For in the nation, as well as in Sycamore Ridge, great things were stirring.

Watts McHurdie filled _Freedom's Banner_ with incendiary verse, always giving the name of the tune at the beginning of each contribution, by which it might be sung, and the way he clanked Slavery's chains and made love to Freedom was highly disconcerting; but the town liked it.
In April Philemon R.Ward came back to Sycamore Ridge, and there was a great gathering to hear his speech.

Ward's soul was aflame with anger.
There were no Greek gods and Roman deities in what Ward said, as there were in Martin Culpepper's addresses.

Ward used no figures of speech and exercised no rhetorical charms; but he talked with passion in his voice and the frenzy of a cause in his eyes.

Martin Culpepper was in the crowd, and as Ward lashed the South, every heart turned in interrogation to Culpepper.