The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-06-10

| ruin tO,D DGrhln STATION, 1he 9th corps fOi'
III iiiTg as far as Norrisvill- Station, and the
! iITlh corps of Johns Station. Gu abe sup
I position that Johnston was tied to his rail-
/ road. as 4 line of retreatbv IliiisbJro, Green
borough, Salisbury, apd Charlotte etc., had
turned the ether colGmu across the bend IN
| that road toward Ashborough, (see Special
f eld Order No. 55) The cavalry, Brevet
Major General J. Fitzpatrick, commanding,
was ordered 10 keep up show of pursuit
toward the Company Shop. in Alamancer
county; Major General o .. Howard to
.,nr,. their LETT by Hackney's Cross Roads,
: Pittsburr., ST. Lawrence and Ashborough ;
! Major General H. W. Slocam to cross Cape
| Fear River at Avon's Ferry anu move fapldiy
/ bv Cari.ir re, Caledonia. and Cox's NILS:
Major General j. NJ. Schoied was TO hold
Raleigh, and the road back, with spare force
10 follow BY an intermediate route
By the 18th, though the rains were iEress-
ant and roads almos, impracticanle, MAJOR
General Slocum bad tie 18th corps, Brevet
M ior General Davis CON mandlng, near Mar
thas Vineyard, with pontoon bridge la'd
ar IS Cape Fea- river, al Avon Ferry, with
the 2Oth corps. Maio. General 5iower con-
mandng. ia srppcvt; and MAJOR General
Howard had the 10th and 18th cDrus stretched
ou, on the roads towards Pitts oruugh, VIII lt
General fitzpatrick held Durham Station and
Cnpitol Hill University. Johnston's army
was retreating rapidly Oh ,h" roads from lliiis-
borough to Gr.ensborough. he himself at
GrpcuSDOruugh.
Although out of 'ylace as to time, here IN
vite all military critics who study the prob
lens of war to take their ps and compare
the position uf my army on ie l5.h and 10th
of April with that Of Gen"r Na.ieck about
BurkesyIlle and Pcter,Ddrg, vi @lui", on the
10Th Of April, when, according 10 the tele'
gram to Secretary Stanton. lac offered . re-
lirve me Of the task OF cutting oil Johnston
retreat i may be that Gen. Hal eek
troops can outnurch mine. bat there Is 10th
ing in their past history 10 show it. Or 1t
NAV be that Gencr ii..llech eau inspire his
troops with more energy OF action; doubt
that also save aud except III II - single M
stance. when he knew the enemy WAS ready to
SURF: der or - dii er-e, as advised by letter
OF April Isih, addressed 10 Kim when ciI!ei
of 81 IF at Washington City, and delivered
into bis hands hg MAJOR Hitchcoc6- ot my
armv.
Thus matters stood a, the time | received
General .J,,hnst-pr's first letter and made nv
.wer of y prii Il, copies of winch we're sent
with all cX.el ton ic Lieutenant Genert!
Grant au( rnc Secretary OF War. with my let
tiers Of the i h of April. a-.rred t. ner;
General JohAstor ia person at point inter
mediate etwccn our Pichets on the tn, at
noon. provided The position ot the troops q
manned sf,tju G,cp was lolh willing AID
aLxuus to consume Il few davS, as 1t would
enable Colonel Wright to iiHl,h or rai1Irai
10 Il tei-h. Two bridges had u be built iai
twelve miles OF new ROAD made. We had no
ron. eXsrp, hT taking up tine branch from
Gl l.sSorou.h 10 Weldon. Instead oi losing
time. -.l-ci IN eve~y Wv !pr evcry hour
oi DELAY possible y A. rct .II-,i 10 reconstruct
The r.. ltoad to our rear aud i.npro- The CON
ditiou at cur wagon road 10 the front, 50 de
>irlLlc IL case tie '.egptla'iouN tailed and ""
be forced T. lnab. the Face OF near 2OJ miles
10 j al p:f or catch JOHNSTON, then retreat
in., toward Char!aue At noon Of the day
appointed :Isr: Gen. Johnston for the first
II.n. in my lie. ;,hh6..h We had been
chang ng shots continually since Nav, lcJ5.
our Interview WIS frank aEl soldier Ike. and
h.. .,y,, ne t,, understand rhat further war pa
the uarr of The Confederate troop, was tpily;
that the ia ss-'' was lost. aud that every lIe
sacrificed after rh,- surrender o. Lee army
was the highest possible crime. lie admitted
the terms couc-dei - tieag~tl Lee were mag
ntuimuuS and ali i,c could ask; but lie Gla
want some gener,.@ cOuceS,I ms thaI 'So"Id ell
able him to allar the natural tears and cual.-
ties of his followers and enable hi.I 10 main
t.,ia his control over them unui they could
h. rot back t. the rei .hborhuo1 ot their
homes thereby saving the state OF North
Carolina the devastation inevitably to re>ait
from turning his men loose and unprovl'ed
on the spot. and our pursuit across the state
/ He also wanted TO embrace n tie SAKE gene
/ ral srorpsii;un the fate of all the Confederate
arms that remained N existence. never
ma IL auv concession as - his own army or
I 4 su-o,.,i to deal fualiv and authorirat'vs?. ~
! re-. ,r to auy other. but Il d'4 sS''H 10 m'
z thai there vas presented a clare cr--i"r P'"C"
/ lhat miIil be deemed valuah'e ;" III -"vcrn
mcui nf ti'- United States, and "t+ az lest
! WORTHY ta> few DAYS that Would b, crusrnsd
1 in ference. and to push an ereIny hose IN
/ mand,l had 50 fr.i.kiv and hone tly cp7' ed
/ hi; Inability Ic cone with ME. w-re Co"nrdi =
and unworthy tho ;ir;lrc me- | led. iua>
, much as General J;hns0n dit not teei au
] rhur.zrl 20 exercise TOrcr oVcr ia ':m.e- ~
Texas, e adjourned to The II II d"y Al 30" "a.
returned to It.i,. III, and con'errra r'-y
with all nv general officers, e@9y M" OF
whom. urged me to conclude terms that might
accomplish So complete ant desirable ~ end
All dreaded the necessarily labur;OuS Inarct:
after fugitive and dIsso!vng army Bach
towards Georgia, over the yerY country where
we hld toiled SO loi.:. There was but ont
opinion expressed, aud, If contrary ones were
entertained, they wero Withheld, or Indulged II
ONLY bv that class who shun the fight anC
the march, but are loudest bravest, anC
fierces, when danger is past.
again met Genera Johnston on t c 18th
and We resumed the conversation. He salts
fed me then of his po,ccr to Gisband the r.
bel armies in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisi
ana. AID Texas as well as those III his inme
diare command, viz: North Carolina, Georg
ia and Florida. The points on which he eX
pressed especis. so!ioitude were lest teen
states were 20 be disinembered and dehieC
Representations in Congress, or any separate
poiitirnl eXisteu:e whatever; aEd the abs ,
lure hisa.ming his men would leave the soati
puwerIess and exposed - depredations by
wicked l. ,ntiS Of ;,5snssins and robbers. The
Presidents tLincoln) Message of 1854; hl'
Amnesty Proclamation General Gri"t'
terms tn General Lee, substantially extend
, ing the be,ielit OF that .Procla.nation u al
! officers above the rank of CoIone the invi
tation TO the Virginia egi lature t. re-asae nbls
Ill Richmond, hy General Weltze', with tie sup
posed approval OF Mr.. lincoln and Genera
. Grant, then on the spot; a firm belief that
had beer hgh'ing 10 re-establish the C,nsti
tuition of tie United States and last but no
, least, the ge crtl and universal desire t,
; close a war no loager without organized re
sistance, were he leading facts that induces
me 10 pen the memorandum of April Is
sigued by myself and General Johnston
! was designed to be, and 50 expressed on it
: lace. as a mere basis" for reference to tb
. President of the United States and constitu
h ted Commander-in-C Chief, TO enable him, If h
Y chose, at one blow to dihsirate the power Z
:, the Confederacv .hch had threatened the na
= tional safety for years. 1t admitted of mod
: fcation, alteration and change. 1t had n
y appearance OF an ultlmatuni, and by no falls
:. reasoning can it be con istried into an usul
, patton OF power on my part. have my OF