Evening star., 1895-05-25

Richmond in sanctioning the assemblage or
the Virginia legislature. The call for the
assembling of that legislature was autnor-
lied by the President while he was at Rlch-
mond after the surrender, and as soon as
Mr. Stanton heard of it and saw the call
in the papers, ne at once ordered Gen.
Weitzel who was in command at hlch-
mond to revoke the Presidents permit TO
disperse the legislature if it had assembled
and to permit no body to assemble ana as
sumo the powers of state government.
Midnight Summons.
But the most pronounced exhibition OF
Mr. Stanton's authority to command was
when he summoned from their beds Presi-
dent Lincoln, who was at the Soldiers
Home three miles in the country; the
cabinet, and the general-in-chief of the
army, to the War Department, at midnight
on the 23d of September, 1868, to consider
the grave question of saving the defeated
army of RoSecranS at Chattanooga IEat
night the orderlieS and messengers, DASH
ing away from the War department.,
Illustrated Mr.. Stanton's Will power ana
energy to send 10000 men from the army
of the Potomac, then on the Rapidan, to
Chattanooga. At this cabinet meeting L
heard at my desk the President ana Gen.
Halleck oppose the taking OF SO great an
army from Gen. Meade, because II Wouid
weaken him too much in the presence OF
Lee and because SO great a numper OF
men equipped for war could not be gotten
n Chattanooga L
Gen. Meigs, who went west with the troops.
sent Mr. Stanton telegram saying that IL
he was the author of the movement OF the
troops, it was not only the greatest rali=
read feat ever accomplished in the trans
nortatjon of troops, but it was master
stroke of will and energy.
In the closing act of the great rebellion,
Mr. Stanton, watching closely the events
ali along the lines, and filled with fiery i'm
petuosity, at night cabinet meeting in
April, 1865, under President Johnson, set
aside the terms of the Sherman-Johnston
surrender at Raleigh wrote in the name OF
the President the orders sending Gen.
Grant to set the terms aside and to assume
command, and that night told the people III
his famous mine reasons" why the terms
were set aside.
OF these nine reasons President Johnson
told Gen. Sherman that he knew nothing,
and had no part in their PRONUNCIATION;
that it was Mr.. Stanton's work. That
night Cen Grant did not want to go to
Raleigh, and when he got there he would
not assume command, but the terms were
set aside, and in thler place rev terms OF
surrender were made.
The Peace Conference.
Referring to the Presidents conference in
January, 1865, with peace commissioners
from Richmond, Mr.. Stanton did not want
the President to grant that conference
The Secretary, who had watched the mat
ter from the beginning, believed the COM
ing of these commissioners to be trap
laid for the President, whose goodness and
gentleness were known. The history of
that conference shows that both Gen. Grant
and the President were deceived in the
declarations of these commissioners, which
era bled them to get that conference.
Mr.. Stanton did not want to go with the
President, and to test the sincerity OF their
mission he advised the President to send
Gen. Eckert, then assistant secretary of
war, and now president of the Western
Union Telegraph Company to go as an ad-
vance representative of the President, with
certain Instructions to govern him in his
that conference Gen. Eckert learned that
the mission of these commissioners was to
obtain peace on the basis of the wreck of
the Union. He thereupon refused to permit
them to come further than Gen. Grants
Headquarters. At the suggestion of Gen.
Grant the conference did, however, take
place, and ended in rcthing.
When Gen. Eckert returned to the War
Department, on entering Mr.. Stantons
room, he raised both hands above his head
and said: Mr. Secretary, you were head
told the Secretary all that was said and
done. He made no written report of that
conference with the President, but l know
that Mr.. Stanton enjoined him to closely
watch the proceedings. Mr.. Stanton had
great confidence in him and was his friend.
So far as l know, every person who was
at that conference. except Gen. Eckert, has
left his record and views of what was said
and done for the historian. AS he has never
published word about this extraordinary
conference which was ostensbly, to close
implore him to break his silence, to tell