The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-14
SHER MAN.
An Interesting Explanatory Letter Relative q
the Surrender of General J. L. Johnston.

the Surrender of General j. IL. Johnston.
To the Editor of the N. Y. Tribu,e.-Sir:-In
your issue of yesterday is notice of Mr.. Healys
picture representing the interview between Mr..
Lincoln, General Grant, Admiral Porter, and
myself, which repeats substantially the account
published some time ago in WiUtes Spirit of the
Times explanatory of that interview, and at
tributing to Mr.. Lincoln himself the paternity of
the terms to General Johnston's army at Dur
ham, in April, 1865.
am glad you have called public attention to
the picture itself, because feel personal inte-
rest that Mr. Healy should be appreciated as one
of our very best American artists. But some
friends here think by silence / may be con-
strued willing to throw off on Mr.. Lincoln the
Odium of those terms. If there be any odium,
which doubt, surely would not be willing that
the least show of it should go to Mr.. Lincolns
memory which / hold in too much venera-
tion to be stained by anything done or said
by me-. / understand that the substance of Mr..
Wilkes original article compiled by him
after railroad conversation with Admiral Por-
ter, who was present ut that interview as repre-
sented in the picture, and who made note OF
the conversation Immediately after we sepa-
rated He would be more likely to have pre-
served the exact words used on the occasion
than !, who made no notes. then or since can
not now even pretend to recall more than the
subjects touched upon by the several parties, and
the impression left on my mind after we parted.
The interview in March, nearly
month before the final catastrophe; and 1t was
my part of the plan of operations to move my
army, reinforced by Schofeld, then at Goldsbor0,
N. c., to Burkesville, Va, when Lee would
have been forced to surrender in Richmond. The
true move left to him IA hasty abandonment
of Richmond, join his force to Johnston's, and
strike me in the open country. The only ques-
ton was-could l sustain this joint attack
till General Grant came up in pursuit
/ was confident i could; but at the
very moment of our conversation General
Grant was moving General Sheridan's heavy
force of cavalry to the extreme left to prevent
this very contingency. Mr.. Lincoln, in hearing
us speak of tnal bloody battle, which / then
thought would fall on me near Raleigh, did ex-
claim more than once, that blood enough had
already been shed, and he hoped that 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 left me under the impression that all
he asked of US was to dissipate these
armies 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 (hr. Lincoln) surely left upon my
mind the impression warranted by Admiral
Porter's account, that he had long thought of his
course of action when the Rebel armies were out
of his way, and that he wanted to get civil gov
ernments reorganiZed at the South, the quicker
the better, and strictly conforming with our
general system.
| had been absent so long that presumed, of
course, that Congress had enacted all the laws
necessary to meet the event of peace, so long eX
pected, and the near approach of which must
then have been seen by the most obtuse; and all
aimed to do was to remit the Rebel army sur
, rendering to me to the conditions of the laws of
the country as they then existed. At the time
of JOhnston's surrender at Durham, drew up
the terms with my own hand. Breckenridge
had nothing at all to do with them, more
than to discuss their effect, and he knew they
only applied to the military; and he forthwith
proceeded to make his escape from the country
a course that believe Mr.. Lincoln wished that
| Mr. Davis should have succeeded in effecting, as
| well as the other leading Southern politicians
| against whom public indignation always turned
| with feeling far more intense than against
! Generals Lee, Johnston, and other purely mill
| tary men.
frepeat that, according to my memory, Mr..
| Lincoln did not expressly name any specific
| terms of surrender, but he was in that kindly
| and gentle frame of mind that would have in
duced him to approve fully what | did, except
| ing probably he would have interlined some
| notifications, such recognizing his several
proclamatlons antecedent, as well as the laws OF
| Congress, which would have been perfectly right
| and acceptable to me and to all parties.
| dislike to open this or any other old ques-
| tion and do it for the reason stated viz. lest
| be construed as throwing off on Mr.. Lincoln
what his friends think should be properly borne
| by me alone
If in the original terms had, as / certainly
| meant, included the proclamations of the Presi-
| dent they would have covered the slavery ques-
| ton and all the real State questions which caused
the war; and had not Mr.. Lincoln been assassi-
| mated at that very moment, i believe those
terms" would have taken the usual course OF
| approval, modification, or absolute disapproval,
and been returned to me, like hundreds of other
official acts, without the newspaper clamor and
| unpleasant controversies so unkindly and un
| pleasantly thrust upon me ut the time.
] am truly yours,
w. T. SHERMAN, General
Washington, ID. c., April IL, 1869.