Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1865-02-04

LETTER OF Hon. Il. >. FOOTE = ne 'ol
,au-;na i on extract from, the letter u 1lr.
Foote written by him before be was arrested
at Occooua,, and when he expected 10 cross
the Potomac. 1t is dated ION the ba';ks ~
the Potomac in sight OF the birth. place u
Washington, December y, 1861 -a1d was
directed to the Speaker # tie Couf~dera'e
House of Representatives:
I'm an hour OF. two, ii some uniJre'ee I'm
pediment shall not arse TO defeat the xecutlon
of nv present design | shall Grass the l!laJrs
tic river In the neigh borhood Of which rep'ses
the ashes Of my ioretaih hers Tor many genera
lions past and visit the City OF " ashlngtoD
for the purpose Of ascert;4inlng whether or DOE
il is practicable to obtain Tor the people OF the
Confederate States an early and an honorable
peace, after the most blnojy and exhaustlng
struggle of arms which has occurred in modern
times and in all respects the most depoFable,
that has yet found record upon the page o1
history.
No human being is irresponsible for the move:
ment but myself nor should have undertaken
1t but for the notorious fact that TWO Executive
Departments, at Washington and Richmond,
have relations with each other which render 1t
almost impossible that regular diplomatic m
tercourse could occur between them, ana the
additional fact that the TWO Houses OF me
Confederate Congress were altogether un"ll-
ling TO do ANYTHING calculated TO forward the
cessation of hostilities and the restoration Of
neace and am;tv between those who, In my de
iiberate Judgment, should never have ALLOW ca
themselves to have been drawn into war SO un.
natural and even fratricidal in It's character, so
destructive to the best inter ests OF civilization
and Christianity and which. shall 1t continue
to be prosecuted for Jour years more, must IN
eyitab!y, from the natural operation OF that
war itself, result in the ext ngulshmeht or
civil liberty in this hemisphere, and the estau
lishment of two of the most grinding dcspot'
isnls that the words has yet known.
Should I succeed in my present undertaking
nv country and the cause Of freedom Will De
materially benefited Should | al dlscred1t,
ridcuIe and even contemp will be tnost surely
heaped upon me In tull measure. hven many
sensible and good men Will recognize me as
mere visionary protector, whilst enSlous, llilo
eral and malignant, ignohe tine servers q the
hour. and slavish lmltators OF power, VIII NOT
fail TO denounce me In my absence as traitor
to the Confederate cause and the noble State
soyereignties by which our present Government
has heer called into existence. For all these
am prepared and [ am alike prepared to be
tried as an alleged traitor to the Government Oh
the United States, should this undeserved
treatment be awarded me. =,
Il can hardly benecessary that >hould here
saw that visit Washington city neither as a
revealer Of secrets Of the Confederate GOV
eminent nor as spy upon the Government OF
the United States. La the success OF the ca
fernrise in which I have enlisted have not as
much confidence as [ should desire to have;
Two months ago [ should not have dou tea
the result. but, alas in those wv months
events have occurred of nature most alarm
inply. unpropitious to such mission as nave