nment, and wished to follow the fortunes of
the Confederacy should our lines be reestablished farther South, he
promptly gave his assent to my plans. I galloped to the railroad
station, then at Dunlops, on the north side of the river, where I
found a locomotive and several cars, constituting the "ambulance
train," designed to carry to Richmond the last of the wounded of
our army requiring hospital treatment. I asked the agent if he had
another engine, when, pointing to one rapidly receding in the
direction of Richmond, he replied, "Yonder goes the only locomotive
we have besides the one attached to this train." Turning my horse
over to the courier who accompanied me, with directions to join me
in Richmond as soon as he could, I mounted the locomotive in
waiting, directed the engineer to detach it from the cars and to
proceed to overtake the engine ahead of us. It was what the sailors
call a stern chase and a long one. We did not overtake the other
locomotive until it had reached Falling Creek, about three-fourths
of the distance, when I transferred to it and sent the other back
to Petersburg. I reached Richmond without further incident, and
soon after midnight I was married to Elizabeth Selden Saunders....
As will be readily understood, the occasion was not one of great
hilarity, though I was very happy; my eyes were the only dry ones
in the company....

The people of Richmond were greatly excited and in despair in the
contemplation of the abandonment of their beautiful city by our
troops. General Lee had for so long a time thwarted the designs of
his powerful adversaries for the capture of the city, and seemed so
unfailing and resourceful in his efforts to hold them at bay, that
the good people found it difficult to realize that he was compelled
at last to give way. There was universal gloom and despair at the
thought that at the next rising of the sun the detested Federal
soldiers would take possession of the city and occupy its streets.
The transportation companies were busily engaged in arranging for
the removal of the public stores and of the archives of the
government. A fire in the lower part of the city was fiercely
raging, and added greatly to the excitement.

Somewhere near four o'clock on the morning of the 3d of April I
bade farew