Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-05-27

the war was over, they were OVerpoWer-
ed. that he would like to have them re-
main with him and be paroled, if any
of them wanted to go home they could
doso. The consequence was that fully
two-thirds of his command did go home, /
scattering throughout the country, some
carving their arms with them and some
NOT. 1t is the same of many other re-
bel commanders. Gen. Johnston says
there was no absolute immediate neces-
sity for the surrender; that he could
have cot away from Sherman. de said
ssBut / saw that we must come up some
where. We would certainly have had
to stop at the Mississippi, SO / negotia-
ted as ] did with Gen. Sherman, believ-
hight criminal. to prolong a hopeless war
another day. The fate of the confeder-
acy was decided in Virginia. When Lee
surrendered there was an end to 1T. Had
/ marched my army away, as L could
have done, it was only dragging Sher
man after me. He would have forged
ON the country, and / would have been
compelled to do the same. The coun-
try would have been devastated, and we
would have had to come to some terms
at last" Fg~ AS. Geo COZ
Judging from Gen. Johnston's. con-
versatign, and from what l have heard
from those who We're present at the
conferences, he would have surrendered
| his army at once ON the terms granted
| to Lee. sss5-.s ayeat q
RALEIGH, North Carolina, May ID, 65.
In rather plain frame building IN
this city the present President of the
United States was born. The house
was shown TO me by the owner, veneer
able old lady named Stewart. In AN
ecstacy of delight she told me how. on
returning from her wedding tour, the
first news she got was Polly had ba-
bv." Full of the feelings and enthuA
siasm of a young bride, she rushed in
and kissed and Rugged the baby. Lit
tie thought" she exclaimed, "that L
was kissing and hugging the future
President OF the United States.
"You then knew his father and moth
er?'' 90 . -9-'' At
sssYes. sir, L knew them well; they
we're in our employ for several years.
"How did they serve you?" -. c. g
'eThey were plain, Woodworking, hon
est folks, that attended to their busi-
ness and nothing more.
- Lit Olu
,'sHow shouid like to see him, deal
me; only IL is so far, but then he would
not know me. Well, any way should
like tosee; mm think hewould grant me
one little request. L have a grandson
in prison in the North, perhaps he'd LET
him come home to gladden. my old heart
-woHld you Ineption it to him, sir?'. .
lie may read TINS and gladden. the old
lady by an. act of clemency.
lLv.Such is the humble origin of the ru-
eldr OF over thirty millions of human be-
! ings, imlIsbitiHgs q continent destined
I soon to become the greatest empire OF
The world. @ssssf4 = a-laz esq -s,-a,
/ Tltreauifes a republic to ripen great
parts and produce such noble fruit.
The correspondents of the New York
Tribune giyes-the following account OF
q breakfast and en- hour with General
Johnston: aoo
Gen. Johnston received me with a
quiet gentlensnly courtesy, and rs he
was not occupied, began to conyerse
without apparent constraint or reserve
He speaksin n low tone of voice, slowly,
and with that deliberation which i'm.
presses You with the idea that each word
is well weighed, for it is always the best
word, and fully expresses hisidea. He
is about fifty; say, about Ave feet nine
i inches high, with a full silver and grey
beard and nlustache, dark hazel eye
which flashes during animated CONVEX.
sation with peculiar expression. His
complexion is brOnzed, but fresh and
healthy, and the expression of his fea-
lures benevolent, mixed with firmness
1 and great sohdity of character. He has
a way of emitting off each word with
marked precision. His forehead is high
aud intellectual. and his figure slight,
with a bust well and firmly knit. He i'm
presses every one as ''high-souled,
/, benevolent gentleman" and soldier,
which is the character ascribed to him
by w. W. Holden. of Raleigh.
1.-The surrender of Lees army ter
! minated the war, he said, "andg no.
ithing remained forms but to make the
best terms we could" This view he
expressed to Mr.. Davis, who sent for
him 70 meet him at Greensborough,
shortly following that event. General
Sherman, he said, was then Just NOV
ing out from Goldsborough. He urged
\ Mr.. Davis to accept the situation, and
not attempt to prolong the war which
must be hopeless, and could only result
in needlessly devastating the country
and wasting valuable lives-which was
a crime. 's So y.
i He had noticed that the papers were
severely criticising Gen. Sherman.
said. eyes, the Government, we think,
and the public share the idea that Gen.
Shermansh has been over-reached in the
negotiations-tha they We're more lib
eral than were ever asked for, and such
as would have been gladly accepted by
tthe South atany time during the past
two or three years-that they looked to
a recognition of all the rebel State gov
ernments, which involved the possible
payment of the rebel debt, and a re-
opening of the whole question of Sla-
very, which all feel that the war, has
definitely settled" He replied: 1T
was the basis made of a settlement in
tended for the approval or rejection of
the respective observation-disclosures q
final convention. Generals in the field
had often terminated wars in that way;
and Napoleon, during his Italian cam
paigns, settled affairs In that way. There
were but two methods of proceeding
with the Soutb-to pacify or punish.
He thought there had been punishment
enough for both parties in the war it
self. There had been blood-shed
enough. Gen. Sherman thought il
would be best for the country and all
concerned that the Union should be
/ restored at once and NOT Inv slow de-