Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-02-13

S usvS - oyoeU q MT.
i - sslsss svsa vie~s q ~ owa, q u
a6oesnt ~ ny ssticsnee. This has placsd
- = y swkwasd positien. IN q I eould
lsovs sssidsd By nos seeing thsn 10 ths ant
instaocs. fesr noe thsif going back With
out any expression y any oas in butterfly.
win have : bad in6nsncs. AZ ~ nm ~
ecognise the dt0rultioo n The vov ofs..
csivine their insorsoaI commiasioners = fk,a
tire. ! d not know what = rsromnena.
en- sosry, however, thai Ne. Liucpln eani1
have an iutssvieW with 1as OF The n6rnens
named ia the Dispatch. IL nos eli uhrec nor
within our line~. Their letter d me w,s
oil that tha. Presjdsnt's instructions con
templatcd 70 secure their saee conduct. Il
they had used the same language TO leIioe
Eckert.
(Signed) ~. 8. GsAnr, Lieut. Gen."
This dispatch Of Gen. Ursnt's CHANGED
nv prrpose, and accordingly I tel eranSef]
him and the Secretary Of State. - follows
vRoM Tns PneHDexr.
Wan DEPARTMENT. J
Washington, Feb. "a, 1885.
Gen. Grant, City Point
Say to the gentlemen I win meet them
personally ct Fortress Monroe q soon A.
can get there.
A. LlxcoGn.
[Sent IN cypher At . A. NJ
Wan DEPARTMENT.
Washington, Feb. I'd, 1865.
To Hon. W.. II. Sesocrd. FSrtrsss Monroe :
Induced by dispatch from Gen Grant,
Join you ct Fortress Monroe a. sD0n a
can come. A. LfNcoLN.
[Scnt in CIPHER 1t q A. NJ
Before starting thu following dispatch wa
shown me. Iproceeded nevertheless:
FROM GEN. GRANT.
"Onlce of the U. $. Military Telegraph,
War Department lin cyphef.)
The following telegram was received II
Washington February "a, 1865, from CITY
Point, Va, y q. H., Feb. "a, 1855:
ITO Hon. WIN. II. Seward, Secretary ri
State, Fortress Monroe, COPY to II NJ
Stanton, Secretary Of War, Washington
The gentlemen here have accented the
proposed terms, and will leave for Fortress
Monroe at O:3O q. IN.
(Signed) GEN GRANT. 1t. Gen.
On the night of the ID reached Hamilton
Roads. found the Secretary Of State And
Major Eckert on steamer anchored off The
shore, in the Roads, and that the Secretary
Of State had not yet seen or communicated
with them. l ascertained that Major Eek.
ert had literally complied with his instruc-
ton, and ! saw for the first time the an.
swer Of the Richmond gentlemen to him
which, in his dispatch to me of the LIST. he
as not satisfactory. That an.
swer Is az follows:
rur ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, x.,,,.~ n,r.
"CiTY PoINr, Feb. /, 1885. :.
" To Thomas T. Eckert, Major and A. d. CA
MAJOR Your note, delivered by your.
self this day, has been considered In reply,
we have to say that we were furnished will,
a copy of the letter of President Lincoln "
+. 2. Blair, Of the 18th Of January. ult.,
another copy of which is appended to your
note. Our intentions are contained in a let
ter, OF which the following is copy:
RICHMOND JAM %, 1865.
"'In conformity with the letter Of Mr..
Lincoln, Of which the foregoing is copy,
you are to proceed to Washington City inl
informal conference with him upon the is
sue involved in the existing war, and for the
purpose OF securing peace to the two cvun-
tries.
80 With great respect, your obedicnt SER
want, "'JEFFERsoN DAVIS
The substantial object to be obtained by
the informal conference is to ascertain upon
what terms the existing war can be ternlina-
ted honorably. Our instructions contem
plate personal interview between Pres-
dent Lincoln and ur,elves at Washington ;
but with this explanation we are ready to
meet any person or persons that President
Lincoln may appoint ut such place AS he
NAV designate Our earnest desire is that O
Just and honorable peace may be agreed up
ON, and we are prepared to receive or to sub
init propositions which may possibly lead to
the attainment Of that end.
Very respectfully, yours.
ALEX. H. STEPHENS,
, or. NJ. T. HUNTER,
~. A. CAMPBELL
A note of these gentlemen subsequently
addressed to Gen. Grant, has already been
given in Major Eckert's dispatch of the Is,
inst.
also saw here for the first time the fol
lowing note addressed by the Richmond
gentlemen to Major Eckert:
THE SECOND REPLY.
"Clry PoINr, Va, Feb. 9, 1865.
ct T. Eckert, Major and A. d. c.:
MAJoR-In reply to your verbal state
ment that your instructions did not allow
you to alter the conditions upon which a
passport could be given to us, we say that We
are willing 10 proceed to Fort Monroe, and
there to have an informal conference with
any person or persons that President Lin
cola may appoint. on the basis of his letter
to +. p. Blair of the 18th of January, ult.
or upon any other terms or conditions tina,
he may hereafter propose, not inconsisten,
with the essential principles of self govern
ment and popular rights, upon which oul
institutions are founded. 1t is our earnest
wish to ascertain, after free interchange Of
ideas and information, upon what principles
and terms, II any, just and honorable
peace can he established without the further
etfusion of blood, and to contribute our ut.
most efforts to accomplish such a result. W.
think it better to add that in accepting youI
passport we are not to be understood as com
hitting ourselves to anything, but to carry tc
this informal conference the views Of feeling
above expressed.
Very respectfully yours. &c,
A. H. STEPHENS,
H. NJ I. HUNTER,
j. A. CAMPBELL"
"NOrE.-The above communication was
delivered to me at Fort Monroe, at 4:3O D
m, February I'd, by Lieut.. Col. Babcock on
Gen. Grants staff
loigneuJ L. 1. LCkERT,
Major and A. ID. c."
On the morning of the I'd, the three gen
tlcmen, Stephens, Hunter and Campbell
came aboard Of our steamer and had an in
terview with the Secretary Of State and my
self Of several hours duration. No ques
ton of prelmlnaries to the meeting wa.
then and there made or mentioned. NJ
other person was present. No papers wer,
exchanged or produced, and it was in adj
vance agreed on that the conve, ssstion was
to be informal and verbal, merely, on oul
part. The whole substance Of the instruc
tions to tle Secretary Of State hercinbefor,
related was stated and insisted upon, and no
thing was said inconsistent Herewith while
with the other party it was not said that ii
would consent 70 reunion, yet they equally