The Cecil Whig., 1881-01-01
JEFFERSON DAVIS.


Col. Mcclure devotes Il letter to the
Times entirely to a description of his
visit to. and conversation with, Mr.. JEFF
ferson Davis. He writes from Missis-
slppi City, and describes the Dorsey
p ace. where the eX-Con(ederate Presi-
dent lives win his nephews and their
families. Col. Mcclure writes:
Soon after had been bowed into the
parlor, Jefferson Davis entered alone. and
his greeting was the cordial welcome of
the provertlal hospitality Of the South.
confess, to disappointment i'll the gen
eral appearance vi the man, vino stands
in history today rs the soldier states
men without ii country. | expected to
find the strongly marked traces of Il griev-
nusle disappointed life. and serene civil
ity and studied reticencc in discussing all
things of the past: but those who be-
lieNe Jefferson Davis ta he misanthropic
in Temperament and embittered against
the nation and the world greatly mis-
iud"c him Nor is he the broken inva-
lid that he is generally regarded. His
vet abundant locks and full beard ale
deeply silveIed. and his face and frame
are spare. as they always have been: but
his step is elastic and steady, and the
nard lines OF his brow. which are so con-
$picuouS III his pictures. are at once eff
faced when he enters into conversation.
Instead OF lmprGSSlng the visitor rs a
hahitual Ieclu>c. who has no interest III
the land to whose citizenship he will live
and die a stranger. he at once in. ties the
freedom ~ the planters home by chat
fiug without reserve save when his con-
are likely to be criticised.
when he adroitlY and pleasantly turns
g; he discussion into iIotfenSive channels.
He is vet the same positive man i'll all
his convictions aud purposes that made
him the leader of a causeleSS rebellion.
He we'll understands that he east the die
for empiie or for failure that must make
il IN alien to the country and the world.
md that he lost: and be knows that he
is to-day the mos: powerless OF all men
IN the land to retrieve the fortunes of
those who followed him to bereavement
aud sacrifice.
After referring to the fact that his
Vice president (Mr. Stephens) had been
elected to 4 seat in Congress: that two
of his unnotcd warriors have sat in Re
publican Cabinets: that Lees ablest
lieutenant is the Republican minister to
Turkey: the man who marched the first
reg iment of volunteers to Charleston and
who served as Confederate Senator until
Appomattox became historic. died as the
Republican minister To Russia. and that
the Senate. House. and the Washington
departments contain other men who were
Jnti in,
Mr. Mcclure continues:
But Mr.. Davis is the embodiment of
humiliation. while his fellows 90 in and
out without displeasure heard no allu-
sion to or complaint of this injustice. but
it is plainly evident that Davis entirely
appreciates it, and that he would not be
consistent with himself and the grave
responsibilities he assumed, however mis-
taken he may have been in assuming
them. if he did not deliberately remain
an alien to the government that he. more
conspicuously than AL others, struggled
to overthrow. He could not help the
south or himself ny seeking OF accepting
restoration to citizenship, and he $ wise
" content with stubborn faith in the
:ectitude of his lost cause. | have long
desired to know the exact truth from
She fountain of Southern knowledge on
the subject in regard to several import
ant events of the war, and | was agree
ably surprised at the freedom with which
Mr.. Davis met my inquiries. Why Beau
regard was ordered to fire upon Ander-
son in Fort Sumter after his surrender
was inevitable at Il specified time with
ont assan!tin- the flag has never been
entirely understood. 1t was the act of
madness. as it made division in the North
impossible. and have always believed
that the real cause of the order to open
tire was to unity the South, and end the
threatening movements for reunion on
other terms.
Mr.. Davis answered promptly and en-
phaticaliy that the order was given sole
" because faith had been broken by the
Lincoln administration i'll attempting to
reinforce Anderson, and that the South
needed 10 war to soidity its people.
think he er,s in Understanding the
probable power of The movement in the
South for reconstruction before the war.
but it is evident that in deciding to issue
the fatal order for the assault upon Sum
ter he believed the Confederacy invinci-
bic. and detiantly resented what he re-
gartied as a violation of the pledge of the
Federal government. That act practi-
cally consolidated the North and thence
forth the Confederacy was teariully hope
less adventure. On another important
point he answered with the same free
dom. When asked whether the aggres-
sive movement OF Lee that eliminated at
Gettysburg was adopted as purely mill
rary strategy or the offspring of political
necessity inside the Confederacv, he an
swered that it was the wisest of both
military and political strategy, but that
it was not dictated at all by political con-
sideration. He said that the wisdom of
the military movement was proven in the
recall of Meade from Virginia and the
transfer of both armies to Northern soil.
But he soberlv added the battle was a
misfortune. The chances were equal, as
he regarded it. for military success, and
that would have deranged the whole plan
of the government and inspired its re-
sources for the campaign of that year as
Il military movement. Mr.. Davis says
the Gettysburg campaign had the entire
approval of Lee. and there were no po-
litical divisions in the South to dictate
any departure from the wisest military
laws.
desired also to know whether at the
lime Of the Hampton Roads conference
between Lincoln, Seward, stephens, and
others, Mir. Davis had received any init
nation from any creditable source that
Mr.. Lincoln would assent to the payment
of four hundred millions as compensation
lor slaves if the South would accept emar-
cipation and return to the Union. He
answered that he had no such ntimat.Gu
rom any source. but that if such propo-
>ition had been made he could not have
entertained it as the executive of Il e
Confederacy. He said that he was tt e
main executive of a government founded
on the rights of the States: that slavery
was distinctly declared to be exclusively
a State institution. and that such an issue
could have been decided only by the ill.,
dependent assent of each State. Some
Of them. lie added. would have accepted
such terms at that time, but others would
have declined it, and peace was therefore
on that basis.
Mr.. Davis discussed the present atti-
tude and future prospects Of the South
with manifest interest and great candor
w hlie he Is not, and cannot he. factor
in attaining any desired political results
for tie South. he shows the hope ex-
pressed by the great mass of the more
intelligent Southern people that all the
problems will yet be wisely solved
oy gradual advancement and final har-
nony OF races and sections. He was un-
reserved i'll expressing the belief that
civil service i'll the South that would in
sure fidelity t" government and people
could not fail TO end olrtiS iSan or sectional