1862 August 24 Lynchburg, Va.

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

Sunday 24  It rained very hard last night
and at intervals most of the day
was exceedingly tired and I took a good
rest, lying on bed & couch till 4 P.M.
which refreshed me much.  Read in
British critic a scathing review of
Moore's Life of Byron.  It presented
some new facts & new views and cer-
tainly put gives Byron a most detes
table character.  It proves he was no
gentleman--It would not have mor-
tified him to be told to his face that
he was a profligate--an adulterer
a rake--and the latter period of
his life a drunkard--but he would
have resented a  contrairer the impu
tation that he was not a gentleman
and yet his conduct to his wife was
not that of a gentleman or an hon-
-est man.--Called at Sue's in the
evening--at night went to the Bap
-tist church & heard an excellent
sermon from Dr. Ryland of Richd.


MSS  4763