ssion and joined the
Southern States. Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware were divided in their
counsels.

The struggle that was about to commence was an uneven one. The white
population of the Seceding States was about 8,000,000; while that of the
Northern States was 19,614,885. The North possessed an immense
advantage, inasmuch as they retained the whole of the Federal navy, and
were thereby enabled at once to cut off all communication between the
Southern States and Europe, while they themselves could draw unlimited
supplies of munitions of war of all kinds from across the Atlantic.

Although the people of Virginia had hoped to the last that some peaceful
arrangement might be effected, the Act of Secession was received with
enthusiasm. The demand of Mr. Lincoln that they should furnish troops to
crush their Southern brethren excited the livliest indignation, and
Virginia felt that there was no course open to her now but to throw in
her lot with the other slave States. Her militia was at once called out,
and volunteers called for to form a provisional army to protect the
State from invasion by the North.

The appeal was answered with enthusiasm; men of all ages took up arms;
the wealthy raised regiments at their own expense, generally handing
over the commands to experienced army officers, and themselves taking
their places in the ranks; thousands of lads of from fifteen to sixteen
years of age enrolled themselves, and men who had never done a day's
work in their lives prepared to suffer all the hardships of the campaign
as private soldiers.

Mrs. Wingfield was an enthusiastic supporter of State rights; and when
Vincent told her that numbers of his friends were going to enroll
themselves as soon as the lists were opened, she offered no objection to
his doing the same.

"Of course you are very young, Vincent; but no one thinks there will be
any serious fighting. Now that Virginia and the other four States have
cast in their lot with the seven that have seceded, the North can never
hope to force the solid South back into the Union. Still it is right you
should join. I certainly should not like an old Virginian family like
ours to be unrepresented; but I should prefer your joining one of the
mounted corps.

"In the first place, it will be much less fatiguing than carrying a
heavy rifle and knapsack; and in the second place, the cavalry will for
the most part be gentlemen. I was speaking only yesterday, when I went
i