The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-03-18
l73

Ia. 4aiIt4patei all that tho President aid
before ne nAi coulc into the room, and he
li>tcaed a. Que oppressed witt the tullness
and rea illness OF reply. let. when the
President stopped speaking, he Renamed
E liz silent. General Johnston, Nr.
Du.> said. we should like to now hear your
views. IL was a reply that came with a
b,dntness and defiance that brought 4 sud-
den coior 10 The checks Of the President
S,r, b.urted out General Johnston, my
views are, that our people are tired OF war,
fee, themselves whipped, and viii not hghtt'
III these few words he had SAID all that was
necessary and he spoke them suddenly,
without preface. But he continued 10
speak in short, decisive, ierky sentences, As
ii in haste to deliver his mind. He suggest
Ell that the enemy military power aud re
sources were now greater than they had ever
been. What could the President hope 10
oppose 10 them in the present demoraliZed
condition Of the South Ny men, he said,
are, daily, deserving in large numbers, and
are taking my artillery teams 10 and their
escape To Their homes. Since Lee 5 defeat,
they regard the war a AZ an end. II ]
march out OF North Carolina her people will
all leave my ranks. Ii will be the saue IA
proceed south through South Carolina and
Georgia, and | shall expect 10 retain no man
beyond the by-road or cow-path that leads
10 his house. NJ small force is melting
away like snow before the sun. and am
hopeless of recruiting It We may, perhaps,
obtain terms which we ought 10 accept
4 silence ensued. 1t was broken by the
President saving, in a low, even tone:
What DO you say, General Beauregardy'
Il concur in all General Johnston has said
he replied. There was another paus, IN the
conversation, when, presently, General
Johnston, as if regretting the cruel plainness
of his remarks, and thinking he had wound
ed enough the unhappy President, who was
still twisting, abstractedly, the piece OF pa
per in his hands, proceeded to suggest, at
some length, the hope of getting favorable
terms from the enemy. He thought 1t
would be legitimate, and according with
military usage for him TO open a correspon-
dence with General Sherman, to see how far
the generals in the field might 90 in arrang-
ing terms OF peace. Mr.. DAVIS could not
but be sensible ofthe wis lom Of this sugges-
ton, although he listened coidly 10 it, aud it
was very little of consolation tor the deStruc-
ton of such towering and grotesque hopes
as he had brought into the interview.
General Breckenridge, who had been pres
ent at the whole of the interview, now ven
tured to advise that General Johnston
should, at once. and on the spot, address, \
letter to Sherman TO prepare an interview.
No., replied General Johnston-prohably
anxious to show a mark of Difference to the
President, out of pity for the modification
already inflicted upon him the Presi-
dent di :tate the letter" The letter, pro-
posing a suspension of hostilities, was die
tated by the President. And thus, Mr..
Davis himself virtually subscribed the token
of submission of the Confederate army, sec
ond in importance and numbers to that OF
Lee, yet unwilling to 60 further in the
sequel and to write gracefully his entire sub
mission to the inevitable.
'On the 10th of April, the President, his
staff and Cabinet left Greensboro. 1t was a
slow travel, In ambulances and on horse
back, and the detection OF the party was
visible enough. Mr.. Davis was the first 10
rally from it. When he and his companions
had left Richmond, it was in the belief OF
the majority that Lee could avoid surrender
but a few DAYS longer, and with the inten-
ton, as we have already said, of making
their way to the Florida coast, and embark
ing there for a foreign land. The President
had chung, at Danville, to the hope tina,
Lee might effect a retreat to Southwestern
Virginia, and he had remained there long
enough to see that hope disappointed
Again, when he had sought General John
ston's demoralized and inconsideraD { a my,
it had been from a feeble diversion of hope
that it might not yield to the example Of
Lee $ surrender, and that, under the inspi-
ration of the presence and the direct com
mand of the President, 1t might be in !uced
to keep the field. That expectation had
been brought to a painful end. and it ar
peared as if the President would be recom-
mitted now to the original design OF fleeing
the Confederacy, and woull now make AZ
earnest effort to escape. But MS mind wa,
disordered and undecided. 1t was distress
ing to see how he h~esitated between assured
safety In flight from the country. and the
possible hope that the cause ot the Confed
eracy might not be beyond rede nption.
Anyhow, there were no signs yet that be
was pursued By the enemy, aud he had a.
peared to consider himself sure of ultimately
making good his escape after he had once
got out Of sight Of Richmond. He had
the Cao;tal. bu, IN the leisure Of q iournev'
unmolested By pursuit, and entertained b.
| tho fresh air an nlaasino .i0hts of sprinv