April 21, 1861, at Rancocas, New Jersey

Mr. Schmidt, the surveyor from the other side of the Rancocas Creek on the
Centerton Road, spent last night at our place.  He was on his way home from
a political meeting up at the state capitol in Trenton.  Yesterday he spoke
at a special town meeting called by the Mayor Mr. Cohn.

He was supposed to go home right after the meeting but by the time all the
hollering was done it was too late and there was no moon.  Pa said I had to
go to the meeting with him because now that I was grown I needed to know
what was going on even in places that were far away from Rancocas.  I've
been to other meetings with Pa, but he seemed nervous about this one.
He was nervous for good cause.  Mr. Schmidt had some very distressing news.
Seems we are at war.

According to Mr. Schmidt, one week ago today, the 14th, Confederates,
that's what he called them, but other people at the meeting called them
Rebels, and Traitors, and some even called them Southern Scum, fired
cannons at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.  There were Union
troops, that's what he called our side, in the fort at the time.  Not a
single soldier was hurt, but you'ld of thought that the entire army was
massacred the way the people at that meeting carried on.

I was real glad that no one knew of any southerners who might live
hereabout because I think they might have been hung if there was.  The
language got real bad too.  I didn't understand all of it, but some of the
words even made Pa blush.

The very next day, that would have been the 15th of April, Mr. Lincoln, our
new President, declared war on the states that are seceding.  They call
themselves the Confederate States of America.  They've even gone and
elected their own President!

Just about everyone says the war will be over in a couple of weeks as soon
as Mr. Lincoln sends the army to capture Richmond, Virginia, the
Confederate's capitol.  Pa says he's not quite sure that it will be that
easy.  Pa's never been in a war but he seems to know a lot about things.
Pa says that I shouldn't get the fever and go running off to join the army.
He says to leave the fighting to the soldiers.  He needs my help here on
the farm.

I don't know if I'll ever get to see Philadelphia now.