Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-07-07
Gen. G.. w. MORGAN.
Mr.. VERNON. O., June II. 1864.

MI. tENON, VI, ~ uuC ~ iOOf.
GENTLEMEN Your note is before me,
and with pleasure | comply with your re-
quest. There is always danger of civil war
among Il free people, resulting i'll the over.
throw of liberty; and | do not believe that
mere force can restore peace, or preserve the
Union. In my humble judgment, wisdom
and patriotism alike demand an armlstice
and believe that Il cessation of hostilities
would result in an honorable and happy
peace.
An armstice is an agreed suspension Of
hostiltics between belligercnts for Il specified
time, and for a given purpose. In wars be-
tween civilized nations an armistice always
precedcs peace, though sometimes resortcd
to for other purposes. None but barbarian
powers pursue hostilitics to determination,
and determination or complete exhaustion
Of both contending parties, would be the
necessary result in all wars, did not the OPP
posing parties agree to suspend hostilltics
50 that the question in dispute might be
submitted to the arbitrament of reason at
ter brute force had failed
During an armisticc the hostile armies
maintain their respective positions, and il
terms Of adjustment are not agreed upon
hostilitics can be recommended. But as Il
general and almost inyariabc rule, an arms
ticc is followed by peace. The proposition
for an arnistice generally comes from the
victor, and thus after the battle of Solfcrino,
gained by the French, the Emperor Napo-
leon proposed an armisticc to Francis Joseph
OF Austria, and peace was the result.
! Without magnanimity there can be no
real greatness, and the absence of it is the
certain evidence OF Il want of proper self
respect The cause of the Union has been
nobly vindicatcd on more than hundred
batte-fields, and the deeds of our soldiers
have reflected immortal glory upon our
arms. But our enemy has been equally
brave, and although we hate Secession. we
accord an honest admiration for the hereisn
which has half redeemed IL mistaken cause.
i The world has never seen such battles.
either in point Of numbers or dauntless in
trapidity. We have sent TO the field more
than two millions Of men; and nearly if not
full one half Of them have gone down to theil
graves. More than onc-tcnth of the entire
population Of the loyal States, have been
actual cambatants i'll this war Whole re
gions of country have been made desolate
: the busy hum of workshops has been hush
ed, as if palsed by eternal death; the plow
4 has been left in the middle of the fiurrow :
and the father, the husband and the son,
= have alike gone out to battle. And vet.
naught, absolutely naught has been gained
towards the restoration of that grand and
noble Union formed by our fathers. say,
then, for a time let the torrent of blood be
Staycd-lct the olive branch supplant the
sword, and Heaven-born reason take the
place Of force. Victory has crowned our
banners on unnumbercd fields, and magma
nimty will add luster to our arms.
Say to our countrymcn Of the South
! let us reason together Your homes are
draped in mourning, and 80 are ours Many
of your noblest sons have perished on the
field Of battle, and such alas, is the case
, with Us. We are countrymen and we have
| been friends, and even now amid the red
storm OF battle, we are proud ofeach other
, deeds. We honor the names Office, of Sid.
t ney johnson and Of jackson; and your re-
2 spcct those Of Mcclellan, of Grant and O
Scdgwick. Let US talk together an | call bach
, the sacred memories Of the past Wash
ngton was your $ and ours and Franklir
and Madison sat side by side in the conven
: ton which framed the great Constitution.
Y Reason is the attibute of the gods-car
f. mage is the festival of fends. Then let u,
: assemble around the council fire, and TO
| once initiate our brothers of the forest an,
4 smoke the calumet of peace.
In a word, let the result at Richmond l.
j what it may, let us declare in favor ofan ar
D mistce of sixty days. We can make th
proposition with honor, because it would b
done on Southern soil. We blockade al
the ports ofthc South, now in our posse ssio on
and the great Father of Waters is ours tror
its source to its mouth. But we wan
peace; we want Union; we want cessatio
: Of the carnage of war; and these blessing
y can only be attained through an armisticc
In my letter to the State Central Commit
tee in September, 1868, | denounced tn
$ policy of President Lincoln in refusing t
It receive Alexander II. Stephens as Confcde
n ate Commissioner; and since then hay
s frequently urged the appointment of Com
o miSsonerS on our part, to meet with other
y to be appointed by the authorities at Rich
Is mond: and again respectfully advise, VIII;
n | have so often recommended before.
&c With earnest hopes for the prescrvatio
4. of the Union, and the return of peace, IT
:, main, gentlemen, your Obliged fellow citizel
d GEORGE w. MORGAN.
al ", 4