Delaware State journal and statesman., 1862-05-30
FROM thy Christian Chronicle.
Dark Days of Wilmington, Delaware,
in 1861,

We find in the n. Y. Eraagtiisi n letter from
Wilmington correspondent, which describes with
much yyduess the dark days Of April 1861 -
Tie sketch, We Judge to lie from the graceful
pen If the Rev. William Aikman, Of the llnnlyer
Street Presbyterian church. We are sorry that
We have room for ouly u few extracts. Little
Delaware. thanks to the God of Natiols VIA,
rescued from the vortex Of Secession, and, whle
We would not overrAte their instrumentalily, we
believe that under God, it was done chiefly by the
influence of loyal ministers in oil the pulpits OF
the city: Mr.. Aiknan says
" You aud will never forget that night or
the next Sabbath when saw you return from
your fruitless journey, stopped by the broad
Su.quehanna, with bridges all charred and
ollGsensd and the reports Of ol-ttsty rebels
On the other side. We certainly here will not
forget il. 1t was a night of trouble here; the
telegraph was down mud thousand rumurs were
atlJat We knew that all the bridges between
Us aud Washington were destroyed, that the men
Of Massachusetts had been murdered in the
streets of Baltimore, that the enemy were faid
to lie advancing and pushing ON toward this city
to get possession of our powder works, that there
would probably be an attempt to burn the bridges
on either side Of our city we knew that there
weie hundreds of armed rebels among US only
waiting for All opportunity to exhibit their
power, and that our only 4afety WAS in activity
his possession looked cureiully 10 them, and
hundreds enrolled themselves in volunteer CON-
pauies. II was an unquct Saturday night, and
u-herel in q troubled sabbath.
We shall never forget that sabbath We came
to tile church As to the sanctuary of God and if
was good To go there, to the place where uol
was My choir, as the bell censed began softly
after the plantiVe prelude of the organ, to sing
HAly country It's of thee Every one wa,
rgif Ia uul tba Ii
e with all the deep inspiration Of the hour, an,
you need not wonder that our hearts rose an,
r fell reep0nsiyely to every note. We had sum
r aud heard the song hundred times before, hui
we never knew its meaning ill now That weel
s was the longest Of my life. II was II week o
= years,
g 1t seems half dreamy now To have c1nsulte,
r whether, while others were sending their chill.
e 'lren away, it would not he well 10 box up
y valued picture or two and put them where the,
d would he safer, or to see quiet mad peaceful me
o handling their Hes OF to go with them MS the
If practsed at the target, with many deep tone
e complaint that they should by traitors be com
's PEELED to prepare to defend their homes wit
, such weapons; to wonder whether after al i
ID were not duty for you, minister as you were,
y have some means Of defence in your house, an
i. whether il might not be hnt yet the skill whio
m had been only a pastime before, might not
= defence Of home anil country, he called int
play in some trench or behind some earthwor
n on one Of these roads that look souihward
e But it is passed now, thank Col It has gon,
OIL We talk of ii as something long gone il seen
+ unreal, the anxiety must have heen nnnecessar,
o it may seem even foolish to yon that were lai
= iher away hut il was all real to ua here an
ie then.
le We, some Of us, in those dark days when Il
is was uncertain, when We did not know but thi
is Washington was in the hands Of the insurgent
IT and the tide Of rebellion had swept over the su
ed qmehanna, when Baltimore WAS in the hands
T. tue lenonlac mob, and the man who headed II
be band that burned the bridgee, renegade
Of Wilmington, was threatening next TO fire til
oity-We hAd wholly new set Of emotions
to familiar sounds For months together the sht
n whistle Of the locomotive suggested only rooT
n troops. At first, and before we became aeou
er toned to IT, the long trains of cars with wndo'
is and platforms filled, roofs alive with men, WI
I'd wing their adieus or greetings, would call us