January 8th, 1861.—We are at home again after a day filled to overflowing with excitement and interest. We were in such a hurry to get to town that the convention had not assembled when we reached the Capitol. There were groups of men talking earnestly and there were other men running hither and thither with papers in their hands. Father has a great many friends and I stood quietly beside him while he and they discussed the situation. The ambassador from South Carolina had evidently made an impression on his audience of yesterday and somebody had been busy last night, for in every direction could be seen Palmetto cockades, fastened with a blue ribbon; there were hundreds of them. When at last the hall of representatives was opened and Father and I took our seats, Judge Gwynn came in and pinned a cockade on Father and one on me. Oh, I was so proud.
Judge McGeehee is Father’s friend and he shook hands with us as he entered the hall.
The members of the convention took their seats and Mr. Blake, our dear Mr. Blake, whom we love so well, opened the day’s session with prayer; such a beautiful prayer. I had never seen a convention until Father brought me here and it is strange to me. I wish I could tell all I heard today but the language the members used is not familiar to me and some of the things they talk about are just as new. Then, too, I am just a little girl. A message was read on the floor of the convention, from Governor Brown of Georgia, to Governor Milton. As near as I can remember it was this way: “Georgia will certainly secede. Has Florida occupied the fort?”
Mr. Sanderson was very interesting. He recounted the rights which the states retained when they delegated other rights to the general government in the Constitution. He made it so perfectly clear that all and every state had the right to withdraw from the Union, if her rights and liberty were threatened. He said the Committee on Ordinances had carefully examined into the question and they could find no reason why Florida should not exercise her right to withdraw from a compact, which now threatened her with such dire disaster. I cannot understand all the work assigned to the different committees; perhaps I am not old enough; people grow wiser as they grow older; so aunt Robinson says. I am going again tomorrow. My palmetto cockade lies on the table beside me.
