The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-09-09

Diary ANA t4luhble kSctifuiSctReN
which Show that if Any Cahinc
Meeting was Held ut Washington
Georgia. not More than Two Mem
bers Of President Daviss Official
Family Could Have Been Present
The Truth Hs To what WAS Said and
Done at the Memorable Council Ol
War Held at Col. Burt's House.
To the Editor of The Sunday News:
have read the article headed "Abbevl!le
Claim" which appeared In the Issue VI lie
Sunday News OF August q, uitimo, ana III
response to your request Tor my recollection
of what took place at Abbev!iie, 5. Z. and al
Washington, Ga, during the last days oI the
Coniederacy, give you the following:
President Davis WAS escorted IRON Char-
lotte, n. c., TO Abbevllle, 5. u, by five bril-
gades, or more properly speaking, 10y the
remnants ui five brlgades OF cavalry, VIZ
Dukes, Vaughans. DlobreIl's William s,
(the latter commanded by COZ. -. +: breck;
enridgeO and my own. Al! under com mahd
of Gen. BraXton Bragg. We marched gener.
ally by different roads, camping III Inc
neighborhood of the President. will first
quote from my journal, kept al the time, lheu
state some facts from memory.
Cokesbury, May 3.
Had an interview with the President and
Gen. Duke, al the camp OF the latter They
moved on To Abbevllle and was lett 10 walt
at. .Cokesbury junction until Gen. Diobreii
should come up, but about an hour later l
was rdered by Gen. Bragg TO move TO Abbe-
VILE, at which place reported To Gen. John
G.. breckenridge, who directed me TO camp on
the road TO the pontoon and TO meet the
President and general officers in council OF
ngar, at 4:3O p. m; Met the president,
ii Dlbbrell aud Col. w. c. p. Breck enridge,
manding Williams Kentucky brigade,
ouncil.
was decided to push on more rapidly,
% that night at IL o'clock, and that
reckenridge should in person com
the cavalry. That the specie We
ding should be paid out to the men
rs present, and that brigade com
=, mould be allowed TO Iurlough or
4any officer or private at once upon
or accept the resignation oil any
. AS l brought up the rear l
Started un til about AIN. Gen.
marched with me; we did not
fr until the following morning,
n went into camp near the river.
Is here distributed 10 the dlfer-
each OF my men and officers col
.ceived orders from Gen. Breck-
.I| rch att n. IN. tor Washington
Ahile the other brlgad were
keeping the funds issued Tor
80 IN In bulk. Reached Washing
m. and went into camp ON the
hon just outside The town. Re
|, iiom Gen. Breckeuripge 10
ut six miles on the Madison
ceived orders from Gen. Brdck-
~ owe toward with my brigade and
mand. Gdlluped up 10 MIN an0
lat had taken place.
Ycacts show that Gen. Brecken.
joined Mr.. Davis at Washington,
e confirmed by Mr.. Davis's own
1t Davis, in his Rise and Fall OF
derate Government" Vol. 2, pages
IS says: Il crossed the (Savanuuh
.rly In the morning Ot the 4Ih oI
th company which had been de
my escort, aud rode some miles To
house, where halted TO get break
q get our horses Ted. There l learned
regiment OF the enemy were moving
o. w ashfngt ton, Ga, ich was one OF our
S OF supplies, and sent back courier,
pencil note addressed to Gen. Waugh
the officer commanding the advance,
sting him TO come on and join us I'm
sse smin being npaceSstumsd COSTUME 10 10 rave rave
3rseback, parted from me at the house
Ire we stopped 10 breakfast TO take anotn.
mode OF conveyance and h different ronse
m which l was pursuing. with intent to
DIN me In the Trans-Mlssissippl depart.
0ent. At Washington the Secretary of the
lazy, Mr.. Mallory, left Inc temporarily u
Intend TO the needs OF mis- family. The Sec.
B.etary OF War, Mr.. Breckenridge. had r.-
Fthe Savannah River.
During the night after my arrival in
Washington he sent me an application for
authority TO draw from the treasure, under
the protection OF the troops, enough 10 make
them part payment. l authorized the
acting Secretary OF the Treasury 10 meet the
requisition by the - OF the silver coin Ia
the train. When'tL next day passed with
out the troops coming forward l sent note
TO the Secretary Of Wyr, showing the impoli-
cy OF my longer delay, having then heard
that Gen. Upton had passed within few
miles of the town on his way TO Augusta to
receive the surrender of the garrison and
military material al that place, In cOnformi-
ty with orders issued by Gen. johnson. This
was my first positive information OF the sur
render. 4. Secretary Reagan remained for a
short time to transfer the treasure IN bis
hands, except a few thousand dollars. and
then rejoined me on the road"
MIR. Reagan afterwards, when United
States Senator, told a reporter OF the .Balti-
more Sun In an interview at Washington, ID.
c., (see "The Memorial Volume of Jefferson
Davis by the Rev. j. VIM. Jones, page S37,
ct seq.)
81 remember very we'll our last formal
Cabinet meeting. II was after We had iell
Richmond and were travelling through the
southern portion of North Carolina. l be-
lieve IL was just near the border of the two
States, North and South Carolina. 1t was
\under big pine tree that we stopped 10 take
some lunch. Mr.. Trenholm, the Seer etary OF
the Treasury, was absent. He had been tax
en- sick at Charlotte and. after trying to keep
up with Us for ABOUT twenty miles, he gave
out and rendered his resignation. The resig-
nation ofMr. Trenholm was discussed and II
was finally accepted. and | was selected to
take charge OF his office in conjunction with
that OF Postmaster General"
He then relates the retirement of Mr..
George Davis, the Attorney Genral, and
"After the Attorney General left US there
we're only four member OF the Cabinet LEFT TO
continue the journey to Washington, Ga,
which was our destination. There was
Breckenridge. Secretary Of War; Benjamin,
Secretary OF State Mallory, Secretary OF the
Navy, and myself. We put up at Abbeville,
s. c., for the night, because we were inform
cd fhofo lNf nj Nan n ynlr rv lin, Mos /,
ington, Ga. At that point BENZ jamin said he
proposed to leave the country aud get Us far
away from the United States as possible. .
From these extracts IT IL evident that hut
two OF his Cabinet reached Washington. Ga,
with Mr.. Davis and that one of them (Mal.
lory) left him there to attend the pressing
needs OF his family. 1t Is not reasonable 10
suppose that he waited to attend Cabinet
meeting with but one other member.
have always been under the impression.
and still believe, that there was meeting OF
the Cabinet at Ab5eville after the council OF
war. All circumstances point TO IL. All OF
the Cabinet, who were available. were there
the crisis had come when the President was
assured that the troops who were escor,ing
him could not be depended upon to accom-
pany him 10 the Trans Mississippi
The agreement reached to parole and dis
charge officers and men, upon application
could surely not have been made by Gen
Breckenridge alone, and IT, is not likely that
President would have authorized il without
consulting his official advisers who were on
the spot.
Moreover, some disposition of the treasure
was arranged after the council was concluded
for / received a hurry order to furnish n
wagon and team, TO. transport some Of it,
and not having time 10 get one from my
quartermaster empued my headquariei
wagon of It's contents and sent that.
So much for the Cabinet meeting which
Mr.. Reagan had, ! think, forgotten when
interviewed, years afterwards by the Sun
reporter.
When rs stated in nv journal | repOrtpd
to Gen. breckenridge, at Ahbeville. had u
long confidential conversation. in which
had gathered from my scouts, OF the move
menis and strength of the enemy, and of The
% I'm al nIl tnIlSll In O.