, 1869-04-17
LETTER FROM GENRAL SHER
MAN.
Tho Surrender OF General J. e. Jobn.
Nfona

stem.
To tie Edis4r af As Sey To7k I5sa..ns:
stK: In your issue Of yesterday Is notice Of Mr.
tween Mr.. Lincoln, General Grant, Admiral Porter
and myself, which repeats substantially the no.
ths T1ms*, expIanatory oi thH iniefvsew, I'D a.
t!1h1ting to MI. Lincoln himself the paternity Of
ne terms 70 General Johnston's army at Durham,
nm glad you have called public attention to the
sSoaS 1s
III tsnt y silsnee ~ ee sonstrasd As 11a wiling
terms II there be any odlum, which doubt. /
surely would not be Wiling that de least shoF of
i should 60 to NJ Lincolns memory, which /
hold In TOO much Tenelatton 10 be stained BY any
'sas 'hass ,ss sef substance ecu p wxs s9
road conversation with Adnoirai Porter.
who WAS present at thnt interview ns represeute1
In the picture, and who male note Of iha con-
yersation Immediately AFTER re separated liz
would be more likely to hare preserved the exact
words used on the occasion than who made no
to recall more than the subjects toucae,i UPON h1
the eeyera1 parties, and the Impression left on nv
my mind after We parted The interview was IN
trophe; and It IVES my part Of the plan Of oper-
atlons to move my ARMY, reinforced BY schoteld,
virginia, when Lee would have been iorsed 10
surrender IN Richmond The true move left to
him was hasty abandonment Of Richmond, Join
country. The only question Was: Could /
sustain this Joint attack till General G1aut cane
up In pursuit: ] was confident could; but ii
Grant Was moving General Sheridan heavy fore
Of cavalry to lis extreme LETT, to prevent this very
NJ 1s11 ln eesns speat *
once that blood enough nad siready bsen as she'd bed
more. We spote ct raas Vas done @ TaoG5 W1s ba1is q
other party leaders, and the rebel army; and he
left me under the impression that all he asked or
sslcEs bacE TO their homcs unJhow. the quicker The
better, leaving him fire to apply the rcmehy, and
sDes s anaD a sS na aw AZ ne M ss
| ed BY Admiral Portcrs account, TINT he had long
| thought Of hia couIsc Of action when the rebel
| get civil governments reoIganized At the South,
The quicker the better, aud strictly conforming
| With our general system
had been absent 30 long that presumed, Of
pectetL and tic near approach Of which must shen
aimed to 10 MAS to rernIt fhe rebel army surren-
dertnR to me to The conditions Of the laws Of rho
country q they then existed. At The time Of
terms Win my own hand. Isccftnridse had
nothing ut a1s to do With them more than 10 dis
Is sas{ aa sRsafa 8
make h!s escape from the country, course that
believe lii. Lincoln wished that Mr. Davis should
| hare succeeded In cfIectinc as well hs I'LL the
ether leading Southern politicians, aGainst whom
public indignation always turned with n feeling
lar more intense than against Generals Lee,
itepeat TINT, according to my memory, Mr. lE-
coin did not expressly name any specific terms Of
surrender. hut BE- was r. that kindly and geutle
| frame Of mimi that would have Induced him to
approve fully what dill excepting probably he
would hare interlneti sorlr notifications, such as
= well ~ tac laws 1t c9nsSess. Which wouli navc
been perfectly right anil acceptable to nc and to