The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-09-16

The word ''Official" is UNDERSIGNED, and
the word peace doubly UNDERSIGNED in the
original.
After perusing the letter invited Col
Ould to invite the writers to my office, and
on their arrival stated to them that they
must be conscious they could not be ad.
mitted to an interview with the President
without informing me more fully of the
object of their mission, and satisfy me that
they came by request of Mr.. Lincoln
Mr.. Gilmore replied that they came unof
ticially, but with the knowledge and at
the desire of Mr.. Lincoln; that they
thought the war had gone far enough
that it could never end except by some
sort OF agreement; that the agreement
might as we'll be made now as after still
further bloodshed; that they knew by the
recent addresses of the Confederate Com
gress that we were willing to make peace;
that they admitted that proposals ought
to come from the North, and that they
were prepared to make these proposals by
Mr.. Lincoln's authority; that 1t was ne
cessary to have sort OF informal under
standing in advance ofregu)ar negotiations,
for if Commissioners were appointed with
out some such understanding they would
meet. quarrel and separate, leaving the
parties more bitter against each other than
before; that they knew Mr.. Lincolns
views and would state them, if pressed by
the President to do so, and desired to
learn his in return.
again insisted on some 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 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
President Lincoln, requesting Gen. Grant
to aid Mr.. Gilmore and friend in passing
through his lines into the Oonfederacy.
Col. Jaques then said that his name was
not put on the card for the reason that it
was earnestly desired that their visit should
be kept secret that he had come into the
Oonfederacy year ago, and had visited
Petersburg on similar errand, and that it
was feared if his name should become
known that some of them who had for
merly met him in Petersburg would con-
lecture the purpose for 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 Oonfede-
racy should accept any other terms, but
would be glad to have my promise as they
gave theirs, that their visit should be kept
q f,s1 b.
peace; that it would not be just that Ell
ther party should seek any advantage by
divulsing the fact of their overture for
peace, if unsuccessful. l assented to this
request, and then, rising, said: EDO Tn.
derstand you to state distinctly that you
came as messengers for Mr.. Lincoln for
the purpose Of agreeing with the Presi-
dent as to the proper mode of inaugural
ing formal negotiation for peace, charg-
ed by Mr.. Lincoln with authority for stat
ing his own views and receiving those of
President Davis?" Both answered in the
affirmative, and I then said the President
would see them at my Office the same eve
ming at 9 P. NJ. that at least I presumed
he would; but if he objected, after hear
ing my report, they should be informed.
They were then recommitted to the charge
of Col. Guild, with the understanding that
they were to be reconducted to my office
at the appointed hour, unless otherwise
directed.
This interview, connected with the re-
port previously made by Col. Ould, left on
my mind the decided impression that Mr..
Lincoln was averse to sending formal Com
missioners to open negotiations, lest he
might thereby be deemed to have recog-
nized the independence of the Confeder-
acy, and that he was anxious to learn
whether the conditions 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
a condition to satisfy US that they really
came from him, without committing him
self to anything in the event of Disagree
ment as to such conditions as he consid-
cred to be indispensable. On informing
the President thereof, Of my conclusion,
he determined that no question of form or
etiquette should be an obstacle to his re
ceiving any overtures that promised, how
ever remotely, to result in putting an end
to the carnage which marked the contin-
uance of hostilities.
The President came to my office at 8
o'clock in the evening, and Col. Ould
came few moments later with Messrs.
Jacques and Gilmore. The President said
to them that he had heard from me that
they came as messengers of peace from
Mr.. Lincoln; that as such they were well
come; that the Confederacy 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 few minutes had conveyed
the information that these two gentlemen
had come to Richmond impressed with the
idea that this government would accept a
peace on the basis of a reconstruction of
the Union, the abolition of slavery, and
grant an amnesty to the people of the
States as repentant criminals. In order
to accomplish the abolition of slavery, it
vas proposed that there should be gen.
eral vote of all the people of both Con-
federations, and the majority of the vote
thus taken was to determine that as we'll
as all other disputed questions. These