Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-09-22
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER %, 1854.
BACK-DoOR NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE

"9" The Republican orators and journalists of th
current time make constant reference to the test
/ amony Of Mr.. j, r. Gilmore, the historian Of tn
aa late "peace mission" to Richmond., While CON
Y stantlys citing his authority for the purpose 0
" establishing fact that the nsurgent leaders vii
agree 70 no peace which docs not recognise aSou h
N ern ind rpendence"- IA fact which needs no sub
astantiation, IS nobody expects any less of the g in
snrgent "--they ssudiousy keep in the back
ground some very suggestive lessons taught by the
narrative Of Mr.. Gilmore in his work entitled
Down il, Tennessee" Of which the pages con-
tributed to the Atlantic Monthly purportiDg to be
an account of the !" "intersiewY with Gen. Jefer-
son Davis composed but single chapter. eb GA
a's As certain Republ can prints and speakers, in
Hepreseat mood Of tae party profe great horror
ateven the slightest mention Of the word peace -
dsword perpetually on their lips a few weeks ago
We deem it proper to show, on the testimony Of
Mr.. J. R Gilmore, (and as he is their own witness,
they cannot discredit him, that President Lincoln
has already undertaken to do all that the !" Woods
and the Vallandighams" most desiderate in regard
to opening negotiations with the Southern leaders,
though under auspioes quite different. We shall
establish this proposition by few citations from
the work Of Mr.. Gilmore already designated.
y Itappears from this work that on the l9h of
May, 1858, Col. Jaquess, comm ,ndiDg the Sew
en,y-third regiment Illinois infantry in the camp
Of Gen, Rosecrans at Murfreesboro, in Tennessee,
wrote to that General that he had, as he thought,
reason to believe that there was public senm ent
in the Scuth favorable to . restoration of the
Union. After mentioning stms fact, which in
spired him with this belief, he sdded
My attention has been called to these facts and to
Others of like character frequently of late; and from
these these only but because
0oD has laid the duty upon mel would subm to the
proper authorities the following proposition ys To go
into the Sowhern ConedsrdSy, and tpifkn ninety
Days, WITH PROPOSALS or PEACE THAT WILL BE AC-
cEPTABLE TO OUR GOVERNMENT he4uelr art II II
Il shall propose compromise with traitors, but their
immediate return to their allegiance TO GoD aud
country 10 part Of my business to discuss the pro-
bsblty the possibility Of my accomplishing this work
rssus with Him. If He puts it into the hearts of my
superers to allow me 70 60 shall be thankful; If NOT
have discharged my duty"
81 On the 2lst Of May, 1868, Gen. Rosecrans re-
fered the of COL Jaquess to the oonsidera-
tion of President Lincoln. he.wrote a follows:
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUnBEaLasp.
!" Mntrsesboro, { Tenn May 81, 1863
"To His Excelencythe PRESIDENT Of the United States:
THE Rev. DR. Jaquess Colonel commanding the Sew
entythrd Illinois "a Of characterhss submitted to
me letter proposing personal mission TO the South
After maturey weighing bis plan, and considering well
his character decidedly Of the opinion that ths pub
lie interest viii be promoted by permitting him to 20
be proposes. at
40 not anticipate the results that he seems 10 expect
but believe that moral force will be generated by his
mission that will than compensate for his tempo
rary absence from hrs regiment
~ u.. laff,r Ia fha nr ~.
Mr.-. can fully explain Col Jaqusss' plans and pur
poses Very respectfully. t H# ss
@ Nv. s. RtsEcRAss, Major General"
The bearer Of this letter to the President, whose
name is left in blank, was Mr.. Gilmore, as appears
from the narrative which he proceeds to recite
On being admitted to an interview with Mr.. Lin
coin he gives the following report of the conver-
sation that ensued:
isorry to have kept You waiting Come iu Do you
know can't talk with you abo that yassess matter
"Why not, sir 7 ashed, following h,m into the room
Because happen TO Be the President of the United
States We make no overfures to the rebels II they
want peace all they have to do to sy down their
It will thus be seen that the President had full
knowledge and "realizing sense" Of what was
i'm piled in this proposed mission Of Col Jaquess.
Il was proposal to open negotiations with the
"rebels" through the backdoor of self constitut-
cd and irresponsible mission. He could not even
z 90 talk sb,ut itD He happened to be President Of
the United States and could make no overtures "a
the rebels" Just as little could he, with oonsis
tsncy or propriety, in this view Of his duty, allow
overtures to be made by an officer Of the army
who, il he proceeded ON this mission at all, could
90 to the South only by the Presidents consent snc
authority. Now, let the reader mark the enc
!, which followed this beginning. " -
'.u On the day after his frst interview with Mr.
Is Lincoln, in which the Jaquess project receive,
such direct rebuff, Mr.. Gilmore was favored viii
u smother audience. His report Of it is a. follows,
far as relates to the matter in hand W. W v
"It was hard to get him [Mr. Lincoln to the snbisc
but at last did do it, and then be told me IN cha,
direct waS, TIE terms he pouh Rce nc rebels a porto
OF these ters have snce been included In the anoest
gd pr0slsmston; the do not feel At liberty to mai
!, pxblie. .oeai II Il 81 n b,,sst. 4.t,,a . 9'aSloled
At the close Of the interview the President sal
aiq 10 Mr.. Gilmore: ssadl a s4la " s5 aoanlesa'
!" You can write what say to Cen Resecrsns, and
can communicate much Of it he thinks beat 10 Co
cia yquess, bsf me Ceesd sndrstand that
c iAsss tesmsJrom We want peace, but We can NAL
ovrtures to the rebels 1hey already know that II
country would welcome them back and Ire them acne
ouslJ and msgnanmously" 'nst.' ~,
aa From this statement il appears that Mr.. al
more believes himself TO be fully possessed Of Il