Produced by Eric Eldred, Mary Musser and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team
Now that my story is done I see that it is the strangest fiction that Ihave ever written.
Because it is true. It actually happened. Every character in it ishistoric. I have not changed even a name. Every event took place.Therefore it is incredible. Yet I have in my possession the proofsestablishing each character and each event as set forth. They are truebeyond question.
THOMAS DIXON CURRITUCK LODGE Munden, Va.
ROBERT E. LEE The Southern Commander.
MRS. LEE His Wife.
CUSTIS His older Son.
MARY His Daughter.
MRS. MARSHALL Lee's Sister.
UNCLE BEN The Butler.
SAM A Slave.
J.E.B. STUART "The Flower of Cavaliers."
FLORA COOKE His Sweetheart.
PHIL SHERIDAN His Schoolmate.
FRANCIS PRESTON BLAIR Lincoln's Messenger.
SENATOR ROBERT TOOMBS of Georgia.
JOHN BROWN of Osawatomie.
JOHN E. COOK His Spy.
VIRGINIA KENNEDY Cook's Victim.
GERRIT SMITH A Philanthropist.
GEORGE EVANS A Labor Leader.
F. B. SANBORN Brown's Organizer.
REV. THOMAS W. HIGGINSON A Revolutionist.
WM. C. RIVES Confederate Senator
GEN. E. P. ALEXANDER of Lee's Artillery.
JOHN DOYLE A Poor White.
MAHALA DOYLE His Wife.
EDMOND RUFFIN A Virginia Planter.
The fireflies on the Virginia hills were blinking in the dark placesbeneath the trees and a katydid was singing in the rosebush beside theportico at Arlington. The stars began to twinkle in the serene sky. Thelights of Washington flickered across the river. The Capitol buildinggleamed, argus-eyed on the hill. Congress was in session, stillwrangling over the question of Slavery and its extension into theterritories of the West.
The laughter of youth and beauty sifted down from open windows.Preparations were being hurried for the ball in honor of the departingcadets—Custis Lee, his classmate, Jeb Stuart, and little Phil Sheridanof Ohio whom they had invited in from Washington.
The fact that the whole family was going to West Point with the boys andColonel Robert E. Lee, the new Superintendent, made no difference. Oneexcuse for an old-fashioned dance in a Southern home was as good asanother. The main thing was to bring friends and neighbors, sisters and