Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1864-09-07
They, therefore, ask an. interview with
the President, and awaiting your reply, are
Most truly and respectfully, s* Is
Your obedient servants,

the President, ana aWRfting yourfepiy, ars
Most truly and. respectfully, s@
Your obedient servants, 49,.
-. JAMES.P.JACQUESS,
JAMES R. GILMORE.
! The word ssoficiaP is UNDERSIGNED, and
,theEword peace doubly sunderscored in-ths
Originals .ers ssss - stsN r.. : y ~. :
After perusing, the letter, Invited Col
Ould to conducS the writers to my office
and, on their arrival, stated to them that
'theg.must be conscious they could not fbs
admitted to an interview with the President
withont informing me more fully of the
object of. their mission, and satisfying me
that they came by request Of Mr.. Lincoln
Mr.. Gilmore. replied that they came unofi
cislly, but with the knowledge and at the
desire Of Mr.. Lincoln; that they thought
the.war had goneefar enough; thatit COULD
could never end, .except4b by some sortsof a.
,gresment that the agreement might 4 as
well be made now as after. further blood.
shed ;,that they. knew by the recent address
of the Confederate Congress that we, were
willing to make peace that: they admitted
that proposals ought to come. from the North
and that they were prepared.t to make these
proposals, by Mr. Lincoln's authority that
it was necessary to have a. sort Of informal
understanding in advance Of regular aego'
:tiations, for, if Commission were appoint
ed without, some such understanding, they
would meet, quarrel and separate, leaving
the parties more bitter against each other
than before; that they knew Mr.. Lincoln,E
views, and would state; them, if pressed By
the President to do SO, and desired to learn
his, in return. - H.. - ,.,G = Z:
I again insisted on sane evidence that
they came from Mr.. Lincoln, and in order
to satisfy me, Mr.. Gilmore. referred to the
fact that permission for their coming through
our lines had been asked officially by Gen
Grant in a letter to Gen. Lee, and that
Gen. Grant, in that letter, had asked that
this request should;be referred to President
Davis. Mr.; Gilmore then showed me a
card, written and signed BY Mr.. Lincoln,
requesting Gen. Grant to aid Mr.. Gilmore
and friend in passing through his lines into
the Confederacy. Col. Jacquesa then.said
that his name was not put on the card fol-
the reason that it was earnestly desired that
their visit should be, kept secret ;, that he
had come into the Confederacy about a year
ago, and had visited Petersburg on SINH.
lar errand, and that it was feared if his
name should become known that some Of
those who had formerly met him in Peters.
burg would conjecture the purpose fol-
which he. now. came. he said that the
terms of peace which they would offer to
the President would be honorable to the
Confederacy, that they did not desire that
the Confederacy should accept any other
terms, but would be glad to have my prom
ise, as they gave theirs, that their visit
should be Kept a profound secret if it failed
to result in peace; that it would not be just
that either party should seek an advantage
by divulging the fact of their overture for
peace, if unsuccessful. I assented to this
request, and then, rising, said: ado I IN.
derstand you to state distinctly that you
come as messengers from Mr.. Lincoln for
the purpose of agreeing with the President,
as to the proper mode Of inaugurating for
NAL negotiation for peace, charged by Mr..
Lincoln with authority for stating his own
views and receiving those of President Da-
vis7" Both answered in the affirmative,
and I then said that the President would see
them at my Office, the same evening, at 9
p. m, that at least, I presumed he would,
but,if he objected after hearing my report,
they should be informed. They were then
recommitted to the charge Of Colonel 0uld,
with the understanding that they were to
be reconducted to my Office at the appointed
hour, unless otherwise directed.
Thisinterview, connected with the report
previously made by Col. Ould, left on my
mind the decided impression that Mr.. Lin
coin was averse to sending formal commits.
siopers to open negotiations, Jest he might
thereby be deemed to have recognized the
independence of the Cohfsderacy, and that
he was anxious to learn whether the condi-
tions on which alone he would be willing to
take such step, would be yielded by the
Confederacy; that with this view he had
placed his messengers in condition to sat-
isfy us that they really came from him,
without committing himself to anything in
the event of disagreement, to such condi
tions as he considered to be indispensable.
On informing the President, therefore, of
my conclusions, be determined chat no ques-
tion of form or etiquette should be an OBJ.
stacie to his receiHing any. nHertnres. that
promised, however remotely, to result in
putting an end to the carnage which marked
the continuance of hostilities.
The President came to my Office at 9 o.
clock in the evening, and Col. Ould. came
a few moments later, with Messrs. jacques
and Gilmore. The President said to them
that he had heard, from me, thatthey came
as messengers Of peace from Mr.. LINCOLN !;
that as such they were welcome that the
Copfederacy had never concealed its desire
for peace, and that he was ready to hear
whatever they had to offer on that subject
Mr.. Gilmore then addressed the Presi-
dent, and in a. few minutes had conveyed
the information that. these two gentlemen
had come to Richmond, impressed with the
idea that this Government .would-aecept a
peace on the basis of a reconstruction of the
Union, the abolition of slavery, and the