The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-13

the depth of water on the bar was but very
few feet, and, in point of fact, the deputy col
lectors labors were confined to endeavors to keep
his safe and himself from being washed away.
Fortunately the authorities "builded better
than they knew" when they established a Gus
| m-house on Brazos Santiago. 1t gave them
| pied a-terre from which went forth. secretly and
silently, certain influences bidding fair to pro-
| duce momentous results.
Before the date of Banks's expedition, loyal
| Texans had moved heaven and earth to induce
| the President and Mr.. Stanton to divide their
| State.
| mo better course could be TAKEN" they
| pleaded Eastern and Western Texas are
wholly different. The former is country fitted
| for cotton and other tropical productions; the
latter is adapted to stock raising Divide the
| State at the Colorado or San Antonio rivers and
call the new one Bexar Hold the river line
with sufficient force; let all the Union men
take refuge west of that line-and the thing is
| DONE"
| Mr. Lincoln was pleased with this idea. at
is much better plan than that West Virginia
one, said he but Mr.. Stan tons energies were
concentrated nearer home, and he declared that
| the forces could not be spared. The loyal
1 Texans, cast down. but not discouraged, took
| their departure from Washington, and bided
! their time.
At intervals, they saw the President again,
and 1t was doubtless in consequence of what they
told him, and his reflection thereupon, that
|
drawal, things in Texas went from bad to worse.
| During the occupation of Corpus Christi and
Indianola. the inhabitants had been requested
to take the oath of allegiance; then again they
were left to the tender mercies of the confeder-
ates. Anarchy grew apace. man named
| Black managed to secure from Banks com
mission as captain. He raised a company of a
| hundred men, assembled the river, crossed
| it near Eagle Pass or Laredo. and became the
| terror of the border How many lives he took,
| how many cotton trains he captured. none can
| tell He was but one of many. People In Texas
| became more and more discontinued and rest
| less. The past history of their State was that
| of grand struggle for freedom Men who had
fought with Houston, and Fannin, and Crockett.
| and Stephen Austin chafed at military rule and
| forced levies. Cui bono2 they began to ask
| themselves and each other. Just then from the
| federal flint and steel at B-azos Santiago, there
| went out sparks which reached this ready finder
| in the State With wonderful skill care and
| discretion, communications and overtures were
conveyed to willing recipients and at last one of
the most prominent loyal Texans appeared at
| tho White House with news of the greatest inn
| portance for the President.
| Mr. Lincoln ardently longed for peace. Day
| and night the horrors of fratricidal strife
weighed on his mind. Under the surface he was
| profoundly melancholy man; with each year of
| the war the somber shadow deepened on his
weary spirit; with deep earnestness he sought
| for means to stop the shedding of blood. What
| the Texan told brought him ray of hope and
|
| ton in an instant and suggested the thing to be
| done.
1.-The Confederacy." said he lis like a bunch
| of matches tightly tied together with string
pull out one and the rest will follow"
There were earnest conferences at the White
| House. and when they were concluded. the loyal
| Texan again departed, charged with the details
of striking and original plan, as follows:
| Texas had once seeded from Mexico let her
now secede from the Confederacy Let the
/ Of mt IN IN ha
the dealings of the federal government with the
| other seeded States. All Mr.. Lincoln asked for
the present was that he should own and hold the
| few former United States posts which he needed.
| This arranged, he would keep hands off," Not
| only would he interfere in way with the in
| terror economy of this free and Independent
commonwealth, but he would raise the block
! ade. From Sabine Pass to Point Isabel ingress
| and egress should be free as air. The crops,
cotton sugar and all, should go out to the world;
supplies of all kinds would be poured in; State
| courts and officials should make and administer
the laws and peace and prosperity would once
more prevail. Even if the Richmond government
wished to coerce the "erring sister land how
would this comport with the cardinal principles
| of the secession movement?) they could not do
it. They had no navy; and, as for troops. they
| had already begun, as General Grant tersely put
it, to rob the cradle and the grave" to resist the
power of the federal armies
| Such was Mr. Lincoln's ingenious, statesman
| like and beneficent programme, and this propo-
| Stion met with ready response Once again
| the Jealous negotiator appeared in Washington.
| His message was brief Let officers of high
rank, he said, "be sent to treat"
| With what care and skill the final steps of this
remarkable movement were managed, one may
| learn from the fact that, to-day, after twenty
one years have elapsed nothing is generally
known of it. On certain day, early in 1865 a
| party consisting of fedora major general, a
brgadier-general, other military officers, and the
| loyal Texan, whose services had been go useful,
Mt -
Brazos Santiago. After few preliminaries
they started in boats rowed by United States
sailors, and took their course up the Laguna de la
Madre. When they had covered nine or ten miles,
they approached bluff; they stopped and made
| a signal. After time, it was answered. How
fortunate! they said in the hearing of the
sailors. I'VE shall at last be able to arrange,
as we have long desired, for the exchange of
| prisoners"
They landed and mounted the bluff 1t was a
| lonely SPOT the nearest ranch being twenty or
| thirty miles away. On the level in beautiful
| grove OF mesquits, were pitched some tents, and
near them were a group of weil-known and dis
tinguished confederate officers and some fifty
soldiers. The meeting was hearty and cordial.
Old comrades, thinking only of past days and
forgetful of intervening estrangement, joyfully
clasped hands. The commissariat was abundant
and varied. and conviviality preceded business.
Ere long, while the officers were exchanging
"reminiscences over beakers of champagne. the
federal sailors and confederate soldiers frater-
nized over unostentatious whisky; and, as the
former vainly endeavored to ride the cavalry
| horses, the latter made just as bad work in at
tempting to row the boats.
The party arrived in the afternoon. All the
next day and during the next night the ranking
officers were in earnest conference, while their
juniors still fingered over the flowing bowl. II
took long time, thought the soldiers and sailors.
to arrange such simple matter as the
exchange of prisoners In fact, all was
| going we'll But a few hours and
the party would have separated. reports would
| have been made to principals on both sides, the
| action taken would have been confirmed and
soon would have come the confirmation of the
remarkable scheme. In the bright morning of
| the third day, however. boat was seen ap-
| preaching. signal was made. A courier had
arrived with peremptory message from Wash
| ington. General Sherman had taken Savannah
and was marching northward, sweeping all be-