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

le1I NlCulIlOlO anu IlidL was VIC OuS
at Greensboro. He does not mention
the session of his cabinet which took
place at Danville and Charlotte, SC
his omission of Abbeville carries with
it no implication unfavorable to Alb
beville. One of his most recent bi
|ographers, DR.. VIM. E. Dodd of the
University of Chicago, refers to the
cabinet meeting at Charlotte, but
to none of the others on the retreat
from Richmond.
"Of the four members of the cabi
net present at Abbeville, only one
afterward wrote or said anything
about the last cabinet meeting, so fa1
as I have been able to learn.
'The only cabinet member who
had anything to say about the sub.
!ject was Postmaster General Rea,
gan. In a letter written in 1899 to
Mr.. D. Wyatt Aiken of Abbeville,
he said:
"'You make inquiry as to the
place at which the last meeting of
the Confederate Cabinet was held.
"I have to make a statement
rather than direct answer. The
last full cabinet meeting, in which
all the cabinet members participat-
ed, was in Richmond, Va. Before we
left there Mr.. Trenholm, the secre-
tary of the treasury, became serious
! ly sick and left that city before the
balance of the cabinet and went to
Greensboro, N. C. President Davis
and the balance of the cabinet stop
ped at Danville, Va, several days.
When we reached Greensboro, N. c.,
we found Mr.. Trenholm still too sick
to participate in the cabinet meeting
there, and he went on to Charlotte,
N. C. When we reached there he
was still quite sick and unable to
meet with the cabinet. When we
left Charlotte he left with US, but
after travelling about half day he
became too i'll to 60 further with US,
and there resigned the. Office of Sec
retary of the treasury. There was
then cabinet meeting, where we
stayed the night after his resigna-
tion, which was not invited to at
tend and at which it was determined
that should be appointed secretary
of the treasury ad interim. And at
Charlotte the Hon. George Davis, at
torney-general, with the approval of
the president and cabinet, remained
to take care of his motherless chill
dren, and met us no more. The next
meeting, and one of much interest,
partly on account of conferences
with the officers of some brigades of
the cavalry, was at Abbeville. ALL
the members, except Mr.. Trenholm
and the encouragement, were pres
ent at this meeting. After we left
Abbeville and passed the Savannah
river, and before we reached Wash
lngton, Ca, Mr.. Benjamin, the Sec
retary of state, left US, and we saw
him no more. The next meeting of
what was left of the cabinet was at
hat place. Besides the president,
here were in that meeting Gen.
Breckenridge, Mr.. Mallory, secretary
# the navy and myself, representing
he ,postofice department and the
reasury department.
even stronger still is the testi-
nony of M. H. Clark, written in
1882, seventeen years before Mr..
seagan's statement. Mr.. Clark was
resent at Charlotte, Abbeville and
Washington, Ca, serving finally as
citing treasurer Of the Confederate
overnment, the last officer appoint
d by President Davis. He was all
'ennessean., He declared:
The last cabinet meeting which
ould be called such was held at
.bbeville on the second of May at
'hieh it seems to have been decided i
nat the attempt was hopeless to
AIRY the organized force to the
rans-Mississippi department, it be-
lg too small to cope with the enemy
would have to encounter and it
as left free to the soldiers to de-
ide their own action-the move was
} be voluntary one.'