On September 1, 1861, Senator Bayard writes to his son-in-law, Benoni Lockwood, who has just joined the Union Army. Bayard eloquently shares his wish that the sectional conflict could be resolved without the death and destruction of war. He wishes that Lockwood had not followed the crowd and joined the army, but states that his respect for him has not changed. Source: James A. Bayard Family Letters, Delaware Historical Society Collections.