April 6th, 1864.—There was a concert last night at the Capitol for the benefit of the Martha Reid Hospital, in Richmond. Local talent, assisted by Quincy and Monticello, furnished the music. Sister Mart was one of the star performers and there were a score of others. Pretty music they made and a pretty picture, too, as they all came forward to the footlights and bowed, when the curtain first rose. As one of the audience I had a good opportunity to judge.
Several gentlemen with fine voices offered their services and we had very fine music, both vocal and instrumental. They sang operatic selections; they sang soft, plaintive Confederate songs; they sang the world-old ballads that everybody loves and they sang patriotic songs and wound up with Dixie, sung by the entire assembly and followed by cheers so heartfelt as almost to shake the foundations of Florida’s Capitol.
Quite a large sum was realized and many of the gentlemen present added hundreds of dollars to the original amount. The hospitals will need all we can send them, for every day brings us fresh news of skirmishing and often of battles. We are so far off from the seat of war here that it is hard to remember all the time how perfectly terrible it is.
Susan Bradford is 18 years old when this entry was made.