A
half-finished fort mounting four guns guarded this point. The river was
also obstructed by a double row of piles and sunken vessels.
If the eleven-inch guns of the _Monitor_ could be brought to bear on
this fort, it was a problem how long the batteries could be held in
action.
The wildest alarm swept Richmond. The railroads were jammed with frantic
people trying to get out. The depots were piled with mountains of
baggage it was impossible to move. A mass meeting was held on the night
the fleet ascended the river which was addressed by Governor Letcher and
Mayor Mayo.
The Governor ended his speech with a sentence that set the crowd wild
with enthusiasm.
"Sooner than see our beloved city conquered to-day by our enemies we
will lay it in ashes with our own hands!"
The Legislature of Virginia showed its grit by passing a resolution
practically inviting the President of the Confederacy to lay the city in
ruins if he deemed wise:
"_Resolved_, That the General Assembly hereby expresses its desire
that the Capital of the State be _defended to the last extremity_,
if such defense is in accordance with the views of the President
of the Confederate States, and that the President be assured that
whatever destruction and loss of property of the State or of
individuals shall thereby result, will be cheerfully submitted to.
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