Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-08-25
IS Edmund Kirkc's'' Interview viii,
Jeff Davis.

Visit to Richmond" by j. II, Gilmore,
giving an account of the curious Jour
ney to the rebel capital recently taken
by him and Col. Jacques
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
Mr.. Benjamin occupied his previous
seat at the table, and at his right sat a
spare, thin featured man, with iron gray
hair and beard, and clear gray eye,
l full of life and vigor. He had q broad,
! massive forehead, and mouth and chin
! denoting great energy and strength of
I will. His face was emaclated and
much wrinkled, but his features We're
good, especially his eyes-though one of
them bore scar, apparently made by
| some sharp instrument He wore suite
of greyish-brown, evidently of foreign
manufacture, and as he rose, saw that
he was about five feet ten inches high,
with slight stoop in the shoulders.
His manners were simple, easy, and
quite fascinating and he threw an in
describable charm into his voice, as he
extended his hand and said to US:
/ am glad to see you, gentlemen.
| You are welcome to Richmond"
And this was the man who was presi-
dent of the United States under Frank
lin Pierce, and who is now the heart,
soul, and brains of the southern confed-
! eracy
His manner put me entirely at my
ease-the colonel would be at his, if he
stood before Casar-and / replied:
awe thank you, Mr.. Davis. 1t is not
often you meet men Of our clothes, and
our principles, in Richmond"
mot often, not so often is could
wish and | trust your coming may
lead to a more frequent and more
| friendly intercourse between the North
and the South"
We sincerely hope it may"
Mr. Benjamin tells me you have
asked to see me, to-
And he paused as If desiring we
should finish the sentence. The colonel
replied:
Yes sir We have asked this inter
view in the hope that you may suggest
some way by which this war can be
stopped. Our people want peace your
people do, and your congress has re-
Gently said that you do. We have come
to ask how it can be brought about"
"Insa very simple way. Withdraw
your armies from our territory, and
peace will come of itself. We do not
seek to subjugate you. We are not wag-
ing an offensive war, except so far as it
is Observation-Disclosures is, so far as
we are forced to invade you to prevent
your invading us. Let us alone and
peace will come at once"
But we cannot let you alone so long
as you repudiate the Union. That is
the one thing the northern people will
not surrender"
II know, You would deny to us
what you exact for yourseIves-the right
of self government"
"No, sir" / remarked. owe would
deny you no natural right. But we
think Union essential to peace and.
Mr.. Davis, could two people, with the
same language, separated by only an
imaginary line, live at peace with each
other 7 Would not disputes constantly
arise, md cause almost constant war be-
tween them :"
Undoubtedly-with this generation.
You have sown such bitterness at the
South, you have put such an ocean of
blood between the two sections, that |
despair of seeing any harmony in nv
time. Our children may forget this war
but zoe cannot"
81 think the bitterness, you speak Of
sir, said the Colonel, "does not really
exist. We must talk here as friends;
our soldiers meet and fraternize with
each other; and feel sure that if the
Union were restored, more friendly
feeling would arise between us than has
ever existed. The war has made us
know and respect each other better than
before. This is the view of very many
southern men; have had it from many
of them-your leading citizens"
"They are mistaken" replied Mr.. d.
Wis. "They do not understand southern
sentiment. How can we feel anything
but bitterness towards men who deny
us our rights? If you enter my house
and drive me out Of it, am 1 not your
natural enemy 2" /
"You put the case too strongly. But
we cannot fight forever; the war must
end at sometime we must finally agree
upon something; can we not agree now
and stop this frightful carnage? We
Ire both Christian men, Mr.. Davis. Can
you, as a Christian man, leave untried
my means that may lead to peace 2" ,
mo, | cannot. l desire peace as much ,
Is you do. l deplore bloodshed as much
rs you do; but feel that not one drop +.
Of the blood shed in this war is on ma :
lands; | can look up to my God and
Jay this. I tried all in my power to :
vert this war. I saw it coming.
md for twelve years | worked night
md day to prevent it, but | could :
lot. The North was mad and :,
blind; it would not let us govern our r
elves; and so the war came, and now
t must go on till the last man of this j.,
falls in his tracks, and his 9.
hildren seize his musket and fight his
attles, unless you acknowledge our +
light to self-government. We are not
lghting for slavery. We are fighting
or independence-and that or extermin- 9
tiOn we will have"
'And there are least four millions and !,
half of us left; so you see you have -
york before you" said Mr.. BENJAMIN
Nth decided sneer.
"We have no wish to exterminate you," :,
the ColonC ~ ie'lFe what ;,
ca;I 81, |