The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-01-28

Georgia instead Of to Washington.
State "ovcrcignty-thus prcsuming to
Judge Of matters irtrustcd to the Con-
| icdcratc Exccutivc--,,nIcrtakc to de-
Stroy the efficiency Of that executive
md to Subvcrt all measures undertaken
for the common defense and general
| welfare. The conduct Of certain States
in opposition to the laws passed for the
organization Of the army and prcscrva-
ton of discipline has caused many men to
reconsider t'.cir long cherished doctrine
Of State sovereignty and to come to the
conclusion that while in theory it is
beautiful and true, in fact and practice
it is utterly defective. ThsIrausc needs
power, and power to raise men, sub*ist-
encc and not sovereignty"
CONFEDERATE DESrOTIsM.
The army which had the honor to
! command in Atlanta moved forward to
Savannah. Ga. to Columbia, S. G.; to
Goldsboro and Raleigh, in North Caro-
lima, nearly a thousand miles inside the
Ccn:cdcracy, and during that period
November, 1864, to April, 1866 wit
messed hundreds, if not thousands. of
instances Of the effect Of the measures
and policy which Mr.. Stephens had
forcsecn were leading up to lcspotism.
y Confederate officer who had been
much in Washington in unfc-Lellu1o
days told me that we officers of the
regular army used to complain of the
favorit'Sm extended to certain army Off
GERS stationed at Washington. but this
was nothing compared to the favoritism
winch at that moment (lS65) prevailed
at Richmond, and that the sons of the
rich and influential sought aud obtained
ctcrkships in the departments, details to
gather the tax in kind, to enforce the
conscript law, railroad service, ETC., to
escape service in the Confederate ranks.
believed him and believe him now.
We continued to gather in from public
ana private sources much valuable in
formation which may never he revealed.
proving TO my mind that the government
at Richmond, partly from conviction and
partly from desperation, had thrown off
the mask and had passed from a confedcr-
alton Of sovereign and independent
States to u drSpotis,a almost personal 70
Mr.. Davis himself
GOVERNOR VANCE AFRAID OF EivIs.
The surrender of Lees army at Apo
mattoN occurred April 8, 1868; was
known to mc ut Smithlicld, n. -, on the
18th, and announced in general orders.
That night | reached Gulley's station,
and there came a locomotive and car
from Raleigh with three commissioners
M cssrS Graham. Swain, and Surgeon
Warren, Of the Confederate army--bcar-
ing letter from Governor Vance, of
which do not possess a copy. These
commissioners said tu me, without re-
serve, that when Governor Vance
dispatched them from Raleigh to my
camp Mt Guilcy's he wanted to make
terms for the State, and aftcrward that
he was afraid Of Jefr. Davis. At Raleigh,
though the mass OF the public records
had been carried of, yet number was
left behind at the State House and at the
Governors mansion, called the palace
which We occupied as Headquarters
during oar stay thcrc-viz, from April
l3 to April 20, 1865. These records and
papers were ovrrhaulcd by provost mar
shais and clerks, who delivered TO the
Adjutant General (Sawycr) such as con-
| tanned material information. and my per-
sonal attention WAS only drawn to such
as were deemed Of suflici, mt Importance.
Among the books collected at the pal
| ace" in Raleigh was a clerks or secrc-
tary's copybook containing loose sheets
and letters. among which was the par
| ticnlar letter Of Mr.. Davis to which !
referred in my st. Louis speech"
gave it little attention at the time, be-
! cause Mr.. Davis was then himself a
fugitive, and his opinions had little or
no importance; but it explained, to my
mind, why Governor Vance, after send
ing to me commissioners TO treat for his
State separately, had not awaited my
answer. 1t was the subject Of common
talk about my headquarters at the time.
or as stated by Colonel Dayton in re-
cent letter to me from Cincinnati: 81
am quite suro that we generally talked
thut it was the desire Of Governor Vance
and the State officials to take North
Carolina out Of the Confcderacy. as
havo stated, but they were afraid Of JEFF
ferson Davis and wanted protection"
TIE RECORDS BURNED.
During the campaign Of 1864-5 I did
not incumber myself much with papers.
Many were destroyed, and only essential
reports, returns and information were