The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-07-07
AN IMPORTANT HISTORY.
The HAMPTON ROADS CONFER
..a ENCE. ~
Interesting unpublished Details.
Version of Mr.. Stephens.

Augusta, Georgia, Chronicle and Sentinel, II.
We have before stated that Mr.. Davis,
late President of the States engaged in the
rebellion, had not communicated to the
people who had elected him and trusted
him, the truth in regard tothe famed Fort
ress Monroe conference. f',. !a ~.
Now that the aforesaid Davis has no
longer power to arrest and confine persons
without the benefit of the habeas corpus,
or his organs to instigate mobs of SOL
diersvand irresponsible men to. threaten
the destruction of life and private proper
ty, or for officials to arrest persons and
suppress papers for publication without his
sanction, it may be as well to let the peo-
pie know the truth. 3aasga az
We will now give the history of that con-
venti0n as nearly as we can remember it
from, the statement of Mr.. Stephens to us
directly after bis return. H
Mr.. Davis sent for him to communicate
the information that Mr.. Blair desired a
conference between the authorities of the
United States and the Southern States up
on the subject of peace, and Mr.. Stephens
advice was asked. He promptly replied
that if Mr.. B. Spoke by authority of Presi-
dent Lincoln, he most earnestly advised
the conference. But that, as the terms of
peace, if favorable to the South, would
awaken angry debate from the radical men
of the North, and failure to get terms,
but dishearten our own people, he recon.
mended, first, that the strictest secrecy be
used; second, that the parties to the con-
ference be President Lincoln and Mr.. Da-
Wis, and that Generals Grant and Lee be
the only ones to even know of the meet
ing. The advice was taken as usual in
acknowledgements altogether--and
by officially telegraphing the news to
every corner of the late so. called confed-
eracy.
Two days later Mr.. Stephens was sur
prised by the information from Mr.. Benja.
min that committee of three were to go,
consisting of Alex. d. Stephens, Vice
President; r. NJ. 7. Hunter. Senator from
Virginia; and John A. Campbell, Assist
ant Secretary of War. Mr.. Stephens saw
at once that to refuse to go would subject
him to unfriendly remarks, and that prob
ably he would have the responsibility of
failure to make peace thrown upon his
shoulders. So he went, merely remark king
to Mr.. Campbell "that the old story of
the monkey that took the paw of the cat
to pull his chestnuts out of the fire was
not without some modern illustrations )"
to which Mr.. Campbell said that she
thought 80 too, and did not like it."
The flag of truce, and the loud and pro-
longed cheers of both armies that gave the
lie to the statement of Southern admins
tration organs that the veterans were OPP
posed to peace, and the two days. enjoy
ment of the hospitality of that glorious old
soldier, Grant, are history well known.
Probably but from the Endorsement of the
peace wishes of Stephens and Hunter by
Gen. Grant the interview would not have
been granted. The reason why the Gen.
eral did not include Mr.. Campbell in bis
Endorsement was that Mr.. @. was perfectly
satisfied that the country was whipped
then, and prepared to take what he could
get, and therefore did not talk !; while Mr..
Hunter, who was not much for rec0nstruc-
ton, talked most.
The three Southern gentlemen met Mr..
Lincoln and Mr.. Seward, and, after some
preliminary remarks, the subject of peace
was opened. MIR. Stephens, well aware
that one who asks much may get more
than he who confesses to humble wishes
at the outset-urged the claims of his Sec
ton with that skill and address for which
the Northern papers have given him credit
Mr.. Lincoln, holding the vantage ground
of conscious power, was, however, per-
fectly frank, and submitted his views al
most in the form of an argument.
We can best give the facts by giving the
report of the Commissioners and the facts
in regard to each statement:
.a5- RICHMOND, Jan. 6, 1868.
To the President of the Confederate States:
SrR-Under you letter of appointment as
commissioners, of the 2Sth ult., we proceeded
to seek an informal conference with Abraham
Lincoln, President of the United States, upon
the subject mentioned in the letter. Confer
ence was granted, and took place on the 30th
of December, on board steamer anchored in
Hampton Roads. where we met President Lin.
coin and the Hon. Mr.. Seward, Secretary of
State for the United States. 1t continued for
several hours. and was both full and explicit.
The only statement of moment in this first
paragraph is that the conference was both full
and explicit.
We learned from that that the message of
President Lincoln 10 the congress OF the United
States in December last explains clearly his
sentiments as to the terms, conditions and
mode of procedure by which peace can be Sc
cured to the people, and we are not informed
that they would be modified or altered to OBJ
tain that end. We understood from him that
no terms or proposals of any treaty or agree
ment looking to the ultimate settlement would
be entertained or made by him with the au-
thorities' of the Confederate States, because
that would be recognition of their existence
as a separate power, which under no circum-
stances would be done. And, for like reasons,
that no such terms would be entertained by him
from separate States; that no extended truce
or armistice, as at present advised, would be
granted or allowed, without satisfactory assur-
ances in advance of the complete restoration
of the authority of the Constitution and laws
of the United States over all places within the
States of the Confederacy.
The first paragraph of the above simply
means that reconstruction of the Union was
the only basis of peace or of conference, and
no desire for peace would be allowed to over
rule that sine qua non. The words which we
have italicized were the principal subject of
discussion; for in Mr.. Davis's instructions to
Mr. Stenhens at the time of his first attempt to