Letter from United States Representative Zebulon B. Vance
Letter from United States Representative Zebulon B. Vance of North Carolina to William Dickson of Caldwell County
I replied to your dispatch recd tonight, but thought it best to write also. I wish I could see you, as it is almost impossible to give you a fair idea of things here in the compass of a letter.
Since receiving your dispatch I have had a conference with Mr. Crittenden & other friends. He is of opinion that the only earthly chance to save the Union is to gain time. This is the general opinion of our friends here. The whole southern mind is inflamed to the highest pitch and the leaders in the disunion move are scorning every suggestion of compromise and rushing everything with ruinous and indecent haste that would seem to imply they were absolute fools- Yet they are acting wisely for their ends-they are "precipitating" the people into a revolution without giving them any time to think- They fear lest the people shall think; hence the hasty action of S. Carolina, Georgia & the other States in calling conventions & giving so short a time for the election of delegates- But the people must think, and when they do begin to think and hear the matter properly discussed they will consider long and soberly before they tear down this noble fabric and invite anarchy and confusion, carnage, civil war, and financial ruin. . . .
Zebulon B. Vance, Washington City, December 11, 1860
