The Portland daily press., 1865-06-05

eible crime. He admitted the terms conceded
to Gen. Lee were magnanimous and all h'
could ask; but he did want some general con
cession that would enable him to allay thu
natural fears and anxleties Of his follower
and enable him to msintain his control ove
Them until they could be got back to The
neighborhood Of their homes, thereby saving
the State of North Carolina the devastation
inevitably to result from turning his men loose
and nnproyided on the spot and our pursuit
across the State. He also wanted to embrace
in the same general proposition the fate of al
the Confederate armies that remained in exis.
4 tenee. sa9S sg tl5gssssiS ss,s54se5s sss..ses
Il never made any concession as to his own
army. or assumed to deal finally and authori
tatively in regard to any other, but it did
seem to me that there was presented chance
Tor peace that might be deemed valuable to
the government Of the United States. and was
at least worthy the few days that would be
consumed in reference. To push an. enemy
whose commander had so frankly and honest
ly confessed his inability to cope with me,
were cowardly and unworthy the brave men l
led. lnasmuch as General Johnston did not
feel authorized to exercise power over the ar
mics in Texas, we adjourned to the next day
at noon. tsss. aas4 ii
II returned to Raleigh, and conferred freely
with all my general officers, every one Of
| whom urged me to conclude terms that might
accomplish 80 complete and desirable an end.
| ALL dreaded the necessary laborious march af-
ter a fugitive and dissolving army back to-
wards Georgia, over the very country where
we had toiled SO long. There was but one
opinion expressed, and, If contrary ones were
entertained, they were withheld or INDUCED
In only BY that class who shun the fight and
the march, butare loudest, brayest and fierc-
est when dangeris past 'ase aAo ss6
SECOND INTERVIEW WITH JOHNSTON.
II again met Gen. Johnston on the 18th.
and we resumed the conversation. He satisn-
ed me then of his power to disband the rebel
armies in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and
Texas, as well as those In his immediate COM
mand, viz: North Carolina Georgia and Flor
ida. The points on which he expressed es-
pecial solicitude were lest their states were to
be dismembered and denied representation in
Congress, or any separate political existence
whatever; and the absolute disarming his
men would leave the South powerless and ex-
pnsed to depredatlons by wicked bands of as
sassins and robbers The Presidents lin
coln) Message of 1864; his Amnesty Procls-
nation; Gen. Grants terms to General Lee,
substantially extending the benefit of that
proclamation to all officers above the rank of
colonel; the invitation to the Virginia legisla-
ture to reassemble in Richmond, by General
Wei'zel, with the supposed approval of Mr..
Lincoln and Gen. Grant, then on the spot:
q firm belief that had been lighting to re-es.
tablsh the constitution of the United States;
and last, but not least, the geIeral and uniyer-
sal desire to close war any longer without
organized resistance, were the leading facts
that Induced me to pen the memorandum of
April 49, signed by myself ard Gen. Johnston.
1t was designed to be, and so expressed onffs
face, as a mere basis for reference to the
President Of the United Staies and constitu,
tionai Commander in. Chief to enable him, If
he chose, at one blow to dissipate the power
OF the Coniederacy which had threatened the
national safety for years. 1t admitted of mod
ifcation, alteration and change 1t had no
appearance Of an ultimatum, and by no false
reasoning can 1t be construed into an usnrpa-
tion OF power on my part. / have my opinion
on the questions involved, but this forms no
partof military report ssA~ sais
Immediately on my return to Raleigh I
despatched one Of my staff, Major Hitchcock,
to Washington, enjoining him to be most pru-
dent and careful to avoid the spies and in
formers that would be sure to infest him by
the way, and to say nothing to anybody until
the President could make known to me his
feelings and wishes in the matter. 4
= THE NEWS OF THE PREsIDRNT's DEATH.
''The news of President hincoln's assassin
alton, on the 18th of April wrongly reported
to nae by telegraph as having occurred on the
1lth reached me on the 17th, and was an
nounced TO my command on the same day in
Field Orders No. &c. / was duly fnformed OF
its horrible atrocity and probable effects on
the country. But when the property and in
terests of millions still living were involved, l
saw no geod reason why to change my course,
but thought rather to manifest real respect for
his memory by following, after his death, that
policy which, II living, l felt certain be would
have approved, or at least not rejected with
disdain.t ao ah anpAd .lie as5i aafsgm84 y
GENERAL SHERMAN AND SECRETARY STAN
Sup to that hour had never received cne
word of instruction, advice or counsel as to
the plan or policy of the government, looking
to a restoration OF peace on the part of the
rebel States of the South. Whenever asked
for an opinion on the points involved, Il had al
ways avoided the SUBJECT My letter to the
Mayor of Atlanta has been published to the
world, and was not rebuked by the War De-
partment for it. Ny letter to Mr.---of Sa-
vannah, was shown by me to MFR. Stanton, be-
fore Its publication, and all that my memory
retains of his 10 that he eeil, l;l.s = I
letters generally, 1t was sufficiently emphatic,
and would not be misunderstood. BotL these
letters asserted my belief that, according to
Mr.. Lincoln's proclamation and messages, !,
when the people of the South had laid down
OF the United States, ipse fdcto, the war was
over as to them, and iurt1 ermore, that if any
State in rebellion would conform to the con-
stitution of the United States, cease war, elect
Senators and Representatives to Congress, If
admitted, (of which each House of Congress
alone is the judge,) that State become instant
er as much in the Union as New York or
Ohio. Nor were Irebuked for these express
sions, though 1t was universally known and
al 10 81 "a at..M
Stanton in person at Savannah, speaking of
/ the terrible expense of the war, and difficulty
of realizing the money Tor the daily wants of
the government, impressed me most forcibly
with the necessity of bringing the war to q
llse as soon as possible for financial reasons.
THE REJECTION OF THE AGREEMENT.
"On the evening Of April 28d, Major Hitch
cock reported 10 Morehead City with des-
atches, Of which fact Gen. Johnston at Hills
borough was notified, so as to be ready in the
morning for an answer. At o'clock, A. M.
on the 24th Major Hitchcock arrived, accom-
panied by General Grant and members of his
staff, who had not telegraphed the fact of his
coming over our exposed roads for prudential
reasons. soon learned that the memoran-
dunn was disapproved without reasons assign
ed, and was ordered to give the forty-eight
4 hours notice, and resume hostilities at the
close Of that time; governing myself by the
substance Of a despatch then enclosed, dated
March 8, u NJ, at Washington, d. c., from
Secretary Stanton to General Grant at City
Point, but not accompanied by any part OF the
voluminous matter so literally lavished on
.the public in the New York journals Of the
oath of April. That was the first and only
timeI ever saw that telegram, or had one
word ofinstructions on the important matters
involved in II, andit does seem strange to me
that every bar-room loafer in, New York can
read in the morning journals official matter
that is withheld from a general whose com.
mand extends from Kentucky to North Caro-
lius. zaaa paa Y st- q, q se4s sAt
Within an hour q courier was riding from
Durham's Statinn towards Hillshnrnneh. witt