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for the capture of Harper’s Ferry was at once discussed and settled upon.The movement, it was agreed, should commence the next day, the 17th, assoon as the convention voted to secede,—provided we could get railwaytransportation and the concurrence of Governor Letcher. Colonel EdmundFontaine, president of the Virginia Central railroad, and John 8. Barbour,president of the Orange and Alexandria and Manassas Gap railroads, weresent for, and joined us at the hotel near midnight. They agreed to put the
necessary trains in readinessnext day to obey any requestof Governor Letcher for themovement of troops.
A committee, of which I waschairman, waited on GovernorLetcher after midnight, and,arousing him from his bed, laidthe scheme before him. Hestated that he would take nostep till officially informed thatthe ordinance of secession waspassed by the convention. Hewas then asked if contingentupon the event he would next
THE PALMETTO REGIMENT PARADING IN CHARLESTON , S. C., d&y 01'dei‘ the mOVCmCHt byEN ROUTE FOR RICHMOND. FROM A SKETCH. . ,
telegraph. He consented. \\ ethen informed him what companies would be under arms ready to move at amoment’s notice. All the persons I have named above are now dead, exceptJohn S. Barbour, “Nat” Tyler, and myself.
On returning to the hotel and reporting Governor Letcher’s promise, it wasdecided to telegraph the captains of companies along the railroads mentionedto be ready next day for orders from the governor. In that way I orderedthe Staunton Artillery, which I commanded, to assemble at their armory by4 p. m. on the 17th, to receive orders from the governor to aid in the captureof the Portsmouth Navy Yard. This destination had been indicated in allour dispatches, to deceive the Government at Washington in case there shouldbe a “ leak ” in the telegraph offices. Early in the evening a message had beenreceived by ex-Governor Wise from his son-in-law Doctor Garnett of Wash-ington, to the effect that a Massachusetts regiment, one thousand strong, hadbeen ordered to Harper’s Ferry . Without this reenforcement we knew theguard there consisted of only forty-five men, who could be captured or drivenaway, perhaps without firing a shot, if we could reach the place secretly.
The Ashbys, Funsten, Harman, and I remained up the entire night. Thesuperintendent and commandant of the Virginia Armory at Richmond , Cap-tain Charles Dimmock, a Northern man by birth and a West Point graduate,was in full sympathy with us, and that night filled our requisitions forammunition and moved it to the railway station before sunrise. He alsogranted one hundred stand of arms for the Martinsburg Light Infantry, a