“Let England take them; if she has a mind to fête and
toast them, let her do it,--it is none of our business; if
England desires to make lions of Confederate Rebels, it is
a mere matter of taste. If they have to be surrendered,
then let them be surrendered under a protest, while we
shall remember hereafter that there is a matter to be
cancelled between the British Government and the United
States of North America.”[32]
These utterances show elements in the atmosphere when
Mr. Sumner spoke. With many there was grief mingled with
indignation, while others who accepted the result felt a new
burden added to the war. Something was needed as a rally.