Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-01-22

,.aa,ng a, d,spotism. A Confederate onleor
who mad been mich In Washington In ante
bellum DAYS, told me that We omSers q Tue
itissm shown 70 certain i-vpy officers stationed
Mt Washington, but this va - n ~. 1919
pared 10 the favoritlsm which ~ .na' ttot ~
sons Of the rich and influential scugnt anu
obtained clerkships in the departing. W, co. "o
tails to gather the tax, 70 enforce the s me
script law, railway service, etc, 70 escESS
service i'm the Confederate ranks. i believer
him then and believe him now.
we continued to GATHER IN trH% WHICH maJ
never be revealed, proving 10 my mino tnns
the Government at Richmond, partly from
thrown OH the mask and had pissed from
confederation of sovereign and Independents
States to a despotlsm almost personal 70 Mr.
af Appomattox occurred April 2, 1880, was
known to me at Smithheu on tho lzth, ana an
nounced In general orders i i,l., n n.,ns
locomotive and car from Raleigh with tnre9
commissioners, viz, MeSsrs. Graham ana
Swan and surgeon warren , " f, ome Gnvernor
Vance. These commissioners withoutreser
told me that when Governor Vance dispatcneo
them from Raleigh to my camp at Gulley I, nc
wanted to make terms for the State, and
afterward that he was afraid OF Jen Davis
At Raleigh, though the mass of the public
records had been carried on, yet NUMBER
were left behind at tho state House, and at
the Governors mansion, called the palace,
which we occupied us hcadanarlcrs, au T,,,s.
overhauled by provost marsIlls ana clerks,
who delivered TO Acknowledgement sawyer
such as contained material Information, ana
nv personal attention was only drawn to
such us were deemed OF sufficient rnpor-
lance.
Raleigh was a clerks or sccrotarys copy
book containing loose sheets and letters,
among which was the particular letter OF Mr..
Davis to which / referred i'm my 81. Louis
speech j gave 1t little attention ut the time
because Mr.. Davis was then himself fugi-
tive and his opinions had little or no impor-
tance. but it explained to my mind why Gov
ernor Vance. after sending 10 me commas
sioners to treat for his State separately, had
common talk about my headquarters at the
time, or as stated by Colonel Dayton In re-
cent letter to me from Cincinnau; II am quite
sure that we generally talked (that) Il was the
desire of Governor Vance and the state om-
cials to take North Carolina out OF the Con-
federacy, as j have stated. but they were
afraid of Jefferson Davis, ana wanted pro'ec-
/ feel for Senators Brown and Vance q
strong personal respect and believe their ac-
| ton during the war and since has been manly
and fair; but there was correspondence be-
| tween the Governors OF States In rebellion
| with the Richmond authorities about the" Con-
script law, the suspension OF the writ OF
| habeas corpus, and the use OF State troops
which IL published would be valuable con-
| tributon to the history of our times 1
never had any feelings of bitterness toward
| the soldiers of the South who fought and took
| influences which had made them believe they
| were fighting for their own country and for
| freedom, but toward the original conspirators
| / did feel a wrath somewhat akin To that or
| Mr. Stephens in April, 1854, which he described
| as enough to burst ten thousand bottles. Yet
| even as to them If convinced that have been
! deceived or bamboozled shall not hesitate to
aap thE2guAh h # MIL Of take mere denas h aas1
never been personally acquainted with Mr.
| Davis, because was in California during the
| whole period of his administration OF the War
no.. lint rrfn hn piU
| since h. 8 name has been used universally hS
| ANONYMOUS with treason and the rebellion,
with its list OF hundreds Oh thousands OF tnS
| the necessary waste and devastation OF prop
| erty; with an awful National debt, and with
| "a pension roll of $6OOOJ,UO ut this very date.
| If am prejud .ced against him personally 1t
| arises from the fact that he more than any
living man brought rcproach on the mllltary
| academy and regular army With which he was
] associated by i'm pairing the fair fame they had
earned for fidelity to thor oath, 10 recover
which we have had to battle with an adverse
| public opinion ever since. When he was u
| cadet and army officer he must have taken
the customary oath 10 support, maintain,
| United States against all her enemies and OPP
posers whomsoever, and whilst Secretary OF
| War and Senator in Congress he must have
| taken a similar oath; yet he did consplre with
others as early as January, 1861, after Mr.. Lin
| coin was fairly and constitutionally elected
| President of the United states. 10 destroy tho
very Government which he had sworn To de-
fend, and he did set up another government
necessarily hostile to it, of which he became
ehe dtd wh eh Rresdeh dhe
| Rights prime pies. the very doctrine on which
| he had justified secession from the United
| States, and then opposed sovereignty. These
| are plain palpable facts, not likely to be for
| gotten by the present generation or the next
| IL ever. i say, therefore with fun knowledge
of the consequences, he enrolled his name
| with those of Arnold and Burr instead of. as
| he might have DONE with those OF washing
| ton and Lincoln
This is all have TO say Mt this time. Mean
| time the Government WILL trust, publish the
/ records and corr dependence of the war,
| both Union and Confederate, and can await
/ the result with perfect compOsure. The Grand
| Army of the Republic also, with its 5000 posts
/ and ga 45t old Union soldiers, will continue TO
/ NEE, to Interchange their thoughts, sing their
/ patriotic songs, and perpctuate the memory
| and traditions of the war of the rebellion
1 quite as important and quite as lasting as
| can DO the more formal documentary history.
! No Nation can afford to put fidelity and
| treachery on n par and hope to survive. and
/ that this Government means to survive ana
| perpetuate its invaluable advantages have
| abundant faith. will also append to this let
| tor copies of documents, one of which-th0
| secret message of Mr.. Davis of February y
| 1864, 10 the Confederate Congress-has never
| before to my knowledge been published. The
| original was captured, and Is held by a friend,
| who claims it as trophy. l am, with great
i respect, your obedient servant,
II -