1862 July 27 Lynchburg, Va.

[from the diary of William M. Blackford, bank officer and former diplomat with five sons in the Confederate army]

Sunday 27  I recd yesterday letter from Ro
Saunders asking me to attend at
the Boat & receive  and entertain un
til he could send for her a Miss Fair
fax--started at  qr past  5 with Mary
for the Island Depot--she not being
able to spend a day with us, I got
out at the Doctors & consigned her
to the care of Ben--went to the lan-
ding and found the Boat would not
arrive until qr past 7 - returned
to the Doctors and took a nap and
returned to the landing--saw miss
Fairfax in neither boat. Enquired
at the [?] house found she had
come up Friday & gone to the Springs
Saturday.  Robert is the most head
over heels fellow in the world
church at qr past 10--good sermon
slept after dinner--walked with
Ben--Letter from  [?] who is
still in Richd--his brother likely
to die of his wounds & he has not yet
able to get a furlough to go home
Church in the morning--Mr William
son able to attend--find he is a member
of the Episcopal Church, though his father
is a Catholic. He was taken when
14 to Europe for his education and re-
sided there 9 years-part of the time
as an unpaid attaché of the Ame-
rican minister at Madrid--Gen
Dodge--He speaks German & French
& Spanish quite fluently.  I am very
much pleased with him--and yet
this man has been serving without
a  murmur, with many others of
his class, as a private soldier.
Church at night.  Dr. Minor came
in and thought Mr.W. not well
enough to travel

MSS 4763