. A belle of the fifties; memoirs of Mrs. Clay of Alabama, covering social and political life in Washington and the South, 1853-66 . gconflict would be bloody and ruinous. One incident thatfollowed the dissolution of that body impressed itselfineradicably upon my mind. Just after its close ex-President Tyler came to our home. He was now an oldman and very attenuated. He was completely undoneat the failure of the Peace men, and tears trickled downhis cheeks as he said to Senator Clay, with indescribablesadness, Clay, the end has come ! In those days men eyed each other warily and spokeguardedly
. A belle of the fifties; memoirs of Mrs. Clay of Alabama, covering social and political life in Washington and the South, 1853-66 . gconflict would be bloody and ruinous. One incident thatfollowed the dissolution of that body impressed itselfineradicably upon my mind. Just after its close ex-President Tyler came to our home. He was now an oldman and very attenuated. He was completely undoneat the failure of the Peace men, and tears trickled downhis cheeks as he said to Senator Clay, with indescribablesadness, Clay, the end has come ! In those days men eyed each other warily and spokeguardedly, save to the most tried and proved evening early in 1861, Commander , U. S. N.,called upon us, and happened to arrive just as anothernaval officer, whose name I have now forgotten, wasannounced. The surprise that spread over the faces ofour visitors when they beheld each other was great, butSenator Clays and my own was greater, as hour afterhour was consumed in obvious constraint. Neither ofthe officers appeared to be at ease, yet for hours neitherseemed to desire to relieve the situation by taking his « v^. RESIDENCE OF ROBERT E. LEE, 1S61-65, Richmond. \a. Now the home of the Virginia Historical Society. EXODUS OF SOUTHERN SOCIETY 145 departure. Midnight had arrived ere our now forgottenguest rose and bade us good night. Then CommanderSemmes hastened to unbosom himself. He had re-solved to out-sit the other gentleman if it took all night. As my Senator, Mr. Clay, he said, I want to reportto you my decision on an important matter. I haveresolved to hand in my resignation to the United StatesGovernment, and tender my ser\dces to that of theConfederate States. I dont know what the intentionof my brother officer is, but I could take no risk with him,he added. Many a scene as secret, as grave, and astreasonable, took place in those last lowering weeks. I have often mused upon the impression held by theyounger generation of those who were adverse to theSouth, vi
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