The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-04-22

sHERNAN's ACCOUNT OF II.

To he Editor OF the Tribune;
SIR-In your issue of yesterday is a no.
/ tice of Mr.. Hesly's picture representing the
/ interview between Mr.. Lincoln, General
! Grant. Admiral Porter and myself which
| repeats, substantially, the account published
some time ago IN Wilkes Spirit OF the Times
! explanatory of that interview. and attrlbu-
| ting to Mr.. Lincoln himself the paternity o.
| the terms to General Johnston's army al
| Durham, in April. 1866.
l am glad you have called public atten-
| ton to the picture itself. because feel per-
sonal interest that Mr.. Healy should be APP
preciated as one of cur very best American
artists. But some friends here think by ST.
Ience l may be construed a. willing 10 throw
of on Mr.. Lincoln the odiun of those terms.
If there be any odiuIn. which ] doubt, l
surely would hot be willing that the least
share Of il should 90 TO Mr. LincOln's mem
DRY. which hold IN too much VeneTatIon 10
be stained by anything done or said by me.
[ understand that the substance OF Mr.
Wilkes original article was compiled by him
after a railroad conversation with Admiral
Porter. who was present az that interview
as represented in the picture. and who made
note of the conversation Immediately al
ter we separated. He would be more likely
10 have preserved the exact words used on
the occasion, than / who made no notes. then
or since. | cannot now even pretend TO re-
call more than the subjects touched upon by
the several parties. and the impression left
on nv mind after we parted. The inter-
view was in March, nearly month before
the final catastrophe; and II was my part OF
the plan of operations TO move my army,
reinforced by SchOfield, then at GOldsboro,
North Carolina. TO BurkcsYille, irglnia-
when Lee would have been forced 70 sur
render in Richmond. The true move left
him was a hasty abandonment Of Richmond,
Join his force to JohnstOns and strike me IN
the open country. The only question was.
could | sustain this iOiI.t attack till General
in nIIFSfIIr | confident
| could but at the very moment of our
conversation General Grant was moving
General Sheridan's heavy force of cavalry
to his extreme left, to prevent this very con-
tingency. Mr.. Lincoln. in hearing us speak
of a final bloody battle, which ! then
thought would fall me near Raleigh did
exclaim more than once that blood enough
had already been shed, and lie 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; aad
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 any
how the quicker the better. leaving him
free to apply the remedy, and the Tcstora-
tion of civil law. He Mr.. LincOlnl surely
left upon my mind the impression, warrant
ed 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 governments re-
at the South, the quicker the bet
ter, and strictly conforming with our gen
eral 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 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 surrendsring to me to
the conditions of the laws of the country as
they then existed. At the time of John
sons surrender at Durham, | drew up the
terms with my own hand. Breckenridge
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 country, course that | believed !
Mr.. Lincoln wished that Mr.. Davis should
have succeeded in effecting. as well rs all the
other leading Southern politicians, against /
whom public Indignation always turned
with a feeling far more intense than against !
Generals Lee, Johnston. and other purely !
military men.
| repeat 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 I
would have induced him to approve fully /.
what | did. excepting, probably. he would 4
have lnterlined some notifications, such az
his several pToclamations ante 4
cedent. rs we'll as the laws Of Congress 4
which would have been perfectly right and I
acceptable to me and to all parties.
| dislike to open this or any other old 4
question, ana 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 | certain /
" meant, included the proclamations of the /
President, they would have covered the sla- /
very question and ali the real State ques-
ions which caused the war; and had not \
Mr.. Lincoln beea assassinated at that very
moment believe those terms would have /
aiken the usual course of approval, modifi- 1
;ation, or absolute disapproval and been re-
turned To me, like hundre Is of other official /
acts, without the newspaper clamOr and I'M |
pleasant controversies so unkindly and so .
Inpleasantly thrust upon me at the time.
| am. truly yours.
w. L. SHERMAN. General.