St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-08-06
A Famous Letter of Grants.
Sold Last Week for S2oo-Items of Inter.
est about the Memoirs.

c.. L. Webster, of the firm which is
publishing General Grants memoirs,
bought last week from DR.. j. X. Wal
lace of Bantam, Conn.,, for $500, the
original unconditional surrender letter
addressed by Gen. Grant, Feb. 16, 1862,
to Gen. S. B. Buckner of the cOnfeder-
ate army. When the Century pub
lished Gen. Grants article on Fort
DOnelsOn in December, 1884, it con-
tanned an photographic copy of the ia
nous unconditional surrender letter.
The article said that no one knew
where the original letter was. The
letter read:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY IN THE FLED,
CAMP NEAR DONELsON, Feb. is, 1862.
Gen. S. b. Buckner, Confederate Ar
my-Sir: Yours of this date profess
ing an armistice and appointment of
commissioners to settle terms of capitu
latiOn is just received. No terms ex-
cept an unconditional and immediate
surrender can be accepted. l propose
to move Immediately upon your works.
| am, sir, very respectfully, your ODE
dent servant,
U. S. GRANT, Brigadier General.
Lawyer d. C. Kilbourne of Litch-
field saw the article and wrote to the
publishers of the Century that he knew
where the original letter was. DR.. j.
X. Wallace of Bantam, near Litchfield,
married Danbury lady who was the
cousin of the wife of Gen. Rawlins,
Grants chief of staff and secretary of
war. When Gen. Rawlins died in
July, 1879, he was attended by DR..
Wallace, and the doctor says Rawlins
gave him the letter in November, 1873,
with the remark it would sometime be
valuable. The Century sent to Mr..
kllbourne, secured the letter for one
day and had fac smile made. G. l..
Webster of the firm which is publish-
ing Grants memoirs, went to Bantam
to see the letter. DR.. Wallace showed
the document, and Mr.. Webster recOg-
nized its genuineness at a glance. DIR.
Wallace said he had once had an offer
of $40 for it from New York man,
now dead. He had refused $50 for it
offered by the Webster publishing
company. Mr.. Webster offered him
$500 for it, which was finally accepted.
Mr.. Webster returned TO New York
with the valuable letter. He says he
Will sail for Europe on Saturday with
four complete copies of the first vol
ume of the memoirs for translation.
The plates for England and Australia
will be made in New York and for
warded to be printed there. For the
other countries they will be translated.
MIR. Webster says that when the gen
eral needed stenographer, he dared
not trust even Mr.. Webster's private |
for fear the notes would |
be stolen. Mr.. Webster |
therefore accompanied the stenOgra-
ind then the nOJes Wa hnnrs each I'm
Ter his eyes, and the shorthand notes |
destroyed. On Saturday before the
death Mr.. Webster showed
,im the proof sheets of the first vol
ime, and together they revised them
wen to the last pages. Grant put Sher-
dams name on one of the maps, which
las since been mortised into the plate
t was MIR. Webster's intention to pre-
ent the general with the first copy of
he first volume last week. Grant was I
to illustrating the books, but
eft 1T to the publishers Judgment.
When asked if he wanted Rosecrms'
lcture to appear in it, he said Ger {
ilnly, if others do, for he did noble
ork, aud | shall let no personal feel
lgs come in here"