(March 1861, writing to his son at school)
“Political matters are in statu quo, ante bellum. The war has not yet begun, but I believe it will before the end of summer, though the general impression here is that we will have peace.
“When I get to Montgomery I’ll write you fully all the news, and my impressions as to the political conditions present and to come. Ben McCulloch was here yesterday. He came on to buy Colt’s pistols for a Mounted Regiment in Texas, which he is authorized by the Confederate States to raise. He has gone to Richmond where I’ll meet him to-morrow. Morse went on to Hartford to buy the pistols. (The indictment against Governor Floyd has been dismissed by the Government. There never was the slightest ground for indicting him. Andy Johnson was reported in the Republican papers here as using very offensive language in reference to Governor Floyd. The Governor addressed him a note to-day enquiring as to the correctness of the report and Andy, of course, disclaimed it. So the matter ended.)”