a great many unopened letters, and a
special list of candidates for office, with annotations. These I packed
in my trunk.

As I was to precede the Secretary, and having some knowledge of the
capacity of the public buildings in Richmond, I was charged with the
duty of securing, if possible, suitable offices for the Department of
War. I made hasty preparations for departure.

Before starting, something prompted me to call once more at the
post-office, where, to my surprise and delight, I found a letter from my
wife. She was in Richmond, with all the children, _Tabby_ and the
parrot. She had left Burlington about the same time I had left Richmond.
At Havre-de-Grace, on the Susquehanna, which they crossed in the night,
my youngest daughter was compelled with difficulty to stride over the
sleeping bodies of Yankee soldiers. She writes that she deposited, very
carefully, our plate in the bank! The idea that all might have been
brought off if she had only known it, is the source of her wretchedness.
She writes that she had been materially assisted by Mr. Grubb and his
lady, prompted by personal friendship, by humanity, and by those
generous instincts of the true nobility of heart imparted by the
Creator. Mr. G. is true to the Constitution and the Government under
which he lives--and would doubtless never consent to a rupture of the
Union under any circumstances. He has a son in the army against us. And
Col. Wall, another personal friend, boldly shook hands with my family at
parting, while the Wide-Awake file leaders stood scowling by. I hope he
may not suffer for his temerity.

These things occupied my thoughts during a sleepless night in the cars.
My abode in New Jersey had been a pleasant one. I had a fine yard and
garden, and many agreeable neighbors. I loved my garden, and cultivated
my own grapes, pears, peaches, apples, raspberries, currants, and
strawberries. I had fruits and vegetables in the greatest profusion. And
the thrushes and other migratory birds had come to know me well, and
sang me to sleep at night, and awakened me with their strains in the
morning. They built their nests near the windows, for the house was
embowered in trees, and half covered with ivy. Even my cats, for every
living thing was a pet to some one of the family,--when I think of them
now, wandering about unprotected, give rise to painful emotions. But
even my youngest child was willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of
her country. The S