Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-02-22
NMt5-CarQllua AtaaaarA
,BY THE GovERNoR
A PRUCLAMATtON-TOT THE PEQpLE OF
Nl7ssSs TfssfcfRTIy TIA R(}f, IN A. - ~ -.

iIansc aver your welfare, guard With fdel-
ity ycur interests ana warn you Of every
approaching dsnger: -
Now therefore, /, ZEBULON ID.
VANCE, Governor Of the said State, act:
mated by a sacred sense Of duty and love
of country, do deeu it necessary to. ad-
dress You in this manner in regard to the
dangers and duties Of the present time :,
earnestly praying that il may be condn- !;
Give to harmony and good Will wherein
only is to be found a saEe aud honorable
deliverance from all our troubles. 1t is
known to you all, that in the beginning. Of
these troubles, North Carolina was 90 de-
cidedly opposed to initiating the secession
of her Southern sisters, that any attempe
to force her to do 50 by even majority Of
her people, prior to the Proclamation Of
Lincoln in 1861, would most likely have
resulted in civil war, among our own citi'
zens. It pleased God, however, teprevent
this calamity and to calm all the fierce
passions Of party bitterness, aRd to cause
the most perfect unanimitr by means of
that Proclamation, which placed before us
the dire necessity Of either assisting or
Strengthening our own brothers and friends:
Interest, honor and sympathy combined
to decide US apon resistance to what all
united in condehning as cruel and wick
I'd war upon tire homes and Liberties of the
South. With anexampled zealwe entered
Into tile war, rushed forward our bravest
sons and poured out our richest treasures.
With immense sacrifices, and varying for
tunes; we continued the strug gle, still with
great unanimity for years; About the end
Of the third year, however, q portion OF
our people in common with many others
throughout the South, seeing how our best
citizens were falling, and how our fairest
lands were desolated, began to urge that
peace should be sought for by negotiations
rs well as by the sword. They argued
that our Confederate authorities, moved by
pride OF opinion and embittered by the
length and tiereeness Of. the conflict, had
not made sufficient trial of craftsmanship
rs means of stoppingthe war; that no
doubt if properly approached, either By
commissioners appointed by our common
government, or by the States separately
supposing diplomatic reasons would pre-
vent the enemy from treating with the for
mer-that our enemy would grant us bet
ter terms than we had supposed, and pro:
missing that if fair and honest effort at
negotiations should be spurned by the
enemy or rejected, then all, classes and con-
,litions of men in the South would unite
ia an earnest prosecution Of the war
This was the first serious approach to. a
division among our people. Sympathizing
with the reasonableness of this demand,
though not with all the reasons given for
believing in its efficiency, and being as
sincerely DESTROYS as it was pssible for man
to be, to stop the war on honorable terms,
], as your Governor, addressed President
Davis in December 1868, and urged this
course upon him. In answer thereto he
assured me that three separate anddistinct
efforts: had been made to treat with the
enemy, without obtaining even a hearing,
and that he did not see how a fourth one
could be initiated without humiliation to
ourselves and injury to our cause.
+ Trusting that Providence wonld yet
open the way the matter rested here for
another year. Many, however, Of orr PEG.
pie, who advocated peace upon such vague
and illdefned terms as to cause doubts OF
their good faith and loyalty, continued
sedulously to disseminate Che opinion, that
our own government alone was to blame
for the continuance, of the war; going SO
FAY in some instances as to threaten revo'
lutionary measures for wrestling the treaty.
making power from its hands, and negotia-
ting with the enemy ourselves, alleging
that we could certainly get such terms 4
the States would act III their sovereign ca
pacity, as would secure our property and
slaves, by reconstruction. Since the be.
ginning of the present year, however, two
individuals from the North having visited
Richmond on peace mission, by the au
thority of President Lincoln, and having
rs our President supposed opened tie way
for another effort at negotiations, it W.
promptly made. He Immediately sent 6
delegation through the lines for that pur
pose, consisting of Vice President Ste
Phens, Judge Campbelllate ofthe Supreme
Court of the United States, and the Hon
r. NJ. 7. Hunter, Confederate States Sen
ator, from the State. of Virginia, men al
eminent for their abilities, public services
and the long Continued confidence and
respect of their conntrymen. The frs,
two are we'll known to have opposed the
beginning Of this war, and to synlpathize
with the general desire for Negotiations
They were met at Fortress Monroe, BY
President Lincoln, and Mr.. Seward, his
Secretary Of State, who without allowing
them to leave the boat on which they ar.
rived. told them what appears in.flle fol
lowing official report:
RrcuAoNs' Feb. $, 1865:
To tho President Of the Confederate States:
sir-Under your letter 81 appointment
Of Commissioners Of the 2Sth, we proceed
ed to seek N informal conference with
Abraham Lincoln, President If the United
States upon the subject mentioned in your
letter. The conference was granted and
took place on the ID lust, on board stea
,ua~ ~havnd a., Ia.u Do.l-