The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-01

months. and all that they have done ha
been to shake the rod over my head fol
have recently taken a vote in the Virgins
Convention On the right ef secession, whicl
was rejected BY 80 10 as, b majority OF two
thirds, showing the strength of the UniOl
party in that convention. Ifyou viii g
back to Richmond and get that Union ma
iority TO adjourn and 60 him, without pess-
ing the ordinance Of secession, 50 anxiou!
am I for the preservation of the peace o
this country, and to save Virginia aud ths
other border ststes from going out, that !
will take the responsibility of evscuating
Fort Sumter, and take the chance Of nego-
tiating with the cotton states which have
already gone out"
"Well, Mr.. Lincoln,2 inquired Bolts,
chow did Mr.. Baldwin receive that propO-
sition ?"
"Sir," said Mr.. Lincoln, (raising up his
hands,) che would not listen 10 il for mo-
menti he hardly treated me with eiYility.
he asked me what I meant by an adjourn
menl--dld mean an adjournment Siss dicf
| Why, Of course, Mr.. Baldwin, said I, /
mean au adjournment sine de. / do not
mean to assume such 4 resp0r sibility as
that Of surrendering that fort to the people
/ OF Charleston upon your adjournment, and
then Tor you 10 return in a week or ten
days and pass your ordinance OF secession
| alter have given up the fort"
/ Bolts, was very much iucensed, as he saws
that Baldwin should havarejected the prop
Osltion, asked Mr.. Lincolnst 10 authorize him
to make it to the Union men of the conven-
ton, assuring him that they would adopt it
willingly, and eheerfuly; to which Mr..
Lincoln replied,
"oh, it is too late, the feet has sailed, and
nave no means Of communicating with to
Bolts then aaEeI
the circumstance for Mr.. Lineoln's own ben
efit, but Mr.. Lincoln said, "Well, not lust
now, Bolts; after awhile you may"
MI Bolts inference was that Mr., Lin
coin was assuming a responsibility which
would at that day have been extremely dis
tasteful to those who he'd elevated him 10
the Presidency; but he thought it due now
to history and the character Of Mr.. Lincoln
TO make 1t known.
Mr.. Bolts was here asked:
Question. Are you perfectly sure, accord
ing TO your best recollection, that Mr.. Lin
coin told you that he had made that propo-
sition TO Mr.. Baldwin TO evacuate Fort Sum
ter on this condition?
Answer. ! know it as well as know you
are standing before me and that am an
swering your question.
Mr.. Bolts relates that some weeks after
ward he returned to Richmond and men
toned one evening to Mr.. John F. Lewis, a
Union member Of the Convention, the sub
stance Of the conversation he had had with
Mr.. Lincoln, and that next morning Mr.,
Lewis and Mr.. Baldwin drove 10 his house
and had an interview with him, which he
narrates as follows:
"Well, Mr.. Baldwin, said Bolts, ais it |
true that Mr.. Lincoln did propose TO you |
that, If the convention would adjourn and |
n hDunn vi a. r
secession he would evacuate Fort SUMTER" |
"Yes," said Mr.. Baldwin, che did"
"My God, Mr.. Baldwin," said Bolts, |
why did you reject such proposition as
that?''
The only answer that Baldwin made was |
by taking out his watch end saving:
at only wants twenty minutes of the |
hour Of meeting of the convention, when a |
most important vote is to be taken, (mean-
ing the vote on the ordinance OF secession;) |
l am obliged to be there punctualIy at the /
hour, and have not time to make the ex-
PLANTATION desire, but will avail myself |
OF the earliest opportunity to make full
explanation OF the whole Of it."
From that day to this, Bolts SAYS, he
never laid his eyes on Mr.. Baldwin, nor
heard any explanation from him, nor had
directly any communication with him but
he had been informed that Mr.. Baldwin gets
very much excited whenever the subject is
mentioned in his presence.
Further on in his testimony Mr.. Belts
was asked:
Question. If this whole proposition had
been communicated 10 the UniOnists of the
Virginia convention, together with call
for national convention, would that have
prevented the breakingo out of civil war7
Answer. l think it would, for the reason
that, although the Democracy, which never
meant to be satisfied with anything but war,
despairing of being able to carry the ordi-
nance, would have voted for the adjourn
ment, while the Union men, who wanted
pesce, would also have voted for an ad
journment.
The testimony in relation to this inter
estirg historical episode is confined to the
three witnesses-Lewis, Baldwin and Bolts.
1t is quite yoluminous, but the foregoing ex
tracts contain the pith and marrow Of 1t.