All along his journey, at each little station, he saw excited crowds assembled enthusiastic for secession, bands of militia training, and every indication of preparation for war.
Already, on that same day, the Virginia secession ordinance had been published, and the State convention had ratified the provisional constitution of the Southern Confederacy.

Schleiden immediately notified Stephens of his presence in Richmond and desire for an interview, and was at once received.

The talk lasted three hours.

Stephens was frank and positive in asserting the belief that "all attempts to settle peacefully the differences between the two sections were futile." Formal letters were exchanged after this conference, but in these the extent to which Stephens would go was to promise to use his influence in favour of giving consideration to any indication made by the North of a desire "for an amicable adjustment of the questions at issue," and he was positive that there could be no return of the South to the Union.
On the afternoon of April 27 Schleiden was back in Washington.

He found that three days had made a great change in the sentiment of the Capitol.
"During my short absence," he wrote, "many thousands of volunteers had arrived from the North.