Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1866-03-09
From Hangman Foote'S book on the Rebellion.
CHARCOAL SKETCHES.


CHARCOAL SKETCHES.
JEFFERSON DAvIs.-I saw him first in the
city Of Vicksburg more than thirty years ago
as Lieut. Davis. He was then young man
Of modest and pleasing aspect and manners,
but gave slight indications ofany abilities
likely TO lead to future distinction. He mar
ried, left the army, and settled himself on a
plantation of respectable dimensions in the
southern part Of the county Of Warren, some
twenty miles from the city OF Vicksburg,
where he has constantly resided since, until
he became President Of the Confederate States.
Mr.. Davis and his associates had no cor
rect conception of the true character and di-
mansions Of the war into which they had 80
hastily plunged, as was afterward frankly
confessed in many lugubrious harangue,
and in more than one solemn official docu-
ment. They did not believe at first that the
conflict would endure for twelve month,
and were even weak enough to calculate most
confidently upon strong northern aid, which
il is now well known there never was the least
probability OF their receiving; albeit EXPIRES
ident Pierce and several others, whose letters
to Mr.. Davis have recently seen the light,
had piled this confding parsonage with Sc
cret promises of support, upon which he
built in part his hopes of one day welding an
imperial sceptre. As to the interposition of
foreign powers in behalf of the now warning
states of the South, though many deoeitful
assurances were received from abroad At diff
erent periods Of the contest, no man Of sound
intellect anywhere now supposes that either
the French or English government ever seri-
ously thought of embroiling itself in trans
atlantic civic feud. Mr. Davis vetoed more
bills during the short provisional regime than
all tho Presidents Of the United States put
together, from Washington to Lincoln inclu-
sive, and no attempt to pass single bill
over his head was ever made.
Seldom AS CHEAT.
And yet Mr.. Davis retained this man in
the office of Secetsry of War, amid continual
indications Of popular indignation and dis
gust, from month to month and from year to
year nor would he have been at last seen to
vacste the official position which he had so
long deeply dishonored, but for the unde-
niable fact that had directly charged him
upon recorded testimony, that is to say, upon
the evidences supplied by the books Of his
own department, of having caused to be paid
to himself, by his own official subordinates,
forty dollars per bushel for his whole crop Of
wheat for the year 1864, while he was, by the
fundamentally Of forcible impressment, COM
pelling the farmers of North Carolina, Georgia
and other states, to yield up their wheat to
the government officials at the inadequate
price OF from seven to nine dollars in Confed-
crate paper. made this exposition in the
last speech which delivered in the Confed-
erato Congress. Mr.. Seldom resigned the
Department of War the very next day. As
chairman of special committee Of the Con-
federate Congress, organized at my own in
stance, for the purpose Of inquiring into cases
Of illegal imprisonment, | obtained from the
superintendent of the prison-house in Rich
mond, under the official sanction of the De-
partment of War itself, grim and shocking
catalogue of several hundred prisoners Their
in confinement therein, not one of whom wa,
charged with anything but suspected poltica
infdelity, and this, too, not upon oath in
single instance. Before l could take proper
steps to procure the discharge of theseunhap
Ply men, the second suspension of the writ o
liberty occurred, and presume that such o
them as did not die in Jail remained Their
until the fall OF Richmond into the hands o
the federal forces.
THE ERLANGRR LOAN.
The celebrated Erlanger loan, the propo
sition to enlist in which came to Richmond
under the sinister auspices of Mr.. John Sill
dell, seemed TO considerable number of thu
members OF the Confederate Congress TO b.
speculative perfect, adroitly set on foo
chiefly for the benefit OF Messrs. Slidell
Benjamin g. Co., their aiders and Abettors, il
the United States and in foreign countries
and we therefore struggled most earnestly L
defeat it by every expedient known to parlia
mentary tactics. By the aid Of the celebra
ted ten minutes rule and the sitting witt
closed doors Il was finally carried by a some
what mesgre majority in the House.
FOREIGN INTERVENTION.
The fact was very well known to me tina
Mr.. Davis and his friends were confdentl,
looking for foreign aid, and from severa
quarters. Ii was stated in my hearing re
peatedly, by several special friends Of thu
Confederate President, that one hundre,
thousand French soldiers were expected /,
arrive within the limits of the Confederate
States by way Of Mexico while it was NOR
than rumored that a secret compact, who'll
unauthorized by the Confederate Constitution
with certain Polish commissioners who hA,
been lately on a visit to Richmond, had bee
effected, by means Of which Mr.. Davis woul
soon be supplied with some twenty or thirt
thousand additional troops, then refugee
from Poland, and sojourning in several Euro
pean states; which latter force, when
should arrive, not being levied under Con
gressionAl authority, would be completely a
the command of the President, for any pur
pose whatever.
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The OLDEST HOUSE, IN ENGLAND Con
"A Loss TO Archaeology. During the SO