Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-04-20
LETTER FROM GIN. SHERMAN.
The Surrender Of Gen. Joseph e
johnston

To the Editors OF the New York Tribune.
SIR: In your issue of yesterday is q
notice Of Mr.. Healey's picture, repre-
senlins The interview between Mr.. Lin
coin, Gsu. Grant, Admiral Porter and
myself, which repeats substantially the
account published some time ago in
HiikcS' Spirit Of the Iimes, explanatory
OF that interview, and sttrituting to Mr..
Lincoln himself the paternity Of the
terms to Gen. Jnhuston's army at Dur
hsu, IN April, 1865
I am glad you have called public at
tentiOn to the picture itself, because If 9
q pereonsj interest thst Mr hesley should
be appreciated as one of cur very best
American srtis1s. But some friends here
think by silence | may be constructs SIS
willing 70 throw off on Mr.. Lincoln the
odium OF those terms. If there be any
udium, which l dOub', I surely would
not be will ng that the least show OF 1t
should 90 20 Mr.. Lincolh's memory,
which hold ia too much veneration TO
] be- stained by anything done or said by
me, I understand that the substance OF
Mr. Wilkes original article was COM
piled by him sfter a railroad converse
I ton with Admiral Porter, who was
/ present At that interview as represented
| in the picture, and RhO made nOts Of
! the conversation Immediately after we
! separated. He would be more likely to
/ have preserved the eXsct words used on
/ the occasion than / who made no notes,
I then or since. I cannot now even pre-
/ terd to recall more then the subjects
/ touched upon by the several parties, and
I the impression left on my mind after
I We parted. The interview was in March,
, n. asiy 3 month before the final cstse-
! trophe an6 it was nay part OF the plan
/ OF operations 10 EloYe my army, rein-
/ forced by 5ehofeld, then at G3ldsblro,
I n. C, 10 Bqrkesyille, Va, VEea bee
would have been forced to surrender
{ Richmond. Ths true move left to him
/ was hRsty abandonment Of Richmond,
{ i0in his force to Johnst0n's, and strike
Z me in the open county. The only q les
ton was Could ] sustain this j1iDS Ri-
/ tack TIL Gen. Grant came up 10 pursuit?
I / was confident / could but st the very
/ moment OF cur conversation Gen. Grant
was moving Gen, S6eridan's heavy force
OF cavalry 10 mis- extreme left, to prevent
/ this very contingency. Mr.. Lincoln, 10
hearing US speak of final bloody battle,
which I then thought would fall on me
near Raleigh, did eXeiain more than
/ once that blood enough had already been
4 shed, and be hoped the war would end
without any more. We spoke Of what
was to be done with Davis, other party
leaders, and the rebel army; and he lef'
me under the impression that all he
asked OF as was TO dissipate these aTna lee,
and get the soldiers back to their homes
anyhow, the quicker the better, leaving
/! him free to apply the remedy, and the
restoration of civil law. He Mr.. Lio-
colnl surely left upon my mind the inn
preston warranted by Admiral Porter's
account, that he had long thought of his
course o. action when the rets arnaie:
were ont of his way, and that he wanted
10 get civil governments !reorganized g.
the South, the quicker the better, and
strictly conforming with our general sys
tenn.
had been absent 80 long that I pre-
sumed, of course, that Congress had en-
scied all the laws necessary to meet thS
event OF peace, so long expected, and th'
nesr approach of which must then hayl
been seen by the most obtuse; and All