Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-01-26
Gen. Halleck's Administration in Vir-
ginia-" Married to Order."

DHOHILf altcr lne 1all OF hlcnmOnu,
General Halleck came on to the ruined
city and took command of the Depalt-
ment of Virginia, making his headquar
ters, we believe, in the house previously
occupied by the fugitive chieftain of the
Confcderacy, President Jefferson Davis
The writer was In Richmond at the time,
and remembers several interesting Incl
dents of General HIS administration;
among others the following:
The young ladies of Virginia who had
given up their sweethearts to the South
ern cause all looked forward eagerly to
the time when the softer claims of love
should take the place of the stern de-
mands of duty; so that when the crash
came, and, amid the wreck and ruin Of
the Confederacy, the survivors stood
stunned and bewildered by overwhelming
disaster, there was chastened realization
of long hoped-for privilege-that of re-
newing dear associations and cementing
the fondest and tenderest ties Engage.
ments were formed, and weddings began
to be talked of, but they were in many
cases necessarily postponed to day
much further off than was agreeable TO
ardent young lovers. The cold folks"
held by too doubtful tenure the little
property they had saved from the wreck,
business was as vet out of the question,
and, in fact, every pecuniary Interest was
in such a condition of uncertainty and
confusion that even eager and thoughtless
youth was compelled to acknowledge the
necessity for delay before entering upon
such important responsibilities as were
involved in the support of family and
reluctantly consented to wait till affairs
should be more settled.
In, tlnr dot &c oil ,ig oil lnnly
unintentionally interfered in the behalf of
hymen, and gave the matrimonial aspira-
tions of the young people push ahead
that brought the consummation of their
wishes within the compass of few short
days. He promulgated an order similar
in purpose to many others issued in the
South after the war, having in view the
imposition of the oath of allegiance, at
that time naturally very obnoxious to
many people of all classes, as a condition
precedent to the transaction of any kind
of business. This order included minis
ters and magistrates who were allowed a
certain brief time in which to take the
oath, and at the expiration # that time
all who had not taken it were forbidden,
among other things, 10 perform the marriage
CEREMONY! Immediately there was great
stir and commotion among all who had
| hopes to fulfill in that direction. The
ladies were aghast and the gentleman in
dignant, and the older heads that had not
quite lost their sense of independence
could not help sympathizing with the
| younger people, whose plans and pros
poets were so effectually disconnected by
! the order. But there was no appeal from
| it. The country was under purely mill
tary government, and, for all the Virgin
ians knew, would never he otherwise
and General Halleck's dictum was law.
Then there was consultation after con
sultation. The ladies had their favorite
ministers, without whose sacred offices a
wedding would be no wedding at all.
Each lover consulted his fancee and both
consulted the parents, and all consulted
the minister, and the minister consulted
his feelings, and declared that he didn't
think he could ever take the oath. "Then
we can never get married " shouted the
| indignant gentleman. "Oh, my! !" eX.
claimed the ladies in flutter of alarm.
The lovers stormed. Their sweethearts
wept, or at least looked very disconsolate
and the old folks shared in the general
feeling, which was compounded of indlg
nation, perpleXity and regret. But there
seemed to be no help for ii. However
obnoxious the order was, they were ap
parently impotent to avoid or avert its
consequences. Only apparently" how
ever. Whether woman's wit first sug
gested it or not we can only surmise, but
certain it was that an avenue of escape
was suggested which the young people
eagerly availed themselves of. 1t was
simply to get married before the day on
which the order went into effect. The
young gentleman, of course, seized upon
this proposition with ardOr, while the
young ladies-well, if they did not boldly
endorse the plan, it is quite natural tC
suppose that papa got a sly hint or two
and few coaxing smiles, or a pout if he
was obdurate, which helped matters along
amazingly.
1t is hardly necessary to say that imme
diately all was activity and hustle in the
matrimonial market. Splendid trousseau'
were out of the question, but, by some
means or other, quite handsome brida
outfits were improvised, comfortable wed
ding dinners were prepared, and, as If by
magic, the paraphernalia peculiar to ny
menial celebrations was arranged to the
qualification, ifnot to the satisfaction, of the
parties interested. We cannot undertake
to say how many marriages occurred a
this time, which were hurried forward il
the manner described, but there were {
considerable number of them-perhapi
more than Richmond ever saw, before o.
since, in the same brief space of time
Many young couple thus owe the early
contamination of their happiness to Gen
eral Halleck's- order, though, of course, h,
did not issue it for that purpose. W.
only hope that they have all good reason
to thank him for the unintentional bless
ing he bestowed upon them For som,
time after, it was standing jest among
the ladies that they had been married L
order" I."-LOuisDa COuTierJ0uradi.
-
Nota, 90 A d,,;rat;on oya lo,to,,