The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-23
ARnEv1LLE on WASHINGTON.
where Dfd Confederate Cabinet
HOLD Its Inst Meeting.

that the Daughters Of the Confederacy are
| inaugurating a movement to purchase and
preserve as a memorial the old Gen.
Heard house at Washington. Ca. as the
! place where the last meeting Of the Con-
| federate cabinet was held. and the Con-
federate goVsrnment virtually went TO
piecest' or Wig dissolved, Abbeville, S. g.,
again comes to the front and protests
against the proposed purchase, claiming
that the Burt house, in that city, is the
place where the last cabinet meeting was
held and the Confederacy came to an IN
timely end.
But the Daughters of the Confederacy
need not hesitate or falter in their praise
worthy movement under the slightest fear
that they may. make mistake in the
choice Of houses. while President Jeffer-
son Davis and family did spend a night
at the Burt house during his flight, 1t
was before he reached Washington and
made his FAM halt. for consultation at the
Heard house, There has never been
particle of official backing TO the Able
VINE claim, first or last, and l challenge
the persistent claimants 90 produce from
the ofhcial records a single line to show
that any kind of a cabinet meeting was
~ ~ NAiE .AouLN uOuSGt elmer before or
afterothe reported final meeting at the
Heard house, on May 3 or s, 1855.
'Carolinian," the latest recent writer
asserts that If the Daughters of the Con-
1ederacy viii investigate they will find
that the last cabinet meeting was held at
The house of Hon. Armistead Burt, in
Aooevlle, s. c. There il was decided to
abandon everything and the real flight of
Jen Davis began. From there such mem
DeTS of his cabinet x-or mil
their several ways" Now, there Is positive
PROOF, OF official record, that these cabinet
officers remained with President Davis and
were present at the regular cabinet meet
Ing held at the Heard House in Washing
ton, Ga. some four or five days after the
party left Abbeville. The actual dlsmem-
berment of the party and the real flight
of Jeff Davis started at Washington, and
not In Abbeville. 1t is also true that
nothing was abandoned until after the
Heard house meeting, so that Ii could not
have been decided to abandon every
Thing" as claimed by "Carolinlan," at
Abbeville.
The only official record have been able
to find in regard to the stop over at Able
Vile is a letter from President Davis TO
Hon. A. Burt, introducing Col Burton N
Harrison, his private secretary, whose
mission probably was to arrange for the
President and his family to be the guests
of his old friend Burt, while the party
rested over night IN Abbeville. tOf course,
several cabinet officers were in the party,
but there is not line on record, SO far as
/ can find, to show that any kind Of a cabi-
net meeting was held at the Burt house
or any final actic~ taken to disbaud the
organized government of the Confederate
states and to abandon everything
or even anything and take to an indiscrim-
mate flight" for safety. AS before stated
all this was deliberately planned and ex-
ecuted at the Heard house meeting, in
Washington, Ca, with as little confusion
as possible.
1t is perfectly safe to say nat the Heard
house was the final executive mansion and
headquarters of the Confederate states.
President Davis and family were surround
ed by the cabinet, each member of which
was still acting in his official capacity.
There were not only Secretary Of War
Breckenridge, Postmaster General Reagan,
Secretary of Navy Mallory. Attorney Cen
eral Davis and Secretary of State Benja-
min and Secretary of Treasury Trenholm,
but Gen. A. d. Lawton, the quartermaster
general and Gen. /. M. st. John, the COM
missary general, each In charge of his de-
partment stores. The money, quartermas-
ter's and commissary's stores were given
a final distribution, under official sanction
and without a reckless disregard to their
proper use. Then the collapse came and
all separated finally to seek safety as best
they could in a hasty flight. Postmaster
| General Reagan was the only cabinet Of
hcer who remained with President Davis
until his capture five days later, near 1r-
| winville, in Irwin county.
Accounting the foregoing as 1.-The truth
| OF history" the Daughters OF the Con-
| federacy can safely go forward and pur-
chase the Heard house and put 1t in shape
| to remain a valued memorial of The Last
DAYS OF the Confederacy." The building
| Is not only of brick, but was substantial
iy put up in 1924 as branch of the Bank
| of the state of Georgia. Every part,
therefore was made as near as possible
fire-proof and burglar proof. A fine vault.
| iron shutters, barred basement windows
| and other means of protection make the
house very desirable for the storing Of val
liable Confederate relics and records. As
| state headquarters OF the Daughters of
| the Confederacy no more appropriate place
| could be selected. The substantial char
| aeter of the house, as well as its clear
| title to great historic events, make il a
| safe investment and one that the Confed-
crate veterans and the Sons of Confeder-
| ate Veterans will no doubt join the Daugh-
| tiers of the Confederacy is securing and
| preserving Sidney Herbert.
| p S-Happiiy, there is one sole sur
! yivor" of the Confederate cabinet still
alive, Postmaster General John H. Rea-
gan of Texas, and any doubt as to when
| and where the last cabinet meeting was
| held could easily be settled by him. I
do not think. however. that the claim
of Abbeville is OF sufficient importance to
make any such appeal to him necessary,
| as all official records show that the Heard
| house was the place beyond question.
l. 81 S. H.
| S-o-S-
IN FAVOR OF LAW AND ORDER.