The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-29

dents staff and the offices of the vari- ous departments, and there all routine government business was transacted The. last full cabinet meeting which
 was ever held by the President met with him In one of the sitting rooms of the Sutherlin mansion. All of the members of the cabinet attended this meeting except the secretary of war, Gen. J. C. Breckinridge of Kentucky
 There were present. Judah P. Benja- min, Secretary of State; Trenholm Secretary of the Treasury; Davis, the Alt torney General; J. H. Reagan. Post master General, and MT. Memminger, formerly Secretary of the Treasury; also MT. Harrison, the Presidents pri- vate secretary.
 pr. Davis while in Danville. remain ed at his temporary home and capitol very little He was very busily en- gagged in examining into the fortifica- tions surrounding the place, which he reported as very fautly both in con- struction and design. He was also ac- lively engaged In formulating plans relating to the design which he had formed of having Lee retreat to the Virginia state line where he could be able to form a junction with Johnson, the army as thus combined making final stand on the banks of and in the country contiguous to the Dan and Roanoke rivers. The execution of this design which he had in mind, had it's accomplish ment proved possible, would have enabled the leaders to have ob- tained much better terms than an un- conditional surrender. However as 1t happened Grant was able to. and did by a flank movement which his posi- tion aided him in making, prevent the contemplated move on Lees part forced the crippled army to retreat towards Lynchburg, where 1t was surrounded on all sides and compelled to capitulate. This surrender of Lees army on April made the fall of the civil branch of the Confederate government inevita- ble. .e -.,..
 Until the news of Lees surrender reached him President Davis was very hopeful and confident of the ultimate triumph of the Ccnfederacy. In. fact, the tone of the proclamation issued by him on the fifth, soon after his arrival in Danville. Is as he admits viewed by the light of subsequent events. it may be fairly said was over -sanguine." The following is copy of the proclaim ation referred to-:
 "The general-in-ch found 1t neces- sary to make such movements of his troops as to uncover the capital. It would be unwise to conceal the moral and material injury to our cause re- sulting from its occupation by the ene- my. It Is equally unwise and unworthy of us to allow our energies to falter, and our efforts to become relaxed un- der reverses, however calamitous they may be- For many months the largest and finest army of the Confectionery, un- der a leader whose presence inspires equal confidence in the troops and the people has been greatly trammeled by the necessity of keeping constant watch over the approaches to the capital, and has thus been forced to forego more than one opportunity for promising en- terprise. 1t is for us, my countrymen, to show by our bearing under reverses, how wretched has been the self-decep- ton of those who have believed us less able to endure misfortune with. forti- tude than to encounter danger with courage.
 "We have now entered upon new phase of the struggle. Relieved from the necessity of guarding a particular point our army will be free to move from point to point. to strike the enc my in detail far from his base. Let us but will 1t. and we are free.
 :Anmated by that confidence in your spirit and fortitude which never yet failed me announce to you fellow countrymen, that it Is my purpose to maintain your cause with my whole heart and soul; that I will never con- sent to abandon to the enemy one foot of the soil of any of the states of the Confederacy; that Virginia, noble state whose ancient renown has been eclipsed by her still more glorious re- cent history: whose bosom has been barred to receive the main shock of this war: whose sons and daughters have exhibited heroism so sublime as to render her illustrious in all time teA come-that Virginia, with the help of the people and by the blessing of Providence, shall be held and defended, and no peace ever made with the in- famous invaders of her territory.
 "If, by the stress of numbers, we