The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-10-28
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS.
His Reception BY the President and
Opinion of the Confederate Cause.

A Washington correspondent Of the Phil
adelphia Ledger gives an account Of an IN
tervisE with a. H. Stephens:
He was received very cordially By the
/ President, whom be thanked In his usual
/ pleasant but dignidsd way, and q converse
ton then snsned upon the condition Of the
country, the Presidents plan Of restoration,
and "reminiscences Of the past Both gen
tlemen were perfectly easy and unrestrain-
] ed IN their lsnguage and manner, and the
/ intervieE was as plesssnt as II between two
/ old but long estranged irisnds.
/ In eonvereatiou with your correspon-
dent Mr.. stephens said that it Was owing 70
want OF unity through The South that
their cause was lost.
When a system Of the most crushing des-
| potsm was inaSgurated st Richmond. from
that moment the struggle was abandoned.
and the Coniederaey was left % its fate.
Mr.. Stephens was very careinl not 70
mention the name Of the rebel President IN
speaking as above, bat it was not difficult
70 see that there must have been e long
estrangemeut between them, and that the
acts Of Davis within the last year or more
Of bis Administration, were in no sense or
manner countenanced or supported BY the
second officer Of the so-called Govern
ment"
Toward Davis personally, however, I do
not believe that Mr. stephens eutertains a
single unkind feeling. ellis trial." said
he, "wOuld do no good, IN 20 far as the
charge OF treason was concerned. be was
equally guilty with Davis, and SO, he added,
were thousands besides
The statement that has gone forth from
Fort Warren, 10 the effect that Mr.. stephens
had complained" Of his continued incar-
eeratiou, while those more bitter than he
were liberated, Mr., s. informed me was not
correct.
In E jocular way he said 70 one Of his vis-
itors % cannot see why I am confined,
while others who took a more active part in
the rebellion are daily liberated . but 50
far as complaining, he said 1t never escaped
his lips. While in close confinement within
the damp walls Of she fort M stephens iell
away considerably but from the momaut
he was allowed free exercise out Of doors, he
commenced 10 gain IN flesh, and is now al
most as we'll Is any time within The last six
years.
need not tell you that he accepts the
situation, for he does 50 without q murmur.
Indeed, those who have judged him harshly
throughout the war have judged him
wrongly, for, during the whole Of its con
tinuanee, his heart ever beat warmly To-
ward the old Union He had, Of course, his
lifelong confirmed notions about the
Rights OF the States :" but this was more
for their OWE protection thar with any view
u the disruption Of the glorious phalanx as
IL then existed.
When overborne by the torrent, however,
like many others equally true 70 the flag, he
went with his State, though under protest
which none who have read can ever forget,
nor after reading, doubt the patriotism that
inspired it.
Mr. stephens takes a great interest in the
result Of the elections in Georgia, and hopes
that good and true men viii be every where
chosen. He expects 70 reach his home at
Crawiordsviile about the 2sth, and will pro-
eeed thence via Atlanta.