The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-01
lost Fors Done.son. Gen. Beauresard. in

}o4G Fort Uoues1ou. Oe0. Oe10Se81fus an
hislniIisary memoirs, says Of Davis:
A. . military question: fhs coasedersey consa
Rot have satssd nsd the soush had for president
eftstr . military m&a Of high order o. . pralsss-
esar os see Gsss esass. wit5ous military psescn-
ssoe:s such o. Howell COBB. The south did mos
faii;eyushe1 By the mere weight o. the NORM,
botis 80 uibbied away At eli sides snd ezds.
oecsziSs is executive bead never gathered snd
wissssd tn strength usder the resdy advsns-
egss Ia. greatly reduced or nenfsa;Sxsd fsA I'D
vergsry's naked. phys.cas superiority. Psss.ss
defensive policy rasy make . long sgcny, but
eaa.ssver win wa:.
IL quarre!ee with every eminent Con-
fedt-ste sase Lee. and he absurdiy wrote
ats the war that he considered "Stone-
vaa Jackson rather than Lee the greatest
soldier Of the confede.acy." He did not
knsx how TO eonci!ia:e or forgive. but was
SepsIIant when conciiiatsou was necessary
anc unyieiding when sure defeat stared
him in the face. Lincoln offered the South
peace with payment for their slaves after
Vitksburg; again in January. 1865. and
again in March. 1856. These terms we're
acceptable to Gems. Lee and Longstreet,
TO sx-Caited States Supreme Court Judge
Casnpbeil. his assistant secretary Of war:
70 she governors Of North and South Car
olipa. and to Hunter, of Virginia: but
Dasis would accept nothing but indie
pefsfience. because, an intense egotist, he
knew that peace relega.ed him to obscur-
ity, OF Davis. Judge CAMPBELL wrote:
Eo wss united TO manage revolution or TO
eoncncs an administration siov. pfocrastinat-
Ing obstructive. filed with petty serupies and
DOUBTS. ana wanting in . clear, strong. intrepid
judgment. Q vigorous resolution. ana generous
and ssas-sacrincing nature, be became In the
clos;n Nc part OF the war m incubus and . mis-
chiaf.
Nor 10 the Southern charge true that
Davis endured any "vicsrious suAerings
~ The hands Of the government" He en-
duisd only season of captivity. - did
Vics President Stephens. Assistant 6ecre-
tary OF War Campbell and . number Of
otter eminent Confederate civilians who
we've not sheltered as soldiers. as Lee and
his captains were by the implied condi-
TOES of Grants terms Of surrender. The
government confined Davis for two years
at Fortress Montroe. and from May Ii,
1857, until his death, December 6, 1889.
Davis Was subjected to no more "vicarious
suiierings for the deeds of the South"
thssi Robert Toombs or Gen. Early. who.
except Davis, were the only Con!ederates
OF note to spurn the conditions antecedent
to relief from political disabilities. Lee,
JOHNSTON. Longstreet. Beauregard, Ste
phsns, Gordon. Hampton. Lamar, every
otter Confederate asked to be relieved from
political disabilities, but Davis. Toombs
ana Early postured from first to last a
irrseoncilables. After his release in May.
1867, he was absolutely free from all .'vics-
rioas suffering for the South" for the
rest OF his days. Had he been
hanged in 1868. as he surely would
have been by any other government,
he would have suffered "vicariously"
perhaps. and 30 would Toombs, Stephens,
all of Davis cabinet, the leading members
OF the Confederate congress and the war
governors Of the Confederate states. After
Davis escape from justice in May. 1867,
there was no "vicarious suffering for the
devds Of the South" on part Of any body,
AMI least Of all by Davis. who spent the
rest OF his days posing as the wandering
ghost Of the lost cause. foaming at the
mouth with epileptic rhetoric concerning
ststs supremacy at every public oppor-
tunity.
This is the whole truth about Davis, who
was in nothing great or heroic character:
he il rather to be classed as one of the
no;orieties Of history, like Robesplerre,
than with historic great men.