The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-02-25

lh,NlNH FEBRUARY rs, 1879.
Peace after sharpsburg-whst Occurred in Boil
Camps.
lie Macon Telegraph prints the following
letter, giving an interesting portion of the
unwrtten history of the late war:
1ksstors Telegraph and Msssenoer Yam,
issue of the 9TH instant contains an extract
froaa the Richmond Disnatch, in which a
correspondent of that paper gives the out
liae OF strange story" in connection
wien the battle of ShanPsburg. The facts
ear 'a sa.s ss.fy have been in my possession
has finally gotten into print, furnish YOU
| 5ae following details, -ss they came to nv
knowledge. Aside from its being a re
! narkabie coincidence, it is not unim port
ant as frece of the History of an eventfal
| period:
had frequently heard that. on the dav
succeeding the battle of Sharpsburr, in
1867, communications passed between
General Lee and General Mcclellan. the
OBJECT OF which was to secure a truce for
ninety days, with a view to the final cessa
ton OF fr1stllities; that they nearly had an
eral Howell Cobb, at that time an off Ger in
In Lees army, sGery active in the effort
TO secure this result. 1t had been for 81
long time my intention to question General
Cobb abeut the mGtter, but I had never
done SO before June, 1868, when upon the
cars between Cincinnati and New York, |
formed she acquaintance of lawyer from
the former place named Key. / ana not
certain In my recollection about his name,
but it was either Key or some name very
similar seitI He was prominent man ia
ONO, and had beens since the war, several
times Democratic candidate for Judge Of
tue supreme Court of the State. In CON
Versation with him he informed me that he
was, during the years of 1861 and 1862. the |
confidential staff officer of General Nc |
Ciellan. embraced the opportunity to
inquire of hIm concerning the truth of this |
rumor which had heard. He replied that
no communication had passed between Lee
ana, Mcclellan upon the subject of truce,
for he certainly would have known it if
there had. He. stated, however, that, on
the day after the battle of Sharpsburg.
very strong effort was made by II number
OF prominent officers Of the Federal army
to induce Geoeral Mcclellan to address to
General Lee n proposition to declare
truce preparatory to peace, which they
urged the people wanted and would have if
offered an opportunity to secure it. Gen '
'ral Mcclellan himself sympaSh,zed with t
he object, but said that while under other I
'ircum stances lie would favor the move s
,lent, and assist in forwarding it, he knew f
hat it would be useless for him to attempt '
g for the reason shat he wac then, and had @
seen for eight months previous, the subject t
# the most understandable persecution at C
he hands OF the administration that. if Q
e should declare the truce, it would be /
ePudiated by President Lincoln, who t
Toatd take advantage of his action to ruin i
im officially and disgrace him before the l.
eope. My informant added that the o
tuses of Mr.. Lineotn's dislike to General I
icCleitan were two. Even at that early =
az, Mr.. Lincoln had his eye upon the l.,
econd term, and very soon after =.
C placed Mcclellan in command of the ID
rnIy of the Potomac, he discovered that OF
cCiellan's popularity would make him u al
lngerous rival in the affections of tic peo- +
q. Again, Mcclellan refused to conduct 7
" war otherwise than in a civilized uIan- T
,r, as he understood it. His campaigns 81
ere directed upon the armed fUe-not w
,arst non com bataEts, and not for pGr- 81
pses of pillage and plumber. He refused ts
carry the torch as the companion of the CT
ord, and would not wage war against mi
q property of the couutry on
During the last few days Gen. Cobb Sa
cnt in Macon, just previous to his death, rel
thout relating to him what had been Dr.
d by McClellan's staff officer, took oc- ett
sion to ask him about the Sharpsburg his
ice. he also stated that no communion $5'
q passed between the two Generals upon fro
subject of tae truce, but that there was Th
effort made in the Confederate army to ter
en such negotiation. Fhe following is Pre-
rief state ment of the facts wRIch he re- Til
ed to me an detail. On the dag after the COP
tie, Gen. Howell COBB, Gen. T. K. r. not
DO, and several other prominent officers tioI
the Confederate army, had a converse $50
n concerning the war, it, cL2ra c:er, rul
battle duration, result, etc. The con- the
sion at which they arrived was that, fou
n the evidences of the earnest determI- pas
ion which each section had given during woI
eighteen months of the war, they were 600
viuced that, unless ended by diplomacy, nun
Dniy termination could he found IN the pal
;rruin and exhaustion of one section or CIV,
other. They then agreed that that mu
= day was tho time To bring about a hav
cement. The las: battle bad Terminated Beg