Letter: (Charleston, South Carolina). Pressley conceded that "the perusal of your late excellent, eloquent speech at Pittsfield causes me to consider whether you are not more useful to the cause of honest government by your earnest labors there than you could be here." Pressley also noted that while "the time has not yet arrived for any of us who took part in secession to expect a favorable hearing from our brethren of the North," Lathers was "known" and would "command a bearing." During his four years of residency in Charleston, Lathers hosted many receptions and parties for prominent visitors, during which he brought together military and political leaders from the North and South with the goal of hastening reconciliation and building friendships among the former combatants. |
