The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-17
,. B. Bobbitt in the Sunny South.


passenger call his attention to a resi-
dence on his left near the western ex-
tremity of the street. That residence is
the special object of all Danvillians'
pride; therefore, 1t is prudent as well as
polite for the visitor to view 1t critical
~. The first impression conveyed by a
glimpse of the place is one of solidarity.
Set far back from the street in spacious,
well-kept grounds having frontage ex-
tending from Sutherlin to Holbrook ave-
nues-grounds that cover many acres in
the most fashionable part of the city
is large, square, stone residence build
ing of the more pretentous ante-bellum
type of architecture prevalent in vir-
ginia- That is the sutherlin mansion. bet
ter known locally. perhaps, as the
Last Capitol of the Confederate
States.'
Historic Landmark.
1t Is an historic landmark that old
mansion, and as such it ought to be
known throughout the south. For there
it was that the final scenes in the tragic
drama of the civil war were by the con-
federate government enacted. The end
of the Titanic struggle was not definitely
assured when the confederate govern
ment moved it's headquarters from Rich
mond to Danville-that was merely a
rather abrupt, yet not necessarily fatal,
change of base. But when the fugitive
government left the Sutherlin mansion,
its capitol, and Danville, its capitol, 1t
was no longer a stable government whose
mandates were respected or obeyed, 1t
was rather the broken and disorganized
and fleeing head of disheartened and
demoralized resistance to the re-estab-
lishment in the southern states of the
authority of the United States govern
ment. For exactly one week-from April
8 to April 10, 1S65-the Sutherlin mansion
was the confederacy's capitol. 1t is con-
corning what happened there during that
time that l write. There is an abund-
ance of corroborative proof to substan-
tiate all of the statements 1 shall make.
On April 2, 1865. General Lee ascer-
tanned that, in consequence of the main
line of his defenses at Petersburg having
been broken, 1t would be extremely in
judicious for him to attempt to longer
hold the fortifications guarding Rich
mond. He, therefore, informed President
Davis, In a telegram received by the lat
ter while in attendance upon divine SER
vices, that conditions necessitated the
withdrawal of his forces and advised that
the capitol be evacuated by the govern
ment simultaneously with such with
drawal Acting upon the advice of his
commander-in-chief. President Davis, his
cabinet and staff left Immediately for
Danville.
Arrives in DanviIle.
Upon arriving at their destination the
presidential party were met at the depot.
taken to his residence and entertained
by Maj W. T. Sutherlin, a wealthy and
.stf I,oII
of commissary and commandant at the
place, and who had been member of
Virginas secession convention While
there domiciled the president held cabinet
meetings, Issued a proclamation, and
formulated and issued numerous official
orders. A house on Wilson street was
used by the presidents staff and the Of
ficers of the various departments, and
there all routine government business
was transacted. However. during the
presidents occupancy of the Sutherlin
mansion that building constituted de
facto the capitol of the confederate
states.
In his Rise and Fall of the Confeder~
ate Government" Hon. Jefferson Davis
says: Though the occupation of DAN
Vile was not expected to be permanent,
Immediately after arriving there rooms
were obtained and the different depart
ments resumed their routine labors"
Since It is a matter of common knowl-
edge that that was the last place at
which the departments carried on their
routine labors and official business was
in any methodical way transacted. and
since the above quoted statement is au-
thoritative proof that sucn was there
the case, there can be not the slightest
doubt that Danville was the confeder-
acy's last capital, in which case the
Sutherlin mansion was necessarily its
last capitol.
The last full cabinet meeting ever held
by President Davis met with him in one
of the sitting rooms of the Sutherlin
mansion. All of the members of the cabi-
net except the secretary of war, General
]. c. Breckenridge, participated. There
were present judah p. Benjamin, secre-
tary of state; Trenholm. secretary of the
treasury; Mallory, secretary of the navy;
Davis, attorney general; Reagan, post
master general, and Memminger former
ly secretary of the treasury also Harri-
son. the presidents private secretary.
Davis Sanguine.
During the first few days of his stay
in Danvile President Davis was very
confident of the confederacy's ultimate
triumph. The tone of the proclamation
issued by him on April 5 reflects his
confidence, but viewed in the light of
later events appears ultra-sanguine. The
proclamation reads thus:
THE general-in-chief found 1t neces-
sary to make such movements of his
troops as to uncover the capital. 1t
would be unwise to conceal the moral
and material injury to our cause result
ing from its occupation by the enemy
1t Is equally unwise ana unworthy of
us to allow our energies to falter, and
our efforts to become relaxed under re-
verses, however, calamitous they may be.
For many months the largest and finest
army OF the confederacy, under a lead
err whose presence inspires equal conf
dence in the troops and the people, has
been greatly trammeled by the necessity
OF keeping constant watch over the ap-
proaches to the capital and has thus
been forced to forego more than one op-
portunity for promising enterprise 1t is
for u.s. my countrymen, to show by our
bearing under reverses how wretched has
been the self-deception of those who
have believed us less able to endure mis-
fortune with fortitude than to encounter
danger with courage.
I'VE have now entered upon new
phase of the struggle Relieved from the
necessity of guarding particular point
our army will be free to move from point
20 point to strike the enemy In detail far
from his base. Let us but will 1t, and
We are Free
Animated by that confidence in your
pirft and fortitude which never yet fall
ID me announce to you, fellow-coun-
.rynnen, that II Is my purpose to main |
tain your cause with my whole heart |
Z - L.H<