1862 March 9 Lynchburg, Va.

Sunday 9th Last night about midnight we were
roused by a hack driving to the door. It con
tained William & his family. They left Abing
don Friday Evg at 8 & had been 28 hours in
the cars. The children were all in fine spirits
and recovered as if just from a walk for health
and exercise--He is obliged to go on Monday
The children & his wife will remain here.
Sermon very good to-day--Service in the af-
ternoon--Went down after night to engage
a hack for William. Heard the latest news
from Norfolk. The achievements of the Merrimac
-or Virginia as she is now called--are unsurpassed
in the annals of Naval Warfare. The Congress &
Cumberland sunk. The Cland[?] driven ashore
and burnt And the Minnesota captured. If
all this be true it is indeed glory enough for
one day--four of their best frigates captured
or destroyed. the French & English have built
five mail clad war ships, but we are the
first to illustrate their tremendous superiority
over wooden walls. our loss trifling. Ru
mor also that Magruder was attacking New
port news. There seems to be no doubt that
Johnson is falling back to the Rappahannock.
I do not like these retrograde movements
All accounts from Richd concern on the fact
of Robt Lee being appointed Commander in chief
This is the best appointment that could be made.
He has more of the lineaments of [?]
about him than any man in the Confederacy
Day of much excitement--Wrote to Garlick
weather mild as May--We should hear of
fighting somewhere else.

MSS 4763