tending to Willie and Tad when they fell ill with the usual mild childhood ailments, but modiste to the First Lady remained her most prominent role. Over time she would learn that Mrs. Lincoln preferred to wear white but that she was also fond of pink, crimson, bright yellow, deep purple, and royal blue. She loved to wear pearls against her skin and flowers in her hair, and she favored low, open necklines with short sleeves to show off her well-formed neck and shoulders, ignoring whispered criticism that such styles were more appropriate for younger women.
Elizabeth soon learned that scathing criticism of her newest and most important patron would be unrelenting, coming from all corners in copious amounts, much to the dismay and consternation of its unhappy subject, who could do nothing to staunch the flood.
On the morning of April 12, Washington was jolted awake by shocking and often contradictory reports from Charleston. Before sunrise that day, Confederate cannon had fired upon Fort Sumter. No, indeed—both parties were still engaged in serious negotiations. No, that was but wishful thinking—shots had been fired. No one knew what to believe. A furious battle was ongoing, or Major Anderson had surrendered. The fort was destroyed utterly and its defenders slaughtered, or the starving, exhausted Union troops had marched out under a flag of truce and were being held prisoner. The citizens of Washington crowded telegraph offices and hotels, demanding news and spreading rumors, but no one knew precisely what was happening, what might have already happened. Secessionists who had kept their opinions to themselves since Mr. Lincoln’s administration took over the capital now cheered the start of war. Southern sympathizers openly sought recruits for the Confederate army, while loyal Union men rushed to join militias. In the streets, arguments turned into fistfights, and then the most alarming rumor ofall swept through the city: Rebels were marching on Washington with an army twenty thousand strong.
Eventually the truth of Fort Sumter reached the capital: After his troops had exchanged fire with Confederate guns for thirty-four hours, Major Robert Anderson had been forced to surrender. On April 14, five additional Washington militia companies were called into active duty, for a total of about twenty-five hundred local soldiers serving throughout the district. Mounted soldiers were posted at all approaches to Washington City. Twenty cavalrymen guarded the White House, with hundreds more stationed in the immediate surroundings and at the Capitol, the Treasury, and the post office. The following day, President Lincoln issued a nationwide call for seventy-five thousand recruits, assigning a quota to each state. These troops, who would enlist to serve for ninety days, would surely be sufficient to put down the rebellion.
As Washington awaited reinforcements from the North and fears of an imminent Confederate invasion grew, the young colored men of Elizabeth’s comfortable middle-class neighborhood as well as the less fortunate who lived along the alleyways were as eager as their white counterparts to take up arms in defense of their city. Even Peter Brown’s eleven-year-old son, who worked as a shoeshine boy on the grounds of the Treasury Building, proudly told Elizabeth of his plans to enlist as a drummer boy as soon as he turned twelve. But every young man of color who tried to enlist, regardless of his age, strength, or status, was turned away.
“Either the need for soldiers is very small or the foolishness of Mr. Lincoln’s recruiters is very great,” Virginia Lewis remarked to Elizabeth one Sunday afternoon as they went on their customary stroll and discovered a few militia soldiers drilling on the grounds of the Capitol. The city had taken on the appearance of an armed camp, and everywhere, apprehensions were on the rise. Although it was the capital of the Union, Washington was essentially a Southern city, surrounded
Elizabeth soon learned that scathing criticism of her newest and most important patron would be unrelenting, coming from all corners in copious amounts, much to the dismay and consternation of its unhappy subject, who could do nothing to staunch the flood.
On the morning of April 12, Washington was jolted awake by shocking and often contradictory reports from Charleston. Before sunrise that day, Confederate cannon had fired upon Fort Sumter. No, indeed—both parties were still engaged in serious negotiations. No, that was but wishful thinking—shots had been fired. No one knew what to believe. A furious battle was ongoing, or Major Anderson had surrendered. The fort was destroyed utterly and its defenders slaughtered, or the starving, exhausted Union troops had marched out under a flag of truce and were being held prisoner. The citizens of Washington crowded telegraph offices and hotels, demanding news and spreading rumors, but no one knew precisely what was happening, what might have already happened. Secessionists who had kept their opinions to themselves since Mr. Lincoln’s administration took over the capital now cheered the start of war. Southern sympathizers openly sought recruits for the Confederate army, while loyal Union men rushed to join militias. In the streets, arguments turned into fistfights, and then the most alarming rumor ofall swept through the city: Rebels were marching on Washington with an army twenty thousand strong.
Eventually the truth of Fort Sumter reached the capital: After his troops had exchanged fire with Confederate guns for thirty-four hours, Major Robert Anderson had been forced to surrender. On April 14, five additional Washington militia companies were called into active duty, for a total of about twenty-five hundred local soldiers serving throughout the district. Mounted soldiers were posted at all approaches to Washington City. Twenty cavalrymen guarded the White House, with hundreds more stationed in the immediate surroundings and at the Capitol, the Treasury, and the post office. The following day, President Lincoln issued a nationwide call for seventy-five thousand recruits, assigning a quota to each state. These troops, who would enlist to serve for ninety days, would surely be sufficient to put down the rebellion.
As Washington awaited reinforcements from the North and fears of an imminent Confederate invasion grew, the young colored men of Elizabeth’s comfortable middle-class neighborhood as well as the less fortunate who lived along the alleyways were as eager as their white counterparts to take up arms in defense of their city. Even Peter Brown’s eleven-year-old son, who worked as a shoeshine boy on the grounds of the Treasury Building, proudly told Elizabeth of his plans to enlist as a drummer boy as soon as he turned twelve. But every young man of color who tried to enlist, regardless of his age, strength, or status, was turned away.
“Either the need for soldiers is very small or the foolishness of Mr. Lincoln’s recruiters is very great,” Virginia Lewis remarked to Elizabeth one Sunday afternoon as they went on their customary stroll and discovered a few militia soldiers drilling on the grounds of the Capitol. The city had taken on the appearance of an armed camp, and everywhere, apprehensions were on the rise. Although it was the capital of the Union, Washington was essentially a Southern city, surrounded
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