The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-08
An Incident of the COnfed.
CraCy.
CBv Patrick Henry Winston.)

(By Patrick Henry WInston.)
was riding on the cars one day, about
eight years ago, from Raleigh, North Car
DINA to Greensboro, with Alfred M. Scales
who was then the governor Of that State
He had been a member of congress from
North Carolina before the war, brlgadler
general IN the Confederate army, and
was man of ability, courage, integrity
and veracity
| We were talking about the war and
said:
| General, tell me something about the
war, that nobody knows; some inside his
tory"
Well replied the general, 81 will tell
you an incident that has never been pub
, llshed; something that Will interest you.
In the fall of 1854, while / was in com
mand OF my brigade in the trenches
i around Petersburg, Va, a courier rode
up to my tent and said that General 10
Davis of Mississippi, who commanded
/ brigade in Lees army, wanted to see me
at once on very important business. 1
told him to return to General Davis and
| tell him that would ride over to his bril-
gade and see him.
when 1 got there, I found an orderly
waiting to hold my horse, and 1 was at
once ushered into General Davis presence.
Besides General Davis, I found there two
other generals, one from South Carolina
and one from Florida. After passing the
compliments of the day, General Davis
said: Gentlemen have sent for you to
see if we can not agree upon some plan
| to put an end to this war. I have selected
General Scales because his State has more
soldiers in this army than any other; anu
General - of South Carolina because
his was the first State to secede from the
Union. am from Mississippi the pres
ident's State, and any plan that we may
agree upon, we can carry out. have just
returned from Richmond, and am salts
fed that this war is over; that the South
| is whipped, and that every drop Of blood
spilled hereafter will be murder
~ was completely astonished, said Gen.
eral Scales, "at hearing this. coming as it
did from General Davis. a nephew of Pres
ident Davis. I said, General Davis, did
you see the President while you were in
Richmond He replied:
"'I decline to say, whether I did or
not. but I did see enough to satisfy me
that the war is over
81 then asked him if President Davis
had any knowledge of this proposition or
of this meeting. He replied He knows
nothing of either
then inquired how he proposed to end
the war.
He replied:
al propose that, we four, march our
brigades over into General Grants lines
and surrender them
"To this startling proposal I answered.
| Tt may be true, General Davis, as you
have stated. that the war is practically
over; and it may also be true, as you
say, that every drop of blood spilled here
after will be murder, but l am not re-
sponsible for it. 1 shall surrender my bri-
gade when General Lee says so, and not
before
General -- of South Carolina. who
was considerably excited and indignant
said:
General Davis, if you attempt to exc
cute this design I will put my brigade be-
tween yours and Grants army and viii
have you put under arrest upon the slight
lest attempt on your part to do so'
General Davis, said: of course, gentle
men, have no idea of undertaking this
matter alone. am as willing as either
Of you to die for the Confederacy, but l
felt it my duty to try in some way to
stop the war-to stop the useless and
cruel expenditure of blood. could think
of no other way, and that's all there IS
to it,.
with that" concluded General Scales.
"we separated and rode back to my bri-
gade and that was the last of it."
asked General Scales "why he did not
publish this incident" why" said be,
you know everything is seized upon and
made the subject of controversy; the other
generals are dead, and if the matter was
to be denied and it became subject OF
controversy I have no witness"
| 'Well, General I replied, eff outlive
: you, I'm going to publish this" "All
right" he said.
believe General Scales is dead, as are
. so many of my old friends in North Caro-
!, lima. and as are nearly all of those VINO
went out to fight to establish the Confed-
crate government. If it be true that they
: sinned, it is also true that they settled up
, in full-paid with their fortunes and their
. lives; and so the account is closed