Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-07-24
From the Columbus JournaLl
Seymour and the Rebel Commission
ers.-ImpOrtant Revelation


From the Columbus JournaI.l
Seymour and the Rebel Commission,
ers.-ImpOrtant Revelation
We publish to-day rhe aaidavit o
Captain james Sidney. Hill, to which
allusion has heretofore been made by
as. The publication of this impoytanl
affidavit has been purposely delayed
with the hope and expectation Ghal
Horatio Seymour would be nominated
for the Presidency by the Convention Al
New York.
The writer, who, in 1864, was Consul
of the United States in New Brunswick
having been appointed TO that Office by
President Lincoln in Septem her, 1861
had occasion to transmit TO the Seere-
tary Of State, Information concerning
the movements of the rebel Commits.
soners, Clement g. Clay and James p,
Holcombe, and il especially became his
duty to make known to the Govern
meut whatever facts were known in the
British Provinces concerning the ma
ture of the mission" of these notorious
enemies of the United States. Applica-
tiou will be made TO the State Depart
ment for copies of the tull correspond
ence on this subject, which, when OBJ
tained, viii be made public.
The following is an exact copy of the
original affidavit now on file in the
State Department of the u. S. Govern
ment.
AFFIDAVIT OF CAPrAIN JAMES SIDNEY
HILL.
CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES,
81. JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK. !
On this second day of June, 1854, per
sOnally appeared before me, j. g. How
ard, y. s. Consul at st. John, N. B.,
James Sidney Hill, who sOlemntV made
oath to the following facts:
l am now about twenty eight years
OF age l was born in the Parish of st.
Bernard, La; l auI, Tie son of jerome
Philip Hill, of New Orleans, who has
always been a devoted Union man.
was educated as a civil engineer at
West Point, Virginia.
In ths year 1861, in the month OF
April, i was carried away by the intense
excitement that prevailed, and entered
the rebel service as captain OF a cOmpa-
ny of volunteers served in the rebel
army at the first battle of Manassas, as
the battles before Richmond, at the
time of McClellan's advance, and also
took part in the battle of Antietam /;
was wounded in the seven days fight
near Richmond; was sent to Savan-
nah ae engineer ON staff of Gen. Gusta-
vus w. Smith, and obtained leave of
absence to go to Wilmington from
Wilmington 1 ran the blockade on the
steamer Banshee to Nassau /; my OBJ
ject was to get out of the rebel service
and take the oath of allegiance; from
Nassau I went to Havana, and there
took the oath of allegiance under Mr..
Lincoln's amnes'y y proclamation; from
Havana / went to ST. Thomas with a
friend, who was in diving condition /;
thence to St. Johns, Porto Rico; could
not get a vessel at Porto Rico for New
Orleans, but obtained passage to Hall
fax, Nova Scotia, where / expected
moro readily to agot a vessel.
1 had been in Halifax about four
days, when happening to be at the
wharf when She mail steamer Alpha ar
rived from Bermuda, / was accosted at
the landing by the Hon. G. @. Clay, OF
Alabama, whom accompanied to the
Waverly House. Colonel Duncan, OF
Louisville, Kentucky, was in company
with as. Mr.. Clay said be was out on
a little business for the Government,
and was on his way to Canada said
that he had great confidence in me. A
day or to after this conversation / came
to st. John, New Brunswick, hoping to
get to New Orleans by the way of Port
land and on the first day OF June
again met Mr.. Clay at the steamboat
landing. He said he vented me to
come as soon as could to the Waverly
House to see him; about eight O'Clock
he sent boy to the Lawrence Hotel for
me, and I went up to the Waverly to
Mr.. Clay's private room.
He said, look here, Captain, want
you to go to Canada; shall very prob
ably go TO Ogdeusburg, and as am not
at all well, need some company;
would have gone to Portland, but I am
afraid some one would Recognizes me-
He proposed to take a walk and after
our return, he requested me to come up
to the hotel early in the morning (this
morning). He sent for me at half-past
seven went directly mp. He took me
TO his private room and again urged me
to 60 with him.
his inside coat, package containing
four or five letters or dispatches j had
one ofthese documents in my hand; 1t
was addressed To His Excellency, HO-
ratio Seymour, Governor of the State of
New York another was addressed to
Hon. Fernando Wood, New York on
each of these envelopes was printed,
Department of State, Richmond, Q. s.
A., and ON the envelope was written a
name which / do not remember, but
have no doubt il was the name OF the
present Secretary of State. Said Mr..
Clay, I was sent on a mission to deliver
those letters to Governor Seymour, but
I wish they had chosen somebody else I;
said he, shall stop in Montreal a few
days and then shall probably go TO Og-
densburg he said l shall see Governor
Seymour, but did not say directly that
he would see him at Ogdensburg. II
my (affiant's) letters (which was ex-
pecting from New Orleans) came, he
would like very much to meet me at
Quebec or Montreal. I inferred from
Mr.. ClRy's CONVEX IsatiOn that he wanted
me to convey his dispatches to Cover
nor Seymour. My intimacy with Mr..
Clay arose from the fact that his son,
Robert Clay, was first Lieutenant II
nay company, 18th Reg. La. Vols, Col.
YOrk's command, Gen. Picket's DiVis.,
LOngstreet's Corps.
l parted with him saying that would
meet him in Canada, If possible.
(Signed) JAMES SIDNEY HILL.
Sworn to before me by said Jas.
(sEAL) Sidney Hill, and subscribed in
my presence this second day OF
June, 1864.
(Signed) j. @. HOWARD,
u. S. Consul.