The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-05-13
The Unwritter history Of the Hampton
Roads Conference.

Roads Conference.
For some time most bitter per-
sonal controversy has been going on
I'm the public journals Of Georgia be-
tween two of the most prominent OF
ats statesmen, Hon. A. H. Stephens
and Hon. B. II. Hill, which originated
in some statements of the address OF
Mr. Hill before the Southern Histori-
,cal Society, which Mr.. Stephens re-
garded rs trehecting upon himself,
and denounced IS base and slanderous
fabrications. Mr.. Hill replied in
terms equally bitter, and now in a
rccent paper purporting to give the
unwrittcn history Of the Hampton
Roads conference, he reiterates his
charges against Mr.. Stephens of dis.
loyalty to the Confcderacy, by show
ing that he gave aid and comfort to
trcasonable movements in Georgia
yhich rendered futile all the good
results which might otherwise have
Ibeen brought about by that confer
,.ence. Mr.. Hill was not member Of
The Commission, but was familiar
with all the circumstances which led
to its appointment, and d etails these
at length, as we'll rs the reasons which
induced tho selection of Mr.. Stephens
as the head of the Commission, and
.;makes very serious 'oharges.against
him of duplicty and bad faith in his
.negotiationstwith the Georgia dclega-
tion, and with faroring a movement
(which had for its object the with
..drawal of Georgia from the Conftd-
: eracv, and the conclusion by her of y
separate peace with tho Federal
Government. To these damaging
charges Mr. Stephens has as yet
made no reply, and tho public will
hold their judgments in abcyancc
until both are heard. ... ..
Mr.. Hill says:
During the month of December,
1874, the whispers Of counter rero-
luton, At first faint and then a full
year old, were getting louder. Scvc-
raj States, it was said, were to unite
in calling q convention Of all the
Confederate States, ostensibly to
amend the Constitution and get rid
,of Mr.. Davis as commander-in-chief
of the army and q movement for
peace by negotiation. through separate
tStato action, was publicly advocated
tby many in State and Confederate
positions. Whatever might have
been the motives Of such movements
(and l am not now dealing with their
motives), every rejecting man was
,obligcd to know tho only possible
effects must be disintegration and
subjugatlon. And We knew these
effects were already going on, not
only from Mr. Lincoln's message, but
from much more convincing quarter
our army. 1t was during the month
sof Japuary, 1865, that General Lee
complained before q committee Of
Congress (of which committee 1 was
.one) that he was losing moro from
his army by dcsertion than by the
guns of the enemy. lie thought the
discussions against the constitution
.ality of Confederate military laws,
and tho clamor for peace through
State action, contributed /
much to this result. Dcscrtcrs had
been arrested with arguments, on
these subjects, from leading men in
some of the States, in their pockets,
Mr.. Hill states that the Georgia
delegation were especially embarass-
ed by the announcement Of resolu-
tions passed at various public meet
ings at home, calling upon Governor
Brown to convene the Legislature !;
and by the prevailing belief that the
would be called together.
and the meeting Of convention re-
commended, and that the Tico-Prcst
dent favored the movement. They
.hcreupon met at Mr.. Stephens room,
and after conference unanimously y re.
uucsted the latter to write to Gov.
Brown, and urge him not to convene
the Legislature. This Mr.. Stephens
promised to do, if the delegation
would mid him in procuring the ap-
pointment of Commissioners to 60 10
Washington, and on behalf Of the
Confederacy propose peace, but if the
offer should be rejected, then TO unite
in an effort to fire the Southern heart
and to renew the struggle.
Dir. Hill farther states that he i'm
mediately had an interview with
President Davis, and induced him to
grant three requests: To furnish
passports if appointed by Congress-;