Year: 1862

number OF citizens, spontaneously assembled, waited
on him, and called for speech. Though fatigued
by travel and not in as robust health as usual, ow-
ing to the hardships of camp service, he neverthe
less responded in his best manner and for some
twenty minutes entertained his audience with re-
marks which ELECTED the most enthusiastic approval
and applause


He thanked his fellow citizens for the compliment
implied in their call upon him. We had just passed
through a somewhat excited election. The people
had taken their own affairs into their own hands,
and had given majority for the Conservative cause
and for him, which for magnitude was like the del
uge when compared with all subsequent risings and
overfowings of the waters. There had been fee
BILE attempt to create and array parties in the midst
of war, but the people would have none of it.and
had so declared by their votes. The street corner
politicians, and the politicians who had mounted
stumps and pine logs and harangued the people and
urged them to go with them, had been quietly and
firmly told that they would do no such thng-that
they were determined to do their own voting even
in times like the present. and by their verdict
at the ballot box, they had acted for themselves,
not for party and had told these politicians to take
their seats for while at least at the lower end of
the table.


Many hard and some unjust things had been said
of him during the campaign. 1t had been said that
he was not in the fight at Newbern or Malvern Hill.
He had been of the opinion that he was IN those
fights; but he confessed that, in this respect, he
was very much in the frame of mind of one of Mr.
McDuffe's clients who had been arragned on cap-
tai charge. That great advocate made q speech in
defence of his client which drew tears from the
Court the jury the audience, the women, children
and all and the result was he was acquitted After
he had paid Mr.. McDufie his fee, which was good
one, of course, the latter said to him, calling him
by his name" You are certainly guilty of that
crime" Not bit of it" responded his client
81 thought l was guilty before you made that
speech, but 1 an certain now that am not" l
thought said Col Vance, that was in both of those
fights; but after the efforts made to prove that
was not am willing to admit that was not there
though, said he, l do retain an indistnct recol
lection of the bullets that whisted around my ears
There was one thing, however, which he felt sure
his opponents would admit, and that was, that he
was in the race for Governor The illustration, and
the good-humored manner in which he referred to
this charge, produced roars of laughter


But seriously, said Col Vance, we must forget,
if possible, the character of the late political cam
pagn, and the unfounded charges with which his
friends and himself had been assailed He wanted
the people to feel he felt that the first the great
the absorbing purpose now should be to beat back
invaders and establish the independence of this
glorious Confederation of States. He desired to
forget even that it had been charged that he and
those with whom he acted were for return to the
old Union. Such charge struck him as monstrous.
Was it for this that North Carolina solemnly dis
solved her connection with that government? Was
it for this that she had organized nearly sixty reg
ments, and had poured out her treasure and the
blood of her sons like water on every battle field,
from that of great Bethel to the crowning victories
below Richmond? Was it for this that our people were
submitting cheerfully to all kinds of privatons at
home, while our brave boys were daring disease,
and wounds, and captivity and death in the face of
the enemy? Was it for this that our women and
children had contributed of their household goods
the work of their delicate tngers-uncounted stores
OF provisions for our troops encouraging those who
were already in the field and bidding others go to
their aid WAS it for this that many of these wo-
men and children, on hundreds and hundreds of



with bare feet, following the plough, handling the
hoe and the axe that they might produce and gather
the harvests for sustenance while their husbands,
aud fathers and sons and brothers were engaged in
the fight? No. said he, gentlemen, our people are
properly and terribly in earnest Their eyes are


fixed the goal alofindependence and they will reach
it, happen what may and want you, and want all
the people of the State to aid me with all their
gieS, all their means, and all their confidence in
this mighty struggle, until the Confederate States
shall stand proudly among the nations free and in
dependent He would not characterize the charge
m,de against his friends and himself of being
constructionsts. The people, at the polls, had done
that The people had been a unit from the first
in their resistance to the Northern government and
in their determination to establish their indepen-
dence. They were a unit now. He forgave those
who had thus assailed him, as he hoped his friends
would; and he would forget it. if he could. He
hoped God would forgive them for such charge,
brought such insufficient grounds, against their
! own fellow-citizens for party purposes. For his
| part he was determined to know party during
this war. He should think only of the best means
to establish our independence, and in this great
work he asked and expected the cooperation and
| support of all.


COL Vance then referred to the number of troops
furnished for the war by North-Garolina, and the
manner in which those troops had conducted them
selves in the service. He knew that our people
were as determined as they modest in their
character, and always IN earnest in what they un-
dertook but he not prepared for that brilliant
dash in their nature which they had exhibited on
the battlefield He had looked for steady, unyield-
ing courage but they had shown themselves among
the foremost if not the very foremost in the of
the bayonet a Yankee prisoner, who was evident
ly close observer, had said to one of soldiers


"You North Carolinians have less sense and less
| " Whrr do