The mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1863-1943, 1865-07-08
TNEsta0ENTAIHaDEm6CRAT.


The following is the evidence Of Gen.
SherliA before the Committee on the
Cooduct Oe the War. Il b . complies
VlsdleaAioa u bic conduct IN bis netotia.
dOaa viii, Gen. Johnston, .,
NVoV General Sherman being sworn
and examiped:
By the Chairman: Q. What 10 yOu'
raok 10 the ASnayf
f. Tan q Major General Ia the Regu-
= q ~ y5Gr negotiations with Cfs rebel
Gs0sTal Johnston in relation to his sur.
reodsF haa been the s0bject Of much pub
liS OomDent. the COmmittes desire you to
Stats all the facts and circumstances in
regard to Il, or Which you wish the pub
Ne 70 kSOw.
A. On ths 18th day Of April last vas
81 Raleigh In command Of three armies.
the Army Of the Ohio. the Army Of the
Cum6sTiAhd and the Army Of Tennessee;
my oao@y was General Joseph z. John.
Stcu, Of the Confederate army, who CON.
ma0dsd 1000 men, retreating along the
TaiIrood from Raleigh, by HlllsborOuEh,
GreeasbOrough, Salisbury and Charlotte;
Commenced pursuit By crossing thar
road In the direction OF AshbOrough and
Charlotte; after the head Of my column
bad crossed the Cape Pear River at Aven's
Ferry, ! received . communication from
General JOhnston, and answered il, copies
Of which most promptly sent TO the War
Department, with letter addressed to
the Secretary Of War, as follows:
HD0Es Nil. DIV. o. raE MrssnsIPPI,l
In the Field. Raleigh, April Is, 1885.
General U. 8. Grant aud Secretary Of
War:
send copies Of a correspondence to
you with Gen. Johnston, which | think
will be followed BY terms Of cupitulatiOn.'
will grant tho same terms Gen. Grant
gave Gen. lee, and be careful not to com.
plicaIe Any points Of civil policy. IfAny
cavalry has retreated toward me, caution
then to be prepared to find our work
done. Il 10 now raining in torrents, and
| shall await General JOhnston's reply
here, and will prepare to meet him 10 per
son ct Chapel Hill.
Raleigh, With the civil officers Of his State.
have met ex. Governor Graham, MeSsrs
Badger, Moore, Holden and others, all Of
whom agree that the war Is over, and that
the States Of the South must resume their
allegiance, subjeeLtO the Constitution and
laws Of Congress, and must submit to the
Natioual arms. This great fact was ad-
mitted, and the details are Of easy ar
rAngement.
W. 7. SHERMAN, Major General.
met General Johnston in person at .
house Eve miles from Durham Station,
under Q Gag Of truce. Alter few pre-
iminary remarks he said to me, since Lee
had surrendered his army at AppomaIox
Court House, Of which he had Just been
advised, he looked upon further OppOsi.
iiO0 By him as the greatest possible OF
crimes; that he wanted to know whether
could make him any general conces-
siOnS; anything by which he could main.
tain bis hold and control Of his army, and
prevent its scattering; anything to satisfy
the great yearning Of their psopl' if 80,
he thought he could arrange terms salts
factory to both parties. lie wanted to
embrace the condition and fate OF all the
armies Of the Southern Confrderacy, to
the Rio Grande, to make one job Of it all.
a. be termed il.
I asked him what his powers were
whether he cOuld command and control
the fate Of all the armies TO the Rio
Grande. lie answered that he thought he
could obtain the power, but that he did
not possess it at that moment; he did not
know where Mr.. Davis vas, but be tho't
II could give him the time he could lind
NJ. Breckenridge, whose orders would be
Obeyed every where, and he could pledge
to mo his personal faith that whatever be
undertook to do would be done
bad had frequent correspondence with
the late President OF the United States,
with the Secretary Of War, with General
HAlleek and with General Grant, aud the
general impression left upon my mind,
that il Q settlement could be made, con
Sistent with the Constitution Of the Uni
ted States and the laws Of Congress and
the proclamation Il the President, they
would not only be willing but pleased to
terminate the var by single stroke Of
the pen.
needed time to finish the railroad from
the Neuse bridge up to Ralrigh, and
thO0ght could put IN four or five days Of
good time in making repairs to my road,
even II l had to send propositions to
Washington; therefore consented to de.
lay twenty. four hours, to enable General
Johnston to procure what would satisfy
me Is to his authority and G6ility as .
military man, to do what he undertook to
do. / therefore consented to meet him
the next day, the l7tb, at IL noon, at the
same place.
We did meet again: after generalin
terchaNge Of cUOrteSies, be remarked that
be was then prepared to satisfy me that
he could fulfill the terms Of our converse
ton the day before. He then asked me
what was willing to do; told him, in
che Hrst place, | could not deal With any
body except men recognized by Us as
- belliGerentS," because no military man
could 60 beyond that fact. The Attorney
General has since 50 decided, and any
man 0f common sense 80 understood it
Ssfofe; there was no difference upon that
point Is to the men and officers accompa-
Hying the Confederate armies. | told him
that the President Of the United States,
" BY q published proclamation. had enabled
: every man In the Southern Confederate
Army, Of the rank Of Colonel and under,
to procure and obtain amnesty. by simply
taking the oath Of allegiance to the Uni
ted States, and agreein; to 60 to his home
ana live In peace. The terms Of Gen.
Grant to Gen. Lee extended the same
.naiHSples tO the officers. OF the rank Of
BrigadieF General and upwards including
thS highest officer in the Confederate Ar
Ipy, VIZ: Gen. Lee. the Commander in
s.0hisE I wss therefore willing to proceed
,<ith him ppon ths sane principles.
Then . Conversation arose @ to what
Anrna n Iowapnuahsf tkav ,.,a-a Ia have in