The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-06
AUToGRAPHrANA.
A Glimpse Of the Literary Treasures Of Rock
Islander.


of autograph history" will be given to-
day. This will start, more or less appro-
priately with the first letter from fire.
eating southerner. breathing the spirit of
genuine reconciliation,) received by
northern man after the war, the writer be-
ing none other than the noted Raphael
Semmes, who commanded the Confederate
privateer Alabama which, after having in
f1icted incalculable damage upon our ship
ping, was finally sunk off the English coast
by the Kearsage.
MOBILE, Jan. 81, "a.
Dear SER am ccmplimented by your
invitation to speak in *** in aid of the
fund to procure tombstones for deceased
q. s. soldiers who lost their lives in the
late war between the states. And you are
kind enough to assure me that the people
of *** would treat me with hospitality. |
thank you, and them, and see no re ason
why, as citizens of the same country, who
have had a good rough and tumble fight,
we should not make peace, and be friends
when the fight is over, especially if the
fight has had the effect to increase the re-
spect, which the one had for the other.
As soldiers, at least we can meet
on common ground. The living sol
der always mourns the dead one after
the heat of the. fray is over, even though
the dead may have died by his hand.
Soldiers are not statesmen to decide the
fight and wrong of quarrel Their duty
is to their general, and their flag. Human
nature was exalted, and adorned, during
our late war, by many noble soldiers, on
both sides; and true soldier cannot but |
oil hn Lost THAR /
lives in the quarrel. And l trust that the |
time is not far distant, when our children, |
at our firesides, will read the thrilling and |
romantic story of the deeds of their ances |
tors. without pausing TO ask themselves, |
when they come to the story of true |
knight whether he wore the blue" or the 1
gray" 1t should be enough for them to |
know that he was an american citizen. and /
a true soldier.
Nothing would give me greater pleasure, |
assure you, than to make the acquain- |
tance of my fellow citizens of
but shall have to deny myself the pleas
ure, for the present, for want of the req
uisite leisure. Renewing my thanks to
you, for your kind invitation, | am
Very respectfully yours, ETC.,
RAPHAEL SEMMEs.
In the collection are several letters from
Hon. Charles Francis Adams, who was
minister to England during the late war,
and whose father and grandfather were
Presidents of the United
States, one of which reads thus:
DEAR SlR:-In reply to your note
can only say that the demand for
of John Adams has
been so great on me that
have consumed everything that has been
found without breaking in upon valuable
letters, of which consider myself guard /
ian for those who come after me.
tE5 Very truly yours,
CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS
Subsequently, however, Mr.. Adams
sent the same gentleman check on the
United States bank, Washington, drawn
BY his father, John Quincy Adams, April
), 1885. 1t is No. S1s, is for $22, so and
s one of the most horribly executed bits of
paper ever sent out of printing Office. It's
curiosity, indeed, in this age of finely
wrought bank checks
There are several letters from jefferson
Davis. ia one of which he says,as if to dis
Lee were at swords points during the clos
ng hours of the war of the Rebellion: Il
:annot comply with your request. Every
etter / had from that good man and great
older, Gen. r e. Lee, deceased, having
'een appropriated by persons to me un-
.nown"
In this, the first article, we have not !
efficient space to take up the text of any i,
more letters, but will do so at some time
ereafter. The collection embraces pleas
mt letters from ex Vice Presidents Wheeler
nd Wilson, ex Presidents, Johnson. Grant, J
Hayes and Garfield, Hon. e. R. Hoar, c
Grants first attorney generally judge.
then secretary of war; McCrary of Keo-
TUX; from Hon. P. T. Barnum in 1879 4
when chairman of the committee on tenn '
,eranee in the Connecticut Legislature; '
Hugh ]. Hastings, the veteran political Z
manipulation in New York since Thurlow I
Weed; Ralph Waldo Emerson. Horatio h
seymour, Schuyler Colfax. John A. Dix, a
sush G. Hawkins, Commander of Hawkins G
.ouaves during the war; A. Oakley Hall, G
mayor of New York during the Tweed a
egime; George Francis Train, Gideon I
Tucker. New York's old-time representative i
Democrat; Johu B. Jervis, engineer d
# the celebrated Croton Aquedrct and Q
hudson Rivpr raaI~aod Naxu yorly. I3a.,a | !