The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-03-30
GATH.
representative Southern Intervieys-Tbo
Necohection and Penanccs OF the Great
War.
Correspondence Of the Cincinnati Enquirer

NEW ORLEANS, February, 1882.
10 my travels through the country 7
met an interesting man, Albert Lamar
one OF the celebrated family to which thr
senator from Mississippi belongs. their
MONIES being in Georgia, and Albert La.
mar, was n stout secessionist and follower
OF MS relative, Howell COBB, and became
the secretary of the secession conyention
OF Georgia, and think, afterward cIerk
or secretary of the confederate Congress
ne Is spare man, grave, at times absent
anaple but seldom or ever smiling. and
he would quickly be taken for the typical
ardent hre-eater any where, Az he was
twenty years ago
asked him if the organization of the
confederate civil government was such as
70 navo produced the best possible results,
40, rather the worst results. Mr..
Dayis was man out ofhealth, a confirm.
ed dyspeptic, and of course he was mo.
rose, p!reJudiced and sour with ali who
crossed him. Mr.. Stephens never was
anything but an invalid. l remer,her
saying In my disgust at their selet ON
that the only thing which prevented a
revolution ut Montgomery was the want
OF Paving.stones in the streets. Howell
Cobb should have been the president of
'he confederacy, and he expected to be
selected, but his experience Us speaker of
congress at Washington led the South
carolina delegation, headed by Lawrence
Al. keltt, to choose him for president Of
the convention at Opelica, where thew
met met MIR. Cobb, both delegations being
there, en- route to the opening of the con. q
vention at Montgomery. Air. Cobb said
10 me at the time: This unfortunate
choice VIII prevent ME being the execu.
1--WE magistrate of the confederacy.' So
ne presided over the convention. and
LAWS was elected to be the president
chieiiy because he had been a union
man." NN'o'
nv ny were union men at a premium 2"
because of the fierce resistance to Sc.
cesslon in all parts of the confederacy.
out especially in Georgia, Tennessee.
North Carolina and Virginia. Several of
the large states were SO reluctant to leave
the union tha. after they had been crow.
ded into seeding they sent their old union
conservative men to the provisional con
vention at Montgomery. For that reason
two union men, Davis and Stephens, were
maze the chief executives over the two
other expectants, Cobb and Toombs.
Mr.. Davis, during the presidential cam.
paign of 1860, had made a speech at
fortland, Maine, and another on the way
warmly praising the union. This was re-
membered in his favor rs against the ag-
gresslve record of Toombs for secession.
But Stephens and Davis were not to agree
In any event. Stephens never had the
least interest or confidence in the confed.
crate cause. He began by obiecting, and
the breach between him and Davis wild.
eened every day. Yet he continues to be.
IN many respects, the most popular man
in Georgia"
Suppose Toombs had been the con.
iederate president, would he have been n
1T would have been a six months war
he would have been either mashed all to
pieces in few months or would have in
vaded the north after the first shock of
arms at Bull Run. | said to Mr..
Toombs once that he ought to have died
at the battle Of Sharpsburg, where he
held the heights of the Antietem against
Burnside with such gallantry that Lee
complimented him in the military orders
Since that day Toombs has shattered his
splendid mind by dissipation and asperity
till he survives melancholy wreck of y
once noble galaxy"
In what was Howell Cobb superior to
Jefferson Davis ?"
I'm health, temperament, temper and
brain Dir. Davis was master of details
only, and wore himself out superintend.
ing, trifies, fretting with passing enemies
and celebrating theoretical messages and
papers. He never had the large. solid
brain TO resolve the wants of a broad ma.
tion which had with reluctance passed
out OF a larger one-to take critical view
OF the leaders who had led it out. Mr..
Davis made no foreign friends by his
bearing; at the end of the war he possess.
cd no influence in the north, while Cobb
had made the friendship i'll other days of
Andrew johnson and of many of our in
huential enemies. Cobb was a broad
sighted man he would have instantly
perceived the fiscal requirements of the
confederacy, the need of foreign credit.
of interested friends in other lands.
commiserat and manufactures. He saw
these things neglected .Id the Young
state drifting into n narrow channel, and
he went of into the army like private
volunteer, never raising factious word,
but fearing the worst. He was the best
beloved public man Georgia ever had, not
excepting William Fl. Crawford, who
lacked the refinement of mind and feel.
ing of Howell Cobb. Crawford was q
strong but coarse man."
l asked Mr.. Lamar what had become
of the South Carolina leaders who worked
up secession, naming Pickens, Hammond,
Chestnut, and others.
There are but two Of them living.
VIM. Porcher Miles and Keitt. Chesnnt
was man Of little ability; the same may
be said of Governor Pickens. Wade
Hampton was good military officer,
but is featherweight in civil questions.
Hammond was man Of mental power,
with requirements, will, and force, but he
had no love of the multitude and rather
despised them"
"Is not Senator Butler, of South Caro-
lima, something Of man p
very much of man. He was q man
of very violent passions, and of such in
tense evaporation when insulted that if
he bad killed Conkling in the senate
when they came into collision there it
would not surprise me at all. But his
control over himself, his amicable, and,
indeed, popular relations with many of
the leading republicans, and the cx-
tension of his influence by both discretion
and candor are gratifying surprises. We
ere very weak as party in leaders, and
Butler is one of the men who has devel-
oped into thinking, leading mind"
"Was the confederate congress at Mont.
gomery body of some ability ?"
at bad some very able men in It. Mr.
Cobb had filled the largest position in the
federal government. MIR. Hunter, OF
Virginia, was in it; it comprised the
ability the secretary Of state had sent tc
Washinpton for yaars Ona of tba ,,o,,