CHAPTER XVIII.
The Beginning of the War.-Withdrawal of the States.-Meeting in Cincinnati.-First Gun Fired.-Resignation at Lexington.-His Position.-Kentucky Neutrality.-Pledged to Neutrality.-Fidelity of Union Friends.-Fear of Arrest.-Took our Daughter to Missouri, to Mrs. Fife, Dr. Hopson's Mother.
One year of this delightful work passed swiftly by. The war-cloud was slowly gathering over the land; mutterings of the coming storm were growing louder. December 20th, 1860, the State Convention of South Carolina "passed an ordinance to dissolve the union between the State of South Carolina and other States united with her under the compact entitled, The Constitution of the United States." Mississippi was the next State, January 9th, 1861. Florida followed on the 10th; Alabama, the 11th; Georgia, the 18th; Louisiana on the 20th. No one could calculate the result. It would have taken a bold hand and a stout heart to have lifted the veil of the future and to have looked upon what lay beyond.
The Doctor continued his meetings. As yet there was not excitement enough in Kentucky to interfere with his work,-and in spite of rumors of war he was successful in winning many souls to Christ.
April 5th, 1861, he commenced a meeting in Cincinnati, which promised to be as interesting as the one he held in 1859. He had been preaching just a week, the house had been crowded by attentive listeners, when the news was flashed over the wires that Fort Sumter had
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been fired upon. The excitement in the city was intense; the streets were filled with rushing crowds, excited and augmented by the music of fife and drum.
Bro. Bishop took the Doctor in his carriage and rode through the crowded streets. They both concluded it was useless to continue the meeting under the circumstances, and closed it that night with a good audience, many of whom were anxious for its continuance.
We returned to Lexington at once. The Doctor went quietly on with his work, neither talking nor preaching politics.
The friends of Dr. Hopson knew where his convictions and sympathies were. He was born and reared in the South. All his relatives lived there, nearly all his life had been spent there; but while he loved the South, he felt no enmity towards the North. While he was strongly Southern, I was by faith, conviction and education as strongly Union. During all this time he had never said anything in my presence that could wound the most sensitive. He preached through the year 1861, but finding there was likely to be trouble in Kentucky, he thought best to resign charge of the church, January, 1862, to take effect in three months, and then he would be free to leave the State if he felt his liberty was in danger.
The 18th of April, 1861, a large Union meeting was held in Louisville, Ky., at which the most prominent Union men of the State assisted, and declared most emphatically for neutrality in the following resolution:
"Resolved, That the present duty of Kentucky is to maintain her present independent position, taking sides, not with the Administration, nor with the seceding States, but with the Union against there both, declaring her soil to be sacred from the hostile
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tread of either, and, if necessary, to make the declaration good with her own right arm."
When the neutrality of Kentucky was declared, Dr. Hopson said he would abide by the decision and by no word or act break the compact made by his native State. Another thing added to his resolve and strengthened his purpose. During the summer of '61, I think it was, a meeting was called at Lexington, of as many of the brethren among our preachers as could be conveniently brought together, to discuss the matter of urging our brethren throughout the State to keep out of the strife and so preserve the harmony of the churches. Bro. Henderson came up from Louisville upon this special mission, and it was due to his most earnest and persistent efforts that the brethren present decided to urge the measure upon our large church through the State. The appeal was to be written and sent to Lexington. Bro. Z. F. Smith and Dr. Hopson were to take it and visit the churches, get the signatures of our prominent brethren, and have it printed and distributed among all the congregations. From that hour Dr. Hopson felt himself most sacredly pledged to be prudent and careful in all he said or did, as he was bound by his church as well as his State.
To the Union men of the church in Kentucky, Dr. Hopson will always feel greatly indebted for their unvarying kindness and devotion to him in those trying days. Some of the men whose loyalty could not be doubted stood by him to the last. Brethren Wm. Van Pelt and W. B. Emmal are two whose houses we visited every week while in Lexington. John G. Allen, McMichael, and others, were his warm friends; also, Bro.
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Harry Graves, of Georgetown. All loved him, and never faltered in their allegiance to him in the dark days that followed. While with these he had the friendship and confidence of such men as Benjamin Gratz, David Sayer, Madison Johnson, Garret Davis and John Carty. These men were all in the Union ranks. His uncle, Dr. Henry Hopson, of Paris, (a noble, grand man he was) opposed his nephew both in politics and religion (he being an Episcopalian), but they loved each other most tenderly.
When he resigned his position in the church at Lexington, he told some of the brethren he was afraid he would be arrested, but both parties told him they did not think it probable and opposed the step; but he thought it would be best to do so. They then asked him who would be a good man to take his place. He told them he only knew of one man who he felt would suit the time and people-J. W. McGarvey, of Missouri. Some one asked the Doctor, "What are his politics?" Dr: Hopson said: "I do not know, nor will you ever know if you wait for him to enlighten you; and that is one of the reasons I can recommend him to you." Bro. McGarvey agreed to come, and the years that followed showed the wisdom of the choice.
Several Union men told the Doctor that if there should be any serious talk of his arrest they would be likely to hear of it, and would notify him in time to leave the State. Upon this promise he rested easy.
In February, Dr. Hopson thought it best for me to take our daughter to Missouri and leave her in charge of mother, at school, in Paris. I left Lexington the 8th, reaching Paris safely the third day. When I reached Cincinnati, on my way home, the news of the fall of
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Fort Donelson was creating an excitement as intense as the first gun at Charleston had the year before.
The following day I returned to Lexington. The Doctor said he was prepared to leave at any time it might be thought necessary.
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