The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-01-06

mOrailZeQ. MF. Davis reached Charlotte
late that afternoon, and made the speech
SO falsely reported Two days afterward,
General Breckenridge returned from Green's
borO, with definite account of what had oc-
CURED and was agreed upon between him
self and Gen Sherman, and the existence of
a truce was officially promulgated
Upon the morning of the 10Th of April
we were ordered to Nation Ford, and then to
cross the Catawba river After resting
nearly twenty-four hours on the bank of
the river, we received orders to move by
way of York7ille and Unionville to Cokes-
bury-Duke's brigade and Vaughns to move
to Chesterville, Unionville and Laurensville
Ferguson to move by lower route High
water, burnt bridges, etc., made US change
our route, and we reached Cokesbury after
Duke, Vaughan, and Ferguson had passed
through; thence we moved to Abbeville,
where all were concentrated by noon of
May 2. In the meantime, rumOrs had
reached us of Johnson's surrender; Gen.
Bragg had disbanded the I'd and Sd South
Carolina cavalry; news of Wilson's cavalry
moving toward Augusta and Lexington, Ga,
StOneman crossing the Savannah and moving
to Athens, and Atlanta being occupied, thus
closing the entire line of retreat to Taylor
and Forrest; of the defeat of Forrest at
Selma; of Foster moving toward Augusta
from the coast; and of the utter demoraliza-
ton of that part of Johnston's army that
had not surrendered-had become rife
through the commands. The men appre-
ciated the utter hopelessness of the CONTEXT
the almost equal hopelessness of reaching
the Mississippi river and crossing 1t, or of
reaching Gen Smith.
At Abbeville, late in the afternoon of May
2, a consultation was held-the last militia
~ consultation In which the Confederate
Government participated. Ii was a historic
scene. Mr.. Davis presided with General
Bragg, who had become, by the surrender of
Lee, Johnston, Beauregard, and Cooper, the
senior General of the COnfederacy, on his
right hand, and General Breckenridge, Sec
retary of War and Major General, on the
other side of him. Next came Brigadier
General G. w Ferguson, gallant and en-
terprising South Carolinian, a West Pointer,
pet of Beauregard and a favorite. of
Davis; next General George @. DibreH,
plain, practical sensible, middle-aged Ten
nessee clerk and merchant, who was beloved
by his men, and had Justly won his spurs
by long, hard, skillfuI, devoted service.
Next, on a little sofa, sat two younger men
-Brigadier General BAIL W. Duke and
Colonel William G. p P Breckinridge, well
known among the troops from Kentucky in
the Confederate army, and then, near Gene
raj Bragg, sat General Vaughan, of East
Tennessee, a brave officer and earnest man.
Each officer was called upon to state the con-
dition of his command. General Ferguson,
sanguine himself, gavea too glowing account
of his men, as the sequel showed, but still
bad; he could count on one hundred fight
ing as well as ever-upOn all for other du-
ties and for skirmish General Dibrel could
not count on any fighting in his own brigade
except to save Mr.. Davis and General Breck-
inridge, and every hour was weakening his
hold upon them, and / have heard that he
declared almost with tears, that he would
not risk another life among his noble men
except for that purpose; that the cause and
the COnfederacy were lost and his duty now
was to take care of his men. General Duke
Thought one hundred and fftz of his men
would follow him anywhere, and that he did
not believe his cause lost if all felt as he
did and would inspirit their men. Colonel
Breckenridge announced his own determin-
alton not to surrender until ordered by Mr..
Davis or the Secretary of War, but that
very few of his men shared that feeling and
he would not urge them to 90 any further
General Vaughan and his command would
accept whatever terms General Johnston
had; which were then not known to US. Mr.
Davis said it was then useless to keep men
under arms who would not fight; criminal to
TlSk Inc lives Ol Gub men WHO WOuL4 uZub TO
the bravery of those who would not There
fore the commands must be winnowed
That he could have been at Shreveport by
that day, but was not willing to leave the
men who were still in the field That he
supposed General Johnston had surrendered
that all the army left in that department
were the commands represented In that
meeting-that of them not more than four
hundred could be depended upon any fur
ther. That he would attempt to 20 to Gene
raj Taylor, and if that army went to pieces,
he would cross the river. and if the eause
should be finally lost, he would feel that ne
had done all hi5 uuty as he best could. Tna5
called to his place without his Intervention,
he would continue to discharge its duties as
long as possible. That this contest might
have resulted disastrously, but the cause
was not lost; the blood shed during the past
four years was not shed in vain, and under
other auspices and abler leaders would yet
succeed
After considerable discussion it was agreed
that Mr. Davis, with a small escort, should 90
Immediately to Washington, Georgia, and
then 90 on such route as seemed best; that
General Breckenridge should take personal
command of the cavalry there, and move
that night across the Savannah river at Wen
ma, where there was a pontOOn bridge
ms was carried OUT, ana az QdyllgAG we
crossed the river. That day was spent IN
paying the men actually present per capita,
General Breckenridge and the humblest pri-
vate sharing alike-each receiving about S26
in coin.
The statement that at any time upon the
march from Charlotte to Washington any
attack was made upon the specie train is a
mistake. This train was guarded to Abbe-
vile by detachment Of midshipmen Pres
ident's Guards, and perhaps a few other
" Virginia army 4" soldiers at Abbeville it
was placed under picked body from the
whole cavalry, under the pers onal command
Of General Duke.
By this time more definite information had
been received of General Johnston's suFren-
der. General Vaughan and his whole com
mand, General Dibrell, Colonel McLemore
and the whole division, except Col Breckin-
ridge and some fifty officers and men, about
! equally diYided between the two brigades
and all save about one hundred and fifty Of
/ Gen. Dukes command, determined to remain
] and accept the terms received by Gen. John
/ ston. On the 4th, at Washington, Gen