CHAPTER XII. RICHMOND AS A NATIONAL CAPITAL.

We Arrive in Richmond, Where We Meet Many Old Friends—An Evening at the Mallorys’—We Establish Our Mess at Mrs. Du Val’s—Some of Our Heroes—We Feast on Oysters and Terrapin—Greenbacks, Canvas-backs, and Drawbacks—We Hear of the Fall of Nashville, and General Buell’s Designs Upon Huntsville—Some of Richmond’s Hostesses—Mrs. Stannard entertains; and the Famous Private Theatrical Performance of “The Rivals”—Mrs. Burton Harrison Recalls Her Triumph as Lydia Languish—The Caste—Mrs. Drew Acts as “Coach”—Mrs. Ives, Our Hostess, Is Saved from Stage Fright by a Bonnet Which Has Run the Blockade 168