Mrs.Wingfield made a point of always attending with her daughters at these entertainments, which to the young people afforded a cheerful break in the dullness and monotony of their usual life; for, owing to the absence of almost all the young men with the army, there had been a long cessation of the pleasant interchange of visits, impromptu parties, and social gatherings that had formed a feature in the life in Virginia.
The balls would have been but dull affairs had only the residents of Richmond been present; but leave was granted as much as possible to officers stationed with regiments within a railway run of the town, and as these eagerly availed themselves of the change from the monotony of camp life, the girls had no reason to complain of want of partners.Here and at the receptions given by President Davis, Vincent met all the leaders of the Confederacy, civil and military.Many of them had been personal friends of the Wingfields before the Secession movement began, and among them was General Magruder, who commanded the troops round Richmond.
Early in the winter the general had called at the Orangery."We are going to make a call upon the patriotism of the planters of this neighborhood, Mrs.Wingfield," he said during lunch time."You see, our armies are facing those of the Federals opposite Washington, and can offer a firm front to any foe marching down from the North; but, unfortunately they have the command of the sea, and there is nothing to prevent their embarking an army on board ship and landing it in either the James or the York Rivers, and in that case they might make a rush upon Richmond before there would be time to bring down troops to our aid.I am therefore proposing to erect a chain of works between the two rivers, so as to be able to keep even a large army at bay until reinforcements arrive; but to do this a large number of hands will be required, and we are going to ask the proprietors of plantations to place as many negroes as they can spare at our disposal.""There can be no doubt as to the response your question will meet with, general.At present we have scarce enough work for our slaves to do.I intend to grow no tobacco next year, for it will only rot in the warehouse, and a comparatively small number of hands are required to raise corn crops.I have about a hundred and seventy working hands on the Orangery, and shall be happy to place a hundred at your disposal for as long a time as you may require them.If you want fifty more you can of course have them.
Everything else must at present give way to the good of the cause.""I thank you much, Mrs.Wingfield, for your offers, and will put your name down the first on the list of contributors.""You seem quite to have recovered now," he said to Vincent a few minutes afterward.
"Yes; I am quite ashamed of staying here so long, general.But Ifeel some pain at times; and as there is nothing doing at the front, and my doctor says that it is og importance I should have rest as long as possible, I have stayed on.Major Ashley has promised to recall me as soon as there is a prospect of active work.""I think it is quite likely that there will be active work here as soon as anywhere else," the general said."We know pretty well what is doing at Washington, and though nothing has been decided upon, there is a party in favor of a landing in force here; and if so, we shall have hot work.What do you say? If you like I will get you a commission and appoint you one of my aides-de-camp.Your knowledge of the country will make you useful, and as Ashley has specially mentioned your name in one of his despatches, you can have your commission by asking for it.
"If there is to be fighting round here, it will be of more interest to you defending your own home than in taking part iii general engagements for the safety of the State.It will, too, enable you to be a good deal at home; and although so far the slaves have behaved extremely well, there is no saying exactly what may happen if the Northerners come among us.You can rejoin your own corps afterward, you know, if nothing comes of this."Vincent was at first inclined to decline the offer, but his mother and sisters were so pleased at having him near them that he finally accepted with thanks, being principally influenced by the general's last argument, that possibly there might be trouble with the slaves in the event of a landing in the James Peninsula by the Northerners.A few days later there came an official intimation that he had received a commission in the cavalry, and had at General Magruder's request been appointed to his staff, and he at once entered upon his new duties.
The fortress of Monroe, at the entrance of Hampton Roads, was still in the hands of the Federals, and a large Federal fleet was assembled here, and was only prevented from sailing up the James River by the Merrimac, a steamer which the Confederates had plated with railway iron.They had also constructed batteries upon some high bluffs on each side of the river.In a short time 5,000negroes were set to work erecting batteries upon the York River at Yorktown and Gloucester Point, and upon a line of works extending from Warwick upon the James River to Ship Point on the York, through a line of wooded and swampy country intersected by streams emptying themselves into one or other of the rivers.
