Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-28
LINCoLN,s TERMS OF PEACE.
Interesting War Stories Told by the
Late Mr.. Garrett-Andy JOhnsOn's De-
termination to Arrest Gen. Robert Il.
LIE for Completely in the Assassina-
tiOn-Gen. Grantls Interference.

AAto MT. Garrett-Andy JOnhHOhB Oe-
termination to Arrest Gen. Robert f.
Lee for Completely in the Assassina-
tiOn-Gen. Grants Interference.
From, the Neto York Sun.
WASHINGTON, May 23.-When the late
Mr.. Garrett, President of the Baltimore
/ and Ohio Railroad Company, wished for
little rest or recreation he was in the
habit OF causing his private car to be at
tached TO one OF the trains running West
or South, and with his wife and perhaps
another friend or two he made an excur-
sion. At such times Mr.. Garrett left his
business behind him, and though deemed
a man not given to much conversation,
yet he then often narrated some Of his
experiences, especially Of the time of the
war and Immediately subsequent thereto
in manner that was absorblngly IN
seresting.
Two years ago the writer met Mr.. Gar
rett upon one Of these occasions. The
conversation turned upon the South, its
risks and its losses entailed by lnau-
guratlng a civil war, and as some OF Mr..
CARROTS "reminiscences have a special ln-
terest just at this time have written out
from notes made soon after the conversa-
ton what he said In speaking of Mr.
Lincoln President Garrett said:
II never travel through the south with
out thinking what a dreadful climax for
the South President LincOln's assassina-
ton was. During the war / often met
Mr.. Lincoln on business pertaining to
our railroad, and in the latter part of his
administration be used sometimes to
speak to NE of what ought to follow the
return Of peace, which he saw could not
long be delayed. Had Mr.. Lincoln been
oh fC 1
that the man who proved equal to that
would have been equal TO all that fol-
lowed. there would have been real peace,
and an early revival Of prosperity IN
the Southern States. 1t was a fright
full retribution that followed the muir
der Of Lincoln, but, after all, think,
as / look it all over, that 1t was Ill
one sense the result Of the shortslghIed-
ness of some OF the leaders OF the Con-
federacy. l mean that all that happened
after Lee surrendered, including the
asSassination Of Lincoln, could have been
avoided had the COnfederacy not Jailed TO
make terms at the peace conference at
Fortress Monroe. Every man OF capacity
in the South knew at the time OF that con-
ference what the inevitable was to be,
excepting Mr.. Davis. Now, | know 1t to
be a fact that when Mr.. Lincoln was
asked respecting the terms OF peace that
would be demanded by the Federal Gov
eminent, he Just tore a sheet Of paper in
two, and wrote across the top Of ii just
these words:
son the part OF the United Statesn
"Ihe Union preserved.
slavery abolished.
"Then pointing to the blank space be-
meath, he said: There, let them write
their own terms underneath that"
Mr.. Garrett said that many of the
Southern leaders felt that the Federal
Government could properly ask no less
than that, and that the Contederacy could
ask no more tor itself. Peace ought, they
felt, to have been established then. Gen.
Lee, with whom Mr.. Garrett was on
terms OF special intimacy after the war,
grieved greatly because the peace confer
ence was failure for he could only look
forward to useless shedding of blood after
that. SIN fact" said Mr.. Garrett, "Gen.
Lee, like Gen. Joe Johnston, realized, as g
military man, that after the fall OF At
lanta the end of the Confederacy was near
at hand. Like Johnston and every other
great General in the South, Lee understood
that with the defeat at Gettysburg and
the surrender of Nicksburg, the ONLY mill
tary policy left for the South was that of
defense long enough 20 obtain terms of
peace that would not be humlliating.
With the tall Of Atlanta, it was plain to
! Lee Judl iue lsEilS VI pEdCG NOu "a NC JIoJ
what the Federal Government chose to
make them, and. as a military man, Gen.
Lee told me that he often, though unOtfi-
cially. protested to the civil authorities
that further pTOlOnging of the war meant
only unnecessary loss of life and destruc-
ton OF property. His pleas, however,
were wholly without avail. Mr.. Davis
seemed TO be convinced that the Con-
federacy would succeed in estab-
D IfalNfs of
the highest Importance OF the inner
history Of the last year of the war that
4 has been, lost by reason of Gen. Lees
1 failure to write a history. In the very
/ last interview l had with Lee he was a
/ guest at my house in Baltimore. He had
been telling me some OF that inner his
tory, showing, in his view, that the war
had been unnecessarily prolonged.
told him that he ought not to allow those
facts to be lost TO history, and that he
ought at once 10 begin the preparation of
an account of the war from mis- under
standing of it that should be complete,
and should. without hesitation, tell the
whole truth. He told me that be fully
intended TO write such a book, but he
thought that il was TOO soon then to do so.
He had, he said, much valuable matter.
many documents that would throw light,
taken in connection with other facts that
he personally knew, but which did not
appear of record on the last year Of the
war. urged him not to lose u moment,
but 10 begin the work at once, and before
he left me be promised TO set about it as
soon AS possible. lt was not long after
that he was stricken with his last illness.
II don't think" continued Mr.. Garrett,
''that it, was ever known how near Lee
came to being arrested as one of the con-
spirators in the plot to assassinate Presi-
dent Lincoln and his Cabinet. | know
that Andy Johnson in some unaccount-
able way got the idea in his head that Lee
was in that conspiracy. Somebody had
told johnson something, have some rea-
sons for believing, that led him to think
so. johnson wanted Lee arrested at once,
and know that be proposed, if Lee was
found guilty. 10 have him beheaded. John
son told me that Lee couldn't be hanged.
shouldn't be shot, and be would order him
/ beheaded. A warm friend Of mine and OF
Nj. Jomson's, who knew what was going
on, came to me in great haste, knowing
that ! had long been per-onal friend
OF Gen. Lees, and was also warm
friend Of Gen. Grant. This gentleman
said that Lee was iu great danger OF ar
rest, and tnat IN the then excited state OF
the country it WAS hard 10 sag what
might happen. / ut once telegraphed 10
Gen. Grant TO meet me. and started for
/ Washington. | mot Gen. Grant "A few