ornate, but lacking in the force which leaves an indelible impression
upon the hearer.

XXIV
THE PEACE CONVENTION OF 1861

In the month of January, 1861, the State of Virginia invited the States
to send delegates to a congress or convention to be held in the city of
Washington. The call implied that the Union was a confederation of
States as distinguished from an independent and supreme and sovereign
government, set up and maintained by the people of the whole country,
except as the States were made the servants of the nation for certain
specified purposes. There was hesitation on the part of Massachusetts,
and some of the States of the North declined to respond to the call.
After delay, Governor Andrew appointed John Z. Goodrich, Charles Allen,
George S. Boutwell, T. P. Chandler, F. B. Crowninshield, J. M. Forbes,
and Richard P. Waters as commissioners to the convention.

The meeting was held on the 6th of February in Willard's Hall, in the
city of Washington. The door upon the street was closed, and the
delegates were admitted from Willard's Hotel through a side door, cut
for the purpose. The entrance was guarded by a messenger, and only
members were admitted. There were no reporters, but Mr. Chittenden, of
Vermont, made notes from which he prepared a volume that was published,
but not until several years after the congress had ceased to exist. A
few of the members furnished him with reports of their speeches, but
not always in the language used at the time of delivery. My memory of
what was said by Mr. Chase and Mr. Frelinghuysen did not correspond
with the Chittenden Report. As the Convention had been in session
several days when the Massachusetts delegation appeared, we were
assigned to seats that were remote from the chair.

The convention was composed of three classes of men. Secessionists,
led by John Tyler, the president of the convention, Seddon of Virginia,
and Davis and Ruffin of North Carolina; border State men from Virginia,
Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Kentucky, who had faith in
differing degrees that the Union might be saved, and war averted; and
radical men who had no faith that anything could be done by which the
Union could be saved, except through war. Soon after my arrival in
Washington, I called on a Sunday upon Mr. Seddon. We had a free
conversation. He said:

"It is of no use for us to attempt to deceive each other. You have one
form of civilization, and we hav