well-armed
From the Richmond Daily Dispatch March 6, 1862:
Return of arms.
–As we predicted in our notice, under the head of “Arming the People,” the Ordnance Department of Virginia. corner of 7th and Cary streets, was crowded yesterday with our citizens, “giving up their arms for the use of the army.”
It was, indeed, a most touching thing, to witness the ardor and eagerness with which old men, and mere boys, handed in their arms for the defence of the Confederacy and the Old Dominion. Amongst the vast majority there was no question as to the money value of the article delivered. The prevailing feeling expressed was, “will this do to kill a Yankee?”
All day long the arms came in, and right joyfully were they received by the officers of the Armory, between whom and the doners there were interchanged such expressions of good will and gratitade as caused the loss of emotion to gather in our eye, for we were for a time a spectator of the scene. God bless our people — truly are they worthy of their immortal sires.
Hereafter we shall have a word to say of the Ordnance Department of Virginia. For the present we must content ourselves with expressing our admiration of the Governor’s sagacity in organizing it.
Arms will be received to-day, and hence forth, at the Armory. Let every patriot bring in his gun and lay it on the altar of his country.
From the same issue:
Youthful Patriotism.
–While the arms were being carried to the Virginia Armory yesterday, some of the spirit of the occasion get, infused into Walter, a little son of W. M. S n Esq., who insisted on carrying his gun (a wee thing) to the Armory and giving it up, saying that he felt assured it could kill one Yankee. That’s patriotism for you.
involuntary gun surrender
