, 1865-06-01

such OF tht olu s|ocE ~ A.FAS captured by
MAJ Ger. 1es1g at Wilmington and on his
way Up to Goldsboro yet such jndic,ous &C
was 1hade Of these, and such IN iustry dis
played In the railroad management by Gems,
Easten and Beckwith and Col. Wright and
Mr.. Vandsne, that by the 10th Of April our
NTH wcre an ze-clad, the WAGONS re-loadea
and fan amount, tof forage accumulated
ahead"
In the meantime, Gen. Stonemau, opcrat-
tng from East Tennessee with a division of
cavalry, had seaehed and destroyed the raul
roade. about Greensboro, n. C., and had
pusheH along to Salisbury aud extended the
wo1k on tho road TO Catawba bridge. This
was fsta1 to the ar1nles OF Lee and Johnston.
who deper ded on that road for supplies, and
rs their ultimate line Of retreat. He also
details the operating Of Gen. Neitzel With
his cayalzy co, pk, which also co-operated ef.
fectua1]y, carrying out the grand colnbiua-
ton. He received the newB OF the battles
about Petersburg Of April 9Th HIS troops
bad been moved rapidly nozthwaru, fcigu,ns
IN attack on Raleigh, but striking straight M
for Bptktsvil1e, thereby Interpreting bet twcca
Johnston and Lee, hit lhe's aspicious 4 .yeuts
In Virginia had changed the whole military
problen, In the expressive language Of LteuI.
Can Grant. The Confederate armies Of Lee
and Johnston heicg between the strategic
points. Gen. Grant waa fully able TO taxe
care OF the former, and fny task was to can.
4n1r or destroy The latteE.. Johnston at that
time (April 6th} had lii army well In hand at
Smith Field. interposiag3 between me and
Ralt ign. i estimated hts infantry and artIl.
lery q s., ,o0o, and. the cavalry at Gooo to
10 900. He was superior to me Ia cayalrF. 1
held Gen. kilpatrick in Reserve at Mount
Olive, with orders to recruit his horses, and
be ready to make sudden and rapid march
on he loth April" The report then goes On
enc ap to ap 14th These @ ass nsse af4eaaT Z, .ae
been substantially pub1Ished- Johnstoa's
as1ny Vas .rttrekting rapidly On
,he road from Hi1lsboro to Greensboro
he himself at Greensboro Although ont Of
place as 10 home, here invita- all military
critics who study the problems Of war, to
my ar1py, on the 18th and 10th Of April, with
that Of Gen. Halleck, about Bnrkesyillc and
Petersburg, Va, on the :26th Of April, when,
according to his telegrams to Secretary STAN
ton, he offered to relieve me Of the task Of
cutting of John.ton's retreat. Major General
only limo Of retreas WRs BY Salisbury and
Charlotte. It may be that Gen. Halieck,e
t1oops can outmaIeh mine, but their IL moth
Ing in their past history to show it; or It
msy be that Gen. Hal2eck eau inspire hfs
troops with more energy Of action. I doubt
that also-sage and except in this single ln.
stance. when he knew the enemy Was ready
to surrender or dfsperee, as advised BY my
letter Of ApzIle 18th. addressed to him when
Chief Of Staff at Washington city. and de-
l.ycred into his hands on the 21at inst. By
Msjos Hitchcock Of my stat.
~ met Johnston HaE 18th. assIranged. The
Interview Wasffank and sofdics-1ike. General
Johnston gaTe me to understand that further
war on the part Of the Coniederacy was folly ;
that the cause was Lost :; that every life sac.
| ri6ced after The surrender Of Lcr's army wonld
| be the highest crime possible. He admitted
the te4ps conceded 70 General Lee were as
megna6imous Is he could 1sk, but he wanted
some concessions that would enabl8 him to
allay the natural fears and auxieties Of his
followers, and enable him to maintain his CON
troll until they could be got back to thelr
| homes,
"Ihc terms asked we're concessions Of gilt.
ter3pg genetalItiea, all Of which in tho end
Of the eouth, that THO dag there would not
he an AIMED battalion opposed to us within
| the broad domain OF the United States. Rob
berries and assasslna:ions must in any eveni
result from the diBbandment OF large armies
but even thefe should be and could be take1
treasury" The report proceeds to detat
his movements and those Of the cooperative
forces for the next lew days, and the goot
condition in which he found matters at s.
vspnah. ION the evening Of the I'd Of Nay
returned to Hilton Head. aud there for tn,
first time received New York papers, Of Apri
g, containine Secretary Stantou's dfspatcl
Of %. N. Of 9Th of April. including Hll
leck's, from Richmond, Of . p. M, on th,
night before, which seems to have bee,
1ushed with extreme haste before an excttef
public, namely, on the morning Of the 18Th
"fou viii observe from datea that thcee dis
patches were running back end forth FROM
Richmond TO Washington to New York, auf
there published, while General Grsnt and
were together in Raleigh, North caroltna
| adjusting, to the hest Of our ability, the term
Of surrender Of the only remaining form:da
bic rebel ar1ny In existence east Of the Mis-
stssippi river. Not one word Of jntimattot
had been sent to me Of the dispIessure Of tht
Government with my of1ciA conduct, bu
oulJ the naked disapproval Of Skeleton
memo: andnm ut properly for ths action O
most objectionable feature Of my ncmoran
dun had already {Apsu 23thl hecn published
to the world In violation Of of :!al usage, ,aud
the copits OF my accompanying dispatches u
General Halleck, General GIANT and Me
Stanton Of even date, though at hand, wert
TN ali these letters 11have stated clearly and
distinctly that JohnEton's army would moi
fight, but If pressed would disband and scat
| ter into small and dangerous guerilla p1rties
| as injurious to the interests at the United
States as to the rebels themselves. That al
parties admitted that the rebel cause OF tht
South was abandoned. That the negro wa
be to a=4astsnE peace. sag ai
these opinions Of mine we're; a;Tlthhe1d from
the pubic with seeming 1erposc, and d
contend that my official ef4ASi Sience and form
er service, as well as RekVas. life and hnilt
a1i'y with the peoplgfsa geography { Of th' I y
sou!th, Sou! britt nti,le ny opinions to at 'e''t os
81 toesh; 1topsi'; this SisSatcb of r. Stanton
rofBApru eth was printed officially
fthad como to me only IN the questionable
Enewspaper paragraphs under the head
s*SbeInAn's truce dtsrrearded." ! had at
rthdy done Whist Gen. Wilson wanted me y
do. namely, had sent him supplies Of cloth
ing and TODD, with clear and distinct order
snd instructions how to carry ont In Wester1
Georgia the terms for the surrender Of arm
and psrolIng Of prisoners made b,
| Gen. Jobnfton's 'capttu!ation OF Apr
:Gtb, md bad properly and most opporsu9e
| II ordered Gen. Gilmore TO occupy o,
anseburg and Angnsta; both stratesic point
| Of rreat value in all times In peace or war
hui as the Secretary had taken upon hinsel
to order my subordinate Genera. to dtsobe
4 my oidcrs. explained to Gen. Gilmot
that would no longer confus: h,m or Ger
with tl,ose of the Secretary. which. o
reported, were sent not throng
. me, hut IN open disregard Of me and Of m
| lawful authority"
Gen. Sherman then goes On at considerabl
| length nnd With much severity, to CONNER
on Gen. Halleck, 1;dicu1fng the idea Of h
troiH BurEeeFIlle and Dauvilie, "The last an
mott obroxious feature Of Gen. Halleck
) / dispatch Is wherein he goes on In sth
Eay and advises that my subondiua'
. | Generals Thcrnas, etoncman and Wllso1
should be instructed not to obey Sherman
commands This Ia TOO much, and tul
fem the subject with feeling too steou
, for words, and merely assert m5 belief th!
i 50 much mischief was ne7er before embrace
: in 80 Email space as the newspaper par
graph headed, "tSherman's Truce Disr
ga.ded," authenticated as official By u
Secretary Stanton, and published In the Ne
: York paIers Of April 23th.
= "We lett Charleston on the openfpg,of Il
2. Sd Of May, and hastcned with all poaslb
speed back to Morehead on the night of It
. 4th: immediately communicated this tel
. graph with Gen. schofleld. at Raleigh, ar
learned from him the pleasing fact that II
. Lieutenant General, Commanding the arr1I
Il reak In time to countetmaud Gen. Ha1leck
( orders, and prevent Ills violation of my true
: ard invading the area Of my command, ar
: dividing Jchnsten's furrenderiog army In
Fragments.
; "Gfne,al Johnston had fulfilled his asre
> l. mept to the very best OF his ability, and Il
$ ofscera charged With issuing The paroles
: Greensboro reported ab7uI 5000 alreat
, made, and that The greater part of the Nor
Ca,o1ipa troops had gone bome without wal
: fng for their paroles. but that ali Of the
: would doubtless como into some one Of Il
military posts"