The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-09-11

against holding a 60 con-
slider the question of secession. But
when, in April, the clash of arms
came, and President Lincoln called
for troops, from this State in part to
restore the authority of the United
States in South Carolina and other
seeded States, a convention was at
once called on the historic goth of
Nav. and an ordinance of secession
adopted. Vance raised the second
organized in his district,
the "Rough and Ready Guards, of
sturdy mountaineers, and brought
them to Raleigh as their captain
early in May. His nomination for
the Governorship was unsought, and
it was accepted only after assurances
from many friends representing both
the old parties of the State, and
whose opinion he could not disre-
gard, that, in that Office, he could
best serve the Confederate cause as
we'll as the people of North Carolina.
To him as Governor it is due,
largely, that the rs regiments and
some unattached commands from
North Caronlina, were kept fuller
than those from any other State,
Notwithstanding that the bodies Of
more North Carolina dead strewed
the battlefelds of the country than
those of any other State that quite
one-sixth of the Confederate troops
hailed from this State that we had
a soldier for nearly every voter and
that one-ffth the Confederates sur
rendered by Lee at Appomattox and
One-half surrendered by Johnston at
Greensboro, were North CarOlinians.
But more than for these material
benefits, provided for the people of
North Carolina, their great debt to
him was the maintenance of the
civil authority and the supremacy
of law amid the clash of arms, his
protection of the humblest citizen
against illegal arrest. Alone, of all
the States Of the United States and
of the Confederate States with one
possible exception, inNorth Carolina,
during those four long dark years of
war, the writ of habeas corpus was
never suspended.
One evening, a few days after
Sherman had crossed the Cape Fear,
on his victorious march toward Raj
s he and Iwere walking towards
his residence at the foot of Fayette-
vile street, 1 said, Governor, Isup-
pose nobody can longer doubt that
the end is near at hand. His reply
was, mo, it must be So, but SO far
as 1 am personally concerned and but
for my wife and children, l would
rather die than to see it." He spoke
with much feeling and with tears in
his eyes.
He surrendered himself to the
Federal general in command at
Greensboro, in May 1865. 1t was
generally feared that he, with Presi-
dent Jefferson Davis and "a few others
of prominence, whose special arrest
had been ordered from Washington,
was to be tried and condemned to
death for treason. And so he left
with his heart-brOken wife a little
money a few friends happened to
have and offered to share with him,
and went to prison in the old capitol
at Washington. After Vance had
been lodged in prison, Tom Corwin
of Ohio, an old Wing Congressman,
distinguished for his wit and ability,
called to see him. After cordial
greeting given and received he said,
"Vance, I don't understand this. I
knew you Is a warm advocate for
the Union and here you are a pris-
oner for treason or something of the
kind, while your old secession oppo-
nents are left at home. 1 can't get
the hang of it," With a counte-
nance purposely elongated. Vance
replied, Il am afraid I will get the
hang of it before long"
Secretary of War Stanton, exam
lining the Governors letter book,
found that Vance had demonstrated
in most earnest terms, during the
war, with the authorities at Rich
mond upon learning that Federal
prisoners at Salisbury were INSULT
GENTLY fed and clothed. This mercy
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