The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-30
JEFFERSON DAVIS AT HOME.
A Personal Interview with the Ex-Presi-
dent of the COnfederacy.
His Estimate of the Great Generals of the
War and His Opinions on Current
Political Matters.

OIlSdIS WHll6 Oh Iue "Trip lie NlSlJ6u Jefferson
Davis, at his home, near Beauvor, Miss, small
station on the Louisville & Nashville railroad,
midway between Mobile and New Orleans. Mr..
| Taylor describes the home of the confederate
leader as a typical oldtime plantation mansion,
one story in height, with spacious halls and an
imposing portico. The house lies in
view of the gulf, and is sur
rounded bya thick grove of orange and magnolia
trees. Mr.. Taylor says that he was received
cordially by Mr.. Davis, and after they had been
talking few moments, Mrs. Davis and her
daughter handsome young lady, appeared in
the room accompanied by young Chicago law
| yer 1t was late in the afternoon when Mr. Tay-
lor called, and after conversation of an hour or
more, he started to leave, with the intention of
stopping over night at the village inn, but he
was informed that there was no such
place within distance of sew
eral miles, and Mr.. Davis insisted
that he should remain in the house over night,
remarking if he should go tit would be the
first time that gentleman had left the house at
that time of night and, under conditions
would it be permitted and so Mr. Taylor re-
manned over night as a guest in the Davis man
sion. During the evening the conversation
| turned upon the war; and Mr. Davis talked free
| ly upon all subjects that were brought up.
''The people of the North" he
said in speaking of slavery, did not
understand the condition of things here
in the South No master would beat his slaves
harmfully any more than a man in the North
would injure horse that he valued at 81, 900.
The hotheads in the South and the abolitionists
in the North were the cause of all the trouble.
| Between the two extremes there were classes
that could have settled the difficulties had they
| been allowed to do So" The members of the
| family all entered into the conversation and
| Mrs Davis said: II have always entertained
much of aforgiving spirit toward the North for
| the wrongs done the South. When hard things
are written and spoken I look upon them as
wrongly conceived notions of the true facts
II do not think" Miss Davis added with some
spirit, that one is true to her people who sits
| quietly by and allows them to be slandered."
But darling" replied Mr.. Davis, they were
mistaken"
"They ought to have known, the daughter re-
joined
Mr. Taylor inquired of Mr. Davis what he
thought the future of the negro would be.
II do not know was the answer.
Either one or two things" Mrs. Davis said,
interposing an opinion, will occur. They will
be transported to the West Indies, or they will
die out They never can amalgamate with the
white people," She further stated that she
would like to see Cuba anne xed to the United
States and set apart as an abiding place for the
negro race
The conversation finally drifted into dis
| cussion of the events of the war and the men
who figured prominently in them.
"What is the Southern estimate of the federal
generals2' inquired Mr.. Taylor.
II cannot give you the Southern estimate"
Mr.. Davis replied. Il can give you my own
estimate"
''What do you think of Grantp was asked
| "Grant,' he said, twas largely creature of
| circumstances l remember that the first
| time met Grant was when he was stationed on
| the Pacific coast as lieutenant. | was then
| Secretary of War. He was charged with drunk
enness and neglect of duty I gave him his
| choice between standing trial and resigning. He
resigned knew that he would. General
! Grant was q great military commander. He
| was very tenacious. He fought battle as a
matter of business Men were mere cogs in the
| wheel All of men and means he wanted were
| placed at his command and he had every
| advantage. He would have been dis
charged from the army of the Potomac if
it had not been that too many changes had al
ready taken place in the army
''What is your estimate of General Shermanl"
was asked.
SHERMAN" Mr. Davis said twas looked upon
| in the South as Alaric was by the Romans. He
| was their 'scourge of God He was cruel, yet
he great strategist"
Eyes" interrupted Miss Davis, ''he was an in
| human monster. What he did not use he de-
| stroyed."
sherman hesitated," Mr. Davis continued,
| for long time between joining the confederate
| army and the Union army We were uncertain
which he would do. He finally joined the I'm
| ion army, thinking, suppose, that more could
| be gained by it.
''My idea" remarked Mr.. Davis, lis that
| Meade was the most skilful general in the fed
| eral army. General Lee once said to me that he
| could understand the movements of all the gen
| erals in the federal army easier than those of
General Meade. Those above Meade never al
lowed him to display his full power. He was
| Il AVOID and oh 100
| Mr.. Taylor-How did you regard McClellan2
'Wel, sir Mcclellan the best trained sol
| der in the war. While Secretary of War
| sent him on three important missions-one to
Europe, to study her military methods He re-
| turned with better knowledge of military
| discipline and methods than was possessed by
| any man in his country"
Mr. Taylor-Could he have entered Richmond
| if he had pushed on across the Chickamauga?
| well" Mr. Davis answered, laughing II once
| knew farmer who said that if his foresight had
| been good as his hindsight he might have
| made fortune on cotton Something of the same
kind was probably the fault with Mcclellan.
| If he had known the weakness of the confeder
ates and had thrown his army across the river
| think he could have entered Richmond. We
| thought he would, and | believe General Lee
| thought so, too"
| Mr.. Taylor-Who do you regard as the great
| est of the confederate generals
81 consider General Sidney johnson as the
greatest general produced on either side by the
| late General Lee stands next in my esti-
nation and as we move away from the war his
desperate struggle against overwhelming nun.
! bers will be marvel in war annals"
| During the evening Mr.. Davis referred briefly
to his confinement in prison, the thought of
which, Mr.. Taylor says, seemed to appear to
him as a horrible nightmare. In referring to
the matter he manifested great agitation of feel
ing and spoke of it as Horrible! horriblef"
| Il was brutally treated" Mr. Davis said.
During the two years lay in common prison
cell the guard imposed upon me every known
cruelty, and all under the order of
| Stanton. 1 have no doubt that he
was afterward driven by his conscience to
| desperation. and he committed suicide l could
| not even write letter to my wife without