[205]
After the reading of the above letter which was received with applause Mr. Joseph Bryan proposed a toast to the health of Commander Gordon McCabe and then called on him for a speech.
After the toast had been drunk Commander McCabe made a most felicitious talk.
It was half past 12 in the morning when the festivities of the banquet hall were brought to a close. The Richmond guests all expressed themselves as delighted with their visit to the ‘Cockade City,’ and stated that they had never been better treated. They were escorted to the depot by A. P. Hill Camp and left on their return home at 1.15 A. M.