Sunday, May 4, 2008

Diary of Betty Herndon Maury - February 23, 1862

Sunday 23d [February 1862]

Yesterday Jeff Davis was inaugurated for six years.

We hear many reports from Fort Donaldson, hear that our Generals and most of our troops have cut their way through the enemies lines, and that their loss is many times heavier than ours. Do not know that it is true.

Today we hear that Gen' Sidney Johnson has evacuated Nashville and that Columbus is untenable.

The English Government express themselves satisfied with Seward's apology and the return of Mason and Slidell. There is no hope of foreign recognition now.

Mama said the other day "I cannot help regretting the old union sometimes. We never felt any of the evils of it and the advantages of being an independent nation will not be felt in our life time." I know what the answer is – that it is plain we would have felt the evils in a short time very severely – that we are fighting for the good of posterity, that we may prevent a servile war & &. But I cannot help being unpatriotic enough to feel a little selfish sometime and regret our peace and comfort in the old union.

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