The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-11-18
SOME FACTS FOR CONSUMPTION,
The Might Havo Been-How Near the
Confederacy Came to Securing Success.

Confederacy Came to Securing Success.
Gen. McCrady's admirable description
of the character and composition of th'
Confederate army brings to mind, witt
painful reality, the different phases o
the mighty struggle. In the early Sum
mer of 1863 the hopes of the Confeder
ates were at the highest. When th'
Army of Northern Virginia marched init
Maryland the soldiers hardly believed i
possible that they could be defeated, ant
their generals regarded them as invisible
On the very eve Of the battle of Gettys
burg the Hon. Francis Lawley, the cor
respondent of the London Times, sen
through the lines dispatch to his paper
announcing a forthcoming victory tina
would probably bring the war to a close
We ali know what followed. Repulsee
at Gettysburg, the Confederates sullenly
fell back and recrossed the Potomac
Then came the appalling news of tht
fall of Vicksburg. The Mississippi wa:
open again from the Ohio to the Gulf
and the Army of Northern Virginia wa'
shattered, though not disnayed.
It a common remark that the success:
of the North was ensured at Gettysburg
and Vicksburg, and that the bloody con
Aicts of the succeeding years were waste
of precious life and treasure. But they
we're not so. Nearly year after the
grand charge on Cemetery Hill and the
9TH of July celebration on the Mississip
pi, the Confederate States were on the
very brink and threshold of absolute anc
assured independence. And by reason
of indomitable courage and hard fighting
The Government at Washington va:
prepared in 1864 to make peace with the
Southern Confederacy on the basis o.
Horace Greeley's old platform, "Way
ward sisters, depart in peace" This, is
startling assertion, am aware, and give
my authority for it.
By far the best account of the Fedora
campaigns in the East is that which il
given by Mr.. William Swinton in his
Campaigns Of the Army Of the Potomac
There he portrays with striking realism.
the assault of the Union forces upon the
Confederate lines at Cold Harbor in May
1864, and says: "Some hours after the
failure of the first assault, Gen. Meade
sent instructions to each corps comman
der to renew the attack, without reference
to the troops on his right or left. The
order was issued through these officers tc
their subordinate commanders, and from
them descended through the wonted
channels; but no man stirred, and the
immobile lines pronounced a. verdict
silent, yet emphatic, against further
slaughter. The loss on the Union side
in this sanguinary action was over thir
teen thousand, while on the part of the
Confederates it is doubtful whether il
reached that many hundreds
In the following chapter Mr.. Swintor
says: "Now so gloomy was the military
outlook after the action on the Chicka
hominy, and to such degree by conse
quence had the moral spring of the pub
lie mind become relaxed, that there aDa
at this time great danger Of collapse O
the war. The history of this conaic
truthfully written will show this" In {
note Mr.. Swinton adds: "The archives
of the State department, when one day
made public, will show hoau deeply tn
Government aoas affected by the want o.
military success and to a0hat resolution
the Executive in consequence had come"
The foregoing remarks of Mr.. Swinton
and particularly the significant note
attracted the attention of an old comradt
of mine in the Army of Northern Vir
ginia, who happened to know Mr.. Swim
ton very well. Upon the first suitable
occasion he reminded Mr.. Swinton o
what had been written, and asked hin
what the archives of the State depar
ment could show, aud what were tht
resolutions to which the Executive hat
come. Mr.. Swinton gave the following
explanation, which | put as nearly as
can remember it in the words of m!
friend.
Mr.. Swinton said that during the over
land campaign in 1864, and at the TIM
of the battle of Cold Harbor, he was a
Gen. Hancock's headquarters. AS cor
respondent of the Times, he had given
plain and straightforward narrative o
the course aud condition of affairs in th'
! Army of the Potomac. The mig ght afle
the battle of Cold Harbor, or perhaps OF
the following day, he received Telegram
from Mr.. Seward, the Secretary of State
requesting him to come at once to Wash
ineton. Mr.. Swinton had not the homo
of Mr.. Stewards acquaintance and showet
the telegram to Gen. Hancock, who sait
that the proper course was to compl,
| instantly with the request. Upon arriv
ing at the Federal Capital, Mr.. Swinto1
called on Secretary Seward and wa
asked.by him to tell him frankly wha
was the exact position of the Army o
the Potomac, as regarded fighting capaci
ty and morale. Gen. Grant, it was said
had telegraphed that "the fight was oll
of the Army of the Potomac" and MI
Seward, at all events, wanted to know th
whole truth. He explained to MI
Swinton that he had sent for him becaus
his letters in the New York Times ha'
proved him to be q close observer, an,
one who was determined to be candle
and fair in his statements. Mr. Swintol
gave the information that was asked fol
and Mr.. Seward told him that it agree'
completely with what he had heard from
other quarters, and that be should b
obliged to Mr. Swinton if that gentleman
would go up with him to his residence a
Auburn, New York.
Arrived at Auburn, Mr.. Seward in
formed Mr.. Swinton, in so many words
that the Government could not carry ON til
sUar any longer, that the people we're wear.
of it, that the credit of the Governmen
was failing, and that more soldiers coul
not be obtained. He said that the Presi
dent had determined to open negotiation
for peace, and, it was desired that
series of leading articles should be pub
lished in the New York Times, settin
forth the embarrassments of the militar
and financial situation and preparing tn
public for what was to come. Mr.. Swim
ton consented to write the leading article
in question, and as soon as they wer
ready submitted them to Mr.. Seward
who made some few triling alteration
and accepted the articles as likely t
answer their purpose. It was arrange
that next morning Mr.. Swinton shoul
return to New York, and that the first o
the Peace articles should appear on tn
following day. The morning came, an.
with it Mr.. Seward, who, with face al
aglow, said: "Swinton, you can tear u
your articles. Sherman has turned 10
Johnston's strongest position. Johnston