The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-16
VIII.


VIII.
There is scarcely a page In tho second vo,.
ume that does not invite quotation. hu, ~,
must pass to the second OF the controversies. in
which MIR. stanton became involved. th,,
namely. which grew out OF his dlsapproyal ~
the terms granted by Gen. Sherman IN ,ha
Confederate force under Gen. Johnston Tbos,
terms. IL will be remembered. set forth th,,
the Confederate soldiers should be furlougheI
with their arms in their hands; that The Con.
federate State Governments should insta,-
taneously acquire the powers OF State govern.
ments within the United States. and that i'm.
munity should be granted to all who had h,on
in rebellion. as to both their persons and nror.
erty. no exception being made respecting Slaves
Gen.Sherman seems to have regarded the terp,a
as certain to be accepted by President Johnson
but 1t is now known that they were not approval
by Gen. Grant. who. in pursuance Of an orI,r
signed by Secretary Stanton. proceeded T.,
Sherman's headquarters. and superseded him
in the command Of his army. The records aJ.
duced by tho author OF this book show tbat i,
is far from being truo that the course pursued
by Gen. Sherman was objected to by civilians
only. On the contrary. the documents proye
that Gen. Grant was the first to declare tbo.
Ten. Sherlnan's terms were unacceptable. and
that he was energetic in pushing forward tina
rejection OF the agreement. In a letter written
to Sherman he says: Il read IL the apren.
mentl carefully before submitting 1t to tina
President and Secretary OF War. and frIt
satisfied that It could not possibly h.,
approved" When Grant left Washington
for Sherman's headquarters he was fur.
nished by Secretary Stanton with the following
nine reasons. on the score OF which the PresI.
dent deemed the agreement made with John.
ston inadmissible: First. II was an excrcis,
OF authority not vested In Gen. Sherman, and.
on Its face. shows that both he and Johnston
knew that Gen. Sherman had no authority to
enter into any such agreement. Secondly, il
was a practical acknowledgment Of the rebel
Government. Thirdly. 1t undertook to re-
establish tho rebel State Governments TINT
had been overthrown at the sacrifice of many
thousand loyal lives and an immense treas.
ure. and placed the arms and munitions OF war
In the hands OF rebels at their respective capj-
tails. which might be used as soon as tho
armies OF the United States were disbanded.
and used to conquer and subdue the loyal
States. Fourthly. by the restoration OF rebel
authority In their respective States they would
be enabled to reastablish slavery. Filthy, il
might furnish a ground OF responsibility
for the Federal Government to pay the rebel
debts. and certainly subject the loyal citizens
OF rebel States to debts contracted by rebels in
those States. Sixthly. 1t would put In dispute
the existence Of loyal State governments. and
the new State OF West Virginia. which had
been recognized by every department OF the
United States Government. Seventhly, it
practically abolished the conascation laws and
relieved the rebels OF every degree who had
slaughtered our people from all pains and
penalties for their crimes. Eighthly, 1t gavs
terms that had been deliberately. repeatedly
and solemnly rejected by President Lincoln,
and better terms than the rebels had ever
asked in their most prosperous condition.
Ninthly. 1t formed no basis Of true and
lasting peace, but relieved the rebels
from tho pressure Of our victories, and
left them in condition to renew their
efforts to overthrow the United States Govern
ment and subdue the loyal States whenever
their strength should he recruited and any CD.
portunitys should be offered" 1t will be remem-
bered that Gen. sherman was incensed at the
rejection of his agreement. and still more at the
reasons given therefor by Mr.. Stanton. In his
" Memoirs" published seven years after Mr..
death. he expresses the opinion that
" the publication Of this bulletin by authority
was an outrage upon me. for Mr.. Stanton had
failed to communicate to me In advance. as
was his duty. the purpose OF his Administra-
tlon to limit our NEGOTIATIONS to purely military
nah he had authorized me to- control
AL matters. civil AMI military" Touching
n 1his hssssF sppsal Mr. in G2 shs4ms GH's'EHySsf .m sha, Z
thor S;Ii him ma at sHTannsha No control al mat
sh i NAM on n4 April if' IL had assured stEfspt M. 81 Stanton nSm,
voluntarily that he would limit his negotiations
q np IN Rr iPil1se aS H %sthe IS an ana ad Hs ni me 81 h 10
:, FOLLY" In exceeding that limit. 1t is difficult
Tons to fe9 @GutsS TR 9o eem thSafins i to Eaf h Ma. S *the
purpose Of the Administration" to place upon
him the b;m Limit LIN, .v which Sb,t he , had ailFsady placed
ter, of his office clearly imposed upon him. His
lack OF information as to what instructions had
ton Of his admitted folly. He .knew' that
no such folly had been committed by Grant.
f i w aoW a' sn iiveesaRls r pmSsri as It was in.
stantly by Grant and Stanton. that Sherman
seriously embarrassed the Government Ry
sons approval. might. from. the nature Of the
Of evils, The agreement made with Gen. John.
sta did not td dispr m, TIE enemy nor dismsntls
federacy. 1t did not oven provide in terms Tor
the disappearance Of the, Confederate army.
Al the VERY Fry S%n, the G9nf sds1. states were e
csplt 6Snfs ID vsea. arms fSst Il Zen. 4. shsf 9wS , s.Sss
adherents ofthe Government. Even his brother.
:" I am distressed beyond measure at the terms
granted Gen. Johnston by Gen. s.. They are
IN, ,na tsTms arsnte Thssre As shM9 M. sta nSy be b D literally zany
sons for setting aside the sherman Johnston
terms had then been in print in the newspa-
pers i've days. this was q distinct acknowledge
lnent on the part OF Senator Sherman that he did
not consider the publication OF them as doing
his brother any injustice. The ground for tho
publication OF the reasons, which gave 50 much
the present biographer: He l~stantonI real,
lied on this occasion that the Generals great
would make the disayowal OF his plans
disturbing. and. perhaps. dangerous to the
peace OF the country and the morale OF the
army. unless the people and the army could he
to see clearly how serious a mistake had
been made by their popular idol Of tho march
70 the, sea- He knew. how great would. be
tbe disappointment of the soldiers aud Of
their friends to have O resumption of hos
t%llities ordered from Washington. instead Of
the peace which was 50 soon to have restored
the soldiers to their homes. 1t was to guard
against the consequences OF this disappoint-
ment that he placed before the country the
unanswerable and invincible arguments con-
tanned In his nine reasons. To these he never
ton. They express both the law and the COM
mon sense OF the case. The great soldier who
had Numbered must be shown to have blum
dered."
4 paragraph published in the Tribune con-
foipah tho afafan1nnf that nan Eharp1on %