...we went to the Beaver Creek Meetinghouse, the time and place appointed for the commencement of the Annual Meeting, where we met with a very large concourse of people. There was public preaching on Sunday and Monday till noon, after which time the meeting proceeded to discuss the queries brought before the meeting, which required till Wednesday....
and we started home.
We got to Harpers Ferry next day before 11 o'clock, and had to wait till after 7 in the evening before a train came. There we were all day among ten thousand soldiers. We talked with a good many of them, and they talked clever, and did not seem in the least to manifest any desire to molest us. ...
... Now as respects the meeting more particularly, there was very good order during the meeting. Union and love was manifested, and I believe that surely the Lord was there. But the churches were poorly represented. There were a good many churches represented by letter, but personally there were only three or four churches represented out side the state of Va.; namely, this one, and South English church, Iowa, and one in Kansas, and perhaps one in Indiana. I suppose the Brethren generally were afraid to go in consequence of the excited state of the country, but they should not have been so easily scared; for there was no danger. ...Some of the soldiers at Harpers Ferry said that they looked with eager eyes, to see the brethren go through. They said they should not be molested. I talked with a captain while there, he said that such people as we could travel in the South where we please. ....
Daniel Miller
Source: Studies in Brethren History, Floyd Mallott
Source: Studies in Brethren History, Floyd Mallott
