Evening star., 1869-04-15
LETTER FROM GENERAL SHERMAN

The Surrender of J. T.. Johnston.
An interesting letter from General Sherman,
relative 10 the terms originally proposed by
him to General Johnston's army In North
Carolina. Is published. General Sherman as.
sumes the entire responsibility Of the agree.
ment, denying that it was dictated by the late
President Lincoln. He says. ..Some friends
here think by silence 1 may be construed 10
throw off on Mr.. Lincoln the odIum of tho1e
terms. lfthere be any odIum, which DOUBT,
surely would not be willing that the least
which l hold in too much veneration to be
s'alned by anything done or said by me-
Referring TO the interview between Mr. Lin
coin, General Grant Admiral Porter and him.
sell ne says The interview was in March
nearly month before the final catastrophe;
and it was my part of the plan of operations 10
move my army, reinforced by Schon sid, then
at GOldsborO N. G., to Burkesyille, Va, when
Lee would have been forced to surrender at
Richmond. The true move left to him was q
nasty abandonment OF Richmond, Ioin his force
10 Johnston's, and strike ME in the open couu-
Try. The only question was could / sustain
this JOINT attack Till General Grant came up in
pursuit! L was confident l could; but
at the very moment OF our conver.
sation General Grant was moving
General Sheridan's heavy force of cavalry
TO bis extreme left. 10 prevent this very
contingency. Mr.. Lincoln, in hearing al speak
Of final bloody battle. which 1 then thought
would fail on me near Raleigh, did not exclaim
more than once, that blood had 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 Ile under the impression that all he
asked OF us was TO dissipate the armies, and
get the soldiers back to their homes ANYHOW,
the quicker the better, leaving him free to ap-
ply 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
MS 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
~ for n
with our general system. l had been absent so
long that presumed, OF course, that Congress
had enacted all the LAY necessary to meet the
event of peace, so long expected, 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 surrendering to M 10
the conditions OF the laws OF the country as
they then existed.
At the time Of Johnston's surrender at Dur.
ham, drew up the terms with my own hand
Brec kinrIdge had nothing at ali 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 couDtry-a course that believe Mr.. Lin.
ccln wished that Mr. DAVIS should have sue
ceeded IN efecting, as well as all the other
leading Southern politicians, against whom
public Indignation always turned with a feel
ing far more intense than against Generals Lee
Johnston, and other purely military men.
l repeat that, according to my memory, MIR.
ILGcOln did not expressly name anv 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 as recognizing his several
pToclamatlons antrcedent. as well as the laws
OF Congress, which would have been perfectly
right and acceptable to me and to all parties.
THE CUBAN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Aran.
90 and other insurgeLt chieftsns are heading
party in the Central Department in opposi-
ton to General Quesede. who, however. has
the largest number of adherents. A cousin of
General Cespedes had been killed near Man.
zan lilo. Adyices from S.. Thomas report the
arrival there OF one of the Peruvian moni tors
Volunteers are organizing in the interior OF
Cuba. The Voce de Cupa warns the public
against over confidence iE the termin alton of
the insurrectioE. The DIario says that Span
lsh war steamer is watching two expeditions
has not been released. decree Just issued
authorizes the raising of one thousand addi-
tional guards TO protect the plantations or the
Western planters, who are to pay for them
The latest advices from Puerto Principe report
dearth of food. A train Of supplies had ar
rived from Sa ntaCruz under guard OF 800 troops
They encountered 1000 insurgents in an en- :.
trenched position on the road. and. after des-
peTate fight, dlslodged them. The troops admit
loss Of six killed and twenty wounded. The
insurgents in the vicinity are numerous: They
without bread and -four. Santiago advices,
dated the 9th instant report nght on the
Itabel estate. Losses insignificant. Twelve
hundred troops had arrived from Balabano.
Advices from Sancta Spiritu Of the 9th instant
state thar General Pueblo Is there, acting as
Governor. He has ordered the country stores
to be moved to the nearest town. Sagna dates
to the 10Th give information that the troops
under the Governor had had fight with the
forces under Lebina, and that the losses were
heavy on both sides. A despatch from TrinI-
dsd, dated the 10Th, says that thirty respectable
CitIzens bad been arrested and imprisoned.
~Two new styles OF veiocipede, which
confiict with no existing patent, are reported
from Worcester, Mass. One OF these is to run
entirely ny friction. and the other, with CON-
mon foot paddles, enables the operator to
make a mile a m ute. or thereabouts, each
read on the treadles giving the driving. wheel
thTee revolutions.
~Van wyck, the famous New York sur.
geon, " arms The public against the use Of the
velocipede He says the severe Jar OF the
snali, hard seat produces disease Of the pros.
trhte gland. and il young men wish to preserve
their manhood they should cease the use Of the
velocipede
~ Miss Van Law, Of Richmond, has decided
That her proper title Is postmaster ana not post
mistress. rk
ga man In Milford. Mass. 10 making a
vtlocipede with wheels eight feet nigh. 1t Is
intend ded TO make thirty miles an hour.
~ Mrs Bismark acts as private secretary to
her lord and master.
~ln Hartford they have arrested and ar.
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