Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-07-27
er hand, the idol of the army, and through
it of the people at home.

it of the people at home.
Probably nothing but Lees statel,
courtesy and perfect self-control prevent
ed an open rupture between himself ant
Davis 1t was often charged that only
the fear OF an open revolt in the army
kept Davis from cndeavoring to remove
Lee from the command of the Confeder
ate forces. Doubtless any such stel
would have provoked revolt, but the
vexed question of State rights stood alsc
in the way. Lee was the chosen chief o.
the Virginia troops, and MS such coulc
not have been removed by even the Pres
ident of the Confederacy. Indeed, Vir
ginia claimed peculiar position among
the belligerent States. "The mother o
States and statesmen" had, in tardily nc.
cepting the federal constitution Of 1889
expressly reserved the right to withdraw
from the Union under certain contingen.
cies, n right tacitly acknowledged at the
time by the rest Of the "Old Thirteen.
None of the other seeded States having
made the same stipulations, she was
therefore, in her own eyes, more than any
other, a sovereign State asserting her
sovereignty. Even JEFF Davis had toe
much prudence to provoke an open issue
between Virginia and the Confederacy
and thus the Old Dominion held her agis
over her favorite son, who, in fact, was
in the Confederate army rather from 10y
atty to his State than as IN advocate OF
secession.
Mrs. Davis was handsome and well ac
customed to society by years of life in
Washington. She discharged her duties
us mistress of the presidential mansion
with quiet grace and dignity which, if i,
won her few friends, at all events made
her no enemies. She was eminently do
mestic in her tastes, devoted to her hus-
band and children, and after the terrible
death of her little boy, who was killed
during the second year of tho war by q
fall from the high porch in the rear Of
the house, she Withdrew from society as
much as possible, leaving her sister tc
fill her place. This the young lady was
nothing 10th to do, and indeed magniiied
her Office to such extent, as the Richmond
ladies' said, "gave herself such airs,
that she came in for her full share of the
ill-feeling toward her brother-in-law.
Mrs. Lee was an invalid, whose delicate
health confined her almost altogether tc
her own house. She held the Office o
president of the soldiers aid society by
the wish of the whole country, but the
active duties of the post devolved chiefly
on the vice presidents. Her daughters
were, of course, leaders in society, and
were loved and admired no less for theii
own attractions than their fathers sake.
Wealth had little or nothing to do will
social position. Nearly every one wal
Strengthened alike, and privations were
accepted as sort of honorable martyr.
dom, of which people were proud rather
than ashamed. The refugees who throng
ed the city belonged, many of them, tc
the best blood in the State, and repre-
sented families whose historic homes are
on the James and York rivers and in the
Northern Neck. But little of theil
wealth was portable. State bonds paid
no dividends, and the stay law prevented
fore, they were fain to earn n scanty liv.
ing by hard work. The men were in the
army on bpggarly pay, while the women
toiled i'll the governmental offices for 0
mere pittance. Thus many OF the most
refined and cultivated people in the city
were in actual want of all but the mcrcst
necessaries of life, and sometimes even oi
them.
Government contractors and manufac
turers made money "hand over fist, ant
whoever had anything to sell was sure o.
high prices but merchandise was fal
safer property than Confederate money
which evaporated, 30 to speak +; its value
measured by what it would buy, growing
less and less every day. After the SO
called funding of the debt in the secont
year of the war, by which one-third of il
was practically repudiated, nobody ha,
any confidence in the currency, and who
ever possessed it was anxious to conver
it into less perishable property. Long
headed people invested in land, specula
tors bought cotton and tobacco, and thu
some large fortunes went up in the smok,
of the evacuation fires. Blockade run
ners preferred diamonds, as combining
certain value with the greatest econom,
of space, and some very fine jewel
changed hands in Richmond during til
war. Many men, prudent otherwise
made large Investments in Confederat
bonds, secured by cotton and tobacco
reasoning plausibly that if the cause G
secession succeeded no better investmen
could be had, while in the opposite even
confscation would inevitably swallow pre-
perty of all sorts. Indeed, it is matte
of question how much the cry of ''n
quarter" kept up by the politicians o
both sides for party purposes, had to
Csnfederates "to die in the last ditch"
During the earlier part Of the war so
dier worship was carried to the creates
lengths, and the women of the Sout
made heroes of all who wore the gra,
The uniform covered any number of sim
and as a disgusted small girl, brought IL
in the most exclusive circle, expressed i
it really seemed as if any man with
stripe on his trousers thought he had
right to speak to any lady whom he me
I Virginia society of the best sort is pr,
verbally aristocratic, priding itself ON i
cavalier blood and looking scornful
down on all OF less ancient lineage. I'll
war fever changed all that for the tin
! being, and the parlor doors of many ,
exclusive house opened to those, VIII
a but for the uniform they wore, wou
have been entertained in the library
Office by the gentlemen Of the fami
without even glimpse of the ladie
n Some enthusiastic girls carried their
o votion to the cause 30 far as to CORE
n pond with all and any soldiers who car
e to write to them, piece of Quixotis
: promptly suppressed by prudent paren
e and guardians.
h The fact that n uniform, especially
e officers uniform, was accepted as a SUI
r cient passport to society could hardly ia
l. sometimes, to bring about disagreeaL
g results. So surely rs the cat is left
l. close proximity to the cream Jug t
y cream will be "absorbed," and 30 sure
st as young people of both sexes are allo
r. ed to mingle freely in social intercour
It there will be more or less falling in 10
5 between them. Every wearer of a III
IS form was not exactly the sort of man
whom careful father would willing
l. give his daughter in marriage, and no
n few unhappy unions were the consequeu
r of this romantic disregard of social lin
le Worse also some wretches, trusting
Id the security afforded by distance and
le lifliculty of making innuiriaa in 1ietri