Journal and confederate. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-05-24
Ut. HEassHMAN ID. ID. EaOCOT'T,
- EDITORS
Gen. Johnston's Manifesto.

to5terniinate hostilities in North and South
/. Carolina, Georgia and Florida, it seems to me
proper to show to the people of these States
Tue condition Of military affairs which rendered
that measure absolutely necessary. On the
26th of Aril, the day Of the convention, by the
retu,Xs OF. three Lieutenant Generals of the
: army of Tennessee, (that under my command
the number of infantry and artillery present
and absent was 70,5l0; the number present
1858; the. effective total ar fighting force
was i4,l7s. Lieut.. Gen. Ha pton's last re-
turns that can find was dated April Z, when
his effective total of cavalry was $40. But
between the 7th and 26tlI, it was much reduc-
ed by the effects of events in Virginia and
apprehension of surrender. In South Carolina,
We had Youngs division of. cavalry, (ess than
10000 besides Reserves and State troops;
together, much inferior to the Federal force in
that State In Florida, We were relatively as
weak. In Georgia, our inadequate force had
been captured in Macon. In Lieut.. Gen. Tay-
lor's department. there were no means of toppo-
sing the formidable army under Gen. Cauby,
which. had taken Mobile; Ror the cavalry
under Gen. Wilson, which had captured overy
other place Of military Importance West Of
Augusta. The latter had been stopped at Ma
con BY the arEistice, as we had been near
Greensboro. Butits distance from Augusta
being less than half ours, that place was in its
power. To carry on tho war, therefore, we
had TO depend on the army ofTennessoe alone.
The United States could lave brought against
ittwelvc or fifteen Vines its number in the
armies Of Generals Grant, Sherman and Candy.
With such odds against us-witlout the means
=, of procuring Ammunition or.rcpairing 'arms-
without money or credit to provide food lit
was impossible to continue the war except as
robbers. The only consequences If prolonging
the struggle would have been tic destruction
Of our remnant of an army-the best and bra
vest men who had served the Confederacy-
and great suffering of women and children by
the desolation and ruin inevitable from tile
marching of 100000 men through tile country
Having failed in an attempt to make terms
giving security to citizens as well as soldiers, I
bad to choose between bringing the evils of
war wantonly upon those had been chosen to
defend, and averting those calamities with the
confession that hopes were dead, which every
thinking Southern man had already lost. |
therefore stipulated with Gen. Sherman for the.
protection Of the true and brave men depend
ent on me, on terms which also terminated
hostilities in all the country over which our
commands extend-and announced it to your
Governor by telegraph--as follows:
''The disaster in Virginia, the capture by
thesenemy Of all our work shops for preparing
ammunition or repairing arms-the impossibility
offetruiting ourlittle army, opposed toby more
than ten-times its number. or of supplying it,
except by .robbing our own citizens, destroyed
all hope of successful war-I have, therefore,
made military convention with Major.G eneral
Sherman to terminate hostilitiesin North and
South Carolina, Georgia and. Florida.
I made this convention to spare the blood of
ibis gallant little, army-lo prevent further
suffering Of our people by the devastation and
(; ruin inevitable from the marches Ut Invading
srmies and to avoif*th" crime Of waging
hopeless war. J: :. JOHNSTON.