The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-10-07
SPEAKER
ESTABLISHES PROOF

|
Continued from page one.)
1866
"a full history of these events
may be foundsin the Office of the
Clerk of Court Of Abbeville County
Erected by Civic Club"
! Excerpts from Mr.. =. McKissick's
speech, which is too lengthy for re.
production in this issue, follow:
Give cities have contended for the
honor of having been the scene of the
last session of the Confederate Cabi-
net. They are Danville, Va, Green's
boro, N. c., Charlotte, N. c., Able,
vile, S. c., and Washington, Ga.
ut seems indisputable that in the
closing days of the ill-starred ma
tion the Confederate Cabinet met in
Danville, Greensboro and Charlotte
and at an INDICATED point near the
boundary line of North and South
Carolina. The only questions remain
ing to be considered are:
First: Was there meeting of the
Confederate Cabinet at Abbeville on
May 2, 1865?
Second: If so, was it the last
meeting of the Cabinet?"
"1n his book, THE Rise and Fall of
the Confederate Government Mr..
Davis says that his object in fleeing
South was to make his way to the
Confederate forces in Alabama or in
the Trans-Mississippi department who
had not then surrendered. More than
one observer records, on the other
hand, that Mr.. Davis Travelled very
slowly, apparently Indifferent as to
whether or not he was captured. If
ne expected to join Confederate
forces farther south or west, why
did he not make more speed? Did
ne not really give up hope at Able
ville?l Did not his exclamation at the
meeting there that all indeed was
lost indicate his realization that it
was really useless for him to 20 on?
On more than one occasion the Con-
federate chief executive had shown
himself unwilling to yield to the cold |
logic of facts. It may have been that |
at Abbeville he still hoped against
hope, but his better Judgment told |
him that all was lost. In referring |
to the consideration shown him by
the cavalry escorting him after he
eft Charlotte, he says that the dark
shadows which gathered round US
foretold the coming night
"In view of what took place at !
Abbeville, our contention is that
,ere the Confederate Government
ceased to exist because the officers
It that government perceived that
ne last hope was gone and abandon
ID it and because President Davis
himself must have seen that the
ause for which he had so long and
o desperately struggled was lost. If
ne Confederate Government went
ut OF existence at Abbeville-and;
re hold that it did-then the Cabi-
let meeting at Abbeville we
old that there was one at Abbeville =
was the final session of that body.
"Yet, although it has been proved !
nat the last Confederate council of
'ar was held at Abbeville, what
roof is there that the last meeting a
the Confederate cabinet was held
Abbeville beyond that offered by e
zeal tradition which, nevertheless, !
sually has sound basis in truth?
Major Armistead Burt, host of c
resident Davis at Abbeville, is a
uoted by Mr.. Miller as often say v
g that the last meeting of the Con- t
'derate cabinet was held in his c
'Yse. This may have been only his I
9inion, or it may have been an au- il
loritative statement based on some il
'ntemporaneous declaration made to "
i'm by his illustrious guest, Presi- C
ent Davis. t,
"The New York World, in an issue
lblished many years ago, said of the Il
Getting at Abbeville: II
In> p1oomU ion a1inore no,r, ,,I "