Copperhead Gore: Benjamin Wood's Fort Lafayette and Civil War America

CHAPTER III

[ 92 ] CHAPTER III. The incident related in the preceding chapter seemed to have effected a marked change in the demeanor of Oriana toward her brother’s guest. She realized with painful force the wrong that her thoughtlessness, more than her malice, had in¶icted on a noble character, and it required all of Arthur’s winning sweetness of disposition to remove from her mind the impression that she stood, while in his presence, in the light of an unforgiven culprit. They were necessarily much in each other’s company, in the course of the many rambles and excursions that were devised to relieve the monotony of the old manor house, and Oriana was surprised to feel herself insensibly attracted toward the shy and pensive man, whose character, so far as it was betrayed by outward sign, was the very reverse of her own impassioned temperament. She discovered that the unruf¶ed surface covered an undercurrent of pure thought and exquisite feeling, and when, on the bosom of the river, or in the solitudes of the forest, his spirit threw off its reserve under the spell of nature’s inspiration, she felt her own impetuous organization rebuked and held in awe by the simple and quiet grandeur that his eloquence revealed. One afternoon, some two weeks after his arrival at the Riverside manor, while returning from a canter in the neighborhood, they paused upon an eminence that overlooked a portion of the city of Richmond. There, upon an open space, could be seen a great number of the citizens assembled, apparently listening to the ha- Fort Lafayette by Benjamin Wood [ 93 ] rangue of an orator. The occasional cheer that arose from the multitude faintly reached their ears, and that mass of humanity, restless, turbulent, and excited, seemed, even at that distance, to be swayed by some mighty passion. “Look, Miss Weems,” said Arthur, “at this magni¤cent circle of gorgeous scenery, that you are so justly proud of, that lies around you in the golden sunset like a dream of a fairy landscape. See how the slanting rays just tip the crest of that distant ridge, making it glow like a coronet of gold, and then, leaping into the river beneath , spangle its bosom with dazzling sheen, save where a part rests in the purple shadow of the mountain. Look to the right, and see how those crimson clouds seem bending from heaven to kiss the yellow corn¤elds that stretch along the horizon. And at your feet, the city of Richmond extends along the valley.” “We admit the beauty of the scene and the accuracy of the description ,” said Beverly, “but, for my part, I should prefer the less romantic view of some of Aunt Nancy’s batter-cakes, for this ride has famished me.” “Now look below,” continued Arthur, “at that swarm of human beings clustering together like angry bees. As we stand here gazing at the glorious pageant which nature spreads out before us, one might suppose that only for some festival of rejoicing or thanksgiving would men assemble at such an hour and in such a scene. But what are the beauties of the landscape, bathed in the glories of the setting sun, to them? They have met to listen to words of passion and bitterness, to doctrines of strife, to denunciations and criminations against their fellowmen. And, doubtless, a similar scene of freemen invoking the spirit of contention that we behold yonder in that pleasant valley of the Old Dominion, is being enacted at the North and at the South, at the East and at the West, all over the length and breadth of our country. The seeds of discord are being carefully and persistently gathered and disseminated, and on both sides, these erring mortals will claim to be acting in the name of Copperhead Gore [ 94 ] patriotism. Beverly, do you surmise nothing ominous of evil in that gathering?” “Ten to one, some stirring news from Charleston. We must ride over after supper, Arthur, and learn the upshot of it.” “And I will be a sybil for the nonce,” said Oriana, with a kindling eye, “and prophecy that Southern cannon have opened upon Sumter.” In the evening, in despite of a threatening sky, Arthur and Beverly mounted their horses and galloped toward Richmond. As they approached the city, the rain fell heavily and they sought shelter at a wayside tavern. Observing the public room...