Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-04-21

believe ti.at he was aeif-wiilcd nnt
arbitrary IN his action. Nothing coult
| be farther from the teal truth. But l
may be said with truth that he hat
| two characters; or rather that his con
| duct IN private life and In social cir
Giles was different from his action ~
the discharge OF public duties. In pri
1 vate life and In the family and s0cia
| circles he was one OF the most genia
| and pleasant men ! ever knew. ~
| gentle and tender as woman; he
| possessed an enlarged knowledge or thu
physical sciences which always made
| him Instructive. And his state papers
were Characterised by an erudition
rarely " ever surpassed by English
speaking scholars. In hts official ca
| pacity he was guided by a strong
sense OF duty. and had but little toll
GRAFTON for that class OF men who were
given 10 much talk and had no real
Information to communicates II Is like
~ that such Is the class who assumed
that he was harsh and self -wiiled.
You will understand that In HIS posi-
ton his whole time was necessarily
occupied with great duties and cnrcsi
and that he could not afford TO spend
his time in Improbable talk. In rela-
ton to suggestions which have been
made that he was self-willed and did
not consult others on public meas
urcs. / know that this TO be Incorrect.
When question OF Importance came
up sor consideration. whether from
persons or documents. and when this
had been done and n decision reached,
that was an end Of the question with
him. And It Is probable that persons
who. under such circumstances. Sun
Insisted on further discussion, with
out realizing the pressure on his
time, thought him self-willed. You
VIII understand that one In his post
ton. who had constantly to be decid-
ing the course 10 be pursued on great
questions must have acted as he did
IN order to get through with the pub
lie business.
l said there were some things illus
tratlve Of the character OF Mr.. Davis
not generally known 10 the public.
When General Grant was moving his
army down the Nississlppi below
Nicksburg, Mr.. Davis was notified that
his Briarflcld plantation and large
property would fall into the federal
hands, and was advised to send and
have the movable property carried
out OF danger. To this suggestion he
replied that the president OF the con-
federacy could not afford 70 employ
men 70 take care OF his private prop
erty And when the federal army was
moving on Jackson. Mississippi, he
was advised that his hill home in
Kinds county and his valuable IL
brary and other property there would
fall into federal hands. and that he
ought TO have IL removed to a place
Of safety, he made the same reply.
that the president Of the confederacy
could not AFFORD TO use men for the
security Of his private property. And
all movable property at both places,
including his negroes. were lost 70 him.
I make these statements because I was
present at each OF these conversations.
And I have not seen them In print.
may also refer to another Incident
Of both his character and
his coservetism. Colonel DAhlgren
made raid on Richmond, the then
capitol OF the confederacy, the object
or which was to liberate some twenty
two thousand prisoners. TO kill the
president and the members OF the oabi-
net, and to burn the city. Richmond
and our people were saved from these
by the merest accident
We had no troops In or near the city
At that time for It's defense. But
regiment OF clerks and officers In the
and citizens had been
and battalion of workmen
AT the Tredegar works, where our can
non and small arms were being made.
who on occasions OF danger were called
out for the defense Of the city. Col.
plan was to cross James
river some distance above the city
and pass down the south side OF the
river to Belle island where the PRISON.
erB were. release the prisoners and
then commence tine work OF destruc-
tlon and death in the city. But on
reaching the river he found II swollen
too much 10 be forded, and turned
down the north side of the river to-
wards the city. In the meantime no.
,ice OF his approach had been given,
and the Tredegnr battalion and the
regiment OF clerka and others had been
called to arms and sent up the river to
meet him. the Tredegar battalion In
advance OF the regiment. A short dis
lance above the city, at bend In the
road. this battalion was suddenly met
by Dahlgren's command, and was dis
peraed, and some OF the men captured.
A countryman some distance from
Them saw what had happened and
galloped his horse towards the city to
give the alarm. Just at the edge OF
the city he met the regiment which
and Informed him OF the disaster OF
The battalion, and that Dahlgren's
command were coming down the road.
By then It had become dark He d.
rected his men TO lie down, and sent
hla administers forward with tiircc-
lions as the enemy approached 10 fail
back slowly on the line OF battle, but
ae to define the advance and position
N the army. This duty was wen per-
formed. as many of these men wera
trained soldiers who had been Grip
pied In battle and appointed TO places
N the departments. 1t was dark
night and when Dahigfens men APP
Preached near enough the confedcfates
opened n destructive fire on them.
Killed a number OF men and horses
md stampedcd the fcderals They re- |
ired north across the Chickahominy, |
md after passing the Poneemky river |
we're ambushed by some furloughed |
loldlers who happened to be in that |
Vicinity, and learning OF Dahlgren'a |
prepared TO meet him. |
rhey killed Colonel Dahlgren and |
number Of HIS men. and made prison. |
RS OF more than four hundred OF them. |
These were brought 10 Richmond, and |
With them was brought the papers
IND orders showing the purpose OF the
aid as above stated, and also the |
urpentine balls and combustible mat
er to be used IN firing the city. II he
iai succeeded $4,000 prisoners would
AYE been turned loose 20 plumber ana |
,urn the city; tens OF thousands OF |
women and children would have been |
made homeless, the president and his
iabinet would have been killed and
he imagination may picture such |
'ther horrors as might have been per-
When the prisoners were
,rought to the city, and the papers I
md orders disclosing the purpose OF 4
he raid were turned over 10 the con-
oderate authorities. together with the |
mntter 10 be used In hnrn-