupying a
 * * For some time past we have been almost deluged with