The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-06-17
"reminiscences of the Rebellion as
Related Dy the late John W.
Garrett.
From sAe Chlcaso Intsr-orean.

ten met Mr.. Lincoln on business per-
tanning 10 our railroad, and IN the
latter part Of bis administration he
used sometimes TO speak TO me of
what ought to follow the return of
J peace, which be saw could not long
be delayed Had Mr.. Lincoln been
able to carry out his poliey-and |
think that the man whe proved
equal to that would have been equal
to all that f0ll0wed-there would
have been real peace and an early
revival Of prosperity in the Southern
States. Il was frightful retribu-
ton that followed the murder ofLin-
coin; but after all, | think. as look
at it all OEer, that it was in one sense
the result Of the shortsightedness of
/ the leaders Of the Confederacy-I
mean ali that happened after Lee
surrendered, including the assassin
alton OF Lincoln, could have been
avoided had tie CoRfederacy not
failed to make terms at the peace
conference st Fortress Monroe.
Every man Of capacity in the South
knew at the time of that conference
what the inevitable was to De, ex-
cepting Mr. jeff Davis Now, l
know 1t to be Il fact that when Mr..
Lincoln was asked respecting the
terms Of peace that would be de-
manded by the Federal Govern
meut he Just tore q sheet of paper IN
two, and wrote across the top OF 1t
/ lust the words
On the part Of the United States:
The Unicn preserved
Slavery abolished
Then, pointing to the blank space
beneath, he said:
There. let them write their own
terms underneath that"
Mr.. Garrett said that many Of the
Southern leaders felt that the FEEDER
al Government could properly ask
no less than that, and that the Con-
lfederacy could ask no more for itself
Peace ought, they felt, to have been
Established then. General Lee, with
whom Mr.. Garrett was on terms OF
! special intimacy after the war, griev-
cd greatly because the peace confer
ence was a faiiure, for he could only
look forward 10 useless shedding of
blood after that In fact, said Mr.
/ Garrett, General Lee, Ike General
Joe Johnston. realized as a military
man, after the fall o. Atlanta the end
Of the Confederaey was near 1T hand.
! Like Johnston, and every other
great general in the South. Lee IN
derstoOd that, with the defeat at
Gettysburg and the surrender Of
Vicksburg, the only military policy
! left for the South was that Of de-
fense long enough TO obtain terms OF
peace that would not be humilfat-
| ing. With the fall Of Atlanta
IT Was PLAIN TO LEE
that the teTn3s OF peace would be Just
what the Federal Government chose
! to make them, and, az 4 military
man, General Lee told me that he
often, though unoffcislly. protested
! to the civil authorities that further
proIcnging OF the war meant only
unnecessary loss of life and dessruc-
ton of property His pleas, howey-
er. were wholly without avail. Mr..
I Davis seemed 10 De convinced that
I the ConfeGeracv would succeed IN
establishing Itself There was much
OF the highest importance of the In
uer history ofthe last year Of the re-
belliOn that has been lost oy reason
of General Lees failure to write 4
history. In the very last interview
| had with Lee he was a guest at
my house n Baltimore. He had
been telling more and more of that
inner history showing IN his view
/ that the war had been unnecessarily
prolonged. | told him that be
: ought not to allow those facts TO be
lost to history, and that he ought at
/ once to begin the preparation of an
account OF the war from his under
standing Of it, that it should be
complete. and should without hesi-
tatiOn tell the whole truth lie told
me that he fully intended 10 write
such book. but be thought that It
was too soon then to do so. He had,
he said, much valuable matter,
many documents, etc, that would
throw light. taken IN connection
with other facts that he personally
knew. bu. which did not appear on
record in the last year OF the war. /
urged him not TO lose moment but
to begin the work at once, and be-
fore he left ne he promised TO set
about j. IS soon a. possible. IT vas
not long after that be was stricken
with his last illness"
HOW GRANT SAVED LEES HEAD.
Il do lot think. said Mr.. Garrett,
that il was ever known how near
/ Lee came To being arrested as one of
the conspirators in the plot to assas-
sinate President Lincoln and his
Cabinet ! know that Andy john
son in some unaccountable way got
the idea in his head that Lee va. IN
that conspiracy. Somebody had
.ald johnson something, have
soae reasons for beiisying- that led
him 10 believe so. Johnson wanted
Lee arrested at once. and know
that he proposed, if Lee vas found
guilty. to- kase aim seheaded. John
san told me that Lee could not De
hanged. should not be shot, and be
would order him beheaded- A warm
friend Of mine and Of Mr.. Johnson's
who knew what was going on came
TO me in great haste, knowing that |
had long been 4 personal friend Of
I General Lee and wes also warm
friend Of General Grant The gen
tIeman said that Lee was in great
danger of arrest and that in the then
excited state OF the country il was
hard to say what might happen l
at once telegraphed General Grant
to meet me, and started for Wash
ingtou. I met General Grant tew
noment after my arrival there (