arance from those of eighteen months
before. The gentlemen were almost all in uniform, and already calicoes
and other cheap fabrics were worn by many of the ladies, as foreign
dress materials could no longer be purchased. Mrs. Wingfield made a
point of always attending these entertainments with her daughters, 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 of 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 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
re-enforcements 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 quest will meet with,
general. At present we have scarcely enough work for our slaves to do. I
intend to grow no tobacco next year, for it will only rot in the
warehouse, and