Go home all you boys who fought with me and help build up the shattered fortunes of our old state

I tremble for my country when I hear of confidence expressed in me. I know too well my weakness, that our only hope is in God.

Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers. I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late. I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper.

Private and public life are subject to the same rules-truth and manliness are two qualities that will carry you through this world much better than policy or tact of expediency or other words that were devised to conceal a deviation from a straight line.

Mr. Blair, I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves in the South, I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native State?

The enemy is here, and if we do not whip him, he will whip us.

Whither shall I flee? To no country on earth that I know of where there is as much liberty as yet remains to me even in Virginia.