The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-16

ed him of the prelininaries OF Loeben and the
terms in which Napoleon then victorious, pro.
posed negotiations to the Archduke Charles. and
the sentiment he expressed that the civic crown
earned By preserving the life OF one cltlzen
confers truer glory than the highest achievement
merely military. General Sherman replied, with
heightened color that he appreciated such SEN
timent. and that TO put an end to further de-
vastation and bioodshed, and restore the Union,
and with it the prosperity of the country, were
to him objects of ambition. We then entered
into discussion of the terms that ought TO De
given to the Southern States on their submission
to the authority of the United States. General
Sherman seemed to regard the resolutions or
Congress and the declarations of the President OF
the United States as conclusive that the restora-
ton OF the Union was the object OF the war.
and to believe that the soldiers of the United
States had been fighting for that object. A long
official conversation with Mr.. Lincoln on South
ern affairs very short time before, had con-
WINGED him that the President then adhered to
that viewn
The most troublesome question, according to
General Johnston, what should be done
about Mr.. Davis and the Cabinet. The conclu-
sion of the council General Johnston summed up
in this way:
''In the course of the afternoon we agreed
upon the terms expressed in the memorandum
drawn up on the 18th, except that General Sher-
pean did not consent to:include Mr.. Davis and the
officers of his Cabinet in an otherwise general
amnesty. This consideration was mine, of
course, General Sherman did not desire the ar
rest of these gentlemen. He was too acute not to
foresee the embarrassment their capture would
cause; therefore he wished them to escape
Much of the afternoon was consumed in endeav-
ors to dispose of this part of the question in a
manner that would be satisfactory both to the
government of the United States and the South
err people, as well as to the confederate Presi-
dent; but at sunset no conclusion had been
| reached, and the conference was suspended, to
be resumed at o'clock next morning Think
ing it probable that the confidential relations Of
the Secr1..arv of War with Mr.. Davis might en-
able him TO remove the only obstacle to an ad-
iustment / Requested h!m W 'e'osfapn W JOIN
me as soon as possible"
On the following day the agreement was
signed, and the circumstances, General Johnston
says, were these:
General Breckenridge and Mr.. Reagan came
to General Hamptons quarters together an hour
or two before daybreak. After they had re-
eeived from me as full en- account of the discus
sion OF the day before my memory enabled
me to give, and had learned the terms agreed
upon and the difficulty in the way of full agree
ment, MIR. Reagan proposed to reduce them to
writing, to facilitate reconsideration In doing
SO, he included the article for amnesty without
expressions. The only one not fully agreed to-
this paper being unfinished when General Brock
inrdge and myself set out to the place of meet
ing, was to be sent to me there. When we met
proposed to General Sherman that General
Breckenridge should be admitted to our
discussion, as his personal relations with the
President of the Confederacy might enable him
to remove the obstacles to agreement that we
had encountered the day before. He assented,
and that gentleman joined US. We had con-
versed on the subject discussed the day before
perhaps o half hour when the memorandum
written by General Reagan was brought
read this paper to General Sherman as basis of
peace, pointing out to him that it contained
nothing which he had not already adopted but
the language that included the President and
Cabinet in the terms of amnesty. After listen
ing to General Breckenridge, who addressed him
conditions of peace, General Sherman wrote
very rapidly the memorandum, with the paper
presented by me before him. He wrote so rap
idly that thought at the time he must have
come to the place prepared to agree to amnesty
with no exceptions. His paper was different
from mine only in being fuller"