The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-10-10
AcKISSIck'S ADDRESS
OF HISTORIC INTEREST
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with other forces farther south.


.clarations that were made to him b
his military advisers in Abbeville,
must have been plain to Presiden
Davis that the end of the Confeder
aey had come. General Duke, j,
speaking Of the council Of war a
Abbeville, says: 4 have, never beel
able to form a positive opinion a
TO what Mr.. Davis's real purpose wa
at that date. It was perfectly mani
fest to everyone else that there wa.
no hope Of further successful re
sistance. It was the general opinio,
that Mr.. Davis could escape if h
really wished to do 80, but we fearet
that his pride would prevent his max
ing the attempt =
In his book, The Rise and Fall o1
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
bad not then surrendered. More than
'6ne observer records, on the other
hand, that Mr.. Davis travelled very
slowly, apparently Indifferent as to
whether or not he was captured. If
he. expected to join Confederate
forces farther south or west, why
did he not make more speed? Did
he not really give up hope at Able
vile? Did not his exclamation at the
nkeeting there that all indeed was
lest indicate his realization that it
was really useless for him to go 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 Abbeyille 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
left Charlotte, he says that the dark
shadows which gathered round us
foretold the coming night
.tIn view of what took place at
AbbeYille, our contention is that
here the Confederate Government
ceased to exist because the officers
of that government perceived that
the last hope was gone and abandon
ed it and because President Davis
himself must have seen that the
cause for which he had so long and
50 desperately struggled was lost. If
the Confederate Government went
ont of existence at Abbeville-and
we hold that it did-then the Cabi-
net meeting at Abbeville-and we
hold that there was one at Abbeville
was the final session of that body.
Yet, although it has been proved
that the last Confederate council of
war was held at Abbeville, what
proof is there that the last meeting
Of the Confederate cabinet was held
at Abbeyille beyond that offered by
local tradition which, nevertheless,
usually has sound basis in truth?
- Major Armistead Burt, host of
President Davis at Abbeville, Isl
quoted by Mr.. Miller as often say
ing that the last meeting of the Con-
federate cabinet was held in his
house. This may have been only his
opinion, or it may have been an au-
thoritative statement based on some
oentemporaneous declaration made to
him by his illustrious guest, Presi-
dent Davis. -. @-,.s
The New York World, in an issue
published many years ago, said Of the |
at Abbeville: |
81" In gloomy loneliness Davis and
his cabinet assembled in one of the
sitting rooms. They held their last
consultation, discussed plans that
we're discussed only to be abandoned
and finally decided that the end had
come and they had better try to es-
cape. Then they examined such pa
pers as they had with them,, and
when the hour Of twelve struck, the
ashes of nearly all Of those papers
we're smouldering in the glowing
,sals Of the big wood fire.
\ "What is the testimony of those
Who participated in the cabinet meet
ng at Abbeville? |