Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-02-22

-
AID accordingly tslegraphsd him and a.,
tasy Of Stats respectively - follows. mo Ssers
! WAR DErARrxnsr, WAsHINarox
L.sAs1eh 6ss.sai ers.s' sG or g.; :, 1885 /
Say to tho gentlemen that win m..t ,,srs'aia:
:enaliy 1t Fortress Monroe, As soon as Ds% PEI
isept IN einh.r ,teA VI, A. LINCOLN"
Wac DsRAs11rs1, WAsnrtaros, D.
Hon. Nil'iam &. s..eard, Farsrs., ke 1co :.
Induced BY dispatch from Gen. Grant -.
yos 1t Fortress Monroe as Room a. can con. JOIN
+. lssnt in cipher at A. Nj a. LINCOLN.
Before starting. the following dispatch Va. -,
NE ! proceeded nevertheless: - SHOWN
OyfGk UNITED STATES AIIdrARr Tr1,or
Wa DEP sra:sr:TLoiPhsr The following t.1.,
1855: From City Point, Virginia !
: 1874 Hon. William h. Seward, seer.,,,,tf' S
S,ates Fortress Aonree. (copy to Hon. ESsy Of :
6tanson. Secretary Of War, Washington n ~ T.
The gentleman here have accepted the 49,
serps ana van Leave for Fortress Monroe ~ ~ 20
- As U. s. GRANT. :"
Lieutenant Geue,,,
" sns uikht " tns "a reached HAMPTON r.,
ana found the Secretary Of State and Major ECU.
them thst tbs Richmond gentlemen were on .ns
steamer, also anchored of shore, in the ro,ds u',
that the Secretary of State had not vat .es, and
communicated With them. ascertained ,h. .sa Or
kckerf had literally complied with bis insrno..
end saw, for the first time the answer Of Fl. DOM
mend gentlemen to him, which, in his disn,, .ca
ne Of the LIST he character,zes a not sstiss.c.a~
That snswer is Is follows, to wit:
~. .911 poIsr' VIRGINIA; February !, 1865.
AAJoH:-Yonr note, delivered by your,s, 49,.
day, has been considered. For reply we h,,s ~.
Say that We weredmnishssl with Z COW Of ~. ~
kter Of President Lincoln 10 Francis P. Blair ~ ~
18th OF January ultino, another copy Of wb;ch !.
;appendedto your note Our intentions A.. ~
tanned in letter Of which the following il co Ua'
-. RlcHHexD, January Is, 1881
IN nsntqrmity With the letter of Mr.. Lincoln q,
which the foregoing i copy, you are to procs.S
to Washing lon city for informal conference. iii
him upon the issues involved in the exi,tin, Wv" wv.
and for the purpose of securing peace to tho t.o
With great respect, ysur ohedisnt servant
JEFFERSON DAVISn
g. The substantial effect to be obtained bv III. IN.
formal oonfereacs 10 70 ascertain upon what term,
the EXISTING war can, be terminated honor,b,
Our instructions contemplate personal intsry,v
seetwsen President Lincoln and ourselves at Ws,b.
ingten, but WITH this explanation, We are readv !.
| mestsny person or psssons that President Lincoln
may appoint q such place ~ he may desirn,,a
l Our earnest desire is thata inst and henorabl,
7Peace may Dc agreed upon, and we:ars prepared to
receive o. to submit propositions which NAV Don.
sibiJ lsad teths sttainment Of that end
/. Very respectfully yours,
+ -. -; 80. ALEX. H. STEPHENS
r.. ,..l.. 4 NJ. 7. HUNTER,
l. JOHN A. CAMPBELL.
A note Of these gentlemen, subsequently address
ed to General Grant has already been given ia M.
jor Eckett's dispatch of the LIST instant
1 Also here saw for tho FIRST time, the following
note, addss.ssd BY the Richmond gentlemen 10
Aajor EckRt:. -. =.
=. sGlrE POKER, VIRoINIA, February O. 1885,
i lHorses b Eskerk Asjor and Ai1 DE- Camp:
MAJOR :-ln reply to your verbal statement that
your instructions did not allow you to alter til.
condition. upon which . passport could be given "
ns, Ne ssy that We are willing to proceed to Fol.
sss Monroe, and there to have an informal confer.
snee w1th any person Or persons that President
Lincoln may appoint on the basis of his letter to
+. r. Blair, of the 18th of January, ultino, or upon
any ether terms or conditions that be may hsrsAf.
/ ter proposs, not. inconsistent with tho essential
principles Of sslfgoyernment and popular rights
upon which our constitutions are founded. It d
our earnest wish to ascertain after free intsrchXngs
Of ideas and information, upon what principles and
terms, any, a>just and honorable peace can bs a.
tabshed without the further sfflsion of blood and
to contribute our utmost efforts to accomplish such
result, We think it better to add Mat, in accept
ing your passports, We are net to b understood u
committlng enrseaves to Anything but to carry to
this informal conference the views and feelings
above Sxpressed :: -.
t : Very respectfully, yours; 81,
r.. : !. 2s-,'~ ALEX H STEPHENS,
T., r.& ..-ss J. a CAMPBELL.
-. r n. T.. HUNTER
I Noik--Ths above communication was delivered
to me u Fortress Monroe, At $50 P. M, February
/ !, ~ Lieuteuaot. Colonel Bsbeock, Of General
Graafs sts& - - .. 49,.
+. -. -. THOMAS T. ECKERT,
/ ..-.... Major and Abide Camp
T. On the morning Of February 8, the three gentle
men, Messa. Stephens, Hunter and Campbell, cam,
Il hb0sfd our steamer and had interview with tho
Secrstsrt II State and myself Of several hours d.
ration No question Of preliminaries to the meet
Ing WAS then and there made OF mentioped M
other persop was present. No papers were e1
changed or produced, and it was in advance Agreed
that de conversation WIS to be informal and verb,
merslk. SOn our pats, the whole Substance of til,
instructions to the Secretary of State hereubefsrl
rseitsd WAS statsd and insisted upon, and nothing
ives said inconsistent Herewith while BY the olhsl
4 party is W. hst said that in any event or in any
! eondss ssss Heuh consent to reunion, and
yet sy squslly omitted to declare that they would
tsnet consent They seemed TO desire = postpone
penemelt OF that question and the adoption Of some
( other coirns first, which a some Of them seemed
to xtgas miht'or might not lead to reunion, but
Nhlsh .esuem We thought would amount to an in.
dsflite postPonsment The conference ended With
taout result
r. The foregoing, containing, as is believed all the
Information sought ID rsspectfully submitted
l.. = .:5Ss - ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
e Excessive, Mansion, Febl0, 1865.
t. ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS. -.
IF WAsaMarok February .f0-The following W.
inclosed in>ths message sent to the Senate:
10 the Pssssdsnt:
The Secretary Of Htats, to whom was referred
resolution of the Senate o the 9Th instant request.
ing the President Of the United States, if in DID
opnica notibeonpatible with the public intsr''a'