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diff --git a/old/62332.txt b/old/62332.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f06834c..0000000 --- a/old/62332.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7791 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Last Ninety Days of the War in -North-Carolina, by Cornelia Phillips Spencer - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Last Ninety Days of the War in North-Carolina - - -Author: Cornelia Phillips Spencer - - - -Release Date: June 6, 2020 [eBook #62332] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAST NINETY DAYS OF THE WAR IN -NORTH-CAROLINA*** - - -E-text prepared by Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/lastninetydaysof00spen - - - - - -THE LAST NINETY DAYS OF THE WAR IN NORTH-CAROLINA. - -by - -CORNELIA PHILLIPS SPENCER. - - - - - - -New-York: -Watchman Publishing Company, -W. H. Chase, Publishing Agent - -1866. - -Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by -Charles F. Deems, -In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the -Southern District of New-York. - - - - - TO THE - - Hon. D.L. Swain, LL.D., - - AT WHOSE SUGGESTION IT WAS UNDERTAKEN, AND BY WHOSE - INVALUABLE ADVICE, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND ASSISTANCE - IT HAS BEEN COMPLETED, THIS BOOK - IS MOST RESPECTFULLY - DEDICATED. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The papers on the Last Ninety Days of the War in North-Carolina, which -originally appeared in the New-York WATCHMAN, and are now presented -in book form, were commenced with no plan or intention of continuing -them beyond two or three numbers. The unexpected favor with which they -were received led to their extension, and finally resulted in their -republication. - -To do justice to North-Carolina, and to place beyond cavil or reproach -the attitude of her leaders at the close of the great Southern States -Rights struggle--to present a faithful picture of the times, and a just -judgment, whether writing of friend or foe, has been my sole object. -Slight as these sketches are, they may claim at least the merit of -truth, and this, I am persuaded, is no slight recommendation with the -truth-loving people of North-Carolina. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - PAGE - - Difficulties of the History--The Position of North-Carolina--The Peace - Convention--The Montgomery Convention--Governor Vance--The Salisbury - Prison--Testimony on the Trial, 13 - - - CHAPTER II. - - Winter of 1864-'5--Letter of Governor Vance--Appeal for General Lee's - Army--The Destitution of the People--Fall of Fort Fisher--Advance of - General Sherman--Contrast between Sherman and Cornwallis--Extracts - from Lord Cornwallis's Order-book--The "Bloody Tarleton," 26 - - - CHAPTER III. - - Judge Ruffin--His History--His Character--His Services--General Couch's - Outrages after Peace had been declared--General Sherman's Outrages--His - unblushing Official Report--"Army Correspondents"--Sherman - in Fayetteville--Cornwallis in Fayetteville--Coincidences of - Plans--Contrasts in Modes--The Negro Suffers--Troops Concentrating under - General Johnston, 40 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - Laws of War--"Right to Forage older than History"--Xenophon--Kent on - International Law--Halleck's Authority _versus_ Sherman's Theory and - Practice--President Woolsey--Letter of Bishop Atkinson, 53 - - - CHAPTER V. - - Lord Cornwallis in Fayetteville--A young Lady's Interview with him--How - he treated her--How Sherman's Men treated her Grandson--"The - Story of the Great March"--Major Nichols and the "Quadroon Girls"--Such - is NOT War--Why these Things are recorded--Confederate Concentration - in North-Carolina--A Sad Story, 65 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - "Shays's Rebellion"--Kent on Massachusetts--Conduct of a Northern - Government to Northern Rebels--The "Whisky Insurrection"--How - Washington treated a Rebellion--Secession of New-England Birth--The - War of 1812--Bancroft on 1676--The Baconists--An Appeal, 76 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - Schofield's Army--Sherman's--Their Outrages--Union Sentiment--A - Disappointment--Ninety-two Years Ago--Governor Graham--His Ancestry--His - Career--Governor Manly, 94 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Governor Graham opposes Secession--But goes with his State--Is sent to - the Confederate Senate--His Agency in the Hampton Roads - Interview--Remarkable and Interesting Letters from Governor Graham, - written from Richmond in 1865, 109 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - State of Parties--The Feeling of the People--The "Peace" - Party--Important Letter from Governor Vance in January, 1864--His - Reelection--The War Party--The Peace Party--The Moderates--Governor - Graham's Letter of March, 1865--Evacuation of Richmond, 121 - - - CHAPTER X. - - General Johnston preparing to uncover Raleigh--Urgent Letter from - Governor Swain to Governor Graham--Governor Graham's Reply--A Programme - of Operations agreed upon--Finally Governors Graham and - Swain start for Sherman's Headquarters, 134 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - Raleigh, when uncovered--The Commissioners to General Sherman--They - start--Are recalled by General Johnston--Are stopped by Kilpatrick's - Forces--Their Interview with Kilpatrick--Are carried to Sherman's - Headquarters--His Reply to Governor Vance--The further Proceedings - of the Commission--A Pleasant Incident--The Commissioners return - to Raleigh--Governor Vance had left--His Letter to Sherman--The - Federal Troops enter Raleigh--Incidents, 145 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - Johnston's Retreat--Governors Graham and Swain misunderstood--Wheeler's - Cavalry--Confederate Occupancy of Chapel Hill--The Last Blood--"Stars - and Stripes"--One in Death--General Atkins--Scenes around - Raleigh--Military Lawlessness, 165 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Correspondence between Governor Swain and General Sherman--Governor - Vance's Position and Conduct--Kilpatrick--The Conduct of the - Servants--"Lee's Men"--President Lincoln, 178 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - General Stoneman--Outrages--Cold-blooded Murders--General - Gillam--Progress through Lenoir, Wilkes, Surry, and Stokes--Stoneman's - Detour into Virginia--The Defense of Salisbury--The Fight in the Streets - of Salisbury--General Polk's Family--Temporary Occupancy of - Salisbury--Continuous Raiding, 192 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - Iredell County--General Palmer's Courtesy to Mrs. Vance--Subsequent - Treatment of this Lady by Federal Soldiers--Major Hambright's Cruelty - in Lenoir--Case of Dr. Ballew and Others--General Gillam--His - Outrages at Mrs. Hagler's--Dr. Boone Clark--Terrible Treatment of - his Family--Lieutenants Rice and Mallobry--Mrs. General - Vaughan--Morganton, 213 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - Plundering of Colonel Carson--Of Rev. Mr. Paxton--General Martin - repulses Kirby--Gillam plunders during the Armistice--Occupation of - Asheville--Wholesale Plunder--Dispatch from General Palmer, 225 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - Surrender of General Lee--Why North-Carolina could not have taken - Measures to send Commissioners--Review--The Coal-fields - Railway--Difficulties of Transportation--Provisions--The Last - Call--Recreants--Privations--The Condition of the Press, 235 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - The University--Its Early History--Its Continued Growth--The Ardor of - the Young Men--Application for Relief from Conscription--Governor - Swain to President Davis--Another Draft on the Boys--A Dozen Boys - in College when Sherman comes; and the Bells ring on--"Commencement" - in 1865--One Graduate--He pronounces the Valedictory--Conclusion, 251 - - - APPENDIX. - - I.--UNIVERSITY RECORD, 267 - - II.--GENERAL JAMES JOHNSTON PETTIGREW, 278 - - - - -THE LAST NINETY DAYS OF THE WAR - -IN - -NORTH-CAROLINA. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - DIFFICULTIES OF THE HISTORY--THE POSITION OF NORTH-CAROLINA--THE PEACE - CONVENTION--THE MONTGOMERY CONVENTION--GOVERNOR VANCE--THE SALISBURY - PRISON--TESTIMONY ON THE TRIAL. - - -It will be long before the history of the late war can be soberly and -impartially written. The passions that have been evoked by it will not -soon slumber, and it is perhaps expecting too much of human nature, to -believe that a fair and candid statement of facts on either side will -soon be made. There is as yet too much to be forgotten--too much to be -forgiven. - -The future historian of the great struggle will doubtless have ample -material at his disposal; but from a vast mass of conflicting; evidence -he will have to sift, combine, and arrange the grains of truth--a work -to which few men of this generation are competent. But meanwhile there -is much to be done in collecting evidence, especially by those who -desire that justice shall be done to the South: and this evidence, it -is to be hoped, will be largely drawn from _private_ sources. History -has in general no more invaluable and irrefragable witnesses for the -truth than are to be found in the journals, memoranda, and private -correspondence of the prominent and influential men who either acted -in, or were compelled to remain quiet observers of the events of their -day. Especially will this be found to be the case when posterity shall -sit in judgment on the past four years in the South. From no other -sources can so fair a representation be made of the conflicts of -opinion, or of the motives of action in the time when madness seemed to -rule the hour, when all individual and all State efforts for peace were -powerless, when sober men were silenced, and when even the public press -could hardly be considered free. - -If it be true of the South in general, that even in the most -excited localities warning voices were raised in vain, and that a -strong undercurrent of good sense and calm reflection undoubtedly -existed--overborne for a time by the elements of strife and -revolution--more especially and with tenfold emphasis is it true of the -State of North-Carolina. - - "Where we lay, - Our chimneys were blown down: and, as they say, - Lamentings heard i' the air; strange screams of death; - And prophesying, with accents terrible, - Of dire combustion, and confused events, - New-hatched to the woful time." - -That North-Carolina accepted a destiny which she was unable to -control, when she ranged herself in the war for Southern independence, -is a fact which can not be disputed. And though none the less ardently -did her sons spring to arms, and none the less generously and -splendidly did her people sustain the great army that poured forth from -her borders; though none the less patient endurance and obedience to -the general government was theirs; yet it is also a fact, indisputable -and on record, that North-Carolina was never allowed her just weight -of influence in the councils of the Southern Confederacy, nor were the -opinions or advice of her leading men either solicited or regarded. -And therefore, nowhere as in the private, unreserved correspondence -of her leading men, can her attitude at the beginning, her temper -and her course all through, and her action at the close of the war, -be so clearly and so fairly defined and illustrated, and shown to be -eminently consistent and characteristic throughout. - -The efforts made by North-Carolina, during the winter and spring of -1861, to maintain peace and to preserve the Union, were unappreciated, -unsuccessful, and perhaps were not even generally known. In February of -that year, two separate delegations left the State, appointed by her -Legislature, each consisting of selections from her best citizens--one -for Washington City and the other for Montgomery, Alabama. Judge -Ruffin, Governor Morehead, Governor Reid, D.M. Barringer, and George -Davis were accredited to the Peace Convention at Washington; Governor -Swain and Messrs. Bridgers and Ransom to the Convention at Montgomery, -to meet the delegations expected to convene there from the other -Southern States. - -Neither of these delegations, however, were able to effect any thing. -They were received with courtesy, respect, and attention on each -side, but nothing was done. The Peace Convention at Washington was a -failure--why or how, has never been clearly shown. If one or other of -the distinguished gentlemen who formed the North-Carolina delegation -would commit an account of the mission to writing, he would be doing -the State good service. I would venture to suggest it to Judge Ruffin, -whose appearance there was said to have been in the highest degree -venerable and impressive, and his speech _for the Union_ and for the -Old Flag most eloquent and affecting. - -The expected delegations from the other Southern States to Montgomery -failed to arrive, and North-Carolina was there alone, and could only -look on. The provisional government for such of the States as had -already seceded was then acting, and the general Confederate government -was in process of organization. Our delegates were treated with marked -courtesy, and were invited to attend the secret sessions of the -Congress, which, however, they declined. North-Carolina stood there -alone; and as she maintained an attitude of calm and sad deprecation, -she was viewed with distrust and suspicion by all extremists, and was -taunted with her constitutional slowness and lack of chivalric fire. -The moderation and prudence of her counsels were indeed but little -suited to the fiery temper of that latitude. Too clearly, even then, -she saw the end from the beginning; but what was left for her, when -the clouds lowered and the storm at last broke, but to stand where the -God of nature had placed her, and where affection and interest both -inclined her--_in_ the South and _with_ the South? To that standard, -then, her brave sons flocked, in obedience to her summons; for them -and for their safety and success were her prayers and tears given; for -their comfort and subsistence every nerve was strained in the mortal -struggle that followed; and their graves will be forever hallowed--none -the less, I repeat, that from the first the great body of her people -and the best and most clear-sighted of her public men deprecated the -whole business of secession, and with sad prevision foretold the result. - -If history shall do her justice, the part played by North-Carolina all -through this mournful and bloody drama will be found well worthy of -careful study. - -The quiet and self-reliant way in which, when she found remonstrance -to be in vain, she went to her inevitable work; the foresight of -her preparations; the thoroughness of her equipments; the splendor -of her achievements on the battle-field; her cheerful and patient -yielding to all lawful demands of the general government; her watchful -guard against unlawful encroachments, as the times grew more and -more lawless; her silence, her modesty, and her efficiency--were all -strikingly _North-Carolinian_. Not one laurel would she appropriate -from the brow of a sister State--nay, the blood shed and the sufferings -endured in the common cause but cement the Southern States together in -dearer bonds of affection. No word uttered by a North-Carolinian in -defense or praise of his own mother, can be construed as an attempt -to exalt her at the expense of others. But I am speaking now of -North-Carolina alone, and my principal object will be to present the -closing scenes of the war, as they appeared within some part of her -borders, and to make a plain record of her action therein--a sketch -which may afford valuable memoranda to the future historian. - -Much of the energy and the efficiency displayed by the State in -providing for the exigencies of war, were due to the young man whom -she chose for her Governor, in August, 1862. Governor Vance was one -of the people--one of the soldiers--and came from the camp to the -palace undoubtedly the most popular man in the State. A native of -Buncombe county, he had been in a great measure the architect of his -own fortunes. Possessing unrivaled abilities as a popular speaker, -he had made his way rapidly in the confidence of the brave and free -mountaineers of Western Carolina, and was a member of the United States -House of Representatives for the term ending at the inauguration of -President Lincoln. He used all his influence most ardently to avert the -disruption of the Union, down to the time when the Convention of May, -1861, passed the ordinance of secession. Then, following the fortunes -of his own State, he threw himself with equal ardor into the ranks of -her army. Volunteering as private in one of the first companies raised -in Buncombe, he was soon elected captain, and thence rose rapidly to -be Colonel of the Twenty-sixth regiment. His further military career -was closed by his being elected Governor in 1862, by an overwhelming -vote, over the gentleman who was generally considered as the candidate -of the secession party. We were, indeed, all secessionists then; but -those who were defined as "_original secessionists_"--men who invoked -and cheered on the movement and the war--were ever in a small minority -in this State, both as to numbers and to influence. Governor Vance was -elected because he _had been_ a strong Union man, and _was_ a gallant -soldier--two qualifications which some of our Northern brethren can not -admit as consistent or admirable in one and the same true character, -but which together constituted the strongest claim upon the confidence -and affection of North-Carolina. - -Governor Vance's career from the first was marked by devotion to the -people who had distinguished him, and by a determination to do his -duty to _them_ at all hazards. This is not the place, nor have I the -material for such a display of Governor Vance's course of action as -would do him deserved justice; but this I may say, that his private -correspondence, if ever it shall be published, will endear him still -more to the State which he loved, and to the best of his ability served. - -His employment of a blockade-runner to bring in clothing for the -North-Carolina troops was a noble idea, and proved a brilliant -success.[1] If he had done nothing else in his official career -to prove himself worthy to be our Governor, this alone would be -sufficient. It matters but little as to the amount, great or small, -of Confederate money spent in this service. It is all gone now; but -the substantial and incalculable good that resulted at the time from -this expenditure, can neither be disputed nor forgotten. For two years -his swift-sailing vessels, especially the A.D. Vance, escaped the -blockaders, and steamed regularly in and out of the port of Wilmington, -followed by the prayers and anxieties of our whole people. "The -Advance is in!" was a signal for congratulations in every town in the -State; for we knew that another precious cargo was safe, of shoes, and -blankets, and cloth, and medicines, and cards. And so it was that when -other brave men went barefoot and ill-clad through the winter storms -of Virginia, our own North Carolina boys were well supplied, and their -wives and little ones at home were clothed, thanks to our Governor and -to our God. - -I have seen tears of thankfulness running down the cheeks of our -soldiers' wives on receiving a pair of these cards, by which alone they -were to clothe and procure bread for themselves and their children. And -they never failed to express their sense of what they owed to their -Governor. "God bless him!" they would cry, "for thinking of it. And God -_will_ bless him." - -One striking evidence of the fullness and efficiency of these supplies -I can not refrain from giving, as it occurred at the close of the war, -when our resources, it might be supposed, were utterly exhausted. It -will also serve to show what manner of man Governor Vance was, in more -ways than one. - -In February, 1865, the attention of our people was called to the -condition of the Federal prisoners at Salisbury. The officer in charge -of them may or may not have been as he is represented. Time will bring -the truth to light. But it was alleged against him, that he would not -only do nothing himself for the unhappy prisoners under his care, but -would allow no private interference for their comfort. The usual answer -of all such men, when appealed to on the score of common humanity, was, -"What business have these Yankees here?" This was deemed triumphant -and unanswerable. That their food should be scanty and of poor quality -was unavoidable when our own citizens were in want and our soldiers -were on half-rations; but sufficient clothing, kind attendance, and -common decencies and comforts were, or might have been, extended to -all within the bounds of our State. How far the Federal Government -was itself responsible and criminal in this matter, by its refusal to -exchange prisoners, future investigations will decide. The following -extract of a letter from a prominent member of our last Legislature to -a distinguished citizen, shows what the State of North-Carolina could -and would have done for their relief: - -"I called at Governor Vance's office, in the capitol, and found him -sitting alone; and though his desk was covered with papers and -documents, these did not seem to engage his attention. He rather seemed -to be in profound thought. He expressed himself pleased to see me, -and proceeded to say that he had just seen a Confederate surgeon from -Salisbury--mentioning his name--and was shocked at what he had heard -of the condition of the Federal prisoners there. He went on to detail -what he had heard, and testified deep feeling during the recital. He -concluded by saying that he wished to see the State take some action on -the subject. I assured him immediately how entirely I sympathized with -him, and asked what relief it was in our power to bestow. He replied -that the State had a full supply of clothing, made of English cloth, -for our own troops, and that she had also a considerable quantity made -of our own factory cloth. And further, that the State had also a very -large supply of under-clothing, blankets, etc.; a supply of all which -things might be dispensed to the prisoners, without trenching upon the -comfort of our own troops. I told him that a resolution, vesting him -with proper authority to act in the matter, could, I thought, be passed -through the Legislature. That I thought it very desirable that such a -resolution should be passed unanimously; and with a view to obviate -objections from extreme men, it was better so to shape the resolution -as to make it the means of obtaining reciprocal relief for our own -prisoners at the North. This was done. The resolution requesting -Governor Vance to effect an arrangement by which, in consideration of -blankets, clothing, etc., to be distributed by the Federal Government -to prisonners of war from North-Carolina, blankets, clothing, etc., -in like quantity, should be distributed by the State of North-Carolina -to the Federal prisoners at Salisbury, passed both houses, I think, -without one dissentient voice, within the next day." - -The letter-books of Governor Vance, it will be remembered, passed into -the hands of the military authorities in May, 1865; and, under the -order of General Schofield, were transmitted to the State Department -at Washington. Whether they have been or are to be returned to the -Executive Department of this State, to whom they properly belong, -remains to be seen. A correspondent of the New-York press, who was -allowed to examine them, remarks that "among much evil they exhibited -_redeeming traits of character_!" that "the letters of Governor Vance -to Mr. Secretary Seddon, of the War Department of Richmond, and to -General Bradley Johnson, who had control of the prisoners at Salisbury, -_urged_ upon both these functionaries the immediate relief of the -suffering prisoners, as alike dictated by humanity and policy." This -correspondence, when it shall come to light, will show that the action -of the executive was as prompt and decided as that of the legislative -department of the State. Whatever may be said of the treatment of -prisoners at Andersonville and elsewhere, it is certain that no efforts -were spared on the part of the public authorities of North-Carolina, -nor, we may add, of the community around Salisbury, to mitigate, as far -as was possible, the inevitable horrors of war; and that our Governor, -especially, exerted all the power and influence at his command to -render immediate and effectual relief. - -Governor Vance received no reply to his application to the Federal -authorities. From General Bradley Johnson, at Salisbury, he received in -reply a list of clothing and provisions then being received from the -North for the prisoners; and a statement that they needed nothing but -some tents, which Governor Vance was unable to send them. - -The investigations of the Gee trial, held at Raleigh since the above -was written, have served to substantiate all that I have said. What -we could do, we were willing to do for our unhappy prisoners. But our -own people, our own soldiers, were on the verge of starvation. Every -effort was made by our authorities to induce the Northern Government -to exchange, without effect. Their men died by thousands in our -semi-tropical climate, because we were powerless to relieve them with -either food or medicine. No one can read the testimony given at the -Gee trial without a deep impression of the awful state of destitution -among us. The country around Salisbury was stripped bare of provisions, -and the railroads were utterly unfit for service. One of the witnesses -stated that they had to take up the turn-outs to mend the road with. -"Writing now, at a distance of nearly two years, I can not recall -the dark and hopeless days of that winter without a shudder. We knew -the condition of those prisoners while we were mourning over the -destitution of our own army. The coarse bread served at our own meagre -repasts was made bitter by our reflections. A lady, writing from -Salisbury, said: I am much more concerned at the condition of these -prisoners than at the advance of Sherman's army." - -That North-Carolina had at least clothing to offer them was more than -could be said for any other Southern State in that respect. She was -probably worse off for provision than those south of her. She gave what -she had. She did what she could. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 1: Since the publication of the above, I have been informed -by Governor Vance that the first suggestion of this plan was due to -Gen. J.G. Martin alone. He was at that time Adjutant-General of the -State, and at a consultation held by Governor Vance soon after his -entrance upon office, to devise ways and means for providing for our -soldiers, Gen. Martin suggested and advocated the employment of a -blockade-runner. It was a bold and happy thought, and as boldly and -happily carried out by Governor Vance.] - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - WINTER OF 1864-'5--LETTER OF GOVERNOR VANCE--APPEAL FOR GENERAL LEE'S - ARMY--THE DESTITUTION OF THE PEOPLE--FALL OF FORT FISHER--ADVANCE OF - GENERAL SHERMAN--CONTRAST BETWEEN SHERMAN AND CORNWALLIS--EXTRACTS - FROM LORD CORNWALLIS'S ORDER-BOOK--THE "BLOODY TARLETON." - - -The fall and winter of 1864-'5 were especially gloomy to our people. -The hopes that had so long delusively buoyed up the Southern States -in their desperate struggle against overwhelming odds were beginning -to flag very perceptibly in every part of the Confederacy where -people were capable of appreciating the facts of the situation. More -especially, then, in North-Carolina, situated so near to the seat of -war that false rumors, telegrams, and "reliable gentlemen" from the -front had never had more than a very limited circulation here, and -whose sober people never had been blinded or dazzled by the glare of -false lights; more especially here were there only gloomy outlooks for -the year 1865, as it dawned. - -In September, 1864, our representative Governor had written thus -confidentially to his oldest and most warmly attached personal friend, -a gentleman of the highest consideration in the State--a letter that -needs neither introduction nor comment to secure it attention: - - "RALEIGH, September 22, 1864. - - "I would be glad if I could have a long talk with you. I never before - have been so gloomy about the condition of affairs. Early's defeat - in the valley I consider as the turning-point in this campaign; - and, confidentially, I fear it seals the fate of Richmond, though - not immediately. It will require our utmost exertions to retain - our footing in Virginia till '65 comes in. McClellan's defeat is - placed among the facts, and abolitionism is rampant for four years - more. The army in Georgia is utterly demoralized; and by the time - President Davis, who has gone there, displays again his obstinacy - in defying public sentiment, and his ignorance of men in the change - of commanders, its ruin will be complete. They are now deserting by - hundreds. In short, if the enemy pushes his luck till the close of the - year, we shall not be offered any terms at all. - - "The signs which discourage me more than aught else are the utter - demoralization of the people. With a base of communication five - hundred miles in Sherman's rear, through our own country, not a bridge - has been burned, not a car thrown from its track, nor a man shot - by the people whose country he has desolated. They seem everywhere - to submit when our armies are withdrawn. What does this show, my - dear sir? It shows what I have always believed, that _the great - popular heart_ is not now, and never has been in this war. It was a - revolution of the _Politicians_, not the _People_; and was fought at - first by the natural enthusiasm of our young men, and has been kept - going by State and sectional pride, assisted by that bitterness of - feeling produced by the cruelties and brutalities of the enemy. - - "Still, I am not out of heart, for, as you know, I am of a buoyant - and hopeful temperament. Things may come round yet. General Lee is _a - great man_, and has the remnant of the best army on earth, bleeding, - torn, and overpowered though it be. Saturday night may yet come to - all of our troubles, and be followed by the blessed hours of rest. - God grant it! 'Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief' in final - liberty and independence. I would fain be doing. How can I help to - win the victory? What can I do? How shall I guide this suffering and - much-oppressed Israel that looks to me through the tangled and bloody - pathway wherein our lines have fallen? Duty called me to resist to - the utmost the disruption of the Union. Duty calls me now to stand by - the new union, 'to the last gasp with truth and loyalty.' This is my - consolation. The beginning was bad: I had no hand in it. Should the - end be bad, I shall, with God's help, be equally blameless. - - "I hope when you come down, you will give yourself time to be with me - a great deal. - - "I am, dear sir, very truly yours, - - "Z.B. Vance." - -The saddest forebodings of this letter, which would have been echoed -by many a failing heart in the State, were soon to be realized. By -January, 1865, there was very little room left for "belief" of any sort -in the ultimate success of the Confederacy. All the necessaries of life -were scarce, and were held at fabulous and still increasing prices. The -great freshet of January 10th, which washed low grounds, carried off -fences, bridges, mills, and tore up railroads all through the central -part of the State, at once doubled the price of corn and flour. Two -destructive fires in the same month, which consumed great quantities -of government stores at Charlotte and at Salisbury, added materially -to the general gloom and depression. The very elements seemed to have -enlisted against us. And soon, with no great surplus of food from the -wants of her home population, North-Carolina found herself called upon -to furnish supplies for two armies. - -Early in January, an urgent and most pressing appeal was made for -Lee's army; and the people, most of whom knew not where they would -get bread for their children in three months' time, responded nobly, -as they had always done to any call for "the soldiers." Few were the -hearts in any part of the land that did not thrill at the thought that -those who were fighting; for us were in want of food. From the humble -cabin on the hill-side, where the old brown spinning-wheel and the -rude loom were the only breastworks against starvation, up through all -grades of life, there were none who did not feel a deep and tender, -almost heartbreaking solicitude for our noble soldiers. For them the -last barrel of flour was divided, the last luxury in homes that had -once abounded was cheerfully surrendered. Every available resource was -taxed, every expedient of domestic economy was put in practice--as -indeed had been done all along; but our people went to work even yet -with fresh zeal. I speak now of Central North-Carolina, where many -families of the highest respectability and refinement lived for months -on corn-bread, sorghum, and peas; where meat was seldom on the table, -tea and coffee never; where dried apples and peaches were a luxury; -where children went barefoot through the winter, and ladies made their -own shoes, and wove their own homespuns; where the carpets were cut up -into blankets, and window-curtains and sheets were torn up for hospital -uses; where soldiers' socks were knit day and night, while for home -service clothes were twice turned, and patches were patched again; and -all this continually, and with an energy and a cheerfulness that may -well be called _heroic_. - -There were localities in the State where a few rich planters boasted -of having "never felt the war;" there were ladies whose wardrobes -encouraged the blockade-runners, and whose tables were still heaped -with all the luxuries they had ever known. There were such doubtless in -every State in the Confederacy. I speak not now of these, but of the -great body of our citizens--the _middle_ class as to fortune, generally -the _highest_ as to cultivation and intelligence--_these_ were the -people who denied themselves and their little ones, that they might be -able to send relief to the gallant men who lay in the trenches before -Petersburgh, and were even then living on crackers and parched corn. - -The fall of Fort Fisher and the occupation of Wilmington, the failure -of the peace commission, and the unchecked advance of Sherman's army -northward from Savannah, were the all-absorbing topics of discussion -with our people during the first months of the year 1865. The tide -of war was rolling in upon us. Hitherto our privations, heavily as -they had borne upon domestic comfort, had been light in comparison -with those of the people in the States actually invaded by the -Federal armies; but now we were to be qualified to judge, by our -own experience, how far their trials and losses had exceeded ours. -What the fate of our pleasant towns and villages and of our isolated -farm-houses would be, we could easily read by the light of the blazing -roof-trees that lit up the path of the advancing army. General -Sherman's principles were well known, for they had been carefully -laid down by him in his letter to the Mayor of Atlanta, September, -1864, and had been thoroughly put in practice by him in his further -progress since. To shorten the war by increasing its severity: this -was his plan--simple, and no doubt to a certain extent effective. But -it is surely well worth serious inquiry and investigation on the part -of those who decide these questions, and settle the laws of nations, -how far the laws and usages of war demand and justify the entire ruin -of a country and its unresisting inhabitants by the invading army; -or if those laws, as they are interpreted by the common-sense of -civilized humanity, do indeed justify such a course, how far they are -susceptible of change and improvement. - -That the regulations which usually obtain in armies invading an -enemy's country do at least permit every species of annoyance and -oppression, tending to assist the successful prosecution of the war, -to be exercised toward non-combatants, is unhappily testified by the -annals of even modern and so-called Christian warfare. Especially are -the evil passions of a brutal soldiery excited and inflamed where the -inhabitants betake themselves to guerrilla or partisan warfare; and -more especially and fatally in the case of long-protracted sieges, -or the taking of a town by storm. The excesses committed by both -the English and the French armies in the war of the Peninsula are -recorded (and execrated) by their own generals, and are characterized -by the historian as "all crimes which man in his worst excesses can -commit--horrors so atrocious that their very atrocity preserves them -from our full execration because it makes it impossible to describe -them." Havoc and ruin have always accompanied invading armies to -a greater or less degree, modified by the causes of the war, the -character of the commanding officers, and the amount of discipline -maintained. - -A little more historical and political knowledge diffused among her -people might have saved the South the unnecessarily bitter lesson she -has received on this matter. Very, very few of the unthinking young -men and women who clamored so madly for war four years ago, knew -what fiend they were invoking. Few, very few of their leaders knew. -Could the curtain that vailed the future have been lifted but for -a moment before them, how would they have recoiled horror-stricken! -But while admitting that in cases of very bitter national hatreds, -ill-disciplined soldiery, and raw generals, excesses are allowed and -defended, it is also the province of history to point with pride to -those instances where veteran commanders, knowing well the horrors of -war, seek to alleviate its miseries, and "seize the opportunities of -nobleness," and, believing with Napier, that "discipline has its root -in patriotism," do effectually control the armies they lead. Of such -as these there are happily not a few great names whose humanity and -generosity exhibited to the unfortunate inhabitants of the country they -were traversing lend additional lustre to their fame as consummate -soldiers. I shall, however, recall but one example to confirm this -position--an example likely to be particularly interesting to -Southerners as a parallel, and most striking as a contrast, to General -Sherman's course in the South. - -In the month of January, 1781, exactly eighty-four years before General -Sherman's artillery trains woke the echoes through the heart of the -Carolinas, it pleased God to direct the course of another invading -army along much the same track; an army that had come three thousand -miles to put down what was in truth "a rebellion;" an army stanch -in enthusiastic loyalty to the government for whose rights it was -contending; an army also in pursuit of retreating "rebels," and panting -to put the finishing blow to a hateful secession, and whose commander -endeavored to arrive at his ends by strategical operations very much -resembling those which in this later day were crowned with success. -Here the parallel ends. The country traversed then and now by invading -armies was, eighty-four years ago, poor and wild and thinly settled. -Instead of a single grand, deliberate, and triumphant march through -a highly cultivated and undefended country, there had been many of -the undulations of war in the fortunes of that army--now pursuing, -now retreating--and finally, in the last hot chase of the flying (and -yet triumphant) rebels from the southern to the northern border of -North-Carolina, that invading army, to add celerity to its movements, -voluntarily and deliberately destroyed all its baggage and stores, the -noble and accomplished Commander-in-Chief himself setting the example. -The inhabitants of the country, thinly scattered and unincumbered with -wealth, exhibited the most determined hostility to the invaders, so -that if ever an invading army had good reason and excuse for ravaging -and pillaging as it passed along, that army may surely be allowed it. - -What was the policy of its commander under such circumstances toward -the people of Carolina? - -I have before me now Lord Cornwallis's own order-book--truly venerable -and interesting--bound in leather, with a brass clasp, the paper coarse -and the ink faded, but the handwriting uncommonly good, and the whole -in excellent preservation. A valuable relic in these days, when it is -well to know what are the traits which go to make a true soldier, and -how he may at least endeavor to divest war of its brutality. A few -extracts will show what Cornwallis's principles were. - - "CAMP NEAR BEATTIE'S FORD, } - January 28, 1781. } - - "Lord Cornwallis has so often experienced the zeal and good-will of - the army, that he has not the smallest doubt that the officers and - soldiers will most cheerfully submit to the ill conveniences that - must naturally attend war so remote from water carriage and the - magazines of the army. The supply of rum for a time will be absolutely - impossible, and that of meal very uncertain. It is needless to - point out to the officers the necessity of preserving the strictest - discipline, and of preventing the oppressed people from suffering - violence by the hands from whom they are taught to look for protection. - - "To prevent the total destruction of the country and the ruin of his - Majesty's service, it is necessary that the regulation in regard to - the number of horses taken should be strictly observed. Major-General - Leslie will be pleased to require the most exact obedience to - this order from the officers commanding brigades and corps. The - supernumerary horses that may from time to time be discovered will be - sent to headquarters." - - "HEADQUARTERS, CANSLER'S PLANTATION, } - February 2, 1781. } - - "Lord Cornwallis is highly displeased that several houses have been - set on fire to-day during the march--a disgrace to the army--and he - will punish with the utmost severity any person or persons who shall - be found guilty of committing so disgraceful an outrage. His Lordship - requests the commanding officers of the corps will endeavor to find - the persons who set fire to the houses this day." - - "HEADQUARTERS, DOBBIN'S HOUSE, } - February 17, 1781. } - - "Lord Cornwallis is very sorry to be obliged to call the attention of - the officers of the army to the repeated orders against plundering, - and he assures the officers that if their duty to their king and - country, and their feeling for humanity, are not sufficient to enforce - their obedience to them, he must, however reluctantly, make use of - such power as the military laws have placed in his hands. - - "Great complaints having been made of negroes straggling from the line - of march, plundering and using violence to the inhabitants, it is Lord - Cornwallis's positive orders that no negro shall be suffered to carry - arms on any pretense, and all officers and other persons who employ - negroes are desired to acquaint them that the provost-marshal has - received orders to seize and shoot on the spot any negro following the - army who may offend against these regulations. - - "It is expected that captains will exert themselves to keep good order - and prevent plundering. Should any complaint be made of the wagoners - or followers of the army, it will be necessarily imputed to neglect on - the part of the captains. Any officer who looks on with indifference, - and does not do his utmost to prevent shameful marauding, will be - considered in a more criminal light than the persons who commit these - scandalous crimes, which must bring disgrace and ruin on his Majesty's - service. - - "All foraging parties will give receipts for the supplies taken by - them." - - "HEADQUARTERS, FREELANDS, } - February 28, 1781. } - - - MEMORANDUM. - - "A watch found by the regiment of Bose. The owner may have it from the - adjutant of that regiment on proving his property." - - "CAMP SMITH'S PLANTATION, } - March 1, 1781. } - - - "BRIGADE ORDERS. - - "It is Brigadier-General O'Hara's orders that the officers commanding - companies cause an immediate inspection of the articles of clothing, - etc., in the possession of the women in their companies, and an - exact account taken thereof by the pay-sergeants; after which, their - necessaries are to be regularly examined at proper intervals, and - every article found in addition thereto burnt at the head of the - company--except such as have been fairly purchased on application - to the commanding officers and added to their former list by the - sergeants as above. The officers are likewise ordered to make these - examinations at such times, and in such manner as to prevent the women - (supposed to be the source of infamous plundering[2]) from evading the - purport of this order. - - "A woman having been robbed of a watch, a black silk handkerchief, - a gallon of peach brandy, and a shirt, and, as by the description, - by a soldier of the Guards, the camp and every man's kit is to be - immediately searched for the same by the officers of the brigade. - - "Notwithstanding every order, every entreaty that Lord Cornwallis has - given to the army, to prevent the shameful practice of plundering - and distressing the country, and these orders backed by every effort - that can have been made by Brigadier-General O'Hara, he is shocked to - find that this evil still prevails, and ashamed to observe that the - frequent complaints he receives from headquarters of the irregularity - of the Guards particularly affect the credit of that corps. He - therefore calls upon the officers, non-commissioned officers, and - those men who are yet possessed of the feelings of humanity, and - actuated by the principles of true soldiers, _the love of their - country, the good of the service, and the honor of their own corps_, - to assist with the same indefatigable diligence the General himself is - determined to persevere in, in order to detect and punish all men and - women so offending with the utmost severity of example." - -Such was Lord Cornwallis's policy. What was the disposition toward -him of the country through which he was passing? "So inveterate -was the rancor of the inhabitants, that the expresses for the -Commander-in-Chief were frequently murdered; and the people, instead -of remaining quietly at home to receive pay for the produce of their -plantations, made it a practice to waylay the British foraging parties, -fire their rifles from concealed places, and then fly to the woods." -(Stedman's History.) - -In all cases where the country people practice such warfare, -retaliation by the army so annoyed is justified. But even in Colonel -Tarleton's ("bloody Tarleton's") command, Lord Cornwallis took care -that justice should be done. In Tarleton's own narrative we read: - -"On the arrival of some country people, Lord Cornwallis directed -Lieutenant-Colonel Tarleton to dismount his dragoons and mounted -infantry, and to form them into a rank entire, for the convenient -inspection of the inhabitants, and to facilitate the discovery of the -villains who had committed atrocious outrages the preceding evening. -A sergeant and one private were pointed out, and accused of rape and -robbery. They were condemned to death by martial law. The immediate -infliction of this sentence exhibited to the army and manifested to the -country the discipline and justice of the British General." - -In Lee's Memoirs, we learn that on one occasion he captured on the -banks of the Haw, in Alamance, two of Tarleton's staff, "who had been -detained in _settling for the subsistence of the detachment_." What was -the course of General Sherman's officers, eighty-four years afterward, -in the very same neighborhood, on the very same ground, let us now see. -"Look on this picture, then on that." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 2: 'Tis a thousand pities that a certain gallant -major-general, late of the cavalry service in General S.'s army, (now -Minister to Chili,) could not have his attention drawn to this.] - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - JUDGE RUFFIN--HIS HISTORY--HIS CHARACTER--HIS SERVICES--GENERAL - COUCH'S OUTRAGES AFTER PEACE HAD BEEN DECLARED--GENERAL - SHERMAN'S OUTRAGES--HIS UNBLUSHING OFFICIAL REPORT.--"ARMY - CORRESPONDENTS"--SHERMAN IN FAYETTEVILLE--CORNWALLIS IN - FAYETTEVILLE--COINCIDENCES OF PLANS--CONTRASTS IN MODES--THE NEGRO - SUFFERS--TROOPS CONCENTRATING UNDER GENERAL JOHNSTON. - - -In the first week of May, 1865, _after_ the final surrender of General -Johnston's army, and _after_ General Grant's proclamation of protection -to private property, Major-General Couch, with a detachment of some -twelve or fourteen thousand infantry, passing up the main road from -Raleigh to Greensboro, encamped on a noble plantation, beautifully -situated on both sides of the Haw river, in Alamance county. Of -the venerable owner of this plantation I might be pardoned if I -were to give more than a cursory notice; for, as a representative -North-Carolinian, and identified for nearly fifty years with all -that is best in her annals and brightest in her reputation at home -and abroad, no citizen in the State is regarded with more pride and -veneration than Judge RUFFIN. His claims to such distinction, however, -are not to be fairly exhibited within the limits of such a sketch as -this, though a reference to his public services will have a significant -value in my present connection. - -Judge Ruffin was born in 1786, graduated at Princeton in 1806, was -admitted to the bar in 1808, and from the year 1813, when he first -represented Hillsboro in the House of Commons, to the present time, -he has been prominently before the people of our State, holding the -highest offices within her gift with a reputation for learning, -ability, and integrity unsurpassed in our judicial annals. In the -year 1852, after forty-five years of brilliant professional life, he -resigned the Chief-Justiceship, and, amid the applause and regret of -all classes of his fellow-citizens, retired to the quiet enjoyment of -an ample estate acquired by his own eminent labors, and to the society -of a numerous and interesting family. - -The judicial ermine which Judge Ruffin had worn for so many years -not only shielded him from, but absolutely forbade, all active -participation in party politics. He was, however, no uninterested -observer of the current of events. He had been warmly opposed to -nullification in 1832, and was no believer in the rights of peaceable -secession in 1860. In private circles, he combated both heresies -with all that "inexorable logic" which the London _Times_ declared -to be characteristic of his judicial opinions on the law of master -and slave. He regarded the "sacred right of revolution" as the remedy -for the redress of insupportable grievances only. His opinions on -these subjects were well known, when, in 1861, he was unexpectedly -summoned by the Legislature to the head of the able delegation sent by -the State to the Peace Convention at Washington. The reference to his -course there, in the first of these sketches, renders it unnecessary -to say more at present. Eminent statesmen, now in high position in the -national councils, can testify to his zealous and unremitting labors in -that Convention to preserve and perpetuate the union of the States; and -none, doubtless, will do so more cordially than the venerable military -chieftain[3] who, sixty years ago, was his friend and fellow-student in -the office of an eminent lawyer in Petersburgh. - -Judge Ruffin returned home, dispirited and discouraged by the temper -displayed in the Convention, and still more by the proceedings of -Congress. He still cherished hopes of reconciliation, however, when, -without any canvass by or for him, he was elected to the Convention -which, on the twentieth of May, 1861, adopted, by a unanimous vote, the -Ordinance of Secession. - -Having given that vote, he was not the man to shrink from the -responsibilities it involved. In common with every other respectable -citizen in the State, he felt it his duty to encourage and animate our -soldiers, and to contribute liberally to their support and that of -their families at home. His sons who were able to bear arms were in the -battle-field, and his family endured all the privations, and practiced -all the self-denial common to our people; cheerfully dispensing with -the luxuries of life, and laboring assiduously for the relief of the -army and the needy around them. - -Toward this most eminent and venerable citizen, whose name added weight -to the dignity and influence of the whole country, what was the policy -of Major-General Couch, encamped on his grounds, in the pleasant month -of May? The plantation had already suffered from the depredations of -Major-General Wheeler's cavalry of the Confederate army in its hurried -transit; but it was reserved for General Couch to give it the finishing -touch. In a few words, ten miles of fencing were burned up, from one -end of it to the other; not an ear of corn, not a sheaf of wheat, -not a bundle of fodder was left; the army wagons were driven into -the cultivated fields and orchards and meadows, and fires were made -under the fruit-trees; the sheep and hogs were shot down and left to -rot on the ground, and several thousand horses and cattle were turned -in on the wheat crops, then just heading. All the horses, seventeen -in number, were carried off, and all the stock. An application for -protection, and remonstrance against wanton damage, were met with -indifference and contempt. - -Such being the course of one of General Sherman's subaltern officers -in time of peace, it is natural to turn to General Sherman himself, -and inquire what was the example set by him in the progress of "the -great march." He speaks for himself, and history will yet deliver an -impartial verdict on such a summing up: - -"We consumed the corn and fodder in the region of country thirty miles -on either side of a line from Atlanta to Savannah; also the sweet -potatoes, hogs, sheep, and poultry, and carried off more than ten -thousand horses and mules. I estimate the damage done to the State of -Georgia at one hundred million dollars; at least twenty million dollars -of which inured to our advantage, and the remainder was simple waste -and destruction." (Official Report.) - -Simple people, who understand nothing of military necessities, must -be permitted to stand aghast at such a recital, and ask why was this? -To what end? What far-sighted policy dictated such wholesale havoc? -Lord Cornwallis--a foreigner--acting as a representative of the -_mother_ country, seeking to reclaim her alienated children, we have -seen everywhere anxious to conciliate, generously active to spare the -country as much as possible, to preserve it for the interests of the -mother country, and enforcing strict discipline in his army for the -benefit of the service. What changes have been effected in the _morale_ -of war by nearly a century of Christian progress and civilization -since Lord Cornwallis's day? An army, in the middle of the nineteenth -century, acting as the representative of _sister States_, seeking to -reclaim "wayward sisters"--an army enlisted with the most extraordinary -and emphatic avowals of purely philanthropic motives that the world has -ever heard--an army marching through what it professes to consider AS -ITS OWN COUNTRY--this army leaves a waste and burning track behind it -of sixty miles' width! - - "O bloodiest picture in the book of Time! - Sarmatia fell unwept, without a crime; - Found not a generous friend, a pitying foe, - Strength in her arms, nor mercy in her woe! - Dropped from her nerveless grasp the shattered spear, - Closed her bright eye, and curbed her high career." - -The gay and airy pen-and-ink sketches, furnished to the Northern -press by "our own army correspondents," of the exploits of bummers, -the jocular descriptions of treasure-seekers, the triumphant -records of fire, famine, and slaughter, served up with elegant -illustrations--wood-cuts in Harper's best style--and, if likely to -be a trifle too glaring for even radical sensibilities, toned down -and made to assume an air of retributive justice by a timely allusion -to the "wretched slaves"--these interesting reports, piquant and -gayly-colored and suggestive though they were, were yet dull and tame -and faded in comparison with the dismal reality. And all this "waste -and destruction," it will be the verdict of posterity, even the calmed -sense of the present generation will agree, was wholly uncalled for, -wholly unnecessary, contributed in no way to the prosperous and speedy -termination of the war, but added materially to the losses by the -war of the General Government, lit up the fires of hatred in many a -hitherto loyal Southern breast, brutalized and demoralized the whole -Federal army, and was in short inexcusable in every aspect except -upon the determination to exterminate the Southern people. We knew -that there were men in the Church and in the State who openly avowed -such aspirations; but as to the great body of the sober, intelligent, -and conscientious Northern people, we do them the justice to believe -that when the history of the war _at the South_ comes to be truthfully -written, they will receive its records with incredulity; and when -belief is compelled, will turn from them shuddering. - -The smoke of burning Columbia, and of the fair villages and countless -plantations that lay in the route, where, for hundreds of miles, many a -house was left blazing, and not a panel of fence was to be seen, rolled -slowly up our sky; and panic-stricken refugees, homeless and penniless, -brought every day fresh tales of havoc and ruin. By the eleventh of -March, General Sherman was in possession of Fayetteville, in our own -State. - -The coincidences in the plan, and the contrasts in the mode of -conducting the campaigns of Lord Cornwallis and General Sherman, -are striking, and suggestive to the student of history. Cornwallis -hesitated whether to strike North-Carolina in the heart of the whig -settlements--between the Yadkin and the Catawba--or enter among his -friends between the Pedee and Cape Fear, and ultimately decided to -accomplish both purposes. In January, 1781, Sir James Henry Craig -captured Wilmington, and on the nineteenth of February, Lord Cornwallis -forced the passage of the Catawba at Beattie's Ford. General Schofield -had possession of Wilmington when General Sherman, making _a feint_ at -Charlotte, captured Fayetteville. - -In Lord Cornwallis's progress through Carolina he met with every thing -to exasperate him in the conduct of the people. On his first entrance -into Charlotte, September, 1780, the whole British army was actually -held at bay for half an hour by a body of about one hundred and fifty -militia, and a few volunteers, commanded by Major Joseph Graham, posted -behind the court-house and houses, and commanded by Colonel Davie, -who was "determined to give his lordship an earnest of what he might -expect in the State." Three separate charges of the British Legion were -repulsed by this handful of devoted men, who retired at last on being -flanked by the infantry, in perfect order, with but a loss of eleven -killed and wounded, while the British admitted a loss of forty-three -killed and wounded. "When the Legion was afterward reproached for -cowardice in suffering such a check from so small a detail of militia, -they excused themselves by saying that the confidence with which the -Americans behaved made them apprehend an ambuscade, for surely nothing -of that sort was to be expected in an open village at mid-day." I have -by me as I write, in Colonel Davie's own handwriting, his account of -"the affair at Charlotte," as he modestly styles it, and it is well -worth comparing with Tarleton's and Stedman's report of the same. A -more brilliant and audacious exploit was not performed during the whole -Revolutionary war. A series of such annoyances, heading and dogging -the British army at every step all through that country, gained for -Charlotte the well-earned and enviable _sobriquet_ of "The Hornets' -Nest," and the commander-in-chief paid the whole region the compliment -of declaring that "Mecklenburg and Rowan were the two most rebellious -counties in America." - -Yet Cornwallis burned no houses here--plundered no plantations. His -aim was very apparently to conciliate if possible, to teach the people -to look to him for protection and a good government. To be sure, he -had not enjoyed the benefit of a West-Point military training--he was -evidently in profound ignorance of the advantages to be derived from -the principle of "smashing things generally," as he passed along; but -he was, nevertheless, (perhaps in consequence,) a _gentleman_, and an -accomplished statesman, as well as a consummate soldier. He well knew-- - - "----who overcomes - By force, hath overcome but half his foe." - -As to Fayetteville, and her lot in these later days, no such slight -sketch as this will suffice for the story. Perhaps no town in the -South had surpassed her in the ardor and liberality with which (after -secession had become the law of the State) she supported the war. She -gave her bravest sons; her best blood was poured out like water in the -cause of the South, and then she gave of her substance. The grace of -giving had surely been bestowed upon the people of Cumberland without -measure, for there seemed literally no end to their liberality. For -four years the columns of their papers had exhibited an almost weekly -list of donations, that in number and value would have done infinite -credit to a much wealthier community. The ladies, as usual, were -especially active and indefatigable. Where, indeed, in all the sunny -South were they not? And why should they not have been? They were -working for their fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and lovers, and -for principles which these beloved ones had instructed them to cherish. -Would it not have been culpable in the last degree for the women of the -country to have remained even indifferent to a cause (good or bad) for -which the men were laying down their lives? Why should they not take -joyfully all privations and all hardships, for the sake of these, and -soothe the agony of bereavement with the belief that they who needed -their cares no longer, lying rolled in their bloody blankets in the -bosom of Virginia, or on the fatal hills of Pennsylvania, had died in a -good cause and were resting in honored graves? Who shall question the -course of the women of the South in this war, or dare to undervalue -their lofty heroism and fortitude, unsurpassed in story or in song? -When I forget you, O ye daughters of my country! your labors of love, -your charity, faith, and patience, all through the dark and bloody -day, lighting up the gloom of war with the tender graces of woman's -devotion and self-denial, and now, in even darker hours, your energy -and cheerful submission in toil and poverty and humiliation--when I -cease to do homage to your virtues, and to your excellences, may my -right hand forget its cunning and my voice be silent in the dust! - -The people of Fayetteville supported the Confederate Government warmly -to the last gasp, upon the principle that _united_, the South might -stand--_divided_, she certainly would fall. After the failure of the -Peace Commission, the citizens met and passed vigorous war resolutions, -calling on all classes to rally once more in self-defense--a -proceeding which did more credit to their zeal than to their ability to -read the signs of the times; for, rally or no rally, the fate of the -Confederacy was already written on the wall. - -All these antecedents doubtless conspired to give Fayetteville a bad -character in the opinion of our Northern brethren, who, for their -part, were bent on peace-making; and accordingly, when the hour and -the man arrived, on the eleventh of March, 1865, she found she must -pay the penalty. A skirmish took place in the streets between General -Sherman's advanced-guard and a part of General Hampton's cavalry, which -covered the retreat of Hardee's division across the Cape Fear. This, -no doubt, increased the exasperation of feeling toward this "nest of -rebels," and the determination to put a check to all future operations -there in behalf of the cause. In less than two hours after the entrance -of the Federal forces, so adroitly had every house in the town and -its suburbs been ransacked and plundered, that it may be doubted if -all Fayetteville, the next day, could have contributed two whole -shirts or a bushel of meal to the relief of the Confederate army. The -incidents of that most memorable day, and for several days succeeding, -would fill (and _will_ fill) a volume; and as for the nights, they -were illuminated by the glare of blazing houses all through the pine -groves for several miles around Fayetteville. One of the first of -the "soldiers in blue" who entered the town, accosted in the street -a most distinguished and venerable clergyman, Rev. William Hooper, -D.D., LL.D., more than seventy years of age--the grandson of one of -the signers of the Declaration of Independence--and who had suffered -reproach for his adherence to the Union, and whose very appearance -should have challenged respect and deference--accosted him as a -"d----d rebel," and putting a pistol to his head, demanded and -carried off his watch and purse. - -Southerners can not write calmly of such scenes yet. Their houses -were turned into seraglios, every portable article of value, plate, -china and glass-ware, provisions and books were carried off, and the -remainder destroyed; hundreds of carriages and vehicles of all kinds -were burned in piles; where houses were isolated they were burned; -women were grossly insulted, and robbed of clothing and jewelry; nor -were darker and nameless tragedies wanting in lonely situations. No; -they hardly dare trust themselves to think of these things. "That way -lies madness." But the true story of "THE GREAT MARCH" will yet be -written. - -Not the least remarkable of all these noble strategical operations was -the fact that black and white suffered alike. Nothing more strikingly -evinces the entire demoralization and want of honor that prevailed. -The negro whom they came to liberate they afterward plundered; his -cabin was stripped of his little valuables, as well as his master's -house of its luxuries; his humble silver watch was seized, as well as -the gentleman's gold repeater. This policy is also modern, and due to -the enlightenment of the nineteenth century. A good many years ago, a -grand liberation of slaves took place, where the leaders and deliverer -sanctioned the "spoiling of the Egyptians," but they hardly picked the -pockets of the freedmen afterward. - -During the month of March our central counties were traversed by -straggling bodies of Confederate soldiers, fragments of the once -powerful army of Tennessee, hurrying down toward Raleigh to concentrate -under General Johnston once more, in the vain hope of being able yet -to effect something. Tennesseeans, Texans, Georgians, Alabamians, men -who had been in every fight in the West, from Corinth to Perrysville, -from Perrysville to Atlanta--men who had left pleasant homes, wives and -children, many of whom they knew were without a house to shelter them; - - "For the blackness of ashes marked where it stood, - And a wild mother's scream o'er her famishing brood!" - -The whole population of our town poured out to see these war-worn men; -to cheer them; to feed and shelter them. The little children gathered -handfuls of the early daffodils "that take the winds of March with -beauty," and flung to them. What we had to eat we gave them, day after -day. Repeatedly the whole of a family dinner was taken from the table -and carried out to the street, the children joyfully assisting. They -were our soldiers--our own brave boys. The cause was desperate, we -knew--the war was nearly over--our delusions were at an end; but while -we had it, our last loaf to our soldiers--a cheer, and a blessing, with -dim eyes, as they rode away. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 3: General Winfield Scott.] - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - LAWS OF WAR--"RIGHT TO FORAGE OLDER THAN HISTORY"--XENOPHON--KENT ON - INTERNATIONAL LAW--HALLECK'S AUTHORITY VERSUS SHERMAN'S THEORY AND - PRACTICE--PRESIDENT WOOLSEY--LETTER OF BISHOP ATKINSON. - - -In the preceding chapter, attention was drawn to the striking contrast -between the policy pursued by General Sherman toward the inhabitants of -the country he was invading, and that of his illustrious predecessor in -the days of the Revolution. I think there can be but little doubt as -to which of these distinguished commanders is entitled to most credit -on the score of _humanity_. General Sherman's friends, considering -that he who conducts a campaign to a successful issue may well afford -to disregard the means to the desired end, will doubtless support -his policy; for where Cornwallis failed, he succeeded, and succeeded -brilliantly. Lord Cornwallis, however, in the general benevolence of -his character--tempering, as far as was practicable, the severities of -war with forbearance and generosity--is more justly entitled to stand -by the side of WASHINGTON than any other military commander of his age. -As to his failure, time has shown that it was well for both countries -that he did fail; and his memory is crowned with more unfading laurels -than the title of mere conqueror could have conferred. Self-control, -discipline, and magnanimous consideration for the weak and the -defenseless are better than burning houses and a devastated country. - -If, however, it still be asserted that humanity is _necessarily_ no -part of a soldier's duty, and that his business is to win the fight, no -matter how, an appeal to the authorities on such points, recognized in -all civilized nations, will show that the law is otherwise laid down. - -General Sherman begins his famous letter to General Hampton with the -assertion that "the right to forage is older than history." What was -the precise character of this right among barbarians in the morning -twilight of civilization it may hardly be worth our while to inquire. -But we have clear historic evidence that, long before the coming -of the Prince of Peace, in the earliest ages of profane history, -among civilized nations the "right to forage" did _not_ mean a right -to indiscriminate pillage, "waste, and destruction"--destruction -extending not only to the carrying off of the cattle necessary in -farming operations, but to the agricultural tools and implements of -every description. More than twenty centuries ago, Xenophon, at the -head of the Ten Thousand, accomplished his famous retreat from Babylon -to the sea. The incidents of that great march are given by himself -in a narrative, whose modesty, spirit, and elegance have charmed all -subsequent ages. His views as to the right to forage are clearly -stated in the following passage, taken from _Kent's Commentaries -on International Law_--an authority that was studied by General -Sherman at West-Point, and was taught by him when Superintendent -of the Military Academy of Louisiana. Treating of plunder on land, -depredations upon private property, etc., he says: - -"Such conduct has been condemned in all ages by the wise and virtuous, -and it is usually punished severely by those commanders of disciplined -troops who have studied war as a science, and are animated by a sense -of duty or the love of fame. We may infer the opinion of Xenophon on -this subject, (and he was a warrior as well as a philosopher,) when -he states, in the _Cyropoedia_, that Cyrus of Persia gave orders to -his army, _when marching upon the enemy's borders_, not to disturb -the cultivators of the soil; and there have been such ordinances in -modern times for the protection of innocent and pacific pursuits. If -the conqueror goes beyond these limits wantonly, or when it is not -clearly indispensable to the just purposes of war, and seizes private -property of pacific persons for the sake of gain, and destroys private -dwellings, or public edifices devoted to civil purposes only; or makes -war upon monuments of art, and models of taste, he violates the modern -usages of war, and is sure to meet with indignant resentment, and to be -held up to the general scorn and detestation of the world." (Part I. -Sec. 5.) - -To this authority may be added a still more modern and binding -exposition of the laws of war. _Halleck's International Law and Laws of -War_, written and published in 1861 by an officer of the Government, -and for a time a major-general and commander-in-chief of the Federal -army, may be considered as the latest and ablest summary of the best -authorities on these subjects. It was in the hands of General Sherman -and his officers, and its decisions may be regarded as final. Nothing -can be more explicit or more emphatic than the following extracts. -First, as to general right of war in an enemy's property (on land): - -"The general theory of war is, as heretofore stated, that all private -property may be taken by the conqueror; and such was the ancient -practice. But the modern usage is, not to touch private property -on land without making compensation, except in certain specified -cases. These exceptions may be stated under three general heads: 1st. -Confiscations or seizures by way of penalty for military offenses; -2d. Forced contributions for the support of the invading army, or as -an indemnity for the expenses of maintaining order, and affording -protection to the conquered inhabitants; and 3d. Property taken on the -field of battle, or in storming a fortress or town. - -"In the first place, we may seize upon private property, by way of -penalty for the illegal acts of individuals, or of the community to -which they belong. Thus, if an individual be guilty of conduct in -violation of the laws of war, we may seize and confiscate the private -property of the offender. So, also, if the offense attach itself to a -particular community or town, all the individuals of that community or -town are liable to punishment; and we may seize upon their property, -or levy upon them a retaliatory contribution by way of penalty. When, -however, we can discover and secure the individuals so offending, it is -more just to inflict the punishment on them only; but it is a general -law of war that communities are accountable for the acts of their -individual members. If these individuals are not given up, or can not -be discovered, it is usual to impose a contribution upon the civil -authorities of the place where the offense is committed; and these -authorities raise the amount of the contribution by a tax levied on -their constituents." (Chap. 19, pages 457, 458.) - -If the town of Fayetteville had in any way become peculiarly obnoxious -to the Federal army, one would have thought that a glance into Halleck -might have satisfied the commanding officers as to their rights and -duties there on the eleventh of March, 1865. Not a word here of -plunder, pillage, or arson. There can be no doubt that Fayetteville -would have gladly compounded for her offenses by a tax of almost any -possible amount, levied and collected in a lawful and civilized way, in -preference to her actual experiences. - -Next, as to right of forage, etc.: - -"In the second place, we have a _right_ to make the enemy's country -contribute to the expenses of the war. Troops in the enemy's country -may be subsisted either by regular magazines, by forced requisitions, -or by authorized pillage. It is not always politic, or even possible, -to provide regular magazines for the entire supply of an army during -the active operations of a campaign. When this can not be done, the -general is obliged either to resort to military requisitions, or to -intrust their subsistence to the troops themselves. The inevitable -consequences of the latter system are universal pillage, and a total -relaxation of discipline: the loss of private property, and the -violation of individual rights, are usually followed by the massacre -of straggling parties; and the _ordinary peaceful and non-combatant -inhabitants are converted into bitter and implacable enemies_. The -system is, therefore, regarded as both impolitic and unjust, and is -coming into general disuse among the more civilized nations--at least -for the support of the main army. In case of small detachments, where -great rapidity of motion is requisite, it sometimes becomes necessary -for the troops to procure their subsistence wherever they can. In such -a case, the seizure of private property becomes a necessary consequence -of the military operations, and is, therefore, unavoidable. Other cases -of similar character might be mentioned. But even in most of these -special and extreme cases, provisions might be made for subsequently -compensating the owners for the loss of their property." (Page 459.) - -"The evils resulting from irregular requisitions, and foraging for -the ordinary supplies of an army, are so very great, and so generally -admitted, that it has become a recognized maxim of war, that the -commanding officer who permits indiscriminate pillage, and allows the -taking of private property without a strict accountability, whether he -be engaged in defensive or offensive operations, fails in his duty to -his own government, and violates the usages of modern warfare. It is -sometimes alleged, in excuse for such conduct, that the general is -unable to restrain his troops; but in the eye of the law there is no -excuse; for _he who can not preserve order in his army has no right -to command it_. In collecting military contributions, trustworthy -troops should be sent with the foragers, to prevent them from engaging -in irregular and unauthorized pillage; and the party should always -be accompanied by officers of the staff and administrative corps, -to see to the proper execution of the orders, and to report any -irregularities on the part of the troops. In case any corps should -engage in unauthorized pillage, due restitution should be made to the -inhabitants, and the expenses of such restitution deducted from the -pay and allowances of the corps by which such excess is committed. But -modify and restrict it as you will, the system of subsisting armies on -the private property of an enemy's subjects without compensation is -very objectionable, and almost inevitably leads to cruel and disastrous -results. There is, therefore, very seldom a sufficient reason for -resorting to it." (Chap. 19, page 451.) - -"While there is some uncertainty as to the exact limit fixed by the -voluntary law of nations to our right to appropriate to our own use -the property of an enemy, or to subject it to military contributions, -_there is no doubt whatever respecting its waste and useless -destruction_. _This is forbidden alike by the law of nature and the -rules of war._ There are numerous instances in military history -where whole districts of country have been totally ravaged and laid -waste. Such operations have sometimes been defended on the ground of -necessity, or as a means of preventing greater evils. 'Such violent -remedies,' says Vattel, 'are to be sparingly applied: there must be -reasons of suitable importance to justify the use of them. He who -does the like in an enemy's country when impelled by no necessity, or -induced by feeble reasons, becomes the scourge of mankind.' - -"The general rule by which we should regulate our conduct toward -an enemy is _that of moderation; and on no occasion should we -unnecessarily destroy his property_. 'The pillage and destruction of -towns,' says Vattel, 'the devastation of the open country, ravaging and -setting fire to houses, are measures no less odious and detestable on -every occasion when they are evidently put in practice without absolute -necessity, or at least very cogent reasons. But as the perpetrators of -such outrageous deeds might attempt to palliate them, under pretext -of deservedly punishing the enemy, be it here observed that the -natural and voluntary law of nations does not allow us to inflict such -punishments, except for enormous offenses against the law of nations; -and even then it is glorious to listen to the voice of humanity and -clemency, when rigor is not absolutely necessary.'" (Pages 455--456.) - -To these unimpeachable decisions I can not refrain from adding that of -President Woolsey, of Yale College. In his Introduction to the Study -of International Law, sec. 130, pp. 304--5, he says: "The property, -movable and immovable, of private persons in an invaded country is to -remain uninjured. But if the wants of the hostile army require, it -may be taken by authorized persons at a fair value; but marauding must -be checked by discipline and penalties." And even as to "permissible -requisitions," which Wellington regarded as iniquitous, and opposed as -"_likely to injure those who resorted to them_," President Woolsey adds -that they "are demoralizing; they arouse the avarice of officers, and -_leave a sting in the memory of oppressed nations_." - -It is this _sting_, left in the breasts of the Southern people, these -bitter hatreds aroused by the indiscriminate and licensed pillage to -which they were subjected, which are more to be deprecated than any -consequence of the blood shed in fair and open fight during the war. -Hard blows do not necessarily make bad blood between generous foes. It -is the ungenerous policy of the exulting conqueror that adds poison to -the bleeding wounds. - -From a mass of agreeing testimony, as to the conduct of the Federal -troops on their entrance into our State, I select the following letter -from a clergyman of distinction, the authorized head of one of the most -influential denominations in the State; a man of national reputation -for the learning, ability, and piety with which he adorns his high -office in the Church of God. Let it be carefully read, and its calm and -moderate tone be fairly estimated and appreciated: - - ... "I am altogether indisposed to obtrude myself on the public, and - especially to bring before it complaints of personal grievance; but - it seemed to me important, not only for the interests of justice, - but of humanity, that the truth should be declared concerning the - mode in which the late civil war was carried on, and I did not see - that I was exempted from this duty rather than any one else who had - personal knowledge of facts bearing on that subject. For this reason I - made the statement to my Convention which you allude to, and for the - same reason I have, after some hesitation, felt bound to give you the - information you ask. - - "When General Sherman was moving on Cheraw, in South-Carolina, one - corps of his army, under General Slocum, I believe, advanced in - a parallel line north of him, and extended into this State. Some - companies of Kilpatrick's cavalry attached to this corps came on - Friday, third March, to Wadesboro, in Anson county, where I was - then residing. As their approach was known, many persons thought it - best to withdraw from the place before the cavalry entered it; but - I determined to remain, as I could not remove my family, and I did - not suppose that I would suffer any serious injury. I saw the troops - galloping in, and sat down quietly to my books, reading, having - asked the other members of my family to remain in a room in the rear - of the building. After a time a soldier knocked at the door, which - I opened. He at once, with many oaths, demanded my watch, which I - refused to give him. He then drew a pistol and presented it at me, - and threatened to shoot me immediately if I did not surrender it. I - still refused, and, the altercation becoming loud, my wife heard it, - ran into the room and earnestly besought me to give it up, which I - then did. Having secured this, he demanded money, but as we had none - but Confederate, he would not take that. He then proceeded to rifle - our trunks and drawers, took some of my clothes from these, and my - wife's jewelry; but he would have nothing to do with heavy articles - as, fortunately, he had no means of carrying them off. He then left - the house, and I went in search of his officers to ask them to compel - him to return what he had taken from me. This might seem a hopeless - effort; for the same game had been played in every house in the town - where there seemed to be any thing worth taking. However, in my case, - the officers promised, if I could identify the robber, to compel him - to make restitution. The men, accordingly, were drawn up in line, and - their commander and I went along it examining their countenances, - but my acquaintance was not among them. It turned out that he had - gone from my house to that of a neighbor, to carry on the same work, - and during my absence had returned to my house, taken a horse from - the stable, and then moved off to his camp at some miles' distance. - The next day other bands visited us, taking groceries from us and - demanding watches and money. They broke open the storehouses in the - village; and as at one of these I had some tierces of china and boxes - of books, these they knocked to pieces, breaking the china, of course, - and scattering the books, but not carrying them off, as they probably - did not much value them, and had, fortunately, no wagons. I finally - recovered nearly all of them. Another part of Sherman's army, in - their march through Richmond county, passed by two railroad stations - where I had a piano and other furniture, which they destroyed; and - also at Fayetteville I had furniture at the house of a friend, - which shared the fate of his. Yet I was among those who suffered - _comparatively lightly_. Where the army went with its wagons, they - swept the country of almost every thing of value that was portable. In - some instances defenseless men were killed for plunder. A Mr. James C. - Bennet, one of the oldest and wealthiest men in Anson county, was shot - at the door of his own house because he did not give up his watch and - money, which had been previously taken from him by another party. - - "These and the like atrocities ought to be known; for even men who do - not much fear the judgments of God, are kept somewhat in awe by the - apprehension of the sentence of the civilized world and of posterity. - - "In conclusion, I must say that I wish as little reference to be made - to me, and the injuries done me, as is consistent with the faithful - narrative which you have undertaken to give of the last ninety days of - the war in North-Carolina. - - "I remain, very truly and respectfully yours, - - "Thomas Atkinson." - -Bishop Atkinson, it is well known, was the first to set the example, -after the war was closed, of leading his church half-way to reunite the -church connection North and South. An example of Christian charity, -meekness, and forbearance most worthy of our admiration and imitation. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - LORD CORNWALLIS IN FAYETTEVILLE--A YOUNG LADY'S INTERVIEW WITH - HIM--HOW HE TREATED HER--HOW SHERMAN'S MEN TREATED HER GRANDSON--"THE - STORY OF THE GREAT MARCH"--MAJOR NICHOLS AND THE "QUADROON - GIRLS"--SUCH IS NOT WAR--WHY THESE THINGS ARE RECORDED--CONFEDERATE - CONCENTRATION IN NORTH-CAROLINA--A SAD STORY. - - -When Lord Cornwallis was on his march to Wilmington, after the battle -of Guilford Court-House, passing by the residence of a planter near -Cross Creek, (now Fayetteville,) the army halted. The young mistress -of the mansion, a gay and very beautiful matron of eighteen, with the -impulsive curiosity of a child, ran to her front piazza to gaze at the -pageant. Some officers dismounting approached the house. She addressed -one of the foremost, and begged that he would point out to her Lord -Cornwallis, if he was there, for "she wished to see a lord." "Madam," -said the gentleman, removing his hat, "I am Lord Cornwallis." Then -with the formal courtesy of the day he led her into the house, giving -to the frightened family every assurance of protection. With the high -breeding of a gentleman and the frankness of a soldier, he won all -hearts during his stay, from the venerable grandmother in her chair -to the gay girl who had first accosted him. While the army remained, -not an article was disturbed on the plantation, though, as he himself -warned them, there were stragglers in his wake whom he could not -detect, and who failed not to do what mischief they could in the way of -plundering, after he had passed. 'Tis eighty-four years ago, and that -blooming girl's granddaughters tell the story with grateful regard for -the memory of the noble Englishman, who never forgot what was due to a -defenseless homestead, and who well deserves to be held in admiration -by woman.[4] - -How tender the light that plays round this great captain's memory! -Smarting from recent virtual defeat, hurrying through a hostile -country, disappointed in his expectations of receiving relief and -reenforcement in this very neighborhood of Cross Creek, he is master -of himself and of his army through all reverses of fortune--gentle and -considerate in the midst of adversity. - -The recollections of that young Southern matron's grandson, Charles B. -Mallett, Esq., of the great army passing so lately over the very same -ground, and of their visit to his plantation, afford matter for curious -consideration and comparison. These are his reminiscences: - -"The china and glass-ware were all carried out of the house by -the Federal soldiers, and deliberately smashed in the yard. The -furniture--piano, beds, tables, bureaus--were all cut to pieces with -axes; the pantries and smoke-houses were stripped of their contents; -the negro houses were all plundered; the poultry, cows, horses, etc., -were shot down and carried off; and then, after all this, the houses -were all fired and burned to the ground. The cotton factory belonging -to the family was also burned, as were six others in the neighborhood -of Fayetteville." - -I have also the statement of a near neighbor of this gentleman, John M. -Rose, Esq., condensed as follows: - -"The Federal soldiers searched my house from garret to cellar, and -plundered it of every thing portable; took all my provisions, emptied -the pantries of all stores, and did not leave me a mouthful of any kind -of supplies for one meal's victuals. They took all my clothing, even -the hat off my head, and the shoes and pants from my person; took most -of my wife's and children's clothing, all of our bedding; destroyed my -furniture, and robbed all my negroes. At leaving they set fire to my -fences, out-houses, and dwelling, which, fortunately, I was able to -extinguish. The remains of a dozen slaughtered cattle were left in my -yard. (Nine dwellings were burned to the ground in this neighborhood. -Four gentlemen, whose names are given, were hung up by the neck till -nearly dead, to force them to tell where valuables were hidden. One -was shot in his own house, and died soon after.) The yard and lot were -searched, and all my money, and that of several companies which I -represent, was found and taken. All my stocks and bonds were likewise -carried off. My wagon, and garden, and lot implements were all burned -in my yard. The property taken from another family--the jewelry, plate, -money, etc.--was estimated to be worth not less than twenty-five -thousand dollars. Hundreds of pleasure vehicles in the town were either -wantonly burned in parcels and separately, or carried off with the -army. Houses in the suburbs and vicinity suffered more severely than -those in the town. No private dwellings in the town were burned, and -after the guards were placed the pillage ceased. The misfortune was, -that the guards were not placed till the houses had been sacked." - -I have other statements, but perhaps these are sufficient for my -present purpose.[5] I have given none that can not be verified if -necessary, though they differ widely from those of a book lately -published at the North, entitled The Story of the Great March, and -which is doubtless regarded there as of unquestionable authority. On -page 251 I observe it is stated, "Private property in Fayetteville has -been respected to a degree which is remarkable;" and on page 253: "The -city of Fayetteville was offensively rebellious, and it has been a -matter of surprise that our soldiers, who are quick to understand the -distinction, have not made the citizens feel it in one way or another." -It is just possible that Major Nichols did not know the truth; that, -being very evidently of an easy and credulous temper, and too busy -making up his little book for sale, he allowed himself to be imposed -upon by wicked jokers. Let us all believe that he knew nothing of -the robberies that were going on. He was evidently hard of hearing, -besides; for he says, page 240, "I have yet to hear of a single outrage -offered to a woman by a soldier of our army." Let us all believe that -he was too deeply interested in his interviews with the handsome -"quadroon family," mentioned on page 237, to know what was going on -among the whites. By the way, it would seem these quadroon girls were -too deep for him too. His reported conversation with the family is -a very amusing tissue of blunders and misrepresentation. Foot-notes -should certainly accompany the thirtieth edition, and in particular it -should be stated of these "intelligent quadroons," not one of whom was -ever named Hannah, and not one of any name was ever sold, that not one -of them has yet left the lot of their old master, or expressed a wish -to leave. Major Nichols does not seem to know much; but he probably -knows this, that it was not for want of asking that these handsome -quadroons did not go. - -Enough of such disclosures and of such scenes. If it be asked why these -have been presented, and why I seek to prolong these painful memories, -and to keep alive the remembrances that ought rather to slumber and be -forgotten with the dead past, let me reply that it is deliberately, -and of set purpose, that I sketch these outlines of a great tragedy -for our Northern friends to ponder. The South has suffered; that they -admit in general terms, and add, "_Such is war_." I desire to call -their attention to the fact that such is is NOT war, as their own -standards declare; that the career of the grand army in the Great -March, brilliant as was the design, masterly as was the execution, and -triumphant as was the issue, is yet, in its details, a story of which -they have no reason to be proud, and which, when truly told, if there -be one spark of generosity, one drop of the milk of human kindness -in Northern breasts, should turn their bitterness toward the South -into tender pity, their exultation over her into a manly regret and -remorse. They do not know--they never will know unless Southerners -themselves shall tell the mournful story--what the sword hath done in -her fair fields and her pleasant places. Their triumphant stories and -war-lyrics are not faithful expositors of the woe and ruin wrought upon -a defenseless people. When the sounds of conflict have finally died -away, I would fain see the calmed senses of a great people who, having -fairly won the fight, can afford to be magnanimous, take in clearly the -situation of the whole Southern country, and "repent them for their -brother Benjamin, and come to the house of God, and weep sore for their -brother, and say, O Lord God, why is this come to pass that there -should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?" - -Thousands of delicate women, bred up in affluence, are now bravely -working with their hands for their daily bread; many in old age, and -alone in the world, are bereft of all their earthly possessions. -Thousands of families are absolutely penniless, who have never -before known a want ungratified. Let me not be mistaken to represent -Southerners as shrinking from work, or ignobly bewailing the loss of -luxury and ease. The dignity and the "perennial nobleness" of labor -were never more fairly asserted than among us now, and I have never -seen, or read, or heard of a braver acceptance of the situation, a -more cheerful submission to God's will, or a more spirited application -to unaccustomed toils and duties, than are exhibited here this day. -Nobody is ashamed of himself, or ashamed of his position, or of his -necessities. What the South wants is not charity--charity as an -alms--but generosity; that generosity which forbears reproach, or -insult, or gay and clamorous exultation, but which silently clears -the way of all difficulties, and lends an arm to a fainting, wounded -brother; that says, "There _must_ be an inheritance for them that be -escaped of Benjamin." - -It is for this that I present these sketches, which, but for some good -to be accomplished by them, would better have never been written. Where -wrongs can not be redressed, or their recital be made available for -good, they would far better be buried in oblivion, the wrong-doer and -the sufferer alike awaiting in dread repose the final award of the -Great Tribunal. - -How shall the South begin her new life? How, disfranchised and denied -her civil rights, shall she start the wheels of enterprise and business -that shall bring work and bread to her plundered, penniless people? -How shall her widows and orphans be fed, her schools and colleges be -supported, her churches be maintained, unless her rights and liberties -be regained--unless every effort be made to give her wounds repose, -and restore health and energy to her paralyzed and shattered frame? Is -there any precedent in history of a war that ended with the freeing not -only from all obligation to labor, but from all disposition to labor, -of all the operatives of the conquered country? Is not the social -status of the South at present without a parallel? Just emerging from -an exhausting and devastating war, the country might well be crippled -and poverty-stricken; but with three or four millions of enfranchised -slaves, a population that is even now hastening to inaugurate the worst -evils of insubordination, idleness, and pauperism among us, what hope -for us unless the Northern sense of justice can be aroused into speedy -action! - -While General Sherman's wagons were wallowing in the mud between -Fayetteville and Goldsboro, vain attempts were being made in Raleigh -to galvanize into some show of action and strength the fragments -of an army that were concentrating there. General Lee's desperate -situation in Virginia was not understood and realized by the multitude, -nor that the Confederate territory was fast narrowing down to the -northern counties of Central North-Carolina, and that Raleigh was -the last capital city we could claim. Beauregard, Johnston, Hardee, -Hoke, Hampton, Wheeler--names that had thrilled the whole Southern -country with pride and exultation--they were all there, and for a time -people endeavored to believe that Raleigh might be defended. General -Sherman's plans appeared to be inscrutable. When he left Columbia, -Charlotte was supposed to be his aim; but when he fell suddenly upon -Fayetteville, then Raleigh was to be his next stage. The astute plan -of a junction with Schofield at Goldsboro, which appears now to have -been pre-arranged while he was yet in Savannah, did not dawn upon our -minds till it was too late to prevent it. The fight at Bentonsville -was a desperate and vain attempt to do what might possibly have been -done before, and in that last wild struggle many a precious life was -given in vain. With sad anxiety for the fate of those we loved, with -sinking hearts, we heard, from day to day, from Averasboro and from -Bentonsville, of the wild charge, the short, fierce struggle, and the -inevitable retreat, little thinking that these were indeed the last -life-throbs of our dying cause. - -There was one from our own circle, whose story is but a representative -one of the many thousand such that now darken what was once the Sunny -South. He had joined the army in the beginning of the war, and his -wife and children had fled from their pleasant home near New-Berne, -on its first occupation by the Federal forces, leaving the negroes, -plantation, house, furniture, and all to the invaders. They had -taken refuge at Chapel Hill among old friends; and in a poor and -inconvenient home, those who had counted their wealth by thousands -were glad of a temporary shelter, as was the case with hundreds of -families from the east, scattered all over the central part of the -State. The energetic wife laid aside the habits of a lifetime and -went to work, while her brave husband was in the army. From New-Berne -to Richmond, from Charleston to the Blackwater, we, who had known -him from boyhood, traced his gallant career, sharing his wife's -triumphs in his successes, and her fears in his perils. Her health in -unaccustomed toils began to fail, but we looked forward hopefully to -the time when she might return to her beautiful home on the sea-shore, -where a blander air would restore her. So we read his loving, cheerful -letters, and believed that the life which had been spared through -so many battles would yet be guarded for the sake of the wife and -the curly-haired little ones. On the twenty-second of March, riding -unguardedly near a thicket, our friend received the fire of a squad -of sharp-shooters concealed there. He fell from his horse and was -carried to a place of safety, where he lay on the muddy ground of the -trampled battle-field for a few hours, murmuring faintly at intervals, -"My wife! my poor wife!" till death mercifully came. He was wrapped by -his faithful servant in his blood-stained uniform and muddy blankets -as he lay; a coarse box was procured with great difficulty, and so the -soldier was brought back to his family. His last visit home had been -just before the fall of Fort Fisher; and when the news of the attack -came, though his furlough was not out by ten days, yet he left at once -for Wilmington, saying, "It was every man's duty to be at the front." -He had returned to us now, "off duty forever." Loving hands laid him -slowly and sadly down to a soldier's honored rest, while his little -children stood around the grave. The wife made an effort to live for -these children. She bore up through that woful spring and summer, and -the thin, white, trembling hands were ever at work. But the brown hair -turned gray rapidly, the easy-chair was relinquished for the bed, and -before winter came the five children were left alone in the world. -The wife had joined her husband. The ample estate that should have -been theirs was gone. Strangers were in their home by the sea, and -had divided out their lands; nor is it yet known whether they will be -permitted to claim their inheritance. - -This man, Colonel Edward B. Mallett, brave, beloved, lamented, was also -a grandson of the gay girl who had entertained Lord Cornwallis in her -house near Cross Creek, and his fortunes were linked with those of the -brother whose house and factory had been burned so lately. Thus did the -destruction in one part of the State help on and intensify the ruin in -another part. - -Stories such as these are our inheritance from the great war; and -yet, looking at the fate of those who have survived its dangers to be -crushed by its issues, we may rather envy those who were laid sweetly -to their rest while their hope for the country was not yet subjugated -within them. - - Let them rave! - Thou art quiet in thy grave. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 4: His own beloved young wife, dying of a broken heart on the -separation caused by his coming to America, "directed on her death-bed -that a thorn-tree should be planted on her grave, as nearly as possible -over her heart, significant of the sorrow that destroyed her life. -Her request was complied with, and that thorn-tree is still living." -(1857.)--The Cornwallis Correspondence, chap. i. p. 14.] - -[Footnote 5: The writer might have mentioned that J.P. McLean was hung -up by the neck three times and shot at once, to make him disclose -hidden valuables. W.T. Horne, Jesse Hawley, and Alexander McAuthor, -were all hung up until nearly dead. John Waddill was shot down and -killed in his own house. The country residences of C.T. Haigh, J.C. -Haigh, Archibald Graham, and W.T. Horne, were all burned within a short -distance of one another; this was all in one neighborhood. Dr. Hicks, -of Duplin, was hung until nearly dead, and will probably never recover. -So it was elsewhere.--Editor.] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - "SHAYS'S REBELLION"--KENT ON MASSACHUSETTS--CONDUCT OF A NORTHERN - GOVERNMENT TO NORTHERN REBELS--THE "WHISKY INSURRECTION"--HOW - WASHINGTON TREATED A REBELLION--SECESSION OF NEW-ENGLAND BIRTH--THE - WAR OF 1812--BANCROFT ON 1676--THE BACONISTS--AN APPEAL. - - -By the last of March General Sherman had entered Goldsboro, and -effected his long meditated junction with General Schofield. He -himself at once proceeded to Southern Virginia to hold a conference -with General Grant, while the grand army lay quiet a few days to rest, -recruit, and prepare for its further advance. Leaving them there, I -venture to make a digression, suggested by the concluding lines of the -preceding number of these sketches--a digression having for its object -the consideration of the present policy of the Federal Government -toward vanquished rebels, as compared with its policy in former -cases of rebellion against its authority, even more inexcusable and -unprovoked. - -Chancellor Kent, adverting to the first rebellion against the -government of this country, known in history as "Shays's Rebellion," -pays the State of Massachusetts the following well-merited compliment -on her conduct upon its suppression: "The clemency of Massachusetts -in 1786, after an unprovoked and wanton rebellion, in not inflicting -a single capital punishment, contributed, by the judicious manner in -which its clemency was applied, to the more firm establishment of -their government." (Com. on Am. Law. Vol. i. p. 283.) What were the -circumstances of this first rebellion? - -In 1786, the Legislature of that State laid taxes which were expected -to produce near a million of dollars. The country had just emerged -from the war of the Revolution in an exhausted and impoverished -condition. Litigation abounded, and the people, galled by the pressure -of their debts and of these taxes, manifested a spirit of revolt -against their government. From loudly-expressed complaints they -proceeded to meetings, and finally took up arms. They insisted that -the courts should be closed; they clamored against the lawyers and -their exorbitant fees, against salaried public officers; and they -demanded the issue of paper money. The Governor of Massachusetts, -John Bowdoin, convened the Legislature, and endeavored to allay the -general and growing mutiny by concessions; but the excitement still -increasing, the militia were ordered out, and Congress voted a supply -of thirteen thousand men to aid the State Government. The leader of -the insurrection was Daniel Shays, late a captain in the Continental -army. At the head of one thousand men he prevented the session of -the Supreme Court at Worcester, and his army soon increasing to two -thousand, they marched to Springfield, to seize the national arsenal. -Being promptly repulsed by the commandant there, they fled, leaving -several killed and wounded. General Lincoln, at the head of four -thousand militia, pursued them to Amherst, and thence to Pelham. On his -approach they offered to disperse on condition of a general pardon; -but General Lincoln had no authority to treat. They then retreated to -Petersham. Lincoln pursued, and pushing on all night through intense -cold and a driving snow-storm, he accomplished an unprecedented march -of forty miles, and early next morning completely surprised the rebels -in Petersham, taking one hundred and fifty prisoners, and dispersing -the rest so effectually that they never rallied again. Many took -refuge in New-Hampshire and the neighboring States, where they were -afterward arrested on requisition of Massachusetts. This ill-sustained -and wanton rebellion was easily quelled. Fourteen of the prisoners -were convicted of treason, but not one was executed, and the terms of -pardon imposed were so moderate that eight hundred took the benefit of -them. Prudence dictated this moderation and clemency, for it was known -that at least a third of the population sympathized with the rebels. It -was a significant fact that at the ensuing election, Governor Bowdoin, -who had distinguished himself by his zeal and energy, was defeated, -and other public officers who had been especially active against the -rebels lost their seats, and were replaced by more popular men. Daniel -Shays lived to a good old age, and died still in the enjoyment of his -revolutionary pension.[6] Such was the generous policy of a Northern -government to Northern rebels in the first rebellion. - -The second rebellion, commonly called the "Whisky Insurrection" of -Western Pennsylvania, assumed more formidable proportions, and was -instigated by even more sordid and inexcusable motives. In 1784, the -distillers of that part of the State were resolved to deny the right -of excise to the Federal Government. The excise law, though very -unpopular, had been carried into execution in every part of the United -States, and in most of the counties of Pennsylvania; but west of the -Alleghany the people rose in arms against the Government officers, -prevented them from exercising their functions, maltreated them, and -compelled them to fly from the district, and finally called a meeting -"to take into consideration the situation of the western country." They -seized upon the mail, and opened the letters to discover what reports -had been sent of their proceedings to Philadelphia, and by whom. They -addressed a circular letter to the officers of the militia in the -disaffected counties, calling on them to rendezvous at Braddock's -Field on the first of August, with arms in good order, and four days' -provisions, an "expedition," it was added, "in which they could have -an opportunity of displaying their military talent, and of serving -the country." This insurrection was headed by David Bradford, the -prosecuting attorney for Washington county, and was secretly fomented -by agents of the French Republic, who desired nothing better than to -see the downfall of Washington's administration, and the reign of -anarchy inaugurated on this continent. A large body of men, estimated -at from five to ten thousand, met on the day appointed at Braddock's -Field. Bradford took upon himself the military command. Albert Gallatin -(lately a rejected United States Senator, on the ground that he had -not been a resident of the State the length of time prescribed for -foreigners) was appointed Secretary. "Cowards and traitors" were freely -denounced, and those who advocated moderate measures were over-awed and -silenced. The rioters then marched to Pittsburgh, which they would have -burned but for the conciliatory conduct of the people of the town. They -burned the houses of several obnoxious men, compelled them to leave -the country, and then dispersed. It had been Bradford's design to get -possession of Fort Pitt, and seize the arms and ammunition there; but -not being supported in this by the militia officers, he had abandoned -it. All the remaining excise officers in the district were now forced -to leave. Many outrages were committed, houses burned, citizens -insulted, and a reign of terror completely established. - -The news of this formidable and wide-spread insurrection reaching -Philadelphia, the President issued a proclamation reciting the acts -of treason, commanding the insurgents to disperse, and warning others -against abetting them. This was the first of such proclamations ever -issued in this country, and was no doubt the model proposed, to -himself, and followed by President Lincoln in 1861. But Washington, at -the same time, appointed three commissioners--a member of his cabinet, -a Pennsylvania United States Senator, and a judge of the Supreme -Court in that State--to repair to the scene of action, confer with -the insurgents, and make every practicable attempt toward a peaceful -adjustment. The policy of calling out the militia was discussed in the -Cabinet. Hamilton and Knox were in favor of it. Randolph opposed it, -and so did Governor Mifflin, who was consulted, on the ground that a -resort to force might influence and augment the excitement and unite -the whole State in rebellion. Washington finally determined to take -the responsibility on himself and act with vigor, since if such open -and daring resistance to the laws were not met and checked at once, -it might find many imitators in other parts of the country, then so -agitated and unsettled. The commissioners having failed to come to -any satisfactory terms with the rebels, the opinion rapidly gained -ground that the interposition of an armed force was indispensable. -A body of fifteen thousand militia was called out from the States -of Pennsylvania, New-Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia, and the whole -force put under the command of Governor (and General) Henry Lee, of -Virginia,[7] the father of _our_ General Robert E. Lee. The news -that this army was on the march materially increased the numbers and -influence of the moderate party in Western Pennsylvania. The Standing -Committee of the insurgents met and recommended submission, which was -ably and zealously advocated by Albert Gallatin and Breckenridge. -Nothing decisive was agreed upon, and pending another convention, -many of the ring-leaders fled from the State; David Bradford, who had -been foremost among them, being the first to seek safety in flight to -New-Orleans. - -A resolution of submission was passed at the second convention, and -a committee of two, one of whom, Findley, was a member of Congress, -appointed to convey it to the President at Carlisle. The President -received this committee courteously, but the march of the troops was -not arrested. A third convention being held, and resolutions to pay -all excise duties and recommending the surrender of all delinquents -having passed, General Lee issued a proclamation granting an amnesty -to all who had submitted, and calling on the people to take the oath -of allegiance to the United States. Orders were issued and executed -to seize those offenders who had not submitted, and send them to -Philadelphia. Of those who were tried before the Circuit Court, only -two were found guilty of capital offenses, one of arson and the -other of robbing the mail; and both were ultimately pardoned by the -President. In less than four months from the burning of the first -house, the insurrection was completely defeated, and entire order -restored. A force of twenty-five hundred militia was retained in -the disaffected district during the ensuing winter, under command of -General Morgan. Provision was made to indemnify those whose property -had been destroyed, and an appropriation of more than a million of -dollars was made by Congress to defray the expenses incurred. Albert -Gallatin, who was then a hardly naturalized foreigner, notwithstanding -the part he had taken in the earlier stages of the rebellion, by -his subsequent moderate counsels had regained the confidence of the -Government, and being the choice of the people of that district, was -elected to the next Congress, taking his seat without any opposition -or word of rebuke. His subsequent brilliant career is now part of our -national history. Findley, who was a member of Congress at the time of -the outbreak, and was at one time prominent among the sympathizers, -though he acted at no time with decision, did not forfeit his seat by -his participation in the revolt. He appeared in his place in Congress -the ensuing November. He afterward wrote an elaborate history of the -insurrection and a vindication of himself and his friends. According -to him the troops sent to quell the rebellion would have left more -emphatic tokens of their desire for vengeance on the rebels, "if it had -not been for the moderation of Washington and his resistless weight of -character in the execution of his purposes."[8] - -The prompt, energetic, and efficient measures of the Administration -in arresting the progress of this revolt, and its magnanimity -and moderation toward the offenders afterward, contributed very -materially to strengthen the Government at a critical period of its -existence, to give it dignity and influence, and to rally round it -the best affections of the people. And its patience and forbearance -had been somewhat tried by the State of Pennsylvania in those days. -There had been many symptoms of instability in the "Keystone" of the -newly-erected arch of civil liberty. There were two examples of mutiny -among the Pennsylvania troops during the Revolution, and two popular -insurrections in regard to the excise laws, and this one had opened -with the exhibition of a temper ferocious and reckless. The estimate -by the Administration of the danger of the rebellion in 1794 may be -inferred from the fact that the number of troops called for to suppress -it was greater, in proportion to the then population of the United -States, than the call made by President Lincoln in 1861 to the present -population. In 1790, the white population of the United States was -3,172,464. The troops called out in '94 were 15,000. In 1860, the white -population was 26,690,206. Troops ordered out, 75,000. The proportion -in 1794 was greater, according to these figures, in the ratio of 389 to -354, without allowing for increase from 1790 to '94. And the magnitude -of the danger did indeed fully justify all the apprehensions and -precautions of the guardians of the state. The young republic was but -newly formed, the Government scarcely settled. Many prominent and able -men in different parts of the country were turning admiring eyes toward -France in her wild career, others toward some vision of a monarchical -form. Emissaries from the distracted states of the Old World were -prompt and zealous to foment discords and disturbances, and precedents -were wanting every day to meet new issues that arose continually. The -situation needed all the wisdom, prudence, and magnanimity of the -illustrious man called by Providence to guide the first steps of a -great nation. - -Does any one hesitate to believe that if we had had a Washington for -President in 1860 and 1861, the late war would never have taken place; -that secession would never have been accomplished? How vigorous and -yet how conciliatory would have been the measures. The seventy-five -thousand would no doubt have been called for, but commissioners of -peace to the "wayward sisters" would have preceded them. In our day it -was the insurgents who sent commissioners. The best men of the South -were a month in Washington City, vainly endeavoring for a hearing, -vainly hoping for some oiler of conciliation or adjustment, and deluded -by promises from the highest officials that were never meant to be -fulfilled. - -Does any one doubt what would have been Washington's conduct of the -grand army through its unparalleled and immortal march of triumph? Even -had he not been guided by Christian principles of honor and humanity, -he would at least have emulated the example and shared the glory of -the noble heathen of whom it was said: "_Postremo signa, et tabulas, -ceteraque ornamenta Graecorum oppidorum, quae ceteri tollenda esse -arbitrantur, ea sibi ille ne visenda quidem existimavit. Itaque omnes -quidem nunc in his locis Cn. Pompeium sicut aliquem non ex hac urbe -missum, sed de aelo delapsum, intuentur._"[9] - -And finally, can any one doubt what his policy would now be toward the -people so lately in arms against their Government? Alas! to him alone, -first in war and first in peace, can the whole of the splendid eulogy -of the Roman orator to the great captain of _his_ day be fittingly -applied: "_Humanitati jam tanta est, ut difficile dictu sit, utrum -hostes magis virtutem ejus pugnantis timuerint, an mansuetudinem victi -delixerint_."[10] - -Just twenty years from the time of the second rebellion, the third, and -by far the most evil-disposed, malignant, and far-reaching expression -of hostility to the General Government was organized. The Hartford -Convention indeed never proceeded so far as to make an appeal to arms, -but the spirit that suggested it, and the temper displayed by its -leaders, give it undoubtedly the best claim to have inaugurated the -hateful doctrine of secession. - -The war of 1812 with England was, in general, excessively unpopular in -the New-England States. Their commerce was burned; their fisheries were -broken up, and their merchants and ship-owners, who constituted the -wealthiest and most influential class among them, were heavy losers. -The Administration had always been unpopular with them, and now its -policy of embargo, non-importation, non-intercourse, and finally of -war, were sufficient to rouse them into active opposition. This was -manifested in various ways; in the annual addresses of their governors; -in reports of legislative committees; in laws to embarrass the action -of the Federal Executive, as, for instance, forbidding it the use -of any of their jails for the confinement of prisoners of war, and -ordering all their jailers to liberate all British prisoners committed -to their keeping; in refusing to contribute their quota of men for the -support of the war, and even to allow them to march beyond the limits -of their own State. The spirit of disaffection was diligently cherished -by the leaders, and went on increasing in bitterness and extent till -a convention was proposed and agreed upon. On the 15th of December, -1814, there assembled in the city of Hartford twelve delegates from -Massachusetts, seven from Connecticut, four from Rhode Island, three -county delegates from New-Hampshire, and one from Vermont. They sat -with closed doors till the 5th of January, 1815, when they adjourned, -having issued a report setting forth their grievances and aims. The -following extract from a report of the proceedings of the Legislature -will exhibit the spirit that prevailed through the State: - -"We believe that this war, so fertile in calamities, and so threatening -in its consequences, has been waged with the worst possible views, and -carried on in the worst possible manner, forming a union of wickedness -and weakness which defies, for a parallel, the annals of the world. We -believe also that its worst effects are yet to come; that loan upon -loan, tax upon tax, and exaction upon exaction, must be imposed, until -the comforts of the present and the hopes of the rising generation are -destroyed. _An impoverished people will be an enslaved people._" Of the -right of the State to prevent the exercise of unconstitutional power -by the General Government, they had no doubt. "A power to regulate -commerce is abused when employed to destroy it, and a voluntary -abuse of power sanctions the right of resistance as much as a direct -and palpable usurpation. The sovereignty reserved to the States was -reserved to protect the citizens from acts of violence by the United -States, as well as for purposes of domestic regulation. We spurn the -idea that the free, sovereign, and independent State of Massachusetts -is reduced to a mere municipal corporation, without power to protect -its people, or to defend them from oppression, from whatever quarter -it comes. Whenever the national compact is violated, and the citizens -of this State oppressed by cruel and unauthorized enactments, this -Legislature is bound to interpose its power, and to wrest from the -oppressor its victim. This is the spirit of our Union." - -The manifesto of the Convention did not, could not, use stronger -language. After proposing seven amendments to the Constitution, and -giving reasons for their adoption, they disclaimed all hostility to -that Constitution, and professed only to aim to unite all the friends -of the country of all parties, and obtain their aid in effecting a -change of Federal rulers. Should this be hopeless, they hinted at the -"necessity of more mighty efforts," which were plainly set forth in -their resolutions, and everywhere understood to refer to a secession of -the five New-England States, their consolidation into an independent -government of their own, or alliance with England.[11] - -The time chosen for such a display of enmity to the Union was most -opportune for the purposes of the traitors. A war with a foreign foe, -and that foe the most powerful nation on earth, was in progress; the -Administration was greatly embarrassed; the country was rent with -fierce party factions. What would be the issue no human wisdom could -foresee; but that the ruin of the country was not then effected, can -not be attributed to the patriotism of the New-England States. Three -commissioners, appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts, to whom -Connecticut added two others, proceeded to Washington to lay their -resolutions and applications before the Government. But, most happily, -news of the treaty of Ghent and consequent peace arriving at the same -time with these envoys, their mission became the theme of unsparing -taunt and ridicule in the papers, and they returned home without -disburdening themselves of their object. Thus the third rebellion -was snuffed out by events; but its sparks were blown far and wide by -viewless winds, and effected a lodgment where, though smothered for a -generation or two, they yet burned in secret, and at length burst out -in the great conflagration of 1860, which lit the whole horizon and -dyed the very heavens with its crimson. The principles of the Hartford -Convention were the seeds of nullification and secession. - -The eminent historian from Massachusetts records in glowing pages the -stifling of the earliest throbs of civil and religious liberty on -this continent in 1676. The earliest martyr in the Bacon Rebellion -against monarchical tyranny was William Drummond, the first Governor -of North-Carolina. His name is written on the beautiful sheet of water -that lies within the tangled brakes of the great swamp on the borders -of the land he loved and served so well. In that rebellion the women -(as at this day) shared the popular enthusiasm. "The child that is -unborn," said Sarah Drummond, "shall rejoice for the good that will -come by the rising of the country." She would not suffer a throb of -fear in her bosom, and in the greatest perils to which her husband was -exposed, she confidently exclaimed, "We shall do well enough," and -continually encouraged the people and inspired the soldiers with her -own enthusiasm. When Edmund Cheesman was arraigned for trial, his wife -declared that but for her he never would have joined the rebellion, -and on her knees begged that she might bear the punishment. Yet these -devoted people saw the cause for which they had risked and lost every -thing in the dust, overthrown, and trampled upon with vindictive fury -by the triumphant royalists. In the judicial trials that followed, -a rigor and merciless severity were exhibited, worthy of the gloomy -judge whose "bloody assize," ten years later, on the western circuit -of England, has left an indelible blot on her history. Twenty-two were -hanged; three others died of cruelty in prison; three more fled before -trial; two escaped after conviction. Nor is it certain when Sir William -Berkeley's thirst for blood would have been appeased if the newly -convened assembly had not voted an address that the Governor "should -spill no more blood." On Berkeley's return to England he was received -with coldness, and his cruelty openly disavowed by the government. -"That old fool," said the kind-hearted Charles II., "has taken more -lives in that naked country than I for the murder of my father."[12] - -"More blood was shed," adds the historian, "than, on the action of -our present political system, would be shed for political offenses -in a thousand years." Alas! for the sunny South, the scorched and -consumed South, alas for her! that the prediction of the great American -historian is not history! - -Considering this rebellion in the perspective afforded by nearly two -hundred years, it is easy for us to understand how the severity with -which it was punished by the fanatic old royal Governor only drove -the entering-wedge of separation between the mother country and her -colonies in America deeper. The principles of Bacon and his party had -obtained a great hold on the popular mind; and though for years all -tendency to a popular government appeared to be crusted out and forever -silenced, yet they were there, in the hearts of men, silently growing, -nurtured by a deep sense of injustice and wrong, and biding their time. -Just a century from the suppression of the "Baconists," the Declaration -of Independence was adopted; Sarah Drummond's words were verified, and -Bacon and Drummond and Cheesman and Hansford were amply avenged. - -It is to such pages of history as these that I would turn the attention -of our Northern friends now. Here they may see how the Father of his -country dealt with his wayward children. How a prompt and dignified -and successful assertion of the rights of the Federal Government were -followed by leniency and generous and prudent forbearance such as a -great government can afford to show, and by which it best exhibits its -strength and its claims to the love and veneration of its people. Here -they may see how a brutal gratification of vengeance, a lust of blood, -like the tiger's spring, overleaps its mark. The hardest lesson to be -learned is moderation in the hour of triumph; the greatest victory to -be achieved is the victory over self. - -Where now are the Bowdoins, the Hancocks, the Dexters, the Ames, the -Websters of Massachusetts? Has she no statesman now capable of rising -to the magnanimity which characterized her early history? Has thrice -revolting and thrice pardoned Pennsylvania no representative man who -can rise to the height of the great argument, and vindicate the cause -of a country pillaged and plundered and peeled to an extent of which -the history of civilized humanity affords us no parallel? Is there no -one now to stand up and advocate for Southerners the same measure of -forbearance and generosity that was shown by a Southern President to -Northern rebels? - -"O thou that spoilest and wast not spoiled, that dealt treacherously, -and they dealt not treacherously with thee!" haste to the work of -reconciliation and to build up the waste places! Even now on our -thresholds are heard the sounds of the departing feet of those who in -despair for their country, hopeless of peace or of justice, are leaving -our broad, free, noble land for the semi-civilized haciendas of Mexico -or of far-off tropical Brazil. Even now are their journals scattered -freely among us--invitations, beckonings, sneers at the North, flattery -of the South, fair promises, golden lures, every inducement held out -to a high-hearted and fainting people to cast their lot in with them. -Haste to arrest them by some display of returning fraternity and -consideration, ere for them we raise the saddest lament yet born of the -war: "Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep sore for -him that goeth away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native -country!" - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 6: For these particulars, I am indebted to Tucker's History -of the United States, vol. i. chap. 4, and to Hildreth's History of the -United States, first series, vol. iii. chap. 45.] - -[Footnote 7: My readers will remember the reference in the second -chapter to the capture by this officer of a portion of Tarleton's staff -on Haw River, while engaged in satisfying the claims of a countryman -for forage. No member of General Sherman's command is known to have -suffered a surprise under similar circumstances. Certainly not in this -region! - -Washington's characteristic sagacity and humanity were shown in the -selection of General Lee as commander of the forces.] - -[Footnote 8: Tucker's History, vol, i. chap. 7. Hildreth's History, -second series, vol. i. chap. 7.] - -[Footnote 9: "Lastly, the statues and pictures and other ornaments of -Grecian cities, which other commanders suppose might be carried off, he -indeed thought that they ought not even to have been looked at by him. -Therefore now all the inhabitants in those places look upon Cn. Pompey -as one not sent from this city, but descended from heaven."] - -[Footnote 10: "Now, by the exercise of such great humanity it has -become hard to say whether his enemies feared his valor more when they -were fighting, or loved his humanity more when they were conquered."] - -[Footnote 11: Tucker's History, vol. iii. chap. 18. Hildreth, vol. iii. -chap. 29.] - -[Footnote 12: Bancroft's History, vol. ii. chap. 14.] - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - SCHOFIELD'S ARMY--SHERMAN'S--THEIR OUTRAGES--UNION SENTIMENT--A - DISAPPOINTMENT--NINETY-TWO YEARS AGO--GOVERNOR GRAHAM--HIS - ANCESTRY--HIS CAREER--GOVERNOR MANLY. - - -The town of Goldsboro was occupied by General Schofield's army on the -twenty-first of March. No resistance was offered by the Confederates, -who had withdrawn in the direction of Smithfield, with the exception of -one regiment of cavalry, which had a slight skirmish with Schofield's -advance near the town. General Schofield's conduct toward the citizens -of the town was conciliatory. No plundering was allowed by him; -efficient guards were stationed, and beyond the loss of fences and -out-houses torn down for firing, etc., depredations on poultry-yards, -etc., and a few smoke-houses, there was but little damage done. But -in the surrounding country the outrages were innumerable, and in many -places the desolation complete. On the twenty-third of March General -Sherman's grand army made its appearance, heralded by the columns of -smoke which rose from burning farm-houses on the south side of the -Neuse. For thirty-six hours they poured in, in one continuous stream. -Every available spot in the town, and for miles around it, was covered -with the two armies, estimated at one hundred and twenty-five thousand -men. General Sherman's reputation had preceded him, and the horror and -dismay with which his approach was anticipated in the country were -fully warranted. The town itself was in a measure defended, so to -speak, by General Schofield's preoccupation; but in the vicinity and -for twenty miles round, the country was most thoroughly plundered and -stripped of food, forage, and private property of every description. -One of the first of General Sherman's own acts, after his arrival, was -of peculiar hardship. One of the oldest and most venerable citizens -of the place, with a family of sixteen or eighteen children and -grandchildren, most of them females, was ordered, on a notice of a few -hours, to vacate his house, for the convenience of the General himself, -which of course was done. The gentleman was nearly eighty years of -age, and in very feeble health. The out-houses, fences, grounds, etc., -were destroyed, and the property greatly damaged during its occupation -by the General. Not a farm-house in the country but was visited and -wantonly robbed. Many were burned, and very many, together with -out-houses, were pulled down and hauled into camps for use. Generally -not a live animal, not a morsel of food of any description was left, -and in many instances not a bed or sheet or change of clothing for -man, woman, or child. It was most heart-rending to see daily crowds -of country people, from three-score and ten years of age, down to the -unconscious infant carried in its mother's arms, coming into the town -to beg food and shelter, to ask alms from those who had despoiled them. -Many of these families lived for days on parched corn, on peas boiled -in water without salt, on scraps picked up about the camps. The number -of carriages, buggies, and wagons brought in is almost incredible. They -kept for their own use what they wished, and burned or broke up the -rest. General Logan and staff took possession of seven rooms in the -house of John C. Slocumb, Esq., the gentleman of whose statements I -avail myself. Every assurance of protection was given to the family by -the quartermaster; but many indignities were offered to the inmates, -while the house was as effectually stripped as any other of silver -plate, watches, wearing apparel, and money. Trunks and bureaus were -broken open and the contents abstracted. Not a plank or rail or post -or paling was left anywhere upon the grounds, while fruit-trees, -vines, and shrubbery were wantonly destroyed. These officers remained -nearly three weeks, occupying the family beds, and when they left the -bed-clothes also departed. - -It is very evident that General Sherman entered North-Carolina with -the confident expectation of receiving a welcome from its Union-loving -citizens. In Major Nichols's story of the Great March, he remarks, -on crossing the line which divides South from North-Carolina: "The -conduct of the soldiers is perceptibly changed. I have seen no evidence -of plundering, the men keep their ranks closely; and more remarkable -yet, not a single column of the fire or smoke which a few days ago -marked the positions of the heads of columns, can be seen upon the -horizon. Our men seem to understand that they are entering a State -which has suffered for its Union sentiment, and whose inhabitants would -gladly embrace the old flag again if they can have the opportunity, -which we mean to give them," (page 222.) But the town-meeting and war -resolutions of the people of Fayetteville, the fight in her streets, -and Governor Vance's proclamation, soon undeceived them, and their -amiable dispositions were speedily corrected and abandoned. - -On first entering our State, Major Nichols, looking sharply about him, -and fortunately disposed to do justice, under the impression that he -was among friends, declares: "It is not in our imagination alone that -we can at once see a difference between South and North-Carolina. The -soil is not superior to that near Cheraw, but the farmers are a vastly -different class of men. I had always supposed that South-Carolina was -agriculturally superior to its sister State. The loud pretensions of -the chivalry had led me to believe that the scorn of these gentlemen -was induced by the inferiority of the people of the old North State, -and that they were little better than 'dirt-eaters;' but the strong -Union sentiment which has always found utterance here should have -taught me better. The real difference between the two regions lies in -the fact that here the plantation owners work with their own hands, -and do not think they degrade themselves thereby. For the first time -since we bade farewell to salt water, I have to-day seen an attempt to -manure land. The army has passed through thirteen miles or more of -splendidly-managed plantations; the corn and cotton-fields are nicely -plowed and furrowed; the fences are in capital order; the barns are -well built; the dwelling-houses are cleanly, and there is that air of -thrift which shows that the owner takes a personal interest in the -management of affairs," (page 222.) - -It happens curiously enough that North-Carolina, ninety-two years ago, -made much the same impression on a stranger then traveling peacefully -through her eastern border; and his record is worth comparing with the -foregoing, as showing that her State individuality was as strongly and -clearly defined then as now, and that the situation of our people in -1773 closely resembled in some particulars that of their descendants in -1865. - -"The soils and climates of the Carolinas differ, but not so much as -their inhabitants. The number of negroes and slaves is much less -in North than in South-Carolina. Their staple commodity is not so -valuable, not being in so great demand as the rice, indigo, etc., -of the South. Hence labor becomes more necessary, and he who has an -interest of his own to serve is a laborer in the field. Husbandmen and -agriculture increase in number and improvement. Industry is up in the -woods at tar, pitch, and turpentine; in the fields plowing, planting, -clearing, or fencing the land. Herds and flocks become more numerous. -You see husbandmen, yeomen, and white laborers scattered through the -country instead of herds of negroes and slaves. Healthful countenances -and numerous families become more common as you advance. Property is -much more equally diffused through one province than in the other, and -this may account for some if not all the differences of character in -the inhabitants. The people of the Carolinas certainly vary much as to -their general sentiments, opinions, and judgments; and there is very -little intercourse between them. _The present State of North-Carolina -is really curious; there are but five provincial laws in force through -the colony, and no courts at all in being. No one can recover a debt, -except before a single magistrate, where the sums are within his -jurisdiction, and offenders escape with impunity. The people are in -great consternation about the matter; what will be the consequence -is problematical._" (_Memoir of Josiah Quincy, Jr._, page 123.) The -situation of North-Carolina during the last eight months of 1865 -furnishes an exact parallel to the above concluding paragraph, and the -whole may be taken as a fair illustration of the oft-repeated sentiment -that history but repeats itself. - -Major Nichols's impression of the old North State would scarcely have -been so favorably expressed had he known what reception her people -were to give the grand army. One week later, he writes: "Thus far we -have been painfully disappointed in looking for the Union sentiment in -North-Carolina, about which so much has been said. Our experience is -decidedly in favor of its sister State. The city of Fayetteville was -offensively rebellious;" and further on, "The rebels have shown more -pluck at Averasboro and at Bentonsville than we have encountered since -leaving Atlanta." - -While the Federal armies lay at Goldsboro, trains were running day -and night from Beaufort and from Wilmington, conveying stores for -the supply and complete refit of Sherman's army. The Confederate -army, lying between Goldsboro and Raleigh, having no supplies or -reenforcements to receive, waited grimly and despairingly the order to -fall back upon Raleigh, which came as soon as General Sherman, having -effected his interview with General Grant, had returned to Goldsboro, -with his future plan of action matured, and once more, on the tenth of -April, set the grand army in motion. The scenes in Raleigh during the -first week of April were significant enough. The removal of government -stores, and of the effects of the banks; the systematic concealment of -private property of every description; the hurried movements of troops -to and fro; the doubt, dismay, and gloom painted on every man's face, -told but too well the story of anticipated defeat and humiliation. -If there were any who secretly exulted in the advance of the Federal -army, they were not known. The nearest approach to any such feeling -in any respectable man's breast was probably the not unnatural sense -of satisfaction with which men who had long seen their opinions -derided and execrated now felt that their hour of vindication was -arriving, the hour which every thoughtful man in the State had long -since foreseen. The united North was too strong for the South, and -the weaker cause--whether right or wrong--was doomed. I repeat, not a -thoughtful or clear-headed man in North-Carolina but had foreseen this -result as most probable, while at the same time not a thoughtful man -or respectable citizen within our borders but had considered it his -duty as well as his interest to stand by his State and do all in his -power to assist her in the awful struggle. Till the Northern people, -as a body, can understand how it was that such conflicting emotions -held sway among us, and can see how an honorable people could resist -and deplore secession, and yet fight to the last gasp in support of the -Confederacy, and in obedience to the laws of the State, it is idle to -hope for a fair judgment from them. This, however, contradictory as it -may seem to superficial observers, was the position of North-Carolina -all through the war, from its wild inception to its sullen close, and -as such was defended and illustrated by her best and ablest statesmen. -Foremost and most earnest in her efforts to maintain peace and preserve -the Union--for she was the only State which sent delegates to both the -Northern and Southern peace conventions--she was yet foremost also -in the fight and freest in her expenditure of blood and treasure to -sustain the common cause, which she had so reluctantly embraced; and -now the time was fast approaching when she was again to vindicate her -claims to supreme good sense and discretion, by being among the first -to admit the hopelessness and sin of further effort, and the first to -offer and accept the olive-branch. - -Frequently during the winter of 1864-65, had the eyes of our people -been turned toward our Senator in the Confederate Congress, anxious -for some public expression of opinion as to the situation from -him, waiting to see what course he would indicate as most proper -and honorable. For of those who stood foremost as representative -North-Carolinians, of those who possessed the largest share of personal -popularity and influence in the State, it is not too much to say that -Ex-Governor GRAHAM was by far the most conspicuous and preeminent--the -man of whom it may be said more truly than of any other, that as he -spoke so North-Carolina felt, and as he acted, so North-Carolina -willed. And now, in the approaching crisis, there was no man by whose -single deliberate judgment the whole State would have so unanimously -agreed to be guided. - -It may be well to pause here and glance at Governor Graham's -antecedents and associations, the better to understand his claims to -such prominence and such influence. - -In a country such as ours, where hereditary distinctions do not exist, -it is peculiarly pleasant to observe such a transmission of principles, -and virtues, and talents, as is exhibited in the Graham family. The -father of Governor Graham was General Joseph Graham, of Revolutionary -fame, than whom there did not exist a more active and able partisan -leader in North-Carolina. In the affair at Charlotte in 1780, referred -to in a preceding number, when one hundred and fifty militia, under -Colonel Davie, gave the whole British army under Cornwallis such a warm -reception, most efficient aid was rendered by Major Joseph Graham, -who commanded a small company of volunteers on that occasion. He was -covered with wounds, and his recovery was considered by his friends -as little short of miraculous. But he was afterward distinguished in -many heroic exploits, and commanded in no less than fifteen different -engagements. - -His youngest son, William Alexander, was born in 1804, in Lincoln -county, graduated at the State University in 1824, chose the profession -of the law, and entered upon public life as member of the General -Assembly in 1833, three years before the death of his venerable father. -The talents, patriotism, and energy which had distinguished the -Revolutionary patriot, were transmitted in full measure to his son, and -North-Carolina evinced her appreciation of his abilities by retaining -him in public office whenever he would consent to serve, from the time -of his first entrance. And Governor Graham has never failed, has never -been unequal to the occasion, or to the expectations formed of him, -however high. His very appearance gives assurance of the energy, calm -temper, high ability, and nerve which have always characterized him. -As a lawyer and advocate, his reputation is eminent and his success -brilliant; but it is as a statesman that his career is particularly to -be noted now. He was United States Senator in 1840, elected Governor -of the State in 1844, and reelected in 1846. His immediate predecessor -in this office was the Hon J.M. Morehead, previously referred to as a -member of the Peace Convention at Washington; and his successor was -the Hon. Charles Manly--all Whigs--and Governor Manly, the last of -that school of politics elected to that office, previous to the civil -war. Governor Graham was appointed Secretary of the Navy in 1850, -by President Fillmore, which he resigned in 1852 on receiving the -nomination for Vice-President on the ticket with General Scott. He was -repeatedly member of the General Assembly, and in all positions has -merited and enjoyed the fullest and most unhesitating confidence of the -people he represented, worthy of them and worthy of his parentage. - -His connection in politics having been ever with the Whig party, he was -thereby removed in the furthest possible degree from any countenance to -the doctrines of Nullification and Secession. Hence he had concurred -with Webster's great speech in reply to Hayne in 1830, with the -proclamation of Jackson in 1832, with Clay in 1850, and with the entire -policy of President Fillmore's eminently national administration. -In February, 1860, he visited Washington City to consult with such -friends as Crittenden of Kentucky, Hives of Virginia, and Granger of -New-York, on the dangers then environing and threatening the country, -the result of which was a convention nominating Bell and Everett for -the Presidential ticket, with the motto, "The Union, the Constitution, -and the enforcement of the laws." He canvassed the State on his return -home, for these candidates and principles, warning the people, however, -that there was a likelihood of Mr. Lincoln's election; and that in such -a case it was evidently the purpose of the Secessionists who supported -Breckinridge, to break up the Government and involve the country in -civil war. Party, however, was at that time stronger than patriotism, -and Breckinridge carried the State. On Mr. Lincoln's election, -Governor Graham made public addresses, exhorting the people to submit -and yield due obedience to his office. When the Legislature that winter -ordered an election to take the sense of the people on the call of a -convention, and at the same time to elect delegates, Governor Graham -opposed the call, and it was signally defeated in the State. He was -proposed as a Commissioner to the Peace Convention at Washington, but -was rejected by the secessionist majority because of his decided and -openly expressed Union sentiments. - -After the attack on Fort Sumter, and the secession of Virginia and of -Tennessee, leaving North-Carolina perfectly isolated among the seceded -States, and with civil war already begun, Governor Graham decided to -adopt the cause of the Southern States, but with pain and reluctance, -not upon any pretense of right, but as a measure of revolution, and of -national interest and safety. He was a member of the convention which -in May, 1861, carried the State out of the Union, and from the date -of the secession ordinance he endeavored in good faith and honor to -sustain the cause of the Confederate States, but without any surrender -on the part of the people of the rights and liberties of freemen. In -the Convention of 1862, he delivered an elaborate speech in opposition -to test oaths, sedition laws, the suspension of the privilege of -_habeas corpus_, and all abridgments of the constitutional rights -of the citizen, either by State conventions, or by Legislatures, or -by Congress, which may be safely pronounced the clearest and ablest -vindication of the cardinal principles of civil liberty presented in -the annals of the Confederacy. - -The expression of such views, such an evident determination that -the country should be free, not only in the end, but in the means, -coupled with great moderation of opinion as to the final result of the -struggle, and a total absence of all fire-eating proclivities, drew -down upon him the free criticism of the secession press and party, -many of whom did not hesitate to brand him as a traitor to the cause, -notwithstanding the assurances he gave of five sons in the army, some -one of whom was in every important battle on the Atlantic slope, except -Bull Run and Chancellorsville; two being present when the flag of Lee -went down on his last battle-field at Appomattox, while a third then -lay languishing with a severe and recent wound at Petersburg. Governor -Graham's sons derived no advantage from their father's distinguished -position in North-Carolina. They received no favors or patronage from -the Government, but were engaged in arduous and perilous service all -through, in such subordinate offices as were conferred by the election -of their comrades, or in the ordinary course of promotion. - -No families in the State gave more freely of their best blood and -treasure in the support of the war than the Graham family and its -connections. Governor Graham's younger sister, Mrs. Morrison, wife -of the Rev. Dr. Morrison, of Lincoln county, the first President of -Davidson College, had three sons in the service, and four sons-in-law, -namely, Major Avery, General Barringer, General D.H. Hill, and _O -praeclarum et venerabile nomen_, STONEWALL JACKSON! Perhaps no two -families entered upon the rebellion more reluctantly, nor in their -whole course were more entirely in unison with the views and feelings -of the great body of our citizens. - -Major Avery, the youngest of Dr. Morrison's sons-in-law, was one of -five brothers, sons of Colonel Isaac T. Avery, of Burke; grandsons -of Colonel Waightstill Avery, who commanded a regiment during the -revolutionary war, and was a member of the Mecklenburg Convention, and -a colleague there of Major Robert Davidson, Mrs. Morrison's maternal -grandfather. Three of these five brothers fell in battle. The youngest, -Colonel Isaac T. Avery, named for his father, fell at Gettysburgh. -He survived his wounds a few minutes, long enough to beckon to his -lieutenant-colonel for a pencil and a scrap of paper, on which with his -dying fingers he assured his father that he died doing his whole duty. -His father, approaching his eightieth year, received the note, stained -with his son's life-blood, and died a few weeks afterward. The oldest -of the brothers, Waightstill, named for his grandfather, and the pride -of the family, was a son-in-law of Governor Morehead, and his colleague -in the first Confederate Congress. He fell in Kirk's raid near -Morganton. Governor Morehead,[13] who was, with the exception of the -distinguished President of the University, Governor Swain, the oldest -of the surviving ex-governors of the State, had two sons and two -sons-in-law in the army; the two latter were killed. Governor Graham's -immediate successor as governor--Charles Manly, of Raleigh--had three -sons in the army, all of whom saw hard service; and three sons-in-law, -two of whom were killed. There were not wanting those in the dark -hours of the contest who spoke of it as "the rich man's war, and the -poor man's fight." These examples show that it was the war of all. The -rich and the poor met together, and mingled their blood in a common -current, and lie together among the unrecorded dead. The history of -many families may be traced whose sacrifices were similar to the above -instances. And it is now the imperative duty of those fitted for the -work, to gather up these records for posterity, and for the future -historian and annalist of the country. Many striking coincidences -and connections in family history, many most affecting instances of -unselfish devotion and of irreparable loss, are yet to be preserved by -hands eager - - "To light the flame of a soldier's fame - On the turf of a soldier's grave." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 13: This distinguished gentleman has departed this life since -these sketches were first published in The Watchman.--Editor.] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - GOVERNOR GRAHAM OPPOSES SECESSION--BUT GOES WITH HIS STATE--IS - SENT TO THE CONFEDERATE SENATE--HIS AGENCY IN THE HAMPTON ROADS - INTERVIEW--REMARKABLE AND INTERESTING LETTERS FROM GOVERNOR GRAHAM, - WRITTEN FROM RICHMOND IN 1865. - - -Whatever distrust of Governor Graham was manifested by those who had -invoked the war, he was fully sustained by the people; for the adoption -of the ordinance of secession by no means implied the accession of -secessionists to power in the State. That step having been taken, the -Confederate Constitution ratified, and the honor and future destiny -of our people being staked on the revolution, Governor Graham stood -prepared to devote all the energies of the State to give it success; -and the mass of the people, not being willing to forgive the authors of -the movement, demanded the services of the Union men who had embraced -it as a necessity. Governor Graham was sent from the Legislature by -a majority of three fourths to the Confederate Senate, in December, -1863, on the resignation of the Hon. George Davis, who had accepted -the appointment of Attorney-General in the Cabinet of President -Davis. Before the commencement of his term, (May, 1864,) by means -of conscription and impressment laws, and the suspension of _habeas -corpus_, the whole population and resources of the country had been -placed at the command of the President for the prosecution of the war. -The implicit and entire surrender by the whole Southern people of their -dearest civil rights and liberties, of their lives and property into -the hands of the Government, for the support of a war, which, it may be -safely asserted, the large majority were opposed to, will form a field -of curious and interesting speculation to the future historian and -philosopher. There can not be a higher compliment paid to the character -of our people, and the principles in which they had been nurtured, than -the fact that no intestine disorders or disasters followed, upon such -extraordinary demands of power on the one part, and such extraordinary -resignation of rights on the other. Whatever the Confederate Government -asked for its own security, the people gave, and gave freely to the -last. - -The defeats at Gettysburgh and Vicksburgh had turned the tide of -success in favor of the North, and although this was partially -relieved by the minor victories of Plymouth and elsewhere, the hopes -of ultimate success were becoming much darkened. Governor Graham had -never doubted that the North had the physical ability to conquer, if -her people could be kept up to a persevering effort, nor that our -only chances depended on their becoming wearied of the contest. As -our fortunes lowered, all men of prevision and sagacity turned their -thoughts toward the possibility of overtures for peace as becoming -daily of greater importance and more imminent necessity. But how could -this be done? With a powerful enemy pressing us, with war established -by law, with entire uncertainty as to the terms to be expected in -case of submission, with the necessity imposed of making no public -demonstration which should dampen the ardor of our troops, or depress -still further the spirits of our people, and excite the hopes of the -enemy; with such obstacles in the way, peace could not be approached -by a public man without involving the risk of inaugurating greater -evils than those he sought to avert. Besides all this, by the adoption -of the Constitution of the Confederate States, (which, by the way, -Governor Graham had vainly endeavored to prevent in convention, without -a second,) all legal power to terminate the war had been surrendered to -the President. Any other method would have been revolutionary, and have -provoked civil strife among us, and, doubtless, sharp retribution. - -The only plan, therefore, which could afford reasonable hope of success -was to operate upon and through the President. This was attempted at -the first session of Congress of which Governor Graham was a member, -by secret resolutions introduced by Mr. Orr, the present Governor of -South-Carolina, which, however, failed to get a majority vote of the -Senate. Governor Graham, who was deeply impressed with a sense of the -absolute necessity of some movement toward peace, and who was not among -the confidential friends of the President, attempted next to operate on -him through those who were in some measure influential with him. By -this means he had an agency in setting on foot the mission to Fortress -Monroe, the result of which is well known. In the absence of Mr. Hunter -on that mission, Governor Graham was president _pro tem._ of the -Senate. Disappointed and mortified by that failure, he then approached -President Davis directly, and the results were stated in his private -correspondence with a confidential friend in North-Carolina. There can -be no better exponent of Governor Graham's position and views at this -momentous crisis in our history, than is found in these letters, and -I esteem myself peculiarly fortunate in being able to present to my -readers such extracts from them as will assist my purpose. They are -the letters of a consummate statesman, and of a patriot, and need no -heralding: - - RICHMOND, January 28, 1865. - - My Dear Sir: The intervention of F.P. Blair, who has passed two or - three times back and forth from Washington to this city recently, has - resulted in the appointment to-day by the President of an informal - commission, consisting of Messrs. A.H. Stephens, R.M.T. Hunter, and - J.A. Campbell, to proceed to Washington and confer with a like band - there, on the subject-matters of difference between the Northern - and Southern States, with a view to terms of peace. The action of - the Senate was not invoked, it is presumed because the appointment - of formal ministers might be considered inadmissible until the - question of recognition should be settled in our favor. I trust - that a termination of hostilities will be the result. From several - conversations with Mr. Hunter, in concert with whom I have been - endeavoring to reach this form of intercourse since the commencement - of the session of Congress, I am satisfied that the first effort - will be to establish an armistice of as long duration as may be - allowed, and then to agree upon terms of settlement. Upon the latter - I anticipate great conflict of views. The Northern mind is wedded - to the idea of reconstruction, and notwithstanding the violence of - the extravagant Republicans, I am convinced would guarantee slavery - as it now exists, and probably make other concessions, including of - course, amnesty, restoration of confiscated property, except slaves, - and perhaps some compensation for a part of these. On the other hand, - while the people of the South are wearied of the war, and are ready - to make the greatest sacrifice to end it, there are embarrassments - attending the abdication of a great government such as now wields the - power of the South, especially by the agents appointed to maintain - it, that are difficult to overcome. The commission is a discreet one, - and upon the whole is as well constituted as I expected, and I trust - that good will come of it. I have not seen any of the gentlemen since - hearing to-day of their appointment, and I learn they are to set - off to-morrow. I am therefore ignorant of the instructions they may - carry, if any have been given. The Vice-President was not on terms - with the head of the Government until a reconciliation yesterday. - Although the North would seem to be bent on war unless and until the - Union be restored, they yet regard us as a formidable foe, and I - suspect the ruling authorities estimate our power as highly as it - deserves. The Secretary of State here, I understand, says they have - been frightened into negotiations by the articles in the Richmond - _Enquirer_, threatening a colonial connection with England and France; - while others, I hear from Mr. Rives, assert that the North is much - troubled by the proposition to make soldiers of slaves. I have no - faith in either of these fancies, but have no doubt they regard us as - far from being subdued, and are willing to treat rather than incur - the preparations for what they conceive necessary for final success. - An intelligent prisoner, Mr. Roulhac of Florida, recently returned, - informs me that by the influence of his mercantile acquaintance, he - was paroled and allowed to spend six weeks in the city of New-York, - and to travel to Washington, etc. According to his observation, - there is an abatement in the feelings of hostility to the South, and - a disposition to peace, but upon the basis of reconstruction. Mr. - Singleton of Illinois, who has been here at times for two or three - weeks, and is a supposed _quasi_ diplomat, but from the company he - keeps is more of a speculator, gives the same account. The Virginia - delegation in Congress, having in view the Secretary of State, - declared a want of confidence in the cabinet, but struck no game - except their own Secretary of War. He has resigned, and Breckinridge, - it is announced, is to succeed him, ... a representative of a State - which has not ten thousand men in our army. No reports are given - from official sources of the fall of Fort Fisher. Private accounts - represent it as a disgraceful affair.... Mr. Trenholm insists on - adding one hundred per cent to the taxes of last year, including - tithes. He is a good merchant and has talent, but is not versed in - the finances of a nation. General Lee has addressed a letter to a - member of the Virginia Senate, advocating the enlistment of slaves as - soldiers, with emancipation of themselves and families, and ultimately - of the race. With such wild schemes and confessions of despair as - this, it is high time to attempt peace, and I trust the commission - above named may pave the way to it.... - - Very faithfully yours, - W.A. Graham. - - RICHMOND, Feb. 5, 1865. - - My Dear Sir: The commission to confer with the Northern Government - returned yesterday evening. I have not seen any of the gentlemen, but - learn on good authority that nothing was effected of a beneficial - nature, except that a general exchange of prisoners on parole may - be looked for. They were met on shipboard by Messrs. Lincoln and - Seward in person, (in sight of Fortress Monroe,) who said they could - entertain no proposition looking to the independence of the Southern - States, and could only offer that these States should return to the - Union under the Constitution in the existing condition of affairs, - with slavery as it is, but liable to be abolished by an amendment of - the Constitution. They brought also the information that Congress, - on Wednesday last, had passed a bill, by a vote of one hundred - and eighteen to fifty-four, to amend the Constitution, so as to - abolish slavery in the States, which is to be submitted to the State - Legislatures for approval of three fourths. These officers are said - to have exhibited great courtesy and kindness in the interview, - Lincoln recurring to what he had been willing to do in the outset, - and from time to time since, but that public opinion now demanded - his present ultimatum. The Commissioners saw large numbers of black - troops on their journey. I have seen but few persons to-day; but the - impression will be that there is no alternative but to prosecute the - war. The administration is weak in the estimation of Congress, and - a vote of want of confidence could be carried through the Senate if - approved by those it has been accustomed to consider Opposition. I am - not sure that this vote will not be carried as to the Secretary of - State. Senator Hill left yesterday for Georgia, to attend the session - of the Legislature, and endeavor to revive public confidence, etc. - The committee of our Legislature left the evening before the return - of the Commissioners, disposed, I believe, to await further progress - of events. The situation is critical, and requires a guidance beyond - human ken. - - Very truly yours. - - RICHMOND, Feb. 12, 1865. - - My Dear Sir: You will have seen in the papers the report of the - Commissioners appointed to confer with the United States Government, - with the message of the President, as well as his speech at the - African Church, the addresses of the Secretary of State, and of - several members of Congress, at a public meeting to give expression to - sentiment on the result of the mission. Judging from these, and the - editorials of the newspapers of this city, there would appear to be - nothing in contemplation but _bella, horrida bella_. I was not present - at any of these proceedings, but learn that the assemblages were - large and apparently very enthusiastic; but no volunteers were called - for, nor any offered. Instead of that, labored arguments were made - in favor of making soldiers of slaves. The speech of the Secretary - of State went far beyond the newspaper reports, and its imprudences - in his situation are the subject of severe criticism. He declared - among other things, "that unless the slaves were armed, the cause was - lost;" with revelations of details of the attempt at negotiation, - exceedingly impolitic. All these demonstrations are likely to pass - off as the idle wind, and the great question still remains, What - is to be done to save the country? Mr. Stephens and Judge Campbell - refused to make any public addresses. The former has gone home, and - it is understood does not design to speak in public there, though - the papers have announced the contrary.... It seems they were under - instructions not to treat except upon the basis of independence, - and carried romantic propositions about an armistice, coupled with - an alliance to embark in a war with France, to maintain the Monroe - doctrine, and expel Maximilian from Mexico. Lincoln was courteous and - apparently anxious for a settlement; but firm in the announcement that - nothing could be entertained till our difficulties were adjusted, - and that upon the basis of a restoration of the Union. That as far - as he had power as President, amnesty, exemption from confiscation, - etc., should be freely extended; reviewed his announcements in his - inaugural, proclamations, messages, etc., to show what he considered - his liberality to the South, and that he could unsay nothing that - he had said. As to slavery, it must stand on the legislation of - Congress, with the proposed amendments to the Constitution, which he - informed them had passed both Houses, but which the dissent of ten - States could still reject. These terms not being agreed to, he and - Seward rose to depart, but with a manifestation of disappointment, - as inferred by my informant, that propositions were not submitted on - our side. Thus terminated the conference. There is a widening breach - between the President and Congress; a growing opinion on their part - that he is unequal to the present duties of his position while there - is a division of opinion as to the prospect of relief in a different - line of policy and under different auspices. The military situation - is threatening. Grant has been reenforced. Sherman seems to advance - almost without impediment, and with divided counsels among our - generals in that quarter, Judge Campbell thinks another mission should - be sent; but regards it as out of the question in the temper and with - the committals of the President. Our Legislature has adjourned; that - of Georgia meets this week. _Speed in affairs is necessary._ There is - not time for States to act in concert, (without which they can effect - nothing,) nor sufficient harmony of views here for action without the - executive; and many, perhaps a majority, are for the most desperate - expedients. A short time will bring forth important results. I have - written very freely, but in confidence that you would observe the - proper secrecy. I would be glad to have any suggestions that may occur - to you. Opportunities for consultation here are not so numerous as I - could wish. - - Very truly yours. - - RICHMOND, Feb. 22, 1865. - - My Dear Sir: ... A bill to conscribe negroes in the army was postponed - indefinitely in the Senate yesterday, in secret session. I _argued it_ - at length as unconstitutional according to the Dred Scott decision - as well as inexpedient and dangerous. A bill for this purpose, which - had passed the House, was laid on the table. There may be attempts to - revive this fatal measure. All the influence of the administration and - of General Lee was brought to bear, but without success. An effort - is being made to instruct the Virginia senators to vote for it. Mr. - Benjamin has been writing letters to induce the brigades of the army - to declare for it. I rather regret that I did not join in a vote of - want of confidence in him, which only failed. Had I gone for it, I - learn it would have been carried by a considerable majority. - - The military situation is exceedingly critical. There will be no stand - made short of Greensboro; whether there successfully, is doubtful.... - Opinion is growing in favor of more negotiations, to rescue the - wreck of our affairs, if military results continue adverse. I shall - meet some friends this evening on that topic. I write in haste. As - to matters of confidence, please observe the proper secrecy. It is - the duty of the people to sustain the war till their authorities, - Confederate or State, determine otherwise. But in the mean time - there is no reason for inflamed resolutions to do what may be found - impossible, and which they may be compelled to retract. - - Very truly yours, - W.A. Graham. - -The publication of further extracts from these representative letters -must be deferred to the succeeding chapter. Meanwhile the thoughtful -student of the events of that day will recognize the direct hand of -Providence in the continuation of the war till the utter failure of our -resources was so fully manifest that peace, when it came, should be -_unchallenged_, _profound_, and _universal_. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - STATE OF PARTIES--THE FEELING OF THE PEOPLE--THE "PEACE" - PARTY--IMPORTANT LETTER FROM GOVERNOR VANCE IN JANUARY, 1864--HIS - REELECTION--THE WAR PARTY--THE PEACE PARTY--THE MODERATES--GOVERNOR - GRAHAM'S LETTER OF MARCH, 1865--EVACUATION OF RICHMOND. - - -He who would write a history of public events passing in his own day -will find, among the many obstacles in the way of a clear and correct -delineation, that he is continually met with doubts and hesitations -in his own mind as to the impartiality of his views and decisions. -The prejudices of party feeling must inevitably confuse and blind to -some extent even the clearest judgment; and while a consciousness of -this renders the faithful historian doubly anxious to exercise strict -impartiality, he will find himself embarrassed by the divisions and -subdivisions of opinion, bewildered by conflicting representations, and -in danger of becoming involved in contradictions and inconsistencies. -In the first chapter of these sketches it was remarked, with reference -to the North and the South, that there was too much to be forgotten -and too much to be forgiven between them, to hope at present for a -fair and unprejudiced history of the war on either side. In relation -to the parties that existed among ourselves during the war, it is -equally true that the time has not yet arrived for a fair statement -or comparison of their respective merits or demerits. While there -is much that may be written and much that has been written which -may with propriety be given to the public, there is much more that -must at present be suppressed or receive only a passing notice. More -especially is this true in regard to the secession party and its -adherents. Yet in presenting even these slight sketches of the state -of things during the war in North-Carolina, it would be impossible -to ignore them, and unfair to represent them as without influence -among us. For while it is incontestably true that the great mass of -our people engaged reluctantly in the war, and hailed the prospect of -peace and an honorable reunion, yet there was at the same time hardly -a town in the State or an educated and refined community which did -not furnish their quota of those who, without having been _original -secessionists_, yet had thrown themselves with extreme ardor on the -side of the Southern States rights, and were ready to go all lengths -in support of the war, and who are even now, though helpless and -powerless, unwilling to admit that they were either in the wrong or in -the minority. With many of them it was the triumph of heroic sentiment -and generous feeling over the calmer suggestions of reason, for they -were chiefly among our most refined and highly cultivated citizens. -As a party, if not numerous, they were well organized and compact; -they were socially and politically conspicuous, and did most of the -writing and talking. They differed from the great body of their -fellow-citizens, chiefly in the intensity of their loyalty toward -President Davis and his government--being resolved to support him at -all hazards--and in the implacable temper they manifested toward the -common enemy. One who mingled freely with both parties, and by turns -sympathized with both, and who would fain do justice to both, will find -it impossible to adjust their conflicting representations, and at the -same time observe the prudent reticence which our present circumstances -imperatively demand. Two of the most prominent and influential leaders -of the war party, Governors Ellis and Winslow, have passed beyond the -reach of earthly tribunals, and of the living actors it is obvious -that no mention can now be made. Very different but no less cogent -reasons impose a similar reticence in relation to the more numerous but -not more respectable or influential organization known as the "Peace -Party" of the last eighteen months of the war, and as "Union men of -the straitest sect" at this day. Of this party, Governor Holden is -the admitted founder and the present head, and Senator Pool his most -prominent exponent. A representation of their principles and their -history should be made by themselves. They possess all the materials -and all the abilities requisite for the work, and they owe it to -themselves and to the public to place it on record for the judgment of -their cotemporaries and of posterity. They and they alone are competent -to the performance of this duty in the best manner. The precise date of -the earliest formation of this party is given in the following letter -from Governor Vance, which, is inserted here, not only as affording -a clear view of the principles which guided _his_ course of action, -but as enabling the reader to comprehend Governor Graham's policy, -exhibited in the further extracts from his correspondence. - -This letter was addressed by Governor Vance to the same friend who -received the letter given in my first number, and is marked by the same -clearness and energy of thought, the same generosity of feeling, and -the same unaffected ardor of patriotism which characterize all of the -Governor's letters that I have been privileged to see. - - RALEIGH, January 2, 1864. - - My Dear Sir: The final plunge which I have been dreading and - avoiding--that is to separate me from a large number of my political - friends, is about to be made. It is now a fixed policy of Mr. Holden - and others to call a convention in May to take North-Carolina back to - the United States, and the agitation has already begun. Resolutions - advocating this course were prepared a few days ago in the _Standard_ - office, and sent to Johnson county to be passed at a public meeting - next week; and a series of meetings are to be held all over the State. - - For any cause now existing, or likely to exist, I can never consent to - this course. - - Never. But should it be inevitable, and I be unable to prevent it, as - I have no right to suppose I could, believing that it would be ruinous - alike to the State and the Confederacy, producing war and devastation - at home, and that it would steep the name of North-Carolina in - infamy, and make her memory a reproach among the nations, it is my - determination quietly to retire to the army and find a death which - will enable my children to say that their father was not consenting to - their degradation. This may sound a little wild and romantic--to use - no stronger expression--but it is for your eye only. I feel, sir, in - many respects, as a son toward you; and when the many acts of kindness - I have received at your hands are remembered, and the parental - interest you have always manifested for my welfare, the feeling is not - unnatural. I therefore approach you frankly in this matter. - - I will not present the arguments against the proposed proceeding. - There is something to be said on both sides. We are sadly pushed to - the wall by the enemy on every side, it is true. That can be answered - by military men and a reference to history. Many people have been - worse off, infinitely, and yet triumphed. Our finances and other - material resources are not in worse condition than were those of - our fathers in 1780-'81, though repudiation is inevitable. Almost - every argument against the chances of our success can be answered - but one: that is the cries of women and little children for bread! - Of all others, that is the hardest for a man of humane sentiments to - meet, especially when the sufferers rejoin to your appeals to their - patriotism, "You, Governor, have plenty; your children have never felt - want." Still, no great political or moral blessing: ever has been or - can be attained without suffering. Such is our moral constitution, - that liberty and independence can only be gathered of blood and - misery, sustained and fostered by devoted patriotism and heroic - manhood. This requires a deep hold on the popular heart; and whether - our people are willing to pay this price for Southern independence, I - am somewhat inclined to doubt. But, sir, in tracing the sad story of - the backing down, the self-imposed degradation of a great people, the - historian shall not say it was due to the weakness of their Governor, - and that Saul was consenting unto their death! Neither do I desire, - for the sake of a sentiment, to involve others in a ruin which they - might avoid by following more ignoble counsels. As God liveth, there - is nothing which I would not do or dare for the people who so far - beyond my deserts have honored me. But in resisting this attempt to - lead them back, humbled and degraded, to the arms of their enemies, - who have slaughtered their sons, outraged their daughters, and wasted - their fields with fire, and lay them bound at the feet of a master - who promises them _only life_, provided they will swear to uphold - his administration, and surrender to the hangman those whom they - themselves placed in the position which constitutes their crime--in - resisting this, I say, I feel that I am serving them truly, worthily. - - In approaching this, the crisis of North-Carolina's fate, certainly - of my own career, I could think of no one to whom I could more - appropriately go for advice than yourself for the reasons before - stated. If you can say any thing to throw light on my path, or enable - me to avoid the rocks before me, I shall be thankful. My great - anxiety now, as I can scarcely hope to avert the contemplated action - of the State, is to prevent civil war, and to preserve life and - property as far as may be possible. With due consideration on the part - of public men, which I fear is not to be looked for, this might be - avoided. It shall be my aim, under God, at all events. - - All the circumstances considered, do you think I ought again to be - a candidate? It is a long time to the election, it is true, but the - issue will be upon the country by spring. My inclination is to take - the stump early, and spend all my time and strength in trying to warm - and harmonize the people. - - * * * * * - - Believe me, my dear sir, yours sincerely, - - Z.B. Vance. - -Governor Vance, it is well known, took the field against this new -party; and in the overwhelming majority with which he was reelected -the following summer, convincing proof was given that much as -North-Carolinians desired peace, they were not willing to take -irregular or revolutionary measures to obtain it, and that they -preferred even a hopeless war to a dishonorable reunion. - -Besides the Moderates, who constituted the bulk of the people, and -the War Party, and the "Peace Party," there were many besides of a -class which can never be influential, but may well be counted among -the _impedimenta_ of all great movements; who, unable to answer the -arguments of either side, could give no counsel to either, though -they were always prepared to blame any unsuccessful movement made in -any direction. These, overwhelmed by doubts and fears in the moment -of peril, could only wring their hands in hopeless inefficiency. -Surrounded with such conflicting elements, those who fain would have -led the people "by a right way," found the obstacles interposed by -party spirit almost insurmountable. In presenting Governor Graham, -therefore, as a representative North-Carolinian, it must be borne in -mind that there were many men among us true and patriotic, but so -ardently devoted to the cause of the Confederacy as to remain to the -last implacable toward any attempt at negotiation, who looked upon -all suggestions tending that way as dastardly and traitorous to the -South, and who, backed by the whole civil and military Confederate -authorities, were ready to brand and arrest as traitors the authors of -any such move. - -With these reflections, I resume the extracts from Governor Graham's -correspondence, assured that his inaction in the momentous crisis, -deprecated as it was at the time, by one party as evincing too little -energy in behalf of peace, if not a disposition to continue the -war; and reviled by the other as indicative of a disposition toward -inglorious surrender and reconstruction, was in effect _masterly_, that -masterly inactivity with which he who surveys the tumult of conflict -from an eminence, may foresee and calmly await the approaching and -inevitable end. - - RICHMOND, March 12, 1865. - - My Dear Sir: The passing week will develop important events. The - President has requested Congress to prolong its session to receive - communications which he desires to make. Three days have since - elapsed, but nothing but routine messages have thus far been received. - I am not at liberty to anticipate what is coming, or probably to - reveal it when received; but doubtless the whole horizon of the - situation will be surveyed, and an occasion presented for determinate - action as to the future. In my opinion, he is powerless, and can - neither make peace for our security nor war with success. But _nous - verrons_. - - The bill to arm slaves has become a law. It professes to take them - only with the consent of their masters; and in the event of failure in - this, to call on the State authorities to furnish. I trust no master - in North-Carolina will volunteer or consent to begin this process of - abolition, as I feel very confident the General Assembly will not. - - We hear the enemy are near Fayetteville, notwithstanding the check - to Kilpatrick by Hampton. I think our officers of state, except the - Governor, should not leave Raleigh, but should claim protection for - the State property from fire or other destruction, if the enemy come - there. A raid of Sheridan's force has been above this city some days, - destroying the James River Canal and other property; and last night, - at one A.M., the alarm-bell was rung, calling out the local force for - the defense of the city, it being reported that the enemy was within - seven miles. It is said to-day that the party has joined Grant below - Richmond. Commander Hollins and several citizens are said to have been - killed by them. - - You may conceive that the path of those intrusted with the great - interests of the people is beset with difficulties; but it must be - trodden with what serenity and wisdom we may command. - - Very truly yours, W.A. Graham. - - HILLSBORO, N.C., March 26, 1865. - - My Dear Sir: I am much indebted for your note by Dr. H----. I arrived - at home on this day week, and the next day went to Raleigh to have - an interview with the Governor on the subject-matter referred to in - your letter. The result was a convocation of the Council of State to - assemble to-morrow. The Legislature of Virginia has taken a recess - until the twenty-ninth instant, and I think it very important that - that of North-Carolina shall be in session as early thereafter as - possible. The war is now nearly reduced to a contest between these - two States and the United States. The military situation is by no - means favorable, and I perceive no solution of our difficulties except - through the action of the States. The public men in the service of - the Confederacy are so trammeled by the parts they have borne in - past events, and their apprehensions as to a consistent record, - that the government does not answer the present necessities of the - country. I wish, if possible, to see you in the course of this week - for a full conference on these important topics. The Governor is, - I think, reasonable, but was much surprised by some of the facts I - communicated to him. I do not know the disposition of the Council. If - the Legislature shall be convened, I will attend their session, and - if desired, will address them in private meeting. Much pertaining to - the present position of affairs can not with propriety be communicated - to the public. - - I received last night a telegram from my son James, informing me - that his brothers John and Robert were both wounded--the former in - both legs, the latter in the left, in an attack by General Lee on - the left of Grant's line yesterday morning. I am expecting another - message to-night from General Ransom, which may occasion me to go to - Petersburg to attend to them. Lee was successful in surprising the - enemy and driving him from three lines of intrenchments and taking - five hundred prisoners; but by a concentrated fire of the artillery of - the foe, was compelled to retire. James says he was unhurt. - - I am also under a great necessity to go to the Catawba, but with - a large force of _reserve artillery_ all around us, and some - apprehensions of the advance of Sherman, I know not which way to turn. - - I had a conversation with Governor Morehead at Greensboro, and believe - he realizes the situation. - - Very sincerely yours, W.A. Graham. - -If the Legislature of Virginia convened at Richmond on the twenty-ninth -of March, 1865, small time was allowed for their deliberations; and -it would have been of very little practical utility if the General -Assembly of North-Carolina had been summoned to correspond with it -at that date. On the second of April, Richmond was evacuated. Our -President and his cabinet were fugitives in the clear starlight of -that woful night; our capital was delivered over to a mob, and in -flames. But we did not even dream of it. It was more than a week -before the certain intelligence was received in Central Carolina, -and even then many doubted. Dismal rumors from Lee's army, of the -fall of Petersburg, of the fate of Richmond, were whispered, but were -contradicted every hour by those whose wish was father to the thought -that there was hope yet, that all was not lost. We were indeed in the -very turning-point and fatal crisis of the great _Southern States -rights struggle_; but we hardly realized through what an era of history -we were living. In the quiet and secluded village in which I now -write, the uninterrupted order of our daily life afforded a strong -confirmation of the great English historian's saying, that in all wars, -after all, but a comparatively small portion of a nation are actually -engaged or affected. The children plan their little fishing-parties, -the plow-boy whistles in the field, the wedding-supper is provided, and -the daily course of external domestic life in general flows as smoothly -as ever, except immediately in the track of the armies. It is not -indifference nor insensibility. It is the wise and beneficent order of -Providence that it should be with the body politic as with our physical -frame. One part may suffer mutilation, and though a sympathetic thrill -of anguish pervade every nerve of the whole body, yet the natural -functions are not suspended in any other member. Men must lie down, -and sleep, and eat, and go through the ordinary routine of daily duty -in circumstances of the most tragic interest. It is only on the stage -that they tear their hair and lie prostrate on the ground. So we still -exchanged our Confederate money with each other--the bright, new, clean -twenties and tens, which we tried to believe were worth something, for -there was still a faint magical aroma of value hovering round those -promises to pay "six months after a treaty of peace with the United -States;" $25 a yard for country jeans, $30 a yard for calico, $10 for -a pair of cotton socks, $20 for a wheat-straw hat, $25 for a bushel of -meal, and $10 to have a tooth pulled, and very cheap at that--if we -had only known all. Mothers were still preparing boxes for their boys -in the army; the farmer got his old battered tools in readiness for -his spring's work; the merchant went daily to preside over the scanty -store of thread, needles, and buttons, remnants of calico, and piles -of homespun, which now constituted his stock in trade; and our little -girls still held their regular meetings for knitting soldiers' socks, -all unconscious of the final crash so near, while the peach-trees were -all abloom and spring was putting on all her bravery. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - GENERAL JOHNSTON PREPARING TO UNCOVER RALEIGH--URGENT LETTER PROM - GOVERNOR SWAIN TO GOVERNOR GRAHAM--GOVERNOR GRAHAM'S REPLY--A - PROGRAMME OF OPERATIONS AGREED UPON--FINALLY GOVERNORS GRAHAM AND - SWAIN START FOR SHERMAN'S HEADQUARTERS. - - -When the intention of General Johnston to uncover the city of Raleigh -became generally known, and when the retrograde movement of his army -commenced in the direction of Chapel Hill, and along the line of the -Central Railroad; when General Wheeler's troopers, followed hard -by Kilpatrick's command, poured along our country roads, and the -people gave half of their provision to the retreating friends, and -were stripped of the other half by the advancing foe; there were few -thoughtful persons in Orange county whose waking and sleeping hours -were not perturbed and restless. - -What could be done? Whither were we tending? What was to be the -result? An hour or two of anxious reflection on such questions before -day on the morning of April 8th, induced Governor Swain, President -of the University of North Carolina--than whom, though immured in -the cloisters of a venerable literary institution, no man in the -Confederacy took a keener interest in the progress of public events, -surveyed the action of parties with more sagacious apprehension, or -was oftener consulted by leading men--induced him to rise at an early -hour and make another effort to influence the public authorities of -the State to adopt immediate measures for saving what remained of the -country from devastation, and the seat of government and the University -from the conflagration which had overwhelmed the capitals of our sister -States. He wrote the subjoined letter to Governor Graham, at daylight; -but such was the apprehension of the time, that it was difficult to -find a messenger, and still more difficult to procure a horse to bear -it from the University to Hillsboro. By ten that morning it was on the -way, and by six in the evening Governor Graham's reply was received. - - CHAPEL HILL, } - Saturday Morning, April 8, 1865. } - - My Dear Sir: Since the organization of the State government, in - December, 1776, North-Carolina has never passed through so severe - an ordeal as that we are now undergoing. Unless something can be - done to prevent it, suffering and privation, and death--death in the - battle-field, and death in the most horrible of all forms, the slow - and lingering death of famine, are imminent to thousands, not merely - men, but women and children. - - The General Assembly, by its own resolution, is not to meet until the - 16th of May. If the Governor shall desire to convene the members - at an earlier day, it may not, in the present state of the country, - be possible to effect his purpose. Some of the members will find it - impossible to reach Raleigh in the existing state of the railroads, - others may be in danger of arrest if they shall attempt it in any - way, and there are few who can leave home without peril to person or - property. We are compelled, then, to look to other sources for relief - from the dangers by which we are environed. In ancient times, when the - most renowned of republics experienced similar trials, the decree went - forth: - - "_Viderent consules ne quid detrimenti respublica caperet._" - - A dictatorship is, in my opinion, repugnant to every principle of - civil liberty, and I would neither propose nor support one under - any existing circumstances. But something must be done, and done - immediately, or the opening campaign will be brief and fatal. Anarchy - may ensue, and from anarchy the descent to a military despotism is - speedy and natural. - - The State has no such citizen to whom all eyes turn with deep anxiety - and confident hope for the counsel and guidance demanded by the - crisis, as yourself. Fully satisfied of this fact, I venture to - suggest the propriety of your meeting me in Raleigh on Monday morning, - and inviting a conference with the Governor on the state of public - affairs. He numbers among his many friends none who have yielded - him earlier, more constant, or more zealous support, in the trying - circumstances in which Providence has been pleased to place him, than - ourselves. I am the oldest of his predecessors in his office, and - about the time of your entrance into public life, was summoned to the - discharge of similar duties in the midst of similar perils. I have had - from him too numerous and decided proofs of confidence, respect, and - affection, to doubt that he will listen to me kindly; and I know that - he will receive you with as great cordiality and give as favorable - consideration to your suggestions as he would yield to any citizen - or functionary in the Confederacy. Perhaps he may be disposed not - only to hear us, but to invite all his predecessors--Morehead, Manly, - Reid, Bragg, and Clark--to unite with us in consultation at a time and - under circumstances, calling for the exercise of the highest powers of - statesmanship. At present, I do not deem it incumbent on me, even if - my views were more fully matured, to intimate the ideas I entertain of - what must be done, and done promptly, to arrest the downward tendency - of public affairs. - - I content myself with simply urging that you shall meet me in Raleigh, - as above proposed, on Monday, if it be possible, and if you concur - with me in opinion that we are in the midst of imminent perils. - - Yours very sincerely, - D.L. Swain. - - HILLSBORO, April 8, 1865. - - My Dear Sir: Yours of this date has just been received, and I entirely - concur in your estimate of the dangers that environ us. - - I left Richmond thoroughly convinced that-- - - 1st. Independence for the Southern Confederacy was perfectly hopeless. - - 2d. That through the administration of Mr. Davis we could expect no - peace, so long as he shall be supplied with the resources of war; and - that - - 3d. It was the duty of the State government immediately to move for - the purpose of effecting an adjustment of the quarrel with the United - States. - - I accordingly remained at home but twenty-four hours (that being - the Sabbath, and having had no sleep the night preceding) before - repairing to Raleigh to lay before the Governor such information - as I possessed, and to urge him to convene the General Assembly - immediately. I told him that Richmond would fall in less than thirty - days, and would be followed probably by a rout or dispersion of Lee's - army for want of food, if for no other cause. That the Confederate - Government had no plan or policy beyond this event, although it was - generally anticipated. That I had reason to believe that General Lee - was anxious for an accommodation. That Johnston had not and could not - raise a sufficient force to encounter Sherman. That I had conferred - with the President, and found him, though in an anxious frame of mind, - constrained by the scruple that he could not "commit suicide" by - treating his Government out of existence, nor even ascertain for the - States what terms would be yielded, provided they consented to readopt - the Constitution of the United States. That the wisest and best men - with whom I had been associated, or had conversed, were anxious for a - settlement; but were so trammeled by former committals, and a false - pride, or other like causes, that they were unable to move themselves, - or in their States, but were anxious that others should; and that it - was now the case of a beleaguered garrison before a superior force, - considering the question whether it was best to capitulate on terms, - or hold out to be put to the sword on a false point of honor. - - The Governor was evidently surprised by my statement of facts, and, - I apprehend, incredulous at least as to my conclusions. He agreed to - consider the subject, and to convene the council on that day week. I - heard nothing of their action, and being solicitous on the subject, - on Thursday last I visited Raleigh again, found the Governor on the - cars here returning from Statesville, and we journeyed together, and I - dined with him after arrival. He said he had purposed visiting me, but - it had been neglected; that a bare _quorum_ of his council attended - the meeting, and being equally divided, he had not summoned the - Legislature; but that Mr. Gilmer, whom I had advised him to consult, - and every body else now he believed agreed with me in opinion. He - had recently seen Mr. Gilmer, and he suggested to him to solicit an - interview with General Sherman on the subject of peace. I told him - that President Davis would probably complain of this, and should be - apprised of it if held. He replied that this of course should be done. - I suggested, however, that even if this course were taken, he should - be in a position to act independently of the President, and therefore - should convene the General Assembly. On this he was reluctant, but - finally agreed to call the Council of State again. I told him in - parting, that if, in any event, he supposed I could be useful to him, - to notify me, and I would attend him. I am induced to believe that - the result of the deliberation of the council was not disagreeable to - him; but since the fall of Richmond he has a truer conception of the - situation. I wrote him a note on the day the council met, advising him - of your concurrence in the necessity of calling the General Assembly. - He went, on Friday last, to witness a review of Johnston's army, and - proposed to me to accompany him. I declined; not seeing any good to be - accomplished there. General Johnston I know, and appreciate him highly. - - * * * * * - - I hope you will go, as you propose, to see Governor Vance. I thought - of inviting you to my first interview with him; and if he shall - contrive a meeting with Sherman, I hope you may be present. I do - not think it necessary, perhaps not advisable myself, to visit him - again on these topics. My conversations with him were very full - and earnest. I told him I should attend the session of the General - Assembly, and if desired would address them in secret session; that I - had had confidential conversations with a committee of the Virginia - Legislature, which had taken a recess for ten days, and that it was - important to act in concert with that body; that my colleagues in the - House, the Leaches, Turner, Ramsay, Fuller, and Logan, were ready to - call a session of the Assembly together by advertisement; but all this - had no effect in procuring a recommendation to the council in favor - of the call. - - * * * * * - - I do not perceive that any thing will be gained by a convention of - those who have held the office of chief magistrate.... _Prejudices - are still rife_, and the poison of party spirit yet lurks in - the sentiments of many otherwise good men, who swear by the - Administration, and will wage indefinite war while other people can be - found to fight it. - - Suppose you come to my house to-morrow, and take the cars from here - next morning. There is much to say that I can not write. I set off to - Chapel Hill this morning to see you; but riding first to the depot - to inquire for news, thought I had intelligence of my sons in the - army. This proved a mistake, but prevented my visit. I fear that - John and Robert and my servant Davy fell into the enemy's hands on - the evacuation of Petersburg. They were at the house of William R. - Johnson, Jr., and doing well. Cooke's brigade, in which James is a - captain, was hotly engaged in the action of Sunday. I have no tidings - of his fate. Hoping to see you soon, I remain, yours very truly, - - W.A. Graham. - -Governor Swain, in compliance with Governor Graham's request that he -would take Hillsboro in his way to Raleigh, spent the next day at his -house in Hillsboro, in consultation as to the best mode of effecting -their common purpose. They agreed upon the course of action indicated -in the following outline drawn up by Governor Graham: - - My Dear Sir: Referring to our conversation in relation to the critical - and urgent condition of our affairs as regards the public enemy, I am - of opinion that-- - - 1st. The General Assembly should be convened at the earliest day - practicable. - - 2d. That when convened, it should pass resolutions expressive of a - desire for opening negotiations for peace, and stopping the effusion - of blood; and inviting the other States of the South to unite in the - movement. - - 3d. That to effect this object, it should elect commissioners to treat - with the Government of the United States, and report the result to a - convention, which should be at once called by the Legislature to wield - the sovereign power of the State in any emergency that may arise out - of the changing state of events. - - 4th. That in the event of Sherman's advance upon the capital, or - indeed without that event, let the Governor propose a conference, or - send a commission to treat with him for a suspension of hostilities, - until the further action of the State shall be ascertained in regard - to the termination of the war. - - All this I should base upon the doctrine of the President of the - Confederate States, that he conceives it inconsistent with his duty to - entertain negotiations for peace except upon the condition of absolute - independence to the Southern Confederacy, with all the territories - claimed as belonging to each State comprising it, and should give him - the earliest information of the proceedings in progress. - - Very truly yours, W.A. Graham. - - April 9, 1865. - -At seven the next (Monday) morning, Governor Swain took the train from -Hillsboro to Raleigh, dined with Governor Vance, and at the close of -a long and earnest conference, the latter agreed to carry out the -scheme submitted if the concurrence of General Johnston could be -obtained. He promised to ride out immediately to General Johnston's -headquarters and consult him upon the subject. The next morning he -authorized Governor Swain to telegraph Governor Graham and request his -presence. The latter responded promptly that he would come down in the -eleven o'clock train that night, and Governor Swain spent the night -with Governor Vance in anxious expectation of his arrival. The train -failed to arrive until three o'clock on Wednesday morning. Governor -Swain, at early dawn, found Governor Vance writing dispatches by -candle-light, and Governor Graham was at the door before sunrise. Mrs. -Vance and her children had retired from Raleigh to a place of supposed -greater safety, and the three gentlemen, together with Colonel Burr, -of Governor Vance's staff, were the only occupants of the executive -mansion. After an early breakfast, they went to the capitol, where a -communication from Governor Vance to General Sherman was prepared. -General Johnston, in the mean time, had retired in the direction of -Hillsboro, and General Hardee was the officer of highest grade then in -Raleigh. He promptly accepted an invitation from Governor Vance to be -present at a conference, prepared a safe-conduct through his lines for -Governors Swain and Graham, who undertook the commission to General -Sherman; and by ten o'clock, attended by three of the Governor's -staff--Surgeon-General Warren, Colonel Burr, and Major Devereux--they -left Raleigh in a special train, bearing a flag of truce, for General -Sherman's headquarters. Governor Bragg, Mr. Moore, and Mr. Raynor had -all been consulted in relation to the course proposed to be pursued, -and all had concurred most heartily in its propriety and necessity. -There were others who were not consulted, who nevertheless suspected -the design of those concerned in these conferences; and one of them is -understood to have kept President Davis, who was then in Greensboro, -regularly advised by telegraph of all, and more than all, that was -contemplated by the embassy. - -The fate of the mission, and its final results, form, as I doubt not -my readers will agree, as interesting and important a chapter in the -history of the State as has occurred since its organization. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - RALEIGH, WHEN UNCOVERED--THE COMMISSIONERS TO GENERAL SHERMAN--THEY - START--ARE RECALLED BY GENERAL JOHNSTON--ARE STOPPED BY KILPATRICK'S - FORCES--THEIR INTERVIEW WITH KILPATRICK--ARE CALLED TO SHERMAN'S - HEADQUARTERS--HIS REPLY TO GOVERNOR VANCE--THE FURTHER PROCEEDINGS - OF THE COMMISSION--A PLEASANT INCIDENT--THE COMMISSIONERS RETURN TO - RALEIGH--GOVERNOR VANCE HAD LEFT--HIS LETTER TO SHERMAN--THE FEDERAL - TROOPS ENTER RALEIGH--INCIDENTS. - - -The commissioners to General Sherman from Governor Vance left Raleigh -on Wednesday morning, April twelfth, at ten o'clock, as before stated. -They were expected to return by four o'clock that afternoon, at the -farthest, as General Sherman was understood to be not more than -fourteen miles from the city. - -That day Raleigh presented, perhaps, less external appearance of terror -and confusion than might have been supposed. That General Sherman -would arrive there in the course of his march, had been anticipated -ever since his entrance into the State; and General Johnston, on the -tenth, had given Governor Vance notice of his intention to uncover -the city, so that such preparations as could be made to meet their -fate had been completed. An immense amount of State property had been -removed to various points along the Central Railroad. Some forty -thousand blankets, overcoats, clothes, and English cloth equal to at -least one hundred thousand suits complete; leather and shoes equal -to ten thousand pairs; great quantities of cotton cloth and yarns, -and cotton-cards; six thousand scythe-blades; one hundred and fifty -thousand pounds of bacon; forty thousand bushels of corn; a very large -stock of imported medical stores; and many other articles of great -value, together with the public records, Treasury and Literary Board, -and other effects, were mostly deposited at Graham, Greensboro, and -Salisbury. Governor Vance and the State officers under his direction -had worked day and night, with indefatigable zeal, to effect this -transportation, so that before mid-day on the twelfth every thing was -in readiness. Every suggestion of ingenuity, meanwhile, had been put in -practice by the citizens in concealing their private property, though, -indeed, with very little hope that they would escape such accomplished -and practiced marauders as those who composed the approaching "grand -army." Men who had been on the _qui vive_, ever since leaving Atlanta, -to discover and appropriate or wantonly destroy all of household -treasures and valuables that lay in their way, or anywhere within sixty -miles of their way, snappers-up of even such unconsidered trifles as -an old negro's silver watch or a baby's corals--from the hands of such -as these what was to be expected; what nook, or cranny, or foot of -inclosed ground would be safe from their search! Many citizens repaired -to Governor Vance's office for advice and comfort, and none left him -without greater courage to meet what was coming. Though overburdened -with cares and unspeakable anxieties on this memorable day, all found -him easy of access and ready to give prudent counsel to those who asked -for it. He advised the citizens generally to remain quiet in their -own houses, and, as far as possible, protect their families by their -presence. He himself was resolved to await the return of the embassy to -Sherman, and learn upon what conditions he could remain and exercise -the functions of his office, or if at all. - -When the train bearing the commissioners reached General Hampton's -lines, they requested an interview with him. The safe-conduct from -General Hardee, and the letter from Governor Vance to General Sherman -were shown him. He remarked that General Hardee was his superior, -and that of course he yielded to authority, but expressed his own -doubts of the propriety or expediency of the mission. He prepared a -dispatch, however, immediately, and transmitted it by a courier to -General Sherman, together with a note from Governors Graham and Swain, -requesting to be advised of the time and place at which a conference -might take place. - -General Hardee then retired with his staff, and the train moved slowly -on. When at the distance, perhaps, of two miles, one of his couriers -dashed up, halted the train, and informed the commissioners that he -was directed by General Hampton to say that he had just received an -order from General Johnston to withdraw their safe conduct, and direct -them to return to Raleigh. They directed the courier to return and -say to the General that such an order ought to be given personally or -in writing, and that the train would be stationary till he could be -heard from. This message was replied to by the prompt appearance of the -General himself. The extreme courtesy of his manner, and his air and -bearing confirmed the impression made in the previous interview, that -he was a frank, and gallant, and chivalrous soldier. He read the copy -of a dispatch that he had sent by a courier to General Sherman, which -in substance was as follows: - -"GENERAL: Since my dispatch of half an hour ago, circumstances have -occurred which induce me to give you no further trouble in relation -to the mission of ex-Governors Graham and Swain. These gentlemen will -return with the flag of truce to Raleigh." - -This dispatch he had sent immediately on receiving General Johnston's -order to direct their return. The commissioners were of course -surprised and disappointed. The mission was not entered upon without -the deliberate assent and advice of General Johnston, after a full -consultation with Governor Vance, and also with General Hardee's entire -concurrence, and a safe-conduct from him in General Johnston's absence. -The engine, however, was reversed, General Hampton retired, and the -train had proceeded slowly about a mile or so in the direction of -Raleigh, when it was again halted, and this time by a detachment of a -hundred Spencer rifles, a portion of Kilpatrick's cavalry, under the -command of General Atkins. The commissioners were informed that they -must proceed to the headquarters of General Kilpatrick, distant a mile -or more. While waiting for a conveyance they were courteously treated, -and a band of music ordered up for their entertainment. After a brief -interval General Kilpatrick's carriage arrived for them, and they -proceeded in it under escort to the residence of Mr. Fort, where the -General then was. He received them politely, examined the safe-conduct -of General Hardee, and the dispatches for General Sherman, and then -remarked that the circumstances in which they were placed, according -to the laws of war, gave him the right, which, however, he had not the -smallest intention of exercising, to consider them as prisoners of war. - -"It is true, gentlemen," said he, "that you came under the protection -of a flag of truce, and are the bearers of important dispatches from -your Governor to my Commanding General, but that gave you no right to -cross my skirmish-line while a fight was going on." - -Governor Graham remarked that the circumstances under which they came -explained themselves, and were their own justification. That in a -special train, with open windows, proceeding with the deliberation -proper to a flag of truce, with only five persons in a single car, they -had little temptation to proceed if they had known, in time to stop, -that they were to be exposed to a cross-fire from the skirmish-lines of -the two armies. - -General Kilpatrick replied that all that was very true, but that it was -proper, nevertheless, that he should require them to proceed to General -Sherman's headquarters. He then remarked that the war was virtually -at an end, and that every man who voluntarily shed blood from that -time forth, would be a murderer; and read a general order from General -Sherman, congratulating the army on the surrender of General Lee, -intelligence of which had just reached him by telegraph. This was the -first intimation our commissioners had received of this final blow to -the Southern cause. It was indeed not unexpected, but no anticipation -of such tidings can equal the moment of realization; and to receive -it under such circumstances, where extreme caution and self-command -were an imperative duty, and where no expression could be allowed to -the natural feelings of anguish and dismay with which it filled their -breasts, gave an additional pang. - -General Kilpatrick further stated, among other things, that the course -pursued by General Lee was illustrative of the importance of regular -military training; that an able and skillful commander knew when to -fight, and when it was a more imperative duty to surrender; that a -brave but rash and inexperienced officer would have sacrificed his -army, and involved the whole country in ruin for the want of the proper -skill to direct, and the _prestige_ to sustain him in the discharge of -a duty requiring more than courage. - -After an hour or two's delay, the commissioners were escorted back to -the train which was in waiting where they had left it, and thence -proceeded to General Sherman's headquarters, passing for several miles -through open columns of large bodies of troops, amidst the deafening -cheers with which they welcomed the surrender of the great Confederate -commander, and the arrival of a commission which, as they supposed, was -authorized to treat for the surrender of General Johnston's army. - -General Sherman, attended by his aids, met the commission at the -station-house at Clayton, and conducted them to his tent. Governor -Graham presented the letter from Governor Vance, and entered into -a discussion of the various points it embraced, and found General -Sherman apparently desirous to accede to its propositions as far as -was possible for him, and ready to make an amicable and generous -arrangement with the State government. - -I have endeavored to procure copies of all the official letters written -by Governor Vance at this important crisis in our affairs, but, with -one exception, have failed. Copies of these letters, together with his -letter-book then in use, with other important documents, were packed in -a box which was captured at Greensboro, and taken to Washington City, -as I have elsewhere mentioned. These records will doubtless be restored -to the State at no distant day; and our people will yet have proof -that their Governor did all that man could do--I may say all that a -man thwarted by undue interference could do--to save the State and her -capital from outrage, and humiliation, and anarchy. - -I subjoin General Sherman's reply to the letter delivered by the -commission: - - HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION } - OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD, } - GULLY'S STATION, N.C., April 12, 1865. } - - _To his Excellency Z.B. Vance, Governor of the State of - North-Carolina_: - - Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication - of this date, and inclose you a safeguard for yourself and any - members of the State government that choose to remain in Raleigh. I - would gladly have enabled you to meet me here, but some interruption - occurred to the train by the orders of General Johnston, after it had - passed within the lines of my cavalry advance; but as it came out of - Raleigh in good faith, it shall return in good faith, and will in no - measure be claimed by us. - - I doubt if hostilities can be suspended as between the army of the - Confederate government and the one I command; but I will aid you all - in my power to contribute to the end you aim to reach--the termination - of the existing war. - - I am, truly, your obedient servant, - W.T. Sherman, - Major-General. - -In however unfavorable a light strict regard for the truth of history -places General Sherman as a disciplinarian and leader of the great army -that swept the Southern States with a besom of destruction; however -dark the pictures of lawless pillage and brutal outrage, unrestrained -and uncensured by the Commanding General--if indeed they were not -especially directed and approved by him and his officers; however -unenviable General Sherman's fame in _these_ respects, equal regard for -truth demands that in representing him at the council-board he shall -appear in a much more commendable aspect, exhibiting there feelings -of humanity and a capacity for enlarged and generous statesmanship -entirely worthy of a really great general. If General Sherman's views -and plans for closing the war had been adopted by his government, there -can be no doubt that peace would have been _accomplished_ in less than -two months from the surrender of our armies; peace that would have been -speedily followed by good-will in every Southern State, in spite of the -waste and burning track of his army. - -The hope which the commissioners had entertained of being able to -return to Raleigh on the evening of the same day, was now found to -be impracticable, owing to the various delays and impediments they -had met with. General Sherman promised that their detention should -be as brief as possible; but it soon became obvious that he intended -they should spend the night at his headquarters. He had been promptly -advised of General Hampton's having required their return to Raleigh, -and had taken the necessary measures to prevent it, and was now equally -determined that nothing should thwart the beneficial results of their -conference, or any advantage that might accrue therefrom. The gentlemen -were in his power, and submitted to his requisitions quietly, not -cheerfully. It was intimated to them that the engine which brought -them down required some repairs, and so soon as this could be effected, -the train should again be at their service. The reply to Governor -Vance's letter was placed in their hands, and a safe-conduct and -permission to proceed in the train to Hillsboro, after the necessary -interview with Governor Vance. General Sherman hoped they might be -able to get off by midnight; but if that should be found impossible, -they might retire to rest, take a cup of coffee with him at daylight, -and breakfast in Raleigh. A couple of hours were spent in general -conversation on public affairs, and less exciting topics. - -At the close of the official conference between Governor Graham and -General Sherman, Governor Swain remarked to the latter that, at the -beginning of their troubles they were engaged in kindred pursuits. -"Yes, sir," said the General. "I am aware that you are the President -of the University of North-Carolina; and I was the Superintendent -of the State Military Academy of Louisiana." "Two or three of your -boys," said the Governor, "were with me for a time." "Yes," replied -the General, "and many more of yours have been with me during the war, -who came, poor fellows, before they were men, and when they ought -to have remained with you; and they too frequently helped to fill -my hospitals. I think, however, when they return, they will do me -the justice to tell you that I treated them kindly." Governor Swain -inquired for General Blair, remarking that he was his pupil in 1837. -General Sherman replied that he was only two hours in the rear, and -that he had just been reading terrible accounts in a Raleigh paper -of his proceedings in Fayetteville, adding, "I will turn Frank over -to you to answer for it in the morning." In connection with this, -reference was made to the burning of Columbia. The General remarked -with great emphasis: "I have been grossly misrepresented in regard to -Columbia. I changed my headquarters eight times during that night, and -with every general officer under my command, strained every nerve to -stop the fire. I declare in the presence of my God that Hampton burned -Columbia, and that he alone is responsible for it. He collected immense -piles of cotton in the streets and set them on fire; the wind rose -during the night, and dispersed the flakes of burning cotton among the -shingle-roofs, and created a conflagration beyond human control." - -At the close of the conversation General Sherman intimated that the -gentlemen had better retire to rest; that he would have them called at -any hour that the train might be in readiness; and that, at all events, -they should be ready to proceed by sunrise. Governor Graham was invited -to occupy the General's tent, and they shared the same apartment. Every -courtesy was extended to the other members of the commission. - -And now occurred one of those little coincidences which brighten life -under its best aspects, and which are capable of giving pleasure even -in such dispiriting circumstances as these; which, from constitutional -predilections, no man appreciates more highly than Governor Swain, -and which, perhaps, for that very reason, happen more frequently to -him than to most men. One of General Sherman's aids approached the -Governor, inviting him to go with him--that he had vacated his tent for -his benefit. The Governor replied that he must object to turning him -out, but would occupy it with him with pleasure. The officer replied -that he could find a lodging elsewhere, and wished to make the Governor -comfortable. He then apologized for desiring to introduce himself, by -remarking that no name was more familiar than Governor Swain's in his -mother's household. The Governor inquired his name, and found him to -be the son of a school-companion, the beloved friend of earlier years, -a lady of rare merits and accomplishments, who had long since entered -upon her rest. She, with the mother of Governor Vance, had been in -early girlhood the Governor's schoolmates, and competitors with him -for school distinctions in the most anxious and generous strife he has -ever known. Governor Graham and Governor Swain both voted, in 1860, -for the uncle of this gallant young officer, for President of the -United States, as the advocate of "the Union, the Constitution, and the -enforcement of the laws," in the vain hope that the evils which then -threatened and have since overwhelmed the country might be averted. To -such offered kindness from such a quarter, under such circumstances, -one might well respond, - - "I take thy courtesy, by Heaven, - As freely as 'tis nobly given." - -At sunrise the next morning the commissioners proceeded on their -return in the train, somewhat in advance of the army, with the -understanding that they were to go to Raleigh, notify Governor Vance -of the conditions agreed upon, and return to advise General Sherman of -their acceptance before he should reach the boundaries of the city. -When within a mile of the capital they saw the flames rising to a great -height above the station-house, which had been first plundered and -then set on fire by stragglers from the retreating forces of General -Wheeler. The fire put a sudden stop to the progress of the train. The -commissioners alighted, and passed around the blazing building in the -hope of finding another train on the other side in which they might -proceed to Hillsboro, on the conclusion of their business in Raleigh, -but were disappointed. They went to the house of a friend at the -head of Hillsboro street, but found it shut up, and the proprietor a -refugee. They walked the entire length of the street, and did not see -a human being till they reached the State House. Every door was shut, -every window-blind was closed. The same absence of all signs of life, -the same death-like silence and air of desertion, the same precautions -against intrusion characterized Fayetteville street from the Capitol to -the Palace. The very air seemed shriveled. In the brief interval that -elapsed from the retreat of her protectors to the arrival of her foes, -the beautiful city of Raleigh stood under the outstretched arms of her -noble oaks, embowered in the luxuriant shrubbery of a thousand gardens, -just touched with vernal bloom and radiance--stood with folded hands -and drooping head, in all the mortal anguish of suspense, in a silence -that spoke, awaiting her fate. - -Governor Vance, it was soon ascertained, had left the city, together -with all the State officers, having heard the night before that the -commission had been captured, and detained as prisoners of war. -Despairing then of obtaining any terms from General Sherman, and -unwilling to surrender himself unconditionally into his hands, in -entire uncertainty of what treatment he might expect, Governor Vance -had decided to leave for Hillsboro, after making every possible -arrangement for the surrender of the city by the Mayor and Council. He -wrote the following letter to General Sherman, to be delivered by the -city authorities: - - STATE OF NORTH-CAROLINA, } - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, } - RALEIGH, April 12, 1865. } - - _General W.T. Sherman, Commanding United States Forces_: - - GENERAL: His Honor, Mayor William B. Harrison, is authorized to - surrender to you the city of Raleigh. I have the honor to request the - extension of your favor to its defenseless inhabitants generally; and - especially to ask your protection for the charitable institutions of - the State located here, filled as they are with unfortunate inmates, - most of whose natural protectors would be unable to take care of them, - in the event of the destruction of the buildings. - - The capitol of the State, with its libraries, museum, and most of the - public records, is also left in your power. I can but entertain the - hope that they may escape mutilation or destruction, inasmuch as such - evidences of learning and taste can advantage neither party in the - prosecution of the war, whether destroyed or preserved. - - I am, General, very respectfully, - Z.B. Vance. - -The Governor lingered in Raleigh till midnight, hoping to receive some -news of the commission, and then, _without a single member of his -staff_, accompanied by Captain Bryan and Captain J.J. Guthrie, who -volunteered to escort him, he rode out to General Hoke's encampment, -not far from Page's, (Carey's,) some eight miles from the city. -Generals Hardee, Hampton, Hoke, and Wheeler, with their commands, had -passed through Raleigh in the evening. - -Leaving Governor Vance's course for future consideration, I return to -the group of gentlemen standing in front of the State House shortly -after sunrise on the morning of Thursday, thirteenth. The only person -they met at the capitol was the servant who waited in the executive -office, and who had been intrusted by Governor Vance with the keys. -True to the trust reposed in him, he was present at the proper time -to deliver the keys as he had been directed--an instance of fidelity -and punctuality under trying circumstances that would, doubtless, have -been rewarded with his freedom, even had there been no liberating army -at hand. The commission received the key from him, and after a hasty -consultation, it was agreed that one should open the State House and -remain till the arrival of the Federal army, taking such measures as he -might deem most expedient; and that the other should make his way, with -the best means he could command, to Hillsboro, taking the University -in his way, and endeavoring to provide for the safety of friends and -neighbors in that quarter. - -When walking from the railroad station to the city, the commissioners -had passed through the lines of General Wheeler's cavalry, pressing in -the direction of Chapel Hill. Half an hour after reaching the State -House, a dozen men, the _debris_ of our army, were observed at the -head of Fayetteville street, breaking open and plundering the stores. -Governor Swain, who had remained at the State House, approached them, -and stated that he was immediately from General Sherman's headquarters, -and had assurance from him that if no resistance was offered to his -advance-guard, the town should be protected from plunder and violence, -and urged the soldiers to leave at once and join their retreating -comrades. They replied, "D----n Sherman and the town too; they cared -for neither." Robert G. Lewis, Esq., the first citizen of Raleigh -who had yet been seen, came up just then, and joined his entreaties -with earnestness. More and more vehement remonstrances were used -without effect, till the head of Kilpatrick's column appeared in sight -advancing up the street, when they all, with a single exception, -sprang to their horses and started off in full gallop. Their leader, a -lieutenant whose name and previous history are yet unknown, mounted -his horse, and took his station midway between the old New-Berne bank -and the book-store, drew his revolver, and waited till Kilpatrick's -advance was within a hundred yards, when he discharged it six times in -rapid succession in the direction of the officer at the head of the -troops. He then wheeled, put spurs to his horse, and galloped up Morgan -street, followed by a dozen fleet horsemen in hot pursuit. Turning a -corner his horse fell. He remounted, and dashed round the corner at -Pleasant's store on Hillsboro street. A few yards further on, near -the bridge over the railroad, he was overtaken, and was brought back -to the Capitol Square, where General Kilpatrick ordered his immediate -execution. It is said that he asked for five minutes' time to write to -his wife, which was refused. He was hung in the grove just back of Mr. -Lovejoy's, and was buried there. He died bravely--a vile marauder, who -justly expiated his crimes, or a bold patriot, whose gallantry deserved -a more generous sentence, as friend or foe shall tell his story. No -Southerner will cast a reproach on that solitary grave, or will stand -beside it with other than feelings of deep commiseration. His crime was -more the rash act of a passionate and reckless boy, an aimless bravado -from one wild and despairing man to a hundred and twenty thousand. What -our soldiers did or did not do in those last dark days of confusion and -utter demoralization, we record with sad and tender allowance. Wrong -was done in many instances, and excesses committed; but we feel that -the remembrance of their high and noble qualities will in the end -survive all temporary blots and blurs. And for those who perished in -the wrong-doing engendered by desperation and failure and want, their -cause has perished with them. _So perish the memory of their faults!_ - -Governor Graham, accompanied by Colonel Burr, set out for Hillsboro on -foot, the road to Chapel Hill being blocked up by Wheeler's retreating -squadrons, and resolved to trust to the chances of obtaining horses by -the way. Finding themselves, however, involved in a skirmish between -Hampton's rear-guard and Kilpatrick's advance, and in somewhat perilous -circumstances, they made the best of their way back to Raleigh, where -they arrived in the course of the morning. - -Governor Swain, meanwhile, had received at the State House the Federal -officer charged with the erection of the national flag over the dome -of the building. He met him with the remark, "I am just from your -Commanding General, and have his promise that this edifice shall not -be injured." The officer replied, "I know you, sir, and have orders to -attend to your wishes." They took quiet possession, and the Stars and -Stripes were soon waving from the summit. Governor Swain remained at -the capitol, in company with Mayor Harrison, who, assisted by Mayor -Devereux, Major Hogg, and Surgeon-General Warren, and other gentlemen, -advised with the Provost-Marshal in relation to the stationing of -guards for the protection of the citizens, and other matters, until -two o'clock, when, with Governor Graham, he went to General Sherman's -quarters in the Government house, and delivered the keys to him. - -General Sherman regretted Governor Vance's departure from the city, and -desired his return as speedily as possible. He therefore wrote him a -letter inviting his return, and inclosing a safe-conduct through his -lines for him and any members of the State or city government. - - HEADQUARTERS RALEIGH, N.C., } - ARMY IN THE FIELD, April 13, 1865. } - - _To all Officers and Soldiers of the Union Army_: - - Grant safe-conduct to the bearer of this to any point twelve miles - from Raleigh and back, to include the Governor of North-Carolina and - any members of the State or city government, on his way back to the - capital of the State. - - W.T. Sherman. - Major-General Commanding. - -This letter the commission undertook to transmit to Governor Vance -without loss of time; but no horses were to be had among their friends -in the city, nor could any messenger be got willing to undertake -the errand. As soon as General Sherman heard this, he directed his -adjutant-general to furnish the gentlemen with the means of locomotion, -which was promptly done. The next morning (Friday) they left Raleigh -for Hillsboro, where it was supposed Governor Vance was; passed rapidly -through Kilpatrick's columns, and then through Hampton's; had a short -interview with the latter at Strayhorns, where he was to spend the -night; reached Hillsboro in the evening, and, entering Governor -Graham's parlor, found Governor Vance there, with Colonel Ferebee, -quietly awaiting intelligence. Till informed by the commissioners, -neither he nor General Hampton had heard of the surrender of General -Lee, and even then could hardly be induced to believe it. - -General Sherman's letter inviting his return to Raleigh was put in -his hands, and he was urged to return thither immediately with the -commissioners; but he had also just received a dispatch from President -Davis, urging him most earnestly to meet him in Greensboro by the -returning train. General Johnston had also gone on to Greensboro, and -before returning to Raleigh, Governor Vance desired to see both him -and the President--the former to get his permission to pass his lines, -and the latter, to learn his future plans and acquaint him with his -intention to surrender. This much was due, at least in courtesy, to the -falling chieftain, though he was President only in name of a nation -that had no longer any existence. Governor Vance was never the man to -turn his back upon the setting sun to pursue his own advantage. So he -decided to obey President Davis's last requisition before accepting -General Sherman's invitation, and left Hillsboro for Greensboro on -Saturday morning. - -Governor Graham remained at home with his family, and Governor Swain -proceeded to Chapel Hill, where he arrived on Saturday morning, and -found it occupied by General Wheeler's cavalry, General Hoke's command -having passed through, pressing on to Greensboro. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - JOHNSTON'S RETREAT--GOVERNORS GRAHAM AND SWAIN - MISUNDERSTOOD--WHEELER'S CAVALRY--CONFEDERATE OCCUPANCY OF CHAPEL - HILL--THE LAST BLOOD--"STARS AND STRIPES"--ONE IN DEATH--GENERAL - ATKINS--SCENES AROUND RALEIGH--MILITARY LAWLESSNESS. - - -When the retrograde movement of General Johnston's army was at last -fairly understood--the supply-trains moving slowly along the roads of -Orange, and General Wheeler's cavalry, acting upon the maxim that all -that they left behind them was so much aid and comfort to the enemy, -taking care to leave at least as few horses and mules as possible--then -deluded people, who had all along hugged themselves in the belief that -their remoteness was their security, began to shake the dust from their -eyes, and open them to admit a view of the possibility of Sherman's -army reaching even their secluded homes. - -The mission of Governors Graham and Swain was not generally understood, -even by their near neighbors. That any available attempt to check the -ruin and devastation that had hitherto accompanied that army could -be made, or was even consistent with honor and our allegiance to the -Confederate Government, very few believed. A distinguished Confederate -general, standing on our sidewalk, as his division of infantry marched -through on Friday, fourteenth, said, in reference to the commissioners, -that they were a couple of traitors, and ought to be hung. General -Wheeler's cavalry held the village of Chapel Hill until mid-day of -April sixteenth, Easter Sunday. Not a house in the place but was thrown -open to show them kindness and hospitality. There were rough riders -among these troopers--men who, if plunder was the object, would have -cared little whether it was got from friend or foe. How much of this -disposition to subsist by plunder was due to the West-Point training -of their General, it would perhaps be inquiring too curiously to -consider. A few such reckless men in a regiment would have been enough -to entail an evil name upon the whole; and at the time of which I now -speak there were more than a few in General Wheeler's command who were -utterly demoralized, lawless, and defiant. Having said this much, -because the truth must be told, I will add that of that famous band -by far the greater part were true and gallant men. We mingled freely -with them, from General Wheeler himself, who slept in the drenching -rain among his men, and was idolized by them, to his poorest private, -and the impression made by them was altogether in their favor. There -were men from every Southern State, and from every walk in life. There -were mechanics from Georgia and planters from Alabama: one of the -latter I especially remember, who had been a country physician in the -north-east corner of the State; a frank and steady, gray-haired man, -whose very address inspired confidence, and whose eldest boy rode by -his side: there were gay Frenchmen from Louisiana and lawyers from -Tennessee, some of whom had graduated at this university in the happy -days gone by, who revisited these empty corridors with undisguised -sadness, foreboding that not one stone would be left upon another of -these venerable buildings, perhaps not an oak left standing of the -noble groves, after Sherman's army had passed. Many of these men had -not been paid one cent, even of Confederate currency, in more than a -year. Few of them had more than the well-worn suit of clothes he had -on, the inefficient arms he carried, and the poor and poorly equipped -horse he rode. A lieutenant, not four years before a graduate of this -university, who had not seen his home within a year, and who had not -long before received intelligence that his house in Tennessee had -been burned to the ground by the enemy, and that his wife and child -were homeless, when the certain news was brought by Governor Swain of -General Lee's surrender, covered his face with his hands to hide a -brave man's tears. He told us that a twenty-five cent Confederate note -was all that he possessed in the world besides his horse. The privates -generally discussed the situation of affairs calmly and frankly, and -with an amount of intelligence that the Southern and South-western -yeomanry have not generally had credit for possessing. They one and all -agreed that, if the end was near, they would not surrender. "No, no," -said a red-cheeked Georgian boy of nineteen, "they won't get me;" and -one six-foot-six saturnine Kentuckian assured me that he would join -the army of France, and take his allegiance and his revolver over the -water. I trust he is on his little farm, by the Licking River, as I -write, and has found him a wife, and is settled down to do his whole -duty to the country once more. - -These men rode up frankly to our gates. "May I have my dinner here?" -"Can you give me a biscuit?" Well, it was not much we had, but we gave -it joyfully--dried fruit, sorghum, dried peas, and early vegetables. -Poor as it was, we seasoned it with the heartiest good-will and a -thousand wishes that it were better. The divisions of infantry passed -through at a rapid step without halting, so that we could give them no -more than the mute welcome and farewell, and a hearty God bless them, -as they passed. Their faces were weather-beaten but cheery; their -uniforms were faded, stained, and worn; but they stepped lightly, and -had a passing joke for the town gazers, and a kindly glance for the -pretty girls who lined the sidewalks, standing in the checkered shade -of the young elms. - -On Friday afternoon General Wheeler rode in from the Raleigh road with -his staff, and alighted at the first corner. One of his aids came up -with a map of North-Carolina, which he unrolled and laid on the ground. -General Wheeler knelt down to consult it, and the group gathered round -him. Several of our citizens drew near, and a circle of as bright eyes -and fair faces as the Confederacy could show anywhere, eager to look -upon men whose names had been familiar for four years, and whose fame -will be part of our national history. - -The Federal cavalry were in close pursuit, and several skirmishes had -taken place on the road from Raleigh. A brigade under General Atkins -followed General Wheeler, while Kilpatrick, with the rest of his -division, followed Hampton toward Hillsboro, along the Central Railroad -line. The last skirmish occurred, and perhaps the last blood of the war -was shed on Friday evening, fourteenth, at the Atkins Plantation, eight -miles from Chapel Hill, near the New-Hope River, which was much swollen -by heavy rains, and the bridge over which, as well as all others on -the road, was destroyed by General Wheeler's men. They attacked the -enemy endeavoring to cross on fallen trees and driftwood, and several -were killed on both sides. Some of our men were killed in a skirmish at -Morrisville, and some of the wounded came on with the trains. One poor -fellow from Selma, Ala., mortally wounded, was carried to the house of -one of our principal physicians, and tenderly cared for, for two or -three days, while he talked of his distant home and his mother, and -sent messages to those who would see him no more. After his comrades -had passed on and the place was in the hands of the Federals, he -resigned himself to die with childlike patience, asking for a favorite -hymn, and begging the lovely girl who had watched him with a sister's -fidelity to kiss him, as he was dying, "for his sister." He was laid to -rest in the garden, and perhaps as bitter tears of regret and despair -fell on that lonely grave as on any during the war; for the war was -over, and he and the rest had died in vain. - -On Sunday, at two P.M., General Wheeler called in his pickets; and once -more, and for the last time, we saw the gallant sight of our gray-clad -Confederate soldiers, and waved our last farewell to our army. A few -hours of absolute and Sabbath stillness and silence ensued. The groves -stood thick and solemn, the bright sun shining through the great boles -and down the grassy slopes, while a pleasant fragrance was wafted from -the purple panicles of the Paullonia. All that nature can do was still -done with order and beauty, while men's hearts were failing them for -fear, and for looking after those things which were coming on the earth. - -We sat in our pleasant piazzas and awaited events with quiet -resignation. The silver had all been buried--some of it in springs, -some of it under rocks in the streams, some of it in fence-corners, -which, after the fences had been burned down, was pretty hard to find -again; some of it in the woods, some of it in the cellars. There was -not much provision to be carried off--that was one comfort. The sight -of our empty store-rooms and smoke-houses would be likely to move our -invaders to laughter. Our wardrobes were hardly worth hiding--homespun -and jeans hung placidly in their accustomed places. But the libraries, -public and private, the buildings of the university--all minor selfish -considerations were merged in a generous anxiety for these. So we -talked and speculated, while the very peace and profound quiet of the -place sustained and soothed our minds. Just at sunset a sedate and -soldierly-looking man, at the head of a dozen _dressed in blue_, rode -quietly in by the Raleigh road. Governor Swain, accompanied by a few -of the principal citizens, met them at the entrance, and stated that -he had General Sherman's promise that the town and university should -be saved from pillage. The soldier replied that such were his orders, -and they should be observed. They then rode in, galloped up and down -the streets inquiring for rebels; and being informed that _there were -none_ in town, they withdrew for the night to their camp; and the next -morning, being Easter Monday, April seventeenth, General Atkins, at -the head of a detachment of four thousand cavalry, entered about eight -A.M., and we were captured. - -That was surely a day to be remembered by us all. For the first time -in four years we saw the old flag--the "Stars and Stripes," in whose -defense we would once have been willing to die, but which certainly -excited very little enthusiasm now. Never before had we realized how -entirely our hearts had been turned away from what was once our whole -country, till we felt the bitterness aroused by the sight of that flag -shaking out its red and white folds over us. The utmost quiet and -good order prevailed. Guards were placed at every house immediately, -and with a promptness that was needful; for one residence, standing -a little apart, was entered by a squad of bummers in advance of the -guard, and in less than ten minutes the lower rooms, store-rooms, and -bed-rooms were overhauled and plundered with a swift and business-like -thoroughness only attainable by long and extensive practice. A guard -arriving, they left; but their plunder was not restored. The village -guards, belonging to the Ninth Michigan cavalry, deserve especial -mention as being a decent set of men, who, while they were here, -behaved with civility and propriety. - -That was surely a day to be remembered by us all; yet the first -returning anniversary of that day brought the village of Chapel Hill -an occasion as generally interesting, but invested with a tenderness -of its own. On the sixteenth of April, 1866, the whole town poured -out to receive two Confederate soldiers--two brothers--who had fallen -in battle in our defense.[14] They came back home that day, and were -placed side by side in that church, whose aisles their infant feet -had trodden. The plain deal boxes that inclosed them were graced with -garlands, and the emblem of the holy faith in which they had died "more -than conquerors," woven of the flowers of their own dear native State. -It was all that North-Carolina could do for her sons who had died in -obedience to her laws. - - Come, Southern flowers, and twine above their grave; - Let all our rath spring blossoms bear a part; - Let lilies of the vale and snowdrops wave, - And come thou too, fit emblem, bleeding-heart! - - Bring all our evergreens--the laurel and the bay, - From the deep forests which around us stand; - They know them well, for in a happier day - They roamed these hills and valleys hand in hand. - - Ye winds of heaven, o'er them gently sigh, - And April showers fall in kindliest rain, - And let the golden sunbeams softly lie - Upon the sod for which they died in vain. - -It was something--it was much, that we could lay them among their own -familiar hills, pleasant in their lives and undivided in their deaths. -And North-Carolina dust will lie lightly on their gentle and noble -breasts. - -While the command of General Atkins remained in Chapel Hill--a period -of nearly three weeks--the same work, with perhaps some mitigation, was -going on in the country round us, and around the city of Raleigh, which -had marked the progress of the Federal armies all through the South. -Planters having large families of white and black were left without -food, forage, cattle, or change of clothing. Being in camp so long, -bedding became an object with the marauders; and many wealthy families -were stripped of what the industry of years had accumulated in that -line. Much of what was so wantonly taken was as wantonly destroyed and -squandered among the prostitutes and negroes who haunted the camps. As -to Raleigh, though within the corporate limits, no plundering of the -houses was allowed; yet in the suburbs and the country the inscrutable -policy of permitting unrestrained license to the troops prevailed to -its widest extent. From the statements of several of the prominent -citizens of Raleigh I make the following extracts, the first giving a -general view, and the other simply one man's personal experience: - -"Immediately around Raleigh the farms were completely despoiled of -every thing in the shape of provisions and forage, so as to leave -literally nothing for the support of man or beast. In many instances -the houses were burned or torn to pieces, and the fences and inclosures -entirely destroyed, so as to render it impossible at that season of the -year to produce one third of a crop, even with the greatest industry -and attention. Every horse and mule found in the country fit for -service was taken off, and only a few old and half-starved ones are to -be found on the farms." - -The other statement I give in full:[15] - -"On the thirteenth day of April, General Sherman took military -possession of Raleigh. A portion of his body-guard pitched their -tents (eight in number) in my front-yard, which, with a room in my -office, were occupied by officers. Their servants--cooks, waiters, and -hostlers--took possession of my kitchens, out-houses, and stables, -appropriating them in a most riotous and insolent manner. The soldiers -tore down my yard and garden-fences for fuel and tents, and turned -their horses and mules upon my vegetables and fruit-trees, destroying a -large lot of corn, potatoes, peas, etc.; took off my horses and mules, -tore off the doors, flooring, and weather-boarding of my out-houses -and barns for tents; killed all my poultry, upward of thirty young -hogs, cooking them in my kitchen for the officers' tables. After the -removal of this squad, another took instant possession, and pitched -twenty-four tents in my front-yard and a large number in the lower -part of my grounds, still using my kitchen, beside building fires -all over the yard. At my plantation, three miles from town, the -devastation was thorough and unsparing. I had no overseer there. The -negroes, some seventy in number, were plundered of their clothing -and provisions, consisting of bacon, pickled beef, corn-meal, and -flour. My dwelling-house was broken open, weather-boarding, flooring, -and ceiling carried off, every window-sash and glass broken out, and -every article of furniture for house or kitchen either carried off or -wantonly destroyed. Barns, cotton-house, and sheds were all torn down; -blacksmith's, carpenter's, and farming implements carried off or broken -up; three carts and two large wagons, with their gear, destroyed; the -fences burned; and a large number of mules and horses pastured on the -wheat-fields; all my mules and horses there (seventeen in number) -carried off; fifty head of cattle, forty sheep, fifty hogs, and a large -flock of geese and poultry either taken off or wantonly shot down; a -quantity of medicine, some excellent wines, brandy, whisky, and two -hundred gallons of vinegar were taken. Wagon-trains went down day after -day, till 150 barrels of corn, 15,000 pounds of fodder, 12,000 pounds -of hay, and all my wheat, peas, cotton, etc., were carried off, leaving -the whole place entirely bare, so that my negroes had to come in town -for rations." - -By the above account it will be seen that the having a guard did -not avail to protect the premises, even within the city, though, -as a general rule, their presence did avail to protect the grounds -immediately around the house. A lady residing beyond the city limits, -the wife of a general officer in our army, had her house repeatedly -pillaged, and all the provisions belonging to her negroes, as well -as her own, carried off. The tent of a general in the Federal army -was pitched just in front of the house, and every marauder going in -and coming out laden with spoils was immediately in his view; yet -not a word was said to check the men, nor any steps allowed for her -protection. A guard was refused her, on the ground of the action of -Wheeler's men at their entrance; and when, after repeated solicitation, -a guard reluctantly came, he allowed all who were on the premises -laden, to march off with what they had in hand, saying he had no -authority to take any thing away from them! The unfortunate negroes -were the severest sufferers, they being literally stripped of their -all, and, beginning a new life of freedom, began it without even the -little savings and personal property accumulated in slavery. - -That General Sherman was well aware of all this, and not only -tacitly permitted it, but considered it a necessary part of war that -non-combatants lying at the mercy of his army should receive no mercy -at all, is one of the extraordinary developments of the war. There -would rather seem to be a deficiency of judgment on his part than a -real want of humanity, for which he may have been indebted to the -astute military training received at West-Point. - -To that institution alone must be conceded the unenviable distinction -of sending out soldiers instructed to carry fire, famine, and slaughter -through the invaded country, and then sententiously declaring that -"_such is war_." - - "To her alone the praise is due, - She let them loose and cried Halloo!" - -Even while the peace negotiations were in progress, as we have seen, -and in many cases after peace was declared, the grand army hastened -to improve the shining hours in Wake, Orange, and Alamance. Wholesale -robbery, abuse, and insult were practiced in so many instances under -the eyes of the commanding officers, that those who would have said -that the _officers_ did not know or permit such things, and that they -were the work of only lawless stragglers and camp-followers, such as -are found in all armies, were forced to the unavoidable conclusion that -this species of warfare was encouraged and approved by the commanders -as an important branch of the service, and an invaluable aid in the -work of subjugation and reconstruction. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 14: Junius C. and W. Lewis, the two youngest sons of the Hon. -W.H. Battle.] - -[Footnote 15: There seems to be no good reason to refrain from saying -that this statement describes the treatment received by Governor Manly, -and that the lady mentioned in the next paragraph is the wife of -General Cox.--Editor.] - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN GOVERNOR SWAIN AND GENERAL SHERMAN--GOVERNOR - VANCE'S POSITION AND CONDUCT--KILPATRICK--THE CONDUCT OF THE - SERVANTS--"LEE'S MEN"--PRESIDENT LINCOLN. - - -I am persuaded that it requires the exercise of an implicit faith, -and a total rejection of the evidence of things seen, to believe that -General Sherman as a man, deplored the policy which, as a general, -he felt bound to pursue. I shall, however, give him the benefit of -his own professions, which, whether sincere or not, are certainly in -unison with the part he played in the treaty with General Johnston. The -following correspondence will be read with interest: - - CHAPEL HILL, April 19, 1865. - - _Major-General W.T. Sherman, commanding United States Forces_: - - GENERAL: ... On my return to this village on Saturday morning, - fifteenth instant, I found that General Wheeler, with his division of - cavalry, had been encamped here for two days. He resumed his march - on Sunday morning, leaving the country denuded to a considerable - extent of forage, and taking with him a number of horses and mules. - General Atkins arrived with his brigade on Monday morning, and is in - camp here now. I have had several interviews with General Atkins, and - have pleasure in stating that he manifests a disposition to execute - his orders with as much forbearance as he deems compatible with the - proper discharge of his duty. Nevertheless, many worthy families have - been stripped by his soldiers of the necessary means of subsistence. - A Baptist clergyman--a most estimable, quiet, and charitable citizen, - and the most extensive farmer within a circle of three miles--is - almost entirely destitute of provision for man and beast; and with - a family of more than fifty persons, (white and colored,) has not a - single horse or mule. Other instances, not less striking, exist, of - families in less affluent circumstances; but I refer particularly to - Mr. Purefoy, because he has been my near neighbor for about thirty - years, and I hold him in the highest estimation. He, like many others, - is not merely without the present means of subsistence, but unless his - horses and mules are restored or replaced, can make no provision for - the future. The delay of a few days even may render it impossible to - plant corn in proper time. - - I am satisfied from the impression made on me in our recent interview, - that personally, you have no disposition to add to the unavoidable - horrors of war, by availing yourself of the utmost license which - writers on the subject deem admissible, but that, on the contrary, - you would prefer to treat the peaceful tillers of the soil with no - unnecessary harshness. I venture to hope, therefore, that the present - state of negotiations between the contending armies will enable you - to relax the severity of the orders under which General Atkins is - acting, and I am satisfied that if you shall feel yourself justified - by the course of events in doing so, an intimation of your purpose - will be welcome intelligence to him. - - I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, - - D.L. Swain. - - HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE } - MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD, } - RALEIGH, N.C., April 22, 1865. } - - _Hon. D.L. Swain, Chapel Hill, N.C._: - - My Dear Sir: Yours of April nineteenth was laid before me yesterday, - and I am pleased that you recognize in General Atkins a fair - representative of our army. - - The moment war ceases, and I think that time is at hand, all seizures - of horses and private property will cease on our part. And it may be - that we will be able to spare some animals for the use of the farmers - of your neighborhood. There now exists a species of truce, but we must - stand prepared for action; but I believe that in a very few days a - definitive and general peace will be arranged, when I will make orders - that will be in accordance with the new state of affairs. - - I do believe that I fairly represent the feelings of my - countrymen--that we prefer peace to war; but if war is forced upon - us, we must meet it; but if peace be possible, we will accept it, and - be the friends of the farmers and working classes of North-Carolina, - as well as actual patrons of churches, colleges, asylums, and all - institutions of learning and charity. Accept the assurances of my - respect and high esteem. - - I am, truly yours, - - W.T. Sherman, - Major-General Commanding. - -Without ascribing to General Sherman any extraordinary degree of merit -as a writer, I am inclined to give him credit for sincerity in these -professions, simply because of the corroborating evidence afforded by -his conduct in the treaty with Johnston. Their first agreement was -not ratified at Washington, and General Sherman's position therein -was severely censured; but no one who rightly estimated the condition -of the South at the close of the war, and the state of public feeling -among us, has ever doubted that, if that treaty had been ratified, the -happiest results would have followed, and an immense amount of trouble, -expense, and evil would have been avoided by the whole country. I -repeat what I have said previously, that General Sherman alone, of all -the prominent men and leaders among our antagonists, was at that time -possessed of the requisite ability and statesmanship and magnanimity to -comprehend the situation, and seize the opportunity and the means for -an equitable adjustment of our difficulties. I greatly regret not being -able to present my readers with a copy of his letter of invitation -to Governor Vance to return to Raleigh. On the fourteenth of April -General Johnston sent him his first letter, requesting a suspension of -hostilities, with a view to entering into arrangements for putting a -stop to the war. This application was replied to by General Sherman in -a really noble and generous spirit, and their correspondence resulted -in those interviews at Durham's Station, on the North-Carolina Central -Railroad, which concluded the war and have become historical. No one -can read that correspondence without seeing unmistakable evidence -that General Sherman manifested an eager anxiety to save the South -from further devastation. Perhaps a late remorse had touched him; but -however that may be, in the _civil_ policy he has always advocated -toward the South, he has shown himself at once generous and politic. -If he had pursued an equally far-sighted course as a soldier; if he -had advocated a humane forbearance toward the defenseless people who -were crushed beneath his march; if he had enforced a strict discipline -in his army, and chosen to appear as a restorer rather than as a -destroyer, there are few at the South who would not join to pronounce -him the hero of the war on the Northern side, and his name would -worthily go down to posterity by the side of the great captain of the -age, who declared, when leading his victorious veterans into France, -that rather than suffer them to pillage the country as they passed, he -would resign his command. - - * * * * * - -While Generals Johnston and Sherman were engaged in their negotiations -at Durham's, Governor Vance found that by having obeyed President -Davis's summons to Greensboro before accepting General Sherman's -invitation to Raleigh, he was effectually precluded from all further -participation in the affairs of the State. I am not at liberty to say -why or how this was; but it is probable the Governor himself does -not very deeply regret it, since it is not likely he would have been -permitted by the Federal authorities to retain his office, even if he -had returned to Raleigh and resumed the reins. All General Sherman's -views and official acts as peacemaker were speedily disavowed and -overruled at Washington; and though Governor Vance was willing to have -made the experiment, being urged thereto by his best friends, yet, as -_matters have since turned out_, it is as well that he was prevented. -He and his noble State were equally incapable of any attempt to make -terms for themselves, even had it been likely that any terms would have -been granted. Our fortunes were to be those of our sister States whom -we had joined deliberately, fought for, and suffered with; and Governor -Vance was never more truly our representative than in the treatment he -received from the Federal Government after the surrender. - -Our Governor left Hillsboro on Saturday, arrived in Greensboro on -Sunday morning, April sixteenth, and found that President Davis had -left for Charlotte the day before. The whole Confederate Government -left Danville the preceding Monday, April tenth, arrived at Greensboro -on the same day, and had ever since been living in the cars around the -railroad station at that place. Mr. Trenholm being very ill, had been -taken to Governor Morehead's. But the Confederate President, and all -the Government officials lived for five rainy days in the miserable -leaky cars that had brought them thither, having abundant government -stores of provision in their train. On the slope of a hill near by, -which tradition points out as that on which General Greene had held a -council of war previous to the battle of Guilford, in 1781, President -Davis and his Cabinet, and Generals Beauregard and Johnston held their -last conference a day or two before Governor Vance's arrival. It had -resulted in the first terms which General Johnston was authorized -to make with General Sherman, and he was already on his way back to -Hillsboro, to hold his first interview with the Federal commander. -Failing to see the President, Governor Vance would now have returned -to Raleigh. All that can be said at this point is, that he _was not -permitted by our military authorities to pass through their lines while -the negotiations were pending_. He then followed President Davis to -Charlotte, and had a final interview with him, giving him notice of his -intention, as General Johnston was then on the point of surrendering -the army, to surrender himself to Sherman, and use what means were -in his power to save the State and State property from further ruin, -treating the Confederacy as at an end. Returning to Greensboro, he -found the first terms agreed upon had been rejected at Washington, -and the two commanding generals were engaged in a fresh negotiation. -Failing still to receive permission to proceed to Raleigh, he wrote a -letter to General Sherman, and sent it by Treasurer Worth, who found -on his arrival in Raleigh that General Sherman was gone, and General -Schofield was in command, who refused to allow Governor Vance to return -at all. - -The Governor then remained quietly in Greensboro until Schofield's -arrival there, when he had an interview with him, giving him necessary -information as to State property, records, etc., etc., and bespeaking -his protection for them and for our people, especially in those -localities where they were at feud with each other. He then tendered -his own surrender, which General Schofield refused to accept, saying he -had no orders to arrest him, and he might go where he pleased. Governor -Vance then told him he would join his family at Statesville, and would -be found there if requisition should be made for him. He arrived in -Statesville, rejoining his family on the fourth of May--by a curious -coincidence, the very day on which, four years before, he had left -them, a volunteer for the war! And four such years!--sketched for us -thirty years ago in that sublime and solemn picture upon the canvas -of Webster, where lay a land rent with civil feuds, and drenched in -fraternal blood. He remained until the thirteenth, when he was arrested -by order of the Federal Government, by Major Porter, commanding a -detachment of three hundred cavalry, Ninth Pennsylvania, conveyed a -prisoner to Raleigh, and thence to the Old Capitol Prison at Washington -City. - -On the thirteenth of April, General Sherman entered Raleigh. The -day before, General Stoneman had occupied Salisbury. He entered the -State from Knoxville, Tenn., taking most of the towns in his way, -and committing an immense amount of damage, and finally arriving -in Salisbury just in time to destroy utterly all the valuable State -and Confederate property which had been so sedulously conveyed from -Raleigh, to escape General Sherman! The particulars of this important -and successful move I have as yet been unable to procure. I hope, -however, to present them at some time in a detailed and authentic -narrative. The cooperation with Sherman was timely, and would have -been a perfect success if Stoneman had ventured to hold Salisbury. He -might easily have done so, though, to be sure, he did not know that; -but if he had, he might have given checkmate to the Confederacy at -once. President Davis would never have reached Charlotte. As it was, -the raiders from Stoneman's command, who cut the Danville road above -Greensboro, were within half an hour of capturing the whole Confederate -Government in its flight. - -During the occupation of Chapel Hill by Kilpatrick's cavalry, the -citizens of the place possessed their souls in as much patience as -they could muster up, endeavoring to arrive at a stoical not to say -philosophical frame of mind, in view of the sudden dislocation of all -things--among other things, maintaining a decent degree of composure -upon the establishment of Liberia in our midst, and accommodating -ourselves to this new phase of things with a good deal of grim humor. -The negroes, however, behaved much better, on the whole, than Northern -letter-writers represent them to have done. Indeed, I do not know a -race more studiously misrepresented than they have been and are at -this present time. They behaved well during the war: if they had not, -it could not have lasted eighteen months. They showed a fidelity and -a steadiness which speaks not only well for themselves but well for -their training and the system under which they lived. And when their -liberators arrived, there was no indecent excitement on receiving the -gift of liberty, nor displays of impertinence to their masters. In one -or two instances they gave "Missus" to understand that they desired -present payment for their services in gold and silver, but, in general, -the tide of domestic life flowed on externally as smoothly as ever. In -fact, though of course few at the North will believe me, I am sure that -they felt for their masters, and secretly sympathized with their ruin. -They knew that they were absolutely penniless and conquered; and though -they were glad to be free, yet they did not turn round, as New-England -letter-writers have represented, to exult over their owners, nor -exhibit the least trace of New-England malignity. So the bread was -baked in those latter days, the clothes were washed and ironed, and the -baby was nursed as zealously as ever, though both parties understood -at once that the service was voluntary. The Federal soldiers sat a -good deal in the kitchens; but the division being chiefly composed -of North-western men, who had little love for the negro, (indeed I -heard some d----n him as the cause of the war, and say that they would -much rather put a bullet through an abolitionist than through a -Confederate soldier,) there was probably very little incendiary talk -and instructions going on. In all which, in comparison with other -localities, we were much favored. - -So we endeavored to play out the play with dignity and self-possession, -watching the long train of foragers coming in every day by every -high-road and by-way leading from the country, laden with the substance -of our friends and neighbors for many miles, (though in many cases, -let me say, the Government made payment for food and forage taken -after peace was declared,) watching them with such feelings as made us -half ashamed of our own immunity, wondering where it would all end, -and that we should have lived to see such a day; reviewing the height -from which we had fallen, and struggling, I say, to wear a look of -proud composure, when all our assumed stoicism and resignation was put -to flight by the appearance, on a certain day, of a squad of unarmed -men in gray, dusty and haggard, walking slowly along the road. A -moment's look, a hasty inquiry, and "_Lee's men!_" burst from our lips, -and tears from our eyes. There they were, the heroes of the army of -Virginia, walking home, each with _his pass_ in his pocket, and nothing -else. To run after them, to call them in, to feel honored at shaking -those rough hands, to spread the table for them, to cry over them, -and say again and again, "God bless you all; we are just as proud of -you, and thank you just as much as if it had turned out differently;" -this was a work which stirred our inmost souls, and has left a tender -memory which will outlast life. Day after day we saw them, sometimes -in twos and threes, sometimes in little companies, making the best -of their way toward their distant homes, penniless and dependent on -wayside charity for their food, plodding along, while the blue jackets -pranced gayly past on the best blood of Southern stables. But I am -glad to record that wherever a Federal soldier met any of them, he -was prompt to offer help and food, and express a kindly and soldierly -cordiality. Grant's men, they all said, had been especially generous. -There was something worth studying in the air and expression of these -men, a something which had a beneficial and soothing effect on the -observers. They were not unduly cast down, nor had any appearance of -the humiliation that was burning into our souls. They were serious, -calm, and self-possessed. They said they were satisfied that all had -been done that could be done, and they seemed to be sustained by the -sense of duty done and well done, and the event left to God, and -with His award they had no intention of quarreling. It was a fair -fight, they said, but the South had been starved out; one dark-eyed -young South-Carolinian said, for his part he was going home to settle -down, and if any body ever said "secesh" to him again, he meant to -knock 'em over. Many looked thin and feeble; and a gallant major from -Fayetteville told me himself that when ordered to the last charge, he -and his men, who had been living for some days on parched corn, were so -weak that they reeled in their saddles. "But we would have gone again," -he added, "if Lee had said so." - -The news of the death of President Lincoln, received at first with -utter incredulity, deepened the gloom and horrible uncertainty in which -we lived. That he was dead simply may not have excited any regret -among people who for four years had been learning to regard him as -the prime agent in all our troubles. But when the time, place, and -manner of his death came to be told, an unaffected and deep horror -and dismay filled our minds. The time has not yet come for Southern -people to estimate President Lincoln fairly. We never could admire -him as he appeared as a candidate for the Presidency, nor look upon -him as a great man, in any sense of the word. But even if we had -recognized him as a lofty and commanding genius, fit to guide the -destiny of a great nation through a crisis of imminent peril, the -smoke of the battle-fields would have obscured to us all his good -qualities, and we should have regarded him only as the malignant star, -whose ascendency boded nothing but evil to us. He was always presented -to us in caricature. The Southern press never mentioned him but with -some added _sobriquet_ of contempt and hatred. His simplicity of -character and kindliness of heart we knew nothing of; nor would many -now at the South, much as they may deplore his death, concede to him -the possession of any such virtues. They judged him by the party which -took possession of him after his inauguration, and by his advisers. -But a sense of remorse fills my mind now as I write of him, realizing -how much that was really good and guileless, and well-intentioned and -generous, may have come to an untimely end in the atrocious tragedy at -Ford's Theatre. The extravagance of eulogy by which the Northern people -have sought to express their sense of his worth and of his loss, has -had much to do with our unwillingness to judge him fairly. To place the -Illinois lawyer by the side of Washington would have been an offense -against taste and common-sense; but to compare him to the SON OF GOD, -to ascribe to him also the work of "dying the just for the unjust," -is an impious indecency which may suit the latitude of Mr. Bancroft, -and the overstrained tone of the Northern mind generally, but whose -only effect at the South is to widen the distance between us and the -day when we shall frankly endeavor to understand and do justice to -President Lincoln. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - GENERAL STONEMAN--OUTRAGES--COLD-BLOODED MURDERS--GENERAL - GILLAM--PROGRESS THROUGH LENOIR, WILKES, SURRY, AND STOKES--STONEMAN'S - DETOUR INTO VIRGINIA--THE DEFENSE OF SALISBURY--THE FIGHT IN THE - STREETS OF SALISBURY--GENERAL POLK'S FAMILY--TEMPORARY OCCUPANCY OF - SALISBURY--CONTINUOUS RAIDING. - - -On the same day that General Sherman entered Raleigh, General Stoneman -occupied Salisbury, April 12-13th, thus completing the chain of events -which was closing in upon the Confederacy. Among the prisoners kept at -Salisbury were some of the better class, who were at large on _parole_. -This they broke in the winter of 1864-'5, and, making their escape over -the mountains into Tennessee, carried such accounts of the accumulation -of stores, etc., at Salisbury, as made its capture an object of -importance. - -General Stoneman entered the State during the last week of March, by -the turnpike leading from Taylorsville, Tennessee, through Watauga -county to Deep Gap, on the Blue Ridge. His force was probably six or -seven thousand strong, though rumor increased it to fifteen, twenty, -thirty, and in one instance to sixty thousand. - -They entered Boone, the county-seat of Watauga, on the twenty-sixth of -March. The village was completely taken by surprise. No one was aware -of the approach of an enemy till the advance-guard dashed up the main -street, making no demand for surrender, but firing right and left at -every moving thing they saw. Mrs. James Council, hearing the noise, -stepped into her piazza with her child in her arms, and immediately a -volley of balls splintered the wood-work all around her. She, however, -escaped unhurt. The people of this county had been warmly attached to -the Confederate cause, and had bravely resisted East-Tennessee raiders -and marauders. The county-seat was therefore, perhaps, especially -obnoxious; and whatever may have been General Stoneman's policy, there -were subordinate officers in his command who were only too happy in the -opportunity to retort upon a defenseless and unresisting population. -The jail was burned by order of General Gillam. For this it is said he -was sternly rebuked by General Stoneman; but all the county records, -books, and private papers were destroyed. Private houses were of course -plundered, and the citizens were consoled by the assurance that "Kirk -was to follow and clean them out." Several citizens were shot under -circumstances of peculiar aggravation. A party of the raiders went into -the field of Mr. Jacob Council, where he was plowing with a negro. He -was over the conscript age, a prudent, quiet man, who had taken no part -in the war. He was shot down in cold blood, notwithstanding his piteous -appeals for mercy, because, upon the negro's statement, he was "an -infernal rebel." Another, Warren Green, was killed while holding up -his hands in token of surrender. Another, Calvin Green, was pursued and -surrendered, but they continued firing upon him after his surrender. -He then resolved to defend himself, and fought, loading and firing -till he was shot down and left for dead. He shattered the arm of one -of the Federal soldiers, so that it had to be amputated that night. -But instead of dying himself, he recovered, and is now living. Steele -Frazier, a lad of fifteen, was chased by a squad of half a dozen. He -made a running fight of it. Getting over a fence, he coolly waited -till they were within range, and then fired and shot one through. He -then ran again, loading, and turned again and killed another of his -pursuers; and notwithstanding the pursuit was kept up some distance, -the balls whistling round him, he finally made good his escape, and -will probably make none the worse citizen, when he is grown, for his -adventurous boyhood. - -Through the whole of this raid General Stoneman is represented to have -been apparently anxious to mitigate the distresses and horrors of -war as far as was practicable, by courteous and humane treatment of -the people. His record and that of General Palmer are in refreshing -contrast to those of his subordinate, General Gillam, and of certain -other higher names in the Federal army. There is one story, however, -told of him in Boone, which, after all, may be due to his quartermaster -or commissary-in-chief. Mrs. Council had been kind to some Federal -prisoners confined in the jail; and the invaders hearing of it, -requited her by affording her protection during their stay. Kirk's -raiders, however, came down after Stoneman had passed on, and stripped -the place of all that had been left--the gallant Colonel Kirk himself -making his headquarters with this lady--keeping her a close prisoner in -her own room, while he and his men made free with the rest of the house -and the premises. That they left little or nothing but the bare walls, -may be inferred from General Stoneman's remark on his return to the -place after the capture of Salisbury. Standing in the piazza and taking -a survey of what had once been a happy and beautiful home--the fencing -all gone, the gardens, shrubbery, and yard trampled bare, covered with -raw hides of cattle and sheep, decaying carcasses, and all manner of -filth--he turned to the lady and said, "Well, Mrs. C., I suppose you -hardly know whether you are at home or not." Gratefully remembering -his former courtesy to her, she exerted herself to entertain him with -such scanty stores as the raiders had left. A firkin of uncommonly fine -butter had been overlooked by them, and she placed some of this on the -table. The General commended this butter especially, and asked her if -she had any more of it. She told him it was about the only thing to -eat she had left, and congratulated herself on its safety under his -protection. What was her mortification, a short time after, to see the -firkin ordered out and placed in the General's own provision-wagon. So -much that is favorable to General Stoneman's character has reached me, -that I can not help hoping he was ignorant of this unspeakably small -transaction. - -On the twenty-seventh of March, the column was divided. General -Stoneman, with one division, went direct to Wilkesboro. The other, -under General Gillam, crossed the Blue Ridge at Blowing Rock, and -went to Patterson, in Caldwell county, thence rejoining Stoneman at -Wilkesboro. At Patterson General Gillam took the responsibility of -ordering the extensive cotton factory there to be burned. General -Stoneman is said to have regretted this destruction especially, as Mr. -Patterson, the owner, had received a promise that it should be spared, -and the people of East-Tennessee had been largely supplied from it. -But General Gillam, when not immediately under General Stoneman's eye, -could not restrain his propensities. He announced that "the Government -had been too lenient, and rebels must look out for consequences," and -ordered the torch to be applied. - -While the raiders were in the Yadkin river-bottom, they were detained -three days by freshets. Small parties scoured the country, carrying -off all the horses and mules, and burning the factories. There seemed -to be no systematic plan of destruction; for while some mills and -factories were burned, others in the same neighborhood and quite as -easily accessible were spared. Much depended on the personal character -and disposition of the commanding officer of these detachments. -If he happened to be a gentleman, the people were spared as much -as possible; if he were simply a brute dressed in a little brief -authority, every needless injury was inflicted, accompanied with true -underbred insolence and malice. The privates always followed the lead -of their commander. The factories on Hunting Creek, in the upper part -of Tredell, were burned with large quantities of cotton. Eagle Mills -alone lost eight hundred bales. Among General Gillam's exploits in -Wilkesboro, was the finding the horse of the late General James Gordon -in the stable of a brother-in-law of the General. This, General G. -immediately, with great intrepidity, "captured;" and further to impress -the family with a sense of his heroic achievement, he had a man to -mount the animal and parade him slowly up and down before the door of -the house for an hour or two. - -Leaving Wilkesboro on the thirty-first of March, General Stoneman moved -over into Surry county, in the direction of Mount Airy, and thence -into Virginia, aiming for Christiansburg, on the Tennessee Railroad. -A portion of the command being detached to Wytheville, was met near -that place by General Duke's cavalry, and repulsed, but rallying, took -the town and destroyed the depot of supplies there. Having effectually -destroyed the road above Wytheville, between New River and Big Lick, -General Stoneman turned back upon North-Carolina, reentering it from -Patrick county, Virginia, and marching rapidly through Stokes county, -appeared suddenly in Salem and Winston on the tenth of April. Here he -sent out various detachments to cut the North-Carolina Central Road and -the Danville and Greensboro Road, destroy bridges, supplies, etc., etc. -One of these parties, as I have said before, narrowly missed capturing -the train conveying the whole Confederate government, in its flight to -Greensboro. They burned the bridge at Jamestown, and were about to fire -the depot, but upon a sudden false alarm, fled precipitately without -finishing their work. At High Point they burned the depot and large -quantities of government stores, also seventeen hundred bales of cotton -belonging to Francis Fries, of Salem. The public buildings and stores -at Lexington and Thomasville were saved by the arrival of a body of -Ferguson's cavalry, who chased the raiders back to Salem. The general -plan of the whole raid seemed to contemplate the destruction of stores -and the cutting off communications without risking a battle. - -At Salem and Winston private property was protected, no pillage being -permitted. This was probably owing to the fact that the inhabitants -having had notice of the approach of the raiders, sent a deputation to -meet them and make a formal surrender of the town. I am not aware that -a demand for surrender was made of any place during the entire raid, or -that any place beside Salem and Winston, which may be regarded as one, -offered a surrender. The first notice of the presence of any enemy, in -most cases, was given by the unlooked-for arrival of the advance-guard -galloping in and taking possession. - -At Mocksville, a number of the citizens, supposing it was only a small -squad that was hurrying through the country and plundering, prepared -to give them a warm reception, and a short distance from town fired -upon the advancing column. Soon finding their mistake, they retreated. -Threats of burning the village for this audacious thought of -resistance were made, but as General Stoneman was pressing forward with -all speed upon Salisbury, no time was allowed for any such exchange of -compliments. - -General Stoneman's _detour_ into Virginia had completely mystified the -people of North-Carolina. They breathed freely as he passed over the -border, and congratulated themselves that the dreaded raid, which for -weeks had been anticipated, was so soon at an end. The troops which had -been posted by General Beauregard at Salisbury, for its protection, -were moved off to Greensboro and to the railroad bridge across the -Yadkin, and the town was left with little or no defense. If Stoneman -had marched thither from Wilkesboro, he would probably have been -repulsed with disaster; for a large body of infantry, with artillery -and cavalry, had been concentrated there; but when Salisbury was -attacked, on the morning of the twelfth of April, the whole effective -force did not much exceed five hundred men, including two batteries -on their way to join Johnston at Raleigh. Of these five hundred two -hundred were "galvanized" Irish, recruited from among the Federal -prisoners--besides artisans in the government employ from the various -shops, Junior reserves, and a number of citizens who volunteered in -defense of their homes. In the absence of General Bradley T. Johnson, -the commandant of the post, General Gardner took command, and disposed -his handful of men at various points on the road toward Mocksville, so -as to man and support the batteries, there being nowhere more than one -hundred and fifty men at any point. - -The attack began at daylight. By eight o'clock the batteries were -flanked. The artillery-men fought bravely, but were of course soon -overpowered and compelled to leave their guns in the hands of the -enemy. A few of the "galvanized" Irish fought well, but the majority -went over in a body to the Federals soon after the fight commenced, -leaving the artillery without support, and of course betraying the -weakness of the Confederates. A desultory fight was kept up till the -suburbs of the town were reached, and then all order and subordination -were lost, the Confederates scattering through the town and to the -woods beyond. Several of them were wounded, and one or two were -killed in the town. The loss of the Federals is unknown, but several -were buried on the battle-field. A number of Confederates were taken -prisoners, some citizens, negroes, etc. By nine o'clock the place was -in quiet possession of the enemy, who galloped in with drawn swords and -full of strange oaths. Many of the citizens, negroes, and children, -were in the doors and on the sidewalks gazing for the first time at -the Federal uniform. In the desultory running fight that was kept -up through the streets, one of the Irish recruits before mentioned, -fighting bravely, was shot through the lungs; but he continued to -load and fire as he retreated till he fell on the piazza of Mrs. M.E. -Ramsay. Though the balls fell thick about him, and she was alone with -her little children, she went out to him and managed to get him inside -the house, where she nursed and stimulated him the greater part of the -day, till she could get a physician to him and have him removed to the -hospital. He said to her, "They have killed me, but I die a brave man; -I fought them as long as I could stand." She supposed that of course -his wound was mortal, but a fortnight after, to her astonishment, he -returned to thank her for her kindness. - -Captain Frank Y. McNeely was found in the Arsenal and shot. Lieutenant -Stokes, of Maryland, was sitting on his horse in front of General -Bradley Johnson's headquarters, when a squad of the enemy dashed -into the street. An officer in front cried out, "There's a d----d -rebel--charge him." The Lieutenant waited till the officer was in -point-blank range, and then shot him through, and putting spurs to his -horse fled--hotly pursued. One of the pursuers was gaining on him, -considerably in advance of the rest, and probably intended to sabre -him; but the Lieutenant suddenly reining his horse aside, let the -raider pass, and as he passed fired and killed him, and then made good -his escape. The officer shot proved to be one of General Stoneman's -staff. - -A small squad of the Confederates retreated fighting through the yard -and premises of Frank Shober, Esq. One of their number was killed in -the piazza of the house. - -This hand-to-hand fighting in the streets--such incidents as these, -and the fact that Salisbury was an especial object of hatred to the -invaders as the prison depot of so many of their unfortunate comrades, -whose graves were to be counted there by thousands--these things -certainly gave General Stoneman every excuse for the plunder and -destruction of the whole town had he chosen to interpret the laws of -war as did General Sherman. But he did not so interpret them; he did -not even fall back upon the reserve that he was unable to restrain his -justly infuriated soldiers. He declined to avail himself of General -Gillam's burning zeal for the honor of the Union. This latter officer -was heard to say that, if he had his way, he would make the people of -Salisbury think "all hell was let loose upon them." Another account -states that he declared that "_though born in Salisbury_, he would be -glad to lay it in ashes."[16] - -But General Stoneman's policy toward the inhabitants of Salisbury is -a very striking illustration of the principles which, in a previous -chapter, I have endeavored to show were the only true and generous -and really politic guide for the commanders of an invading army. -Private property was protected, guards were stationed, and General -Stoneman repeatedly gave strict orders for the enforcement of quiet and -protection of the citizens. He himself in person inspected the public -stores, which were of course by the laws of war doomed to destruction, -and refused to allow the Confederate Quartermaster's depot to be burned -lest it should endanger the town. The officers, whether willingly or -not, seconded their commander. Whatever plundering and insolence the -people were subjected to--and there were a number of such cases--was -very evidently the work of unauthorized bummers, who appeared in mortal -dread of the guards, and did their work hurriedly and furtively. -Corn-cribs and smoke-houses were entered, horses and mules and arms -were seized; but, on the whole, the general policy was the sound one of -protection to non-combatants. - -Early in the morning of the attack several large trains with -government stores made their escape from Salisbury toward Charlotte -and Greensboro, but a passenger train on the Western road was not so -fortunate. Having proceeded a mile or two from town, the track was -found obstructed; and as soon as the train stopped, a volley was poured -into it without any demand for surrender. Several passengers were -wounded, but happily none of the ladies, among whom were the widow and -daughters of General Leonidas Polk. The cars being set on fire, much -of the baggage belonging to the passengers was burned--all that was -rescued was plundered--and among Mrs. Polk's valuables were found the -sword, uniform, papers, and other cherished relics of her husband. -These things were all seized with great triumph, and though much that -was taken besides was afterward restored to Mrs. Polk, no inducements -could prevail upon the gallant Colonel Slater of the Eleventh Kentucky -Cavalry to return to the widowed lady these mementos of her husband. He -claimed them as "taken on the battle-field," and kept them. - -As soon as the town was quiet, a strong force was detailed to attack -the railroad bridge across the Yadkin, six miles distant. Here strong -fortifications on the Davidson side of the river had been erected, -under Beauregard's supervision, on a hill commanding the bridge and -the Rowan shore. General York of Louisiana, with ten or twelve hundred -men--home-guards and "galvanized" Irish--defended the bridge: its -preservation was of the greatest importance to the Confederate cause, -and strict orders had been issued by General Beauregard to defend -it at all hazards. At two o'clock P.M., on the twelfth, the raiders -arrived, and brisk skirmishing was kept up on the Rowan side. At -three o'clock some of the cannon captured in the morning on the other -side of Salisbury, were brought down, and opened on the Confederate -batteries. Heavy cannonading between the two continued till dark, when -the raiders, thinking the place too well fortified to risk an assault, -returned to Salisbury, destroying the railroad as they went. A few -Confederates were wounded, one or two were killed. The Federal loss, if -any, is unknown. - -The assailants returned to assist in the destruction of the public -stores at Salisbury, which I have before stated were immense. They had -been accumulating there for weeks from Columbia, Charlotte, Richmond, -Danville, and Raleigh. The clothing, provisions, medical stores, etc., -were collected in the main street and fired. The length of four entire -squares was occupied by the burning mass, valued at at least a million -in specie. Much was given away to negroes and the lower class of the -white population--much was quietly appropriated, and by some who should -have known better. The distresses and privations of war make times of -strong temptation, and the general demoralization that prevailed all -over our country was no greater at Salisbury than elsewhere. To people -who had been half starved for months, and many of them half clothed, -it was hard to see such quantities of sugar, coffee, spice, flour, -bacon, luxuries to which they had long been strangers, burning in their -streets like so much rubbish. The stores were all emptied besides of -private property--and many people were to be seen passing along the -streets loaded with what they chose. Many soldiers had dozens of coats, -shirts, etc., piled up before them on their horses. - -The value of the medical stores alone was estimated at $100,000 in -gold. It is a little curious that, while such an amount was being -thrown into the flames, one of the surgeons of the Federal army entered -the office of one of the principal physicians in the place--Dr. J.J. -Summerell--and was about to carry off all his scanty store of medicine; -but upon remonstrance, he agreed to _divide_, saying, he could not bear -to rob a brother practitioner. - -On the night of the 12-13th the ordnance stores, arsenal, foundry, -with much valuable machinery, the Government steam distillery, the -depots and other buildings belonging to both the Central and Western -roads, and other public buildings were fired. The night being perfectly -still, the sheets of flame rose steadily into the air, and the great -conflagration was plainly visible at the distance of fifteen miles; -and for several hours the incessant and distinct explosions of shells -and fixed ammunition conveyed the impression to the anxious watchers, -miles away, in the adjoining counties, that a fierce battle was raging. -There was no hallooing by the soldiers--no shouts--only the crackling -of the flames and the bursting of the shells. Now and then a mounted -troop swept through the streets, the horsemen in profound silence, -the lurid flames from the burning distillery making their rough faces -look ghastly enough, while the buttons and other mountings of their -equipments sparkled in the firelight. No one thought of sleep that -night, not even the children. - -A large building, three stories high, originally built for a cotton -factory, but for some time past occupied by Federal prisoners--all of -whom a few weeks previously had been sent to Richmond and Wilmington -for exchange--together with the barracks and all other buildings -connected with it, were burned; and it may be well imagined that the -Federal soldiers felt a peculiar satisfaction in the destruction of a -spot so memorable to them--the scene of so much wretchedness and want -and despair. Many of the men with Stoneman had been among the prisoners -there, and many had had brothers and other relatives there. I have -heard that General Gillam himself had been one of the number before -his promotion. No one who knows what the condition of these prisoners -was, can wonder at any amount of rage expressed by the survivors -and avengers. The way in which both sides, during the war, treated -their prisoners, is an exceedingly curious commentary on the boasted -Christian civilization of the whole country, from Maine to Texas. For -the Northern side there is no excuse. For the Southern side there is -one--and but one. Our prisoners were starved, as I have said before, -because we were starving ourselves; our children were crying for bread, -and our soldiers were fighting on half-rations of parched corn and -peas. We could not tell our enemies this! We were not to confess to -them this fatal weakness in our cause! But what we could do to induce -their Government to take these poor wretches home and give us our own -in exchange, we did do. Every inducement was offered to them again and -again in vain. So far, then, our skirts are clear. But brutality of -speech and behavior, cruel indifference to their situation, unnecessary -harshness and violence to helpless unarmed men, diseased and dying--of -this there may have been much among certain of our officials, and for -this we will yet have to repent before Him who hears the sighing of the -prisoner. - -It has been estimated that the loss in buildings alone, which were -mostly of brick, would reach to half a million in specie, and the -total loss of all property to several millions. Had the war continued, -the capture of Salisbury would have been a stunning blow to General -Johnston, and would have severely crippled his movements. As it was, it -is a matter of great regret that such a vast amount of most valuable -property should have been destroyed just at a time when its destruction -was no longer necessary to the overthrow of a cause already dead. -General Stoneman might safely have held Salisbury from the hour he -entered it, and preserved every dollar's worth of its stores for the -advantage of his own government. He might have prevented the further -flight of the Confederate Government, and President Davis and all his -cabinet might have been forced to surrender with General Johnston. And -it would have been better if they had. But General Stoneman did not -know what a brilliant part he was playing in the last act of the great -tragedy, and he hurried to get through with it and leave Salisbury as -rapidly as he had entered it. On the 13th a terrific explosion of the -magazine finished the work, and that evening the Federals moved off -toward Statesville, riding most of the night as if under apprehension -of pursuit. - -General Stoneman must certainly be allowed to have accomplished his -ends with a skill, celerity, and daring, which entitle him to high -praise as a military leader. Add to this the higher praise of humanity, -and the ability to control his troops, and he well deserves a higher -niche than some who led grand armies on great marches. Salisbury, -comparing her lot with that of Columbia and Fayetteville, may well -afford to hold General Stoneman's name in grateful remembrance. - -I have taken no pleasure in this recital of injuries, insults, -inhumanity, and breach of faith. The truth of history demands that -the facts shall be told on both sides calmly and with impartiality. -The world, which has heard so much of one side, should hear the other -too; and posterity, at whose bar we shall all stand for this four -years' work, should have every opportunity afforded for a righteous -verdict. And there are other ways in which the truth plainly told -may do good. People will be enabled, looking at these details, to -arrive at a just estimate of what war may become, even among Christian -people, and shudder to invoke its horrors lightly, and may teach their -children so. How many of us knew in the spring of 1861 what was about -to break out among us--what wide-spread ruin, what raging passions, -what furies of hell, which once evoked will not down at our bidding? -Quiet men, who were familiar with the pages of European history and -knew what Christian armies had done again and again in the fairest and -most civilized portion of her empires, these came gravely from their -studies with words of warning to the gay throngs of young people who -were cheering each other on to the impending strife. But these were the -old fogies of that day--cold-blooded--unpatriotic--who did not love -the South. What a short and brilliant programme was laid down! The -girls made their silken banners, and the boys marched proudly off to -glorious victory; England and France would see fair play; and this dear -and sunny South was to spring at once upward and onward in a career of -glory. One of the most influential journals in the South--one of the -soberest--dealing lightly and easily with the great issues of the war; -settling at a word the boundary lines of the new Southern republic, -and dotting what were to be our frontier States with a chain of forts; -establishing the new war office, and the standing army, henceforth to -be a necessary feature, grew enthusiastic over the splendid resource -thus to be afforded to our "aristocratic young men of family and -fortune." The army was to be especially for the _gentlemen_ of the -South. Alas! and alas! Now, torn and bleeding and broken-hearted, -humiliated, stripped, crushed, disfranchised, and helpless, we may look -back and learn a lesson. - -It may be well, too, if public attention can be directed by such -narratives to an investigation of the laws of war, and some inquiry be -suggested as to the necessity of their being revised and mitigated. And -it can not but a have a beneficial effect that even victorious military -heroes shall be made amenable to public opinion for the manner in which -they have wielded the great powers intrusted to them, and find, in some -cases, their fresh-plucked laurels withering in their grasp. - -The actual loss and injury inflicted by the enemy, in the progress -of the war, on personal and public property, was very far from being -the greatest evil which its continuance entailed upon us. I speak not -now of losses by death. _Inter arma leges silent_ is an old saying; -and though framed in a dead language, its drift is well understood -and acted upon by people who can not even read it. The longer the war -lasted the more evident became the demoralization of our people, and -their disregard for laws and principles of action by which they had -been guided all their lives. At the break-up respectable citizens, who -would once have shrunk from even the imputation of such conduct, helped -themselves unblushingly to Government stores and public property, -even when it had been intrusted to them for safe keeping. When their -betters set such an example, the common people of course threw off -all restraint; and we could then plainly see how petty, compared with -the advantages gained, are the taxes which we pay for the support of -law and government. There seemed to be a general feeling, during the -last ninety days, that there was no government outside of the military -pressure for conscripts, deserters, and tithes. I am reminded of a -poor neighbor as I write, who, during the winter of '64-'65, like many -others, provided his family with wood to which he had no right. Being -remonstrated with, he said with energy, "There is no law in the land in -these days," and continued his depredations openly. And I do believe -the general feeling was, "What else _can_ he do, with wood at forty -dollars a cord?" - -Nor are such fruits of war confined to the Southern side of the -Potomac. The fires that have lit up so many Northern cities; the tales -of murder, robbery, and riot, which have crowded the columns of their -journals for the past year; and the general lawlessness and contempt of -authority which prevail there, point unmistakably to the dangers which -accompany a triumphant and utterly undisciplined army, whether in the -enemy's land or returning home flushed with victory and demoralized -with licensed rapine and riot. Did Northern people soberly believe that -it was zeal for the Union and hatred of secession that prompted such -wholesale plunder in the South? Let their own experience since, and -the records of their criminal courts within the last year, show, that -when plunder is to be had, lawless and unrestrained men care little -whether it belongs to friend or foe; and that lust, once aroused and -let loose, can not distinguish, and is amenable to no laws. Herein, as -in thousands of other instances, is that saying true, "The measure we -mete is measured to us again." - -Human nature is indeed a wild beast that has need to be chained and -continually surrounded with restraints, or we should prey upon each -other as savages do, and so lapse into barbarism. Let the experience of -the last five years teach the people of this great Republic henceforth -to preserve indissolubly the bonds of PEACE, that so, as a nation, they -may do their appointed part toward hastening on the coming of that -PRINCE of whose kingdom there shall be no end. - - "Te duce, qui maneant sceleris vestigia nostri - Irrita perpetua solvent formidine terras."[17] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 16: _Is_ General Gillam a son of North-Carolina? I put -the note and query for the future historian. If so, then we have -only another proof that decency and good principles are not always -hereditary.] - -[Footnote 17: With Thee for our guide, whatever relics of our crimes -remain shall be taken away, and free the world from perpetual fears.] - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - IREDELL COUNTY--GENERAL PALMER'S COURTESY TO MRS. VANCE--SUBSEQUENT - TREATMENT OF THIS LADY BY FEDERAL SOLDIERS--MAJOR HAMBRIGHT'S CRUELTY - IN LENOIR--CASE OF DR. BALLEW AND OTHERS--GENERAL GILLAM--HIS - OUTRAGES AT MRS. HAGLER'S--DR. BOONE CLARK--TERRIBLE TREATMENT OF HIS - FAMILY--LIEUTENANTS RICE AND MALLOBRY--MRS. GENERAL VAUGHN--MORGANTON. - - -Statesville was entered on the night of the 13th, and occupied for a -few hours only. Long enough, however, to insure the destruction of the -Government stores and railroad depot, and of the _Iredell Express_ -office, a paper which was obnoxious from the warmth with which it -had advocated the cause of the Confederacy. No county in the State -had suffered more severely than Iredell in the loss of her best and -bravest sons in the army. The famous Fourth North-Carolina regiment was -composed of Iredell boys, and the colors of no regiment in the service -were borne more daringly or more nobly. I remember to have heard it -said, after one of the great battles around Richmond, that half the -families of Iredell were in mourning. When it became known that the -_Express_ office was to be burned, the ladies and citizens plead -earnestly that it might be spared for the sake of the town, which was -in great danger of being involved in the conflagration. The citizens -offered to tear it down and remove the materials to a vacant square to -be burned, but this was not allowed by the officer who had charge of -the business. The office was fired where it stood, and in consequence -a large private dwelling, belonging to Dr. Dean, standing near it, was -also consumed, and a large family turned out houseless and utterly -prostrated otherwise--Gen. Sherman's army having just previously -destroyed certain other resources of theirs. The wind providentially -blowing in the right direction, saved the town from general ruin. One -of the citizens, Mr. Frank Bell, was cruelly beaten and tortured to -make him disclose the hiding-place of gold which they suspected he -possessed. He, however, had none. - -The raiders moved, on the 14th, to Taylorsville, Alexander county, and -from thence to Lenoir, Caldwell county, which they reached on Saturday, -15th, and occupied till Monday, 17th. On the road from Statesville a -part of the command was dispatched in the direction of Lincolnton, -under General Palmer. Of this officer the same general account is given -as of General Stoneman, that he exhibited a courtesy and forbearance -which reflected honor on his uniform, and have given him a just claim -to the respect and gratitude of our western people. The following -pleasant story is a sample of his way of carrying on war with ladies: -Mrs. Vance, the wife of the Governor, had taken refuge, from Raleigh, -in Statesville with her children. On the approach of General Stoneman's -army, she sent off to Lincolnton, for safety, a large trunk filled -with valuable clothing, silver, etc., and among other things two -thousand dollars in gold, which had been intrusted to her care by one -of the banks. This trunk was captured on the road by Palmer's men, -who of course rejoiced exceedingly over this finding of spoil more -especially as belonging to the rebel Governor Vance. Its contents were -speedily appropriated and scattered. But the circumstance coming to -General Palmer's knowledge, within an hour's time he had every article -and every cent collected and replaced in the trunk, which he then -immediately sent back under guard to Mrs. Vance with his compliments. -General Palmer was aiming for Charlotte when he was met by couriers -announcing news of the armistice. - -There was no plundering allowed in Statesville. Mrs. Vance was -treated with respect and entirely unmolested. But several weeks -afterward, when Governor Vance was a prisoner in Washington, a squad -of Federal soldiers came to her residence and carried away every -article of furniture in the house. Some of this belonged to the -Mansion House in Raleigh, and had been removed to Statesville for -safety at the same time when other Government property was sent off. -The officer who was in command had the grace to appear ashamed of his -business, and apologized to Mrs. Vance repeatedly, stating that he -was acting under orders, and that it was done at the suggestion of -North-Carolinians in Raleigh, who desired that the articles belonging -to the executive mansion should be restored. Every thing in the house -was taken away, private property and all, and not one article ever -reached the executive mansion. Two queries occur: First, Who were the -North-Carolinians who instigated this insult to Mrs. Vance? And second, -Whatever _did_ become of the furniture? Every thing in the way of -furniture was carried off, and Mrs. Vance, who was then ill, and her -children were left without even a bed. In less than twelve hours after -this raid extraordinary became known to the people in the town and -neighborhood, the house was entirely refurnished with more than it had -contained previously. I can well imagine that there was no one who did -not esteem it a privilege thus to testify their love and respect for -the Governor and his family. - -General Stoneman pressed on toward Tennessee through Watauga county, -with the prisoners, leaving General Gillam, with three hundred men, to -proceed to Asheville _via_ Morganton. - -Of the prisoners it was estimated there were about nine hundred. Many -of them were old men past the conscript age, some were boys, others -were discharged Confederate soldiers in feeble health or maimed, who -had been captured at their homes. In regard to them no settled course -or plan of action seems to have been adopted. In some instances they -easily escaped, or were allowed to do so tacitly, and regained their -homes in a short time. Most of them, however, were dragged on with -every circumstance of barbarity and cruelty. A few instances may be -given illustrative of their treatment. - -In Lenoir they were confined in and about the Episcopal church, -under a strong guard, with peremptory orders from General Gillam to -shoot every man who attempted to escape. The gallant General added, -that he "would rather have ten men shot than one escape." It must -be remembered that a number of them were over sixty years of age; -some were permanently diseased; some were men who had not walked -continuously five miles for years, or perhaps hardly in their whole -lives; and that, when they reached Lenoir, they had all of them marched -twenty-five and thirty miles in eight or ten hours. They had been -double-quicked a good part of the way from Taylorsville to Lenoir, -and arrived there on Saturday afternoon nearly exhausted with fatigue -and hunger. Notwithstanding their deplorable condition, they had -nothing to eat after that march till Sunday at ten A.M., and then they -were only partially supplied from the scanty stores of the plundered -villagers; for Lenoir, having been pronounced a "rebellious little -hole," was sentenced to receive its full share of punishment at the -hands of General Gillam. It was not till the afternoon of Sunday that -rations were issued. Whenever any of the towns-people carried any -thing to the prison, the scene was said to have been most piteous, so -many men begging for just one morsel of dry bread. There seemed to -be an especial spirit of bitterness toward the prisoners among the -Federal soldiers generally, and in some instances among the officers. -S. Hambright, Major and Provost-Marshal, with headquarters at the same -place with General Gillam, was especially insulting to citizens, and -cruel to the prisoners. Dr. Ballew, a citizen of Lenoir, enfeebled and -emaciated with consumption, was arrested and carried to headquarters. -Feeling exhausted with the effort to walk there, he sat down on the -steps of the piazza, to await the Major's pleasure. It was determined -to send him to prison, and he was ordered to get up and march, but, -from his feebleness, not being able to move quickly enough to suit -the chivalrous soldier, the Major, to help him rise, stepped behind -and gave him "_a rousing kick_." The citizens were heartily cursed -for taking food to them. From Lenoir they were marched rapidly up to -the top of the Blue Ridge; several gave out, several who started from -Salisbury died. They were all urged forward with threats of death. -A Lieutenant Shotwell attempted to escape, but being overtaken, -surrendered. He was then shot down and left on the roadside unburied. -A Mr. Wilfong, who had captured a straggler of Kirk's command, brought -him into Lenoir, not knowing the Federals were there. The tables were -of course turned, and he in his turn became a prisoner, and was given -in charge to his former captive, who wreaked such cruel vengeance on -him that he died before reaching Greenville, Tenn. All who reached -Knoxville were sent to Camp Chase, Ohio. - -General Gillam deserves especial notice at the hands of the historian. -All concurrent testimony represents him as most supercilious, -insulting, and unfeeling. His headquarters in Lenoir, were at Mr. -Albert Hagler's. The family were all crowded off into one room, while -the gallant General and his staff appropriated all the rest of the -premises, including kitchen and stables. To Miss Sarah Hagler, an -accomplished young lady, he was especially impertinent, though she -parried his attacks with the civility of a lady. On one occasion -he said to her rudely, "I know you are a rebel from the way you -move--an't you a rebel?" She replied, "General Gillam, did you ever -hear the story of the tailor's wife and the scissors?" "Yes." "Then -I am a rebel as high as I can reach." Coarseness, however, can not -always be met playfully, and Mrs. Hagler incurred his anger to its -fullest extent when, in reply to his violent denunciation of the -Confederates for starving their prisoners, she ventured to suggest that -the Federal authorities might have saved all this suffering had they -agreed to exchange and take them North, where provisions were plenty. -The General's reply to this was the giving his men tacit license to -plunder and destroy the houses of Mrs. H.'s married daughter and -niece, who lived very near her, and who, she had supposed, were to be -protected, from his headquarters being at her house. No houses in the -place suffered more severely than theirs. The house of her daughter, -Mrs. Hartley, was pillaged from top to bottom. Barrels of sorghum were -broken and poured over the wheat in the granary, and over the floors -of the house. Furniture and crockery were smashed, and what was not -broken up was defiled in a manner so disgusting as to be unfit for use. -Mrs. Clark, the niece, was driven out of her house by the brutality -of her plunderers. Her husband, Dr. Boone Clark, was a captain in the -Confederate service, had been wounded in the battle of Leesburg, early -in the war--an admirable and most graphic account of which engagement -he wrote for the Raleigh _Standard_ soon after. In several subsequent -battles he had received severe wounds, and though partially disabled -by one of them at this time, he was endeavoring to raise a company of -cavalry for home defense, as marauders, under the notorious Keith and -Blalock, were constantly threatening to pillage Lenoir. These facts -were known to some of Gillam's men, and they evidently enjoyed the -opportunity to plunder his house and insult his defenseless wife. He -himself was at home, sitting at table, when the raiders dashed in town. -Seizing his gun, he ran out and secreted himself behind some adjoining -buildings, and though a colonel did him the honor to enter his house -almost immediately, and with a squad made a thorough search for him, -his retreat remained undiscovered, and at night he left for more -secure quarters. The raiders swarmed through the house that evening -and night, breaking open trunks, wardrobes, drawers; searching for -arms and carrying off all the valuables, and destroying what they did -not want. Finding a coat of the Captain's, they cut it to pieces. They -destroyed all the provisions, all the furniture, crockery, and wearing -apparel. They tore up fine silk dresses into ribbons for their hats, -or cut large squares out and carefully wrapped up quids of tobacco in -them and deposited them on the mantel-piece. The little daughter's hat -and garments were placed on the floor, and loathsomely polluted. They -even took the lady's thimble from her work-box, and carried off the -likeness of her deceased mother, paying no regard to her entreaties. -They constantly addressed her, as she sat weeping and motionless -amid the wreck they were making, in the most profane and obscene and -insulting language, repeatedly calling her a liar and other degrading -names. They compelled her and her little daughter to remain and witness -the destruction; and, finally, when there was nothing more to break and -steal, one of them approached her and thrust his fist in her face. As -she raised her head to avoid it, he struck her forehead, seized her by -the throat, cursing her furiously. She begged him not to kill her; he -let her throat loose then; seizing the neck of her dress, tore it open, -snatched her gold watch, which hung by a ribbon, tore it off and left -her. Half dead with fright, she rushed to the door with the child, and -amid curses and cries of "Stop her!" "Don't let her go!" got out of -the house, ran down to her aunt's, and fell fainting on the threshold. -After she was recovered, the ladies begged General Gillam to interfere, -but he refused, saying, "There were bad men in all crowds." In the case -of Mrs. Hartley he turned his back to the ladies without a word. Mrs. -Clark then appealed to Lieutenant Jerome B. Rice of the Signal Corps, -and also to Lieutenant Theodore Mallobry in the same command. These -were _gentlemen_, and manifested a determination to protect her. One of -them returned to her house with her and viewed the utter destruction of -her household property with every appearance of shame and indignation. -As they entered the house a soldier--the last of the gang--ran out. The -Lieutenant had him arrested and carried to headquarters. When Mrs. -Clark was called on to identify him as one of the robbers, he denied -having been near her house. "Why," said she, "that is a piece of a silk -dress of mine round your hat now." "Is it?" said he, coolly taking it -off and handing it to her; "well, then, you may have it back." This -was in the presence of General Gillam, for whom, by the way, it was -generally observed, the men seemed to have no respect. General Brown -sent a strong guard to Mrs. Clark's house; but it was too late to save -any thing, and she had no redress. - -I have been thus particular to give an account which is, after all, -a condensed one, of the treatment of _one_ Southern lady by certain -soldiers of the army of the Union. There are thousands of such cases -unreported. This I present as a sample. So much is said of the -"unharmonized" attitude of Southern women at present that I think it -is as well to let the world see upon what ground it is they feel as if -some time must elapse before they can honestly profess to love their -enemies. - -While plundering one house in the village, the marauders forced -themselves into the chamber of a lady while she was in child-birth. -With great difficulty the attending physician prevented them from -plundering that room. - -Mrs. General Vaughn was residing in Lenoir at this time. It is said -that Generals Gillam and Vaughn had been friends before the war, and -had agreed together that if the family of one should fall into the -hands of the other, they should be protected. General Gillam placed a -guard at Mrs. Vaughn's house; but as soon as he left the town, two of -his men went in and demanded her watch. On her refusal they attempted -to search her. She drew a pistol, but they took it from her before she -could fire. She resisted their search with all her might, and at last -they left her without the watch, having nearly torn her dress off. -Shortly after, the same two returned with five others, and with threats -of violence compelled her to give the watch up. That night squads of -half-intoxicated men came back and committed further depredations in -the village and neighborhood. The house of Dr. Felix Dula, with all -its furniture, was burned. This, however, it is conjectured, might -have been done by deserters. They left Lenoir for Morganton on the -17th, and on the way burned the house of a Mr. Johnston, one of the -home guards. On reaching Rocky Ford, on the Catawba river, a mile or -two from Morganton, they found a party of about fifty Confederates, -strongly posted on the opposite side, well armed, and with one brass -howitzer. This party was under the command of Captain George West, -Lieutenant-Colonel S. M'Dowell Tate volunteering with them. They were -well posted and sheltered on their side, while the enemy approached -without cover to attempt a very difficult ford. A sharp engagement -ensued, which resulted in General Gillam's withdrawal toward Fleming's -Ford, a little higher up. He lost about twenty-five, killed and -wounded. Few were wounded. An eye-witness says he counted eight dead -bodies of Federal soldiers floating down the stream. The Confederates -lost none, their position being so advantageous. At Fleming's Ford -General Gillam easily forced his way, the fifty Confederates taking to -the mountains on finding themselves overpowered here. - -The raiders remained at Morganton a day or two. There was very little -plundering done in the houses here. They exercised their ingenuity in -searching for hidden treasure out of doors. It seemed to have been -understood that the Morganton people, warned of their approach, had -_cached_ most of their valuables. These _caches_ were hunted up with -unremitting vigor, and most of them were discovered and rifled. Many -amusing stories are current now all through the South, of valuable -deposits, scarcely hidden at all, which escaped, and some, not so -amusing, of others hidden in inscrutable places which were pounced upon -at once. Of a quantity of old family silver buried out of town, by a -clump of rocks shaded with a persimmon-tree or two and a grape-vine, -and on the departure of the enemy the owner going out and finding that -a camp had been made just there, and the camp-fire built just over the -_cache_, which was untouched. Of a valuable _cache_ made by several -families united, in a secluded spot in the woods, and found afterward -undisturbed save by the hoof of a raider's horse having sunk in upon -it, having evidently caused a stumble, but no suspicion of the cause. -Of valuable papers and jewels so well hidden that it was months before -the owners themselves could find where they had put them. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - PLUNDERING OF COLONEL CARSON--OF REV. MR. PAXTON--GENERAL MARTIN - REPULSES KIRBY--GILLAM PLUNDERS DURING THE ARMISTICE--OCCUPATION OF - ASHEVILLE--WHOLESALE PLUNDER--DISPATCH FROM GENERAL PALMER. - - -On the road from Morganton to Asheville General Gillam's men went -through their usual programme, wherever a house was to be plundered and -ladies were to be insulted and robbed! At Pleasant Garden one of them, -feeling that some clean linen was necessary to his comfort, demanded -a shirt of Colonel Carson. The Colonel assured him that the house had -been thoroughly plundered, and the only shirt remaining to him was -the one he then had on. Having satisfied himself of this fact, the -soldier compelled the Colonel (an old gentleman) to strip, and carried -off his sole remaining shirt. I believe no officers were present at -the plundering of Colonel Carson's; but at the house of the Rev. Mr. -Paxton, an aged and amiable man, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, -officers were present, and countenanced, if they did not directly aid, -the pillage. They carried off all that was portable, even to knives -and forks, and destroyed the rest of the furniture. Having found some -marmalade and molasses, they made a mixture and smeared it over the -bedroom furniture, etc. Some of them locked Mrs. Paxton in her room, -and attempted to torture her into the disclosure of hidden treasure, if -she had such. Her cries brought others to the door, and they desisted. -Mr. Paxton's horse, watch, and all his clothing were taken of course. -Such were the rudeness and brutality which accompanied these robberies, -that people were thankful to escape with their lives. - -About the time that General Stoneman's return was expected in the West, -a brigade of infantry, under command of a Colonel Kirby, was moved by -the Federals from Greenville, Tenn., on Asheville, N.C. It was supposed -they would meet Stoneman there; but they arrived a little too soon, -during the second week of April, and were met by the Confederates near -Camp Woodfire, and so successfully repulsed that they turned about at -once and returned to Greenville. - -The troops by whom Kirby was repulsed were a part of the command of -General J.G. Martin, referred to in our first chapter as the originator -of the plan to furnish our soldiers through the blockade-runners. He -was, as Governor Vance writes of him, a most gallant and efficient -officer, especially valuable for the prompt energy which he infused -into every department of business under his control. When it was -found that General Gillam intended to take Asheville, General Martin -ordered his whole command, consisting of Palmer's brigade (composed of -the Sixty-second, Sixty-fourth, and Sixty-ninth North-Carolina, and -a South-Carolina battery) and Love's regiment of Thomas's Legion, -to the vicinity of Swannanoa Gap, on the road from Morganton to -Asheville. Love's regiment was ordered to the Gap. They reached it -before Gillam did, and after cutting down some trees, and making a -few other arrangements to receive the raiders, waited their approach, -and on their advance repulsed them without difficulty. General Gillam -spent two days at this Gap, vainly endeavoring to effect a passage, and -finally moved off in the direction of Hickory-nut Gap. Palmer's brigade -was ordered to meet them there; but General Martin, giving an account -of this affair, adds, "I regret to say the men refused to go." Rumors -of General Lee's surrender and of Johnston's armistice were floating -through the country, and men who fought bravely as long as there was -hope were only too willing to lay down their arms at the first news of -peace. - -General Martin ordered the South-Carolina battery to Greenville, S.C., -their horses being in too bad condition for active service. On its -way it fell in with General Gillam, and was captured. On Saturday, -twenty-second of April, General Martin received notice of General -Johnston's armistice with Sherman, and immediately sent out two flags -of truce, on different roads, to meet General Gillam. On Sunday -afternoon he was met on the Hendersonville road, about six miles from -Asheville. He agreed to abide by the truce, and requested an interview -with General Martin, who accordingly, on Monday morning, twenty-fourth, -went out to his camp. The interview resulted in an agreement that -General Gillam should go through Asheville to Tennessee, and that he -should be furnished with three days' rations for his men, and that they -would observe the truce. General Gillam, it should be remarked, upon -the testimony of his own officers, had had official information of -the armistice while at Rutherfordton, on his way from Swannanoa. But, -nevertheless, he had continued the same system of depredation all along -his route from Rutherfordton, sweeping the country of horses, mules, -carriages, and property of every description, and destroying what they -could not take along. On the twenty-fifth, General Gillam arrived -in Asheville. Perfect order was observed. The nine thousand rations -required were duly issued to him. General Gillam and his staff dined -with General Martin; and as he was about to mount his horse to join -his command, in the evening, General Martin asked him if he would give -_him_ the forty-eight hours' notice provided for in the truce, before -renewing hostilities. General Gillam replied, "_Certainly--that the -notice should be given_." - -That night General Gillam left his command encamped not far from -Asheville, and went on to Tennessee. During the day, while the -Federals were coming in, a party of officers dashed into town from -the French Broad road, in a state of very apparent excitement. This -was the notorious Colonel Kirke and his staff, who had approached at -the head of two regiments for the openly avowed purpose of plundering -Asheville, having heard of the dispersion of the Confederates from -Swannanoa, and feeling sure of their prize at last. But finding the -town quietly occupied by General Gillam, under the terms of the -armistice, they expressed deep disappointment, and swore roundly they -would yet return and lay it in ashes. Now they were compelled to leave -in advance of General Gillam.[18] The Federal army led in its rear -an immense train of plunder--animals of all sorts, and carriages and -wagons piled with property--household goods and treasures. One load, -however, was of questionable value, being no less than fifteen negro -babies, the mothers marching in the crowd. The Asheville people had -the mortification of seeing the guns of the South-Carolina battery, -just captured, driven through by negroes. Not a citizen was visible -in the streets; doors and windows were all closed; but I have the -best authority--that of a lady--for saying that from behind curtains -and blinds many a glance was shot from bright eyes, of contempt and -hatred, on the blue jackets. Such lightning, however, is unfortunately -innocuous, and not known to produce fatal effects outside of romances; -and so the raiders lounged carelessly about, or sat down on the -street-corners and played cards, while waiting for their rations, in -perfect immunity from such electrical batteries. - -Tuesday night passed quietly, and Asheville was beginning to hope that -hostilities suspended would prove to be hostilities ended. Our troops -had almost ceased to exist in an organized form. The town was guarded -by only one company--Captain Teague's scouts--besides General Martin -and his staff, including in all about thirty officers. A small party -of Federals passed through during the twenty-sixth, under flag of -truce, carrying dispatches to General Palmer, who was then approaching -from Lincolnton by the Hickory-Nut Gap. At sunset on the twenty-sixth, -General Brown, in command of a portion of the same troops that had just -passed through with Gillam, suddenly reentered the place, capturing all -the officers and soldiers, and giving up the town to plunder. The men -were paroled to go home, the officers to report to General Stoneman at -Knoxville. - -This, be it remembered, was within twenty-four hours after the above -agreement with General Gillam, on official news of General Sherman's -armistice. - -General Martin being arrested, was taken to General Brown, and after -less than an hour's absence, was permitted to return home in charge -of a United States officer. On arriving at his house, he found the -ladies of his family, with lighted candles, going over the house at -the bidding of the marauders, lighting them while they broke open -doors, trunks, drawers, and boxes, and helped themselves to what they -chose. And this was the experience of every house in the place that -night. Many were entered by three or four different gangs at once. They -swarmed in at every avenue of entrance, generally by the back-door, -having taken counsel with the negroes first. Mrs. Martin recovered -some of her stolen goods by the assistance of a guard who was detailed -after the house had been plundered. Not even the town of Fayetteville -suffered more severely from pillage. Mrs. James W. Patton and her -sister were both sick in bed. Their house was entered from front and -back at the same time. The ladies' rooms were entered, they were -dragged from their beds, their persons and the rooms searched, and -their valuables taken. This was supposed to have been done upon the -information of a servant, who had told that there were four watches -in the house. Of these four watches, three were afterward recovered, -through the agency of a Captain Patterson, Assistant Adjutant-General -to General Gillam, who had been quartered at Mrs. Patton's, and who -proved to be one of the few _gentlemen_ in that division of the United -States army. - -Judge Bailey's family suffered as severely as any others, every thing -portable of value being carried off, even to the boots from the Judge's -feet. The wedding-rings of his wife and daughter were forced from -their hands. Other ladies were stopped in the street and their jewelry -forced from them. Those who applied to General Brown, who had the -honor to command this extraordinary expedition, received no redress -whatever. Dr. Chapman, a well-known and widely respected minister -of the Presbyterian Church, was so entirely robbed of all his goods -and valuables, that he had not a change of clothes left beside what -he wore. The Tenth and Eleventh Michigan regiments certainly won for -themselves in Asheville that night a reputation that should damn them -to everlasting fame. No excuse was given for this violation of the -armistice, except a lame story of their having been attacked by General -Vaughn and returning to Asheville to revenge themselves. General Vaughn -was at that time in Virginia. On Thursday, parties scoured the country -in all directions, carrying on the work of plunder and destruction. On -Friday, they left, having destroyed all the arms and ammunition they -could find and burned the armory. On Friday afternoon, they sent off -the officers they had captured under a guard. The town being left thus -without arms or protectors, the citizens, remembering Kirke's threats, -begged General Brown to leave a small force as guard; but he refused, -saying, "They might take care of themselves." - -On the twenty-eighth, the following dispatch from General Palmer--who -was Brown's senior officer--to General Martin, released our officers -and men from their parole, and set the disgraceful circumstance of -their surprise and capture in its proper light, though not stigmatizing -it as it deserved: - - HEADQUARTERS OF EAST TENN. CAV. DIV., } - HICKORY-NUT GAP ROAD, } - April 28, 1865. } - - GENERAL: I could not learn any of the particulars of your capture - and that of Colonel Palmer and other officers and men, at Asheville, - on the twenty-sixth, and as our troops at that point were obliged to - leave immediately, there was no time for me to make the necessary - investigation. - - I therefore ordered your release on a parole of honor, to report to - General Stoneman. - - On further reflection, I have come to the conclusion that our men - should have given you, under all the circumstances, notice of the - termination of the armistice, and that in honor we can not profit by - any failure to give this notice. You will therefore please inform - all the officers and soldiers paroled by General Brown under the - circumstances referred to, that the parole they have given (which was - by my order) is not binding, and that they may consider that it was - never given. - - Regretting that your brother officers and yourself should have been - placed in this delicate position, I am, General, respectfully your - obedient servant, - - William J. Palmer, - - Brevet Brigadier-General Commanding. - - General J.G. Martin, Asheville. - -The citizens of Asheville also owed it to General Palmer's interference -that two regiments of negroes, which had been sent over into Yancey -county, and which were bearing down upon Asheville, (it was said, at -the suggestion and with the concurrence of Kirke and Gillam,) for the -purpose of plunder and arson, were countermanded and sent over into -Tennessee. - -The Asheville pillage concludes such accounts of General Stoneman's -remarkable raid through Western Carolina as I have been able to -collect. A rich harvest of incident yet remains for the future -historian. I have done little more than indicate his route. Much of -the above is taken verbatim from a ms. narrative furnished me, at my -request, by Dr. R.L. Beall, of Lenoir, so admirably and accurately -prepared that I hope it will be given to the public entire at no -distant day. It gives me pleasure to acknowledge here my indebtedness -to this gentleman, and my thanks for the generous public spirit he has -displayed in his invaluable contribution to these pages. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 18: Perhaps it is not generally known in North-Carolina that -Colonel Kirke had ardent aspirations for the provisional governorship -of his beloved native State. I saw a letter from him just after -the break-up, in which he avowed this noble ambition, evidently -anticipating no very distant day when a grateful country should reward -his patriotism and gallantry. By the way, it is said that Colonel Kirke -also is a native of Salisbury. Both Kirke and Gillam! I am afraid there -is a disposition to slander that fine old borough.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - SURRENDER OF GENERAL LEE--WHY NORTH-CAROLINA COULD NOT HAVE - TAKEN MEASURES TO SEND COMMISSIONERS--REVIEW--THE COAL-FIELDS - RAILWAY--DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSPORTATION--PROVISIONS--THE LAST - CALL--RECREANTS--PRIVATIONS--THE CONDITION OF THE PRESS. - - -Not till we had seen General Lee's farewell to his army, printed on a -slip from the Danville _Register_ office, and read in household circles -with tears and sobs--not till then did we finally and fairly give up -the Southern cause, and feel that it was indeed lost. That (for us) -dismal fact once established, the large majority--I may say, the great -body of Southern people--surrendered with their beloved and trusted -leader. Here and there were doubtless some resolved still to blind -themselves, to hope against hope, who talked wildly of collecting the -scattered fragments of our armies, and prolonging the war beyond the -Mississippi--or somewhere; but they were the exceptions, few and far -between--_rari nantes_--who took counsel of their desperation rather -than of their reason. For all men knew now, what had long been feared -and suspected, that the ground on which we stood was hollow, and had -given way hopelessly and forever, and that now we were to pay the -reckoning of our four years' madness. - -If North-Carolina had, through her Executive, anticipated the final -crash, and after the failure of the peace mission to Fortress Monroe, -had endeavored to treat separately with the United States Government, -and be the first to tender her submission, (as there were some who -would fain have had her try the experiment,) if our State had taken -this step, four generations would not have heard the last of it. The -whole failure of the cause would in time have been attributed to the -treachery and faint-heartedness of Old Rip, as there are even now those -who say it was the croakers who ruined us, and that Generals Lee and -Johnston should not have surrendered so lightly. Besides the infamy, we -should have gained _absolutely nothing_, as is plainly indicated by the -course pursuing and pursued of the United States Government. - -Governor Graham, as our representative in the Confederate Senate, and -from his position, high _prestige_, and extended reputation, commanding -the entire confidence of our people, might very well recommend that -some steps should be taken, _if possible_, to avert the approaching -crash, and spare the State the horrors of military subjugation. This it -was his duty to do; for to him more than any other man in the State, -our people looked for guidance, and for some indication of the policy -proper to be pursued in circumstances so critical and so desperate. -But if Governor Vance had moved in the matter of sending commissioners -to General Sherman one week sooner than he did, or had taken one -step looking toward reconciliation, or submission, or negotiation, -at any time previous to the second week of April, 1865, he would in -all probability have been arrested by our military authorities as a -traitor. There was positively nothing that with honor or credit could -have been done to meet the United States army sooner than it was done. -Our affairs were at a dead-lock from the time of the adjournment of the -Confederate Congress. Let those, therefore, who may yet be inclined -to deplore that certain steps were not taken by our Executive, be -satisfied that the course pursued was the only one possible. There -is no room for misconstruction or misrepresentation in the future. -Inaction in certain great and supreme moments is the highest wisdom, -the truest dignity, as the Indian who finds his bark within the sweep -of the rapids, and on the verge of the abyss, folds his arms and awaits -the inevitable plunge with self-possession and calmness. - -North-Carolina had nothing to retract, nothing to unsay, no pardon -to beg. She had acted deliberately in joining the Southern cause. -She had given her whole strength to it, with no lukewarm adherence; -and now, in the hour of acknowledged defeat and failure, she did not -attempt to desert, or abjectly bespeak any favors for herself on the -ground of her anti-secession record or proclivities. And when the -negotiations were completed and peace was finally announced, it would -not be difficult to say what feelings most predominated amongst us. -We had desired peace--an end to the bloodshed and to the impending -starvation of women and children. Peace we had longed and prayed for; -but not _this_ peace. The reunion was not _this_ reunion. With all her -former attachment to the old Union--with all her incredulity as to the -stability or possibility of a separate independent Confederacy of the -Southern States, even in case of its triumphant establishment--with all -her sober conservative principles--I will venture to say, that there -were not five hundred decent men within the limits of North-Carolina -who could be found to rejoice in her military subjugation, or who, -under such circumstances, welcomed the reaeppearance of the Stars and -Stripes as our national emblem. I have never yet seen one who did, or -who was, at any rate, willing to avow it. At the same time, I must say, -I have never seen one who evinced any intention of other than an honest -acceptance of the situation, and a determination to do their whole duty -and make the best of the inevitable. - -Looking back at our delusions, errors, and miscalculations for the -four years of the war, the wonder is, that the Confederacy lasted as -long as it did. The last six mouths of its existence were indeed but -mere outside show of seeming. That Richmond was doomed, was patent to -all shrewd observers in the fall of 1864; and there was probably not -a member of the Confederate Congress who did not know it when he took -his seat at the beginning of its last session. It certainly reflects -very little credit on the wisdom or the patriotism of that body that -they did not, before adjourning, take some steps in concert to notify -their respective constituents of their opinion as to the situation, -and give some indication of the course they judged their States -should pursue. Respect for President Davis, who was well known to be -extremely averse to any movement looking toward reconstruction, and who -refused to contemplate the event of our subjugation as possible--due -respect for him may have influenced the extraordinary reticence of our -Congress; but it is more probable that an undue regard for their own -political reputation and influence was the prime object with most of -them. Whatever it was, history will point with a dubious expression to -our representatives, each nudging his neighbor and desiring him to go -forward--all convinced of the hopelessness of the cause, yet almost no -man bold enough to say so publicly. - -The Confederacy did not fail for want of genius to direct our military -operations, nor for lack of the best qualities that go to make good -soldiers in our armies, nor for lack of devotion and self-sacrifice -among our people; for they who most doubted the wisdom of our policy -or of our success gave as freely as the most sanguine. The history of -the rise and fall of the Confederate currency will be a singularly -interesting and instructive lesson if it should ever be honestly -written. Its steady, unchecked decline but too surely marshaled us the -way we were going, and in the successive stages of its destruction we -may read as in a mirror the story of our own facile descent. - -After General Grant had succeeded in cutting the Petersburg Railroad, -the authorities at Richmond looked with anxiety to the Deep River -coal-fields in our State as the point where workshops could be -located. Before that time there was but little interest felt or -expressed in the struggle North-Carolina was making to get a road -opened to them; but when the Richmond coal-fields were almost -surrounded by the enemy, Chatham county, in our State, became an object -of great interest to the Government. All the heads of departments were -at once willing to lend a helping hand to the Raleigh and Chatham -Coal-fields road. The iron from the Danville road, which had been taken -up on account of the necessity of relaying that road with a more heavy -rail, (taken from the Charlotte and Statesville road,) was granted to -it, and a part of it was already on the way when Sherman arrived in -Raleigh. - -It is an interesting and suggestive fact connected with the want of -transportation facilities in our last days, and showing the dire -extremity to which we were reduced, that coal was carried from Deep -River by rail and river past Fayetteville to Wilmington, thence -by rail _via_ Goldsboro, Raleigh, and Greensboro, to supply the -government workshops in Salisbury and Charlotte. South-Carolina also -sent trains for it to Wilmington. This coal was pronounced to be of -the first quality, equal to the Cumberland coal, and one hundred per -cent superior to the Richmond for blacksmith purposes. This want of -transportation was one of the many stumbling-blocks in the way of the -fainting Confederacy, and connected with the scarcity of provisions, -and the strict military surveillance established in every district, -brought many of us to the verge of starvation. Provisions were -confined by military order to particular districts, each general -taking care of his own. I have been told by Kemp P. Battle, Esq., our -present State Treasurer, at that time President of the Raleigh, and -Chatham road, that on one occasion he was compelled--though he could -have bought an abundance of provisions in Eastern Carolina--to send -for bacon to South-western Georgia. He had to go to Richmond to see -Secretary Seddon himself, and send an agent to General Beauregard at -Charleston, in order to get permission to move it to North-Carolina. He -was endeavoring; on one occasion to get some corn for his own family up -to Raleigh from his plantation in Edgecombe county, when the general -in command of that department seized it, and in reply to application -for it said, "If the owner is in the field, he may have his corn; -if otherwise, not." In this connection what were called "the bonded -plantations" were a curious institution in those latter days, which -greatly added to the distress of our non-producers. For instance, the -owner of a large estate with slaves, in order to keep an overseer out -of the army to attend to it, gave bond with good security to deliver -to the Government, or to soldiers' families, all his surplus produce -at Government prices. By this arrangement of course our large planters -could only sell their produce at much below the market price, and in -fact for almost nothing, considering the value of our currency. And -even this the Government did not pay. It died in debt to many: to -Mr. Battle for nearly his whole crop of 1864. With great difficulty -he got from a quartermaster, in March, 1865, six thousand dollars, -which he immediately exchanged for fifty-seven dollars in gold. -Besides this the Government impressed half the working mules, a source -alone of no little vexation and distress among our small farmers. Our -quartermasters were not always fair in their assessment, nor competent -to decide. - -The difficulties in the way of procuring provision can hardly be -imagined by any but those who lived through that time. One of the -last resorts was to smuggle cotton to the Chowan country in exchange -for bacon, pound for pound. The greatest irregularities, of course, -prevailed in different parts of the South. In some of the central -counties of the Gulf States provisions were almost a drug in the -market, (there being no transportation,) while here and in the army we -were starving. - -One of the last desperate expedients of our Government, and which -bore as hardly on our people as any other, was the calling out of men -between the ages of forty-five and fifty, and the Junior Reserves, mere -children who should have been at home with their mothers. When the -heads of families were taken away, often leaving a houseful of girls -only to assist the mother to make bread, the distress and trouble were -most piteous. At first the Government was inclined to be liberal in -exemptions, but in the last ninety days all were taken. - -On some counties of our State there was a disposition to resist or -evade this wholesale conscription, and there were in consequence many -deserters, many of whom lived by plundering their neighbors, and thus -added to the general confusion and anxiety and peril of the times. Many -acts of violence were committed in certain localities. Their expedients -to escape capture, the modes of living they resorted to, the singular -hiding-places they improvised or elaborated, would make an amusing and -curious chapter in the history of the war--only these are the points -which historians who desire to represent a people as unanimous in a -great national struggle for rights and liberty do not generally care to -present. If any of the immortal three hundred faltered on the way to -Thermopylae we have never been told of it. I know that we were greatly -mortified to hear the stories that were told by those who were sent -in search of our recreants. It was a severe shock to our high-strung -theories of Southern chivalry and patriotism, to think of Southerners -hiding in dens and caves of the earth, resolved with great constancy -NOT to be martyrs, having to be unearthed in these burrows and dragged -out to the fight. One warrior lived for weeks in a hollow tree, fed -by his wife; another was conscripted from beneath his own hen-house, -where he had dug out a sort of grave, into which, well supplied with -blankets, he descended in peace every morning. One took possession -of an old, deserted, and forgotten mine in his neighborhood, and by -a skillful disposal of brush and rubbish at the entrance, kept house -quite comfortably for months, plying his trade of shoemaker meanwhile, -and supplied with food from home. The women, in such cases, were the -instigators of the skulking. One soldier returning to his regiment, -after a furlough at home in a certain county, said "He'd be d----d if -Jeff Davis wouldn't desert too if he were to stay at ---- awhile." - -The history of our personal privations, our household expenses, our -public donations, and our taxes, will be a curious study of domestic -and political economy combined. People who before the war had lived up -fully to incomes of two thousand dollars a year, were reduced to less -than one tenth of that sum, and are fully qualified now to give an -answer to the question of how little one can live on. Fifty dollars in -gold would have been gladly taken in exchange for many a whole year's -salary in Confederate currency for the last year or two. Even now it is -an inexplicable mystery to me how people with moderate salaries lived -who had families to feed and clothe. It was done only by confining -themselves strictly to the most common and coarsest articles, and by -an entire renunciation of all the luxuries and most of the comforts -of life. When tallow was thirty dollars per pound, people necessarily -sat in darkness. I have walked from end to end of our town at night -and not observed half a dozen lights. If we did not realize Charles -Lamb's notion of society, as it must have existed before the invention -of lights, when people had to feel about for a smile, and handle a -neighbor's cheek to be sure that he understood a joke, it was because -lightwood-knots were plentiful, and turpentine easy of access. - -The condition of the press was a striking commentary on the state of -things among us. Some pains have been taken to secure an accurate -list of our State papers from an entirely reliable source. At the -commencement of the war there were but two daily papers in the State; -at the close, there were four in the city of Raleigh alone. Of -fifty-seven papers in existence in May, 1861, twenty-six ceased during -the war. There are thirty-three now in the State, of which ten are -dailies. People who had never taken more than their own county weekly -in all their lives, found the Richmond dailies a necessity during the -war, so great was the general anxiety to have the latest news, and -above all from the army. The post-offices were besieged for the dingy -half-sheets that came freighted with momentous intelligence for us. -The _Fayetteville Observer_ and the _North-Carolina Presbyterian_ -were the only two papers in the State whose dimensions were not -reduced to a half-sheet. The _Fayetteville Observer_ had been for -forty years one of the most ably edited, most sterling, and most -influential journals in the State, and I may add, in the whole Southern -country.[19] Its influence for good all through that long period can -hardly be overrated. The editor, E.J. Hale, was an old-line whig in -politics--a conservative of the strictest sort. His paper ranged -side by side with the _National Intelligencer_, the _Richmond Whig_, -and the other noble old journals of that school which had stood as -breakwaters for more than a generation against the incoming tide of -radicalism North and South, but were swept away at last in the great -flood. Mr. Hale opposed the doctrine of secession, and resisted its -movement as long as it was possible to do so. Mr. Lincoln's call -for seventy-five thousand men to coerce the South first aroused his -opposition to the United States Government; and after this State had -gone over he supported her Act, and supported the war with all his -power, giving his sons, giving most liberally of all his substance, -and devoting his paper enthusiastically to the benefit of the army, -and the upholding of the State and general government. For though no -admirer in past times of Mr. Davis's record as a Democrat politician, -yet when he was elevated to the post of President of the Confederacy, -and became the representative of the Southern people, no man gave him a -more generous support. His paper was published weekly and semi-weekly -without intermission, and with a constantly increasing circulation and -influence, until the appearance in Fayetteville of General Sherman's -army, on the twelfth of April, 1865, when the office was entirely -destroyed, and the fruits of a lifetime of labor scattered to the -winds. The office of the _North-Carolina Presbyterian_ was also -destroyed at the same time. - -The _Raleigh Standard_, edited by W.W. Holden, was for many years the -leading organ of the Democratic party in the State; indeed it may be -said to have been the creator and preserver of that party, and was -perhaps the most widely-circulated and influential of all our journals, -for its reputation was not confined to the State. It was edited with -marked ability by a man, unsurpassed as a party tactician, who -thoroughly understood his business, and who always kept his powder -dry. During the first two years of the war all parties seemed melted -down and fused into one by the general ardor and excitement of the -times; and our heretofore antagonist papers presented a most edifying -spectacle of concord and agreement. In 1863, Mr. Holden seeing no -prospect of a favorable end to the war by fighting, began to advocate a -resort to negotiation upon the basis of possible reconstruction. This -speedily rendered him obnoxious to those of us who desired the war to -go on, preferring even military subjugation to peaceful reconstruction; -while it drew more closely to his support those who desired peace on -any terms. The state of feeling between these two parties came to be -such that an internecine war among ourselves might have broken out at -any time. It was excessively difficult and dangerous for our public men -to move either way. A party of soldiers passing through Raleigh, in -September, 1863, mobbed the _Standard_ office, and the compliment was -returned, by the friends of Mr. Holden mobbing the office of the war -paper, conducted at that time by John Spelman, under the title of the -_State Journal_. Mr. Holden deemed it prudent to suspend the issue of -his paper for two months in the spring of 1864 in consequence of the -passage of the act suspending the writ of _habeas corpus_--suspended -also for a day or two on the arrival of General Sherman's army. - -The _State Journal_ changed hands and name in 1864. Under the title of -_The Confederate_, and edited by Colonel D.K. McRae, it became the -daily organ of the Confederate Government in this State, and continued -to advocate the policy of our chief and the indefinite continuance -of the war till within three days of General Sherman's entrance into -Raleigh, when the office was entirely destroyed. It was edited with -much spirit and ability, but with singular audacity and bitterness. - -The organ of Governor Vance's administration was _The Conservative_, -established in 1864 as a daily, and continuing till General Sherman's -arrival, when it shared the fate of the _Confederate_, being utterly -destroyed, except one small press, which General Slocum carried away -with him. _The Progress_, daily, followed the lead of the _Standard_ -in politics, and like the _Standard_, was suspended for only a day or -two on the occupation of Raleigh. It had the reputation of being the -earliest and sprightliest retailer of news--generally ahead of its -competitors in that department. All these, as well as all others in -the Confederacy, with a few exceptions, were printed on half-sheets -of exceedingly dingy paper, and their price ranged from twenty-five -dollars to fifty dollars for six months. No subscriptions were taken -for a longer period, in consequence of the steady decline in value of -our currency. The typography and general appearance, to say nothing -of their matter, would have rendered them objects of curiosity in any -part of the civilized world, and afford a close resemblance to the -journals published in the days of the Revolution of 1776. Such was the -scarcity of paper among us, that they disappeared as fast as they were -received; and a complete file of one of our Confederate papers, which -would be an invaluable possession for an historical society fifty years -hence, is probably even now an impossibility. - -All literary influences were of course greatly checked and straitened, -while our people held their breath in suspense as to the issue of -the war. Colleges were closed, schools went on lamely for want of -teachers, who were in the army, and for want of text-books. An effort -was made here and there to supply the increasing demand for grammars, -arithmetics, readers, and primers; but the paper was coarse and -dark, and the type was old and worn--the general getting up of these -home-made books affording the clearest evidence of the insurmountable -difficulties under which our people labored in endeavoring to make -books while struggling for bread. Some of them ran the blockade, being -sent abroad to be stereotyped. Some of them need only a new dress to -take their place as standards in any school in the country now; but the -majority of them may be set down as failures. The common-schools, kept -going at first, shared at last in the general decline and relaxation of -order, and were hardly in existence at all at the close. As to books -from abroad--magazines, papers, etc.--it may well be imagined that in -the interior of the Confederacy at least, we were at a standstill in -regard to all such means of improvement or information. Occasionally -a copy of the _London Times_, or one or two of the leading New-York -journals found its way from Richmond, or Wilmington, or Charleston, and -was sent from house to house until utterly worn out. Occasionally some -enterprising publishing house, getting hold of a copy of the latest -English novel, would issue a reprint of it, solitary copies of which -circulated through a county, and soon shared the fate of the papers. -Northern magazines or books were but little in request, and little read -if obtained.[20] I am by no means certain that the loss of the current -"light literature" of the day was a loss much to be deplored. Such -privations may rather be classed among the benefits of the war. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 19: The writer might have added--or in America. Its editor, -Mr. Hale, is a gentleman of broad intellect, large information, and -rare journalistic ability.--Ed. Watchman.] - -[Footnote 20: But one number of _Harper's Magazine_ was seen at Chapel -Hill during the war; this ran the blockade from Nassau: and one number -of the _London Quarterly Review_, found among the effects of Mrs. Rosa -Greenhow, which floated ashore from the wreck in which she perished. -Among such of her books as were recovered, much damaged and stained -with sea-water, was her narrative of her imprisonment in Washington, -just published in London, and the MS. of her private journal kept -during her visit to London and Paris. Her elegant wardrobe was sold at -public sale in Raleigh, by order of the Confederate Government, for the -benefit of her daughter in Paris.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - THE UNIVERSITY--ITS EARLY HISTORY--ITS CONTINUED GROWTH--THE ARDOR - OF THE YOUNG MEN--APPLICATION FOR RELIEF FROM CONSCRIPTION--GOVERNOR - SWAIN TO PRESIDENT DAVIS--ANOTHER DRAFT ON THE BOYS--A DOZEN BOYS IN - COLLEGE WHEN SHERMAN COMES; AND THE BELLS RING ON--"COMMENCEMENT" IN - 1865--ONE GRADUATE--HE PRONOUNCES THE VALEDICTORY--CONCLUSION. - - -As to the State University, perhaps more than a mere reference to its -condition at the close of the war may not unjustly form part of a -contribution to our State history, since its influence and reputation -have been second to those of no similar institution in the country, -and its benefits have been widely diffused through every State of the -Confederacy. Its Revolutionary history is not uninteresting in this -connection. At the very time when all our State interests lay prostrate -and exhausted from the Revolutionary struggle, the very time when -a superficial observer would have thought it enough for the people -to get bread to eat and clothes to wear, our far-seeing patriots, -who knew well that without education no state can become great, -and that the weaker we were physically the more need there was for -intellectual force and power to enable us to maintain our stand among -the nations--these wise men projected and laid the foundations of a -State literary institution, which, uncontrolled and uncontaminated by -party politics or religious bigotries, should be an honor and a benefit -to the commonwealth through all future generations. General Davie may -be said to have been the father of the University, though every man of -distinction in the State at that time manifested a deep and cordial -interest in its establishment. - -Most of my readers are sufficiently familiar with the history of the -State to be aware that, before the Revolution, the mother country -would permit no college or university or school to be established -but upon certain conditions utterly repugnant to principles of civil -and religious liberty. The charter of Queen's College, at Charlotte, -Mecklenburg county, (the college, town, and county, all three being -named in loyal compliment to his queen,) was disallowed by George -III., because other than members of the Established Church of England -were appointed among the trustees. This act of tyranny did more to -arouse the revolutionary spirit than the Stamp Act and all other -causes combined. The money that belonged to the common-school fund was -squandered by the mother country in the erection of a palace for the -royal governor--the most splendid edifice of the time on the continent. -And at the close of the war for independence, so impoverished was the -country that the General Assembly could contribute nothing toward the -establishment of the University, beyond endowing it with doubtful -debts, escheats, and derelict property. So that if aid had not -been given from private sources, it would never have struggled into -existence. At the first meeting of the trustees, Colonel Benjamin -Smith, the aide-de-camp of General Washington and subsequent Governor -of the State, made a donation of twenty thousand acres of Chickasaw -lands. Major Charles Girard, who had served throughout the perils of -the war, childless in the providence of God, adopted the newly-born -University, and bestowed on it property supposed to be equal in value -to forty thousand dollars. General Thomas Person, the old chief of the -Regulators, gave in cash ten hundred and twenty-five dollars[21] to -the completion of one of the buildings; and Girard Hall, Person Hall, -and Smith Hall, preserve in their names the grateful remembrance of -the earliest and most munificent patrons of the institution. It is a -striking evidence of the poverty of the times that the ladies of the -chief city of North-Carolina were able to present only a quadrant in -token of their interest in the new undertaking, and the ladies of -Raleigh a small pair of globes. - -In 1795, the first student arrived, and from that day to this the whole -course of the University has been one of great and steadily increasing -reputation and usefulness. Dr. Joseph Caldwell was president from 1796 -to 1835, (with the exception of four years, when Rev. Dr. Chapman -presided,) when the Hon. David L. Swain was appointed his successor, -and he still remains at the head, the oldest college president in the -United States, and one of the most successful. It is a remarkable fact, -and one strongly illustrative of the conservative tone of our society, -and of our North-Carolina people in general, that for the long period -of seventy years there have been virtually but two presidents--that two -of the senior professors have remained for forty years each, one of -them occupying the same chair for that whole period. Another professor -has held his chair for twenty-eight years, another for twenty-four, -another for seventeen years. I doubt if any other college in the -country can show a similar record. During the five years immediately -preceding the war, the average number of students was about four -hundred and twenty-five--a larger number than was registered at any -similar institution in the Union except Yale. The average receipts for -tuition exceeded twenty thousand dollars per annum; and it is another -circumstance which probably has no parallel in American colleges, that -with a meagre endowment, the munificent patronage of the public enabled -the authorities of the institution to make permanent improvements in -the edifices and grounds, and additions to the library and apparatus, -amounting in value, as exhibited by the reports of the trustees, to -the sum of more than a hundred thousand dollars! This was effected -by skillful financiering, and by giving the faculty very moderate -salaries, and is a striking illustration at least of North-Carolina -thrift and careful management. Since 1837, moreover, the faculty have -been authorized to receive without charge for tuition or room-rent, any -native of the State possessed of the requisite endowments, natural -and acquired, whose circumstances may make such assistance necessary. -About ten young men annually have availed themselves of this privilege, -and these have in numerous instances won the highest honors of the -University, and attained like distinction in the various walks of life. -Two remarkable cases of this character, presented during the discussion -of the proposition to extend temporary relief to the University, in the -last General Assembly, must be fresh in the remembrance of many of my -readers. In addition to the beneficence of this general ordinance, the -two Literary Societies of the institution have each annually defrayed -the entire expenses of one or more beneficiaries, during the time -referred to, and these recipients of their bounty have rendered service -and occupy positions of eminence and usefulness which offer the highest -encouragement to perseverance in such benefactions. An account current -between the State and the University for the past quarter of a century, -will show the amount of the tuition and room-rent of those young men, -added to the benefactions of the Societies, is greatly in excess of -all the direct contributions for its support derived from the public -authorities. Nay, more, that these sums, added to the hundred thousand -dollars resulting from the net earnings of the institution, were -quite equal in amount to the entire endowment now annihilated by the -repudiation of the war-debt, and the consequent insolvency of the Bank -of North-Carolina, in the stock of which more than the entire endowment -was invested. - -Can any other College in the United States say as much? - -At the opening of the war, the ardor with which the young men rushed -into the military service may be inferred from the fact that of the -eighty members of the Freshman class, but _one_ remained to continue -his education, and he was incapacitated by feeble health from joining -his comrades in the field. Five members of the faculty volunteered for -the war; and those who remained in their chairs, being incapacitated by -age or by their sacred profession from serving their country otherwise -than as teachers, resolved to keep the doors of the University open as -long as a dozen boys could be found amid the din of arms who might be -able to profit by it. When conscription was resorted to, to fill up -the depleted armies of the South, the trustees resolved to appeal to -President Davis in behalf of the University, lest it should be entirely -broken up by too rigid an enforcement of the law. The results were an -important part of our State history during the war, and embodied facts -which had a significant influence at the close. - - "RALEIGH, October 8, 1863. - - "At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the University this day, - present: His Excellency Governor Vance, President; W.A. Graham, - Jonathan Worth, D.M. Barringer, P.H. Winston, Thomas Ruffin, J.H. - Bryan, K.P. Battle, Charles Manly. - - "_Resolved_, That the President of the University be authorized to - correspond with the President of the Confederate States, asking a - suspension of any order or regulation which may have been issued for - the conscription of students of the University, until the end of the - present session, and also with a view to a general exemption of young - men advanced in liberal studies, until they shall complete their - college course. - - "That the President of the University open correspondence with the - heads of other literary institutions of the Confederacy, proposing - the adoption of a general regulation, exempting for a limited time - from military service the members of the _two higher classes_ of our - colleges, to enable them to attain the degree of Bachelor of Arts. - - "Charles Manly, Secretary." - -In accordance with this resolution, Governor Swain addressed the -following letter to President Davis, which will be read with interest, -as presenting some very remarkable statements in regard to the -University and the village of Chapel Hill: - - "UNIVERSITY OF NORTH-CAROLINA, } - CHAPEL HILL, Oct. 15, 1863. } - - "_To His Excellency, Jefferson Davis, President of - the Confederate States_: - - "Sir: The accompanying resolutions, adopted by the trustees of this - institution at their meeting in Raleigh, on the eighth instant, make - it my duty to open a correspondence with you on the subject to which - they relate. - - "A simple statement of the facts, which seem to me to be pertinent, - without any attempt to illustrate and enforce them by argument, will, - I suppose, sufficiently accomplish the purposes of the trustees. - - "At the close of the collegiate year 1859-60, (June seventh, 1860,) - the whole number of students on our catalogue was four hundred and - thirty. Of these, two hundred and forty-five were from North-Carolina, - twenty-nine from Tennessee, twenty-eight from Louisiana, twenty-eight - from Mississippi, twenty-six from Alabama, twenty-four from - South-Carolina, seventeen from Texas, fourteen from Georgia, five - from Virginia, four from Florida, two from Arkansas, two from - Kentucky, two from Missouri, two from California, one from Iowa, one - from New-Mexico, one from Ohio. They were distributed in the four - classes as follows: Seniors eighty-four, Juniors one hundred and two, - Sophomores one hundred and twenty-five, Freshmen eighty. - - "Of the eight young men who received the first distinction in the - Senior class, four are in their graves, (soldiers' graves,) and a - fifth a wounded prisoner. More than a seventh of these graduates are - known to have fallen in battle. - - "The Freshmen class of eighty members pressed into the service with - such impetuosity that but a single individual remained to graduate at - the last commencement; and he in the intervening time had entered the - army, been discharged on account of impaired health, and was permitted - by special favor to rejoin his class. - - "The Faculty at that time was composed of fourteen members, no one of - whom was liable to conscription. Five of the fourteen were permitted - by the trustees to volunteer. One of these has recently returned from - long imprisonment in Ohio, with a ruined constitution. A second is a - wounded prisoner, now at Baltimore. A third fell at Gettysburgh. The - remaining two are in active field-service at present. - - "The nine gentlemen who now constitute the corps of instructors are, - with a single exception, clergymen, or laymen beyond the age of - conscription. No one of them has a son of the requisite age who has - not entered the service as a volunteer. Five of the eight sons of - members of the faculty are now in active service; one fell mortally - wounded at Gettysburgh, another at South-Mountain. - - "The village of Chapel Hill owes its existence to the University, and - is of course materially affected by the prosperity or decline of the - institution. The young men of the village responded to the call of - the country with the same alacrity which characterized the college - classes; and fifteen of them--a larger proportion than is exhibited in - any other town or village in the State--have already fallen in battle. - The departed are more numerous than the survivors; and the melancholy - fact is prominent with respect to both the village and the University, - that the most promising young men have been the earliest victims. - - "Without entering into further details, permit me to assure you, as - the result of extensive and careful observation and inquiry, that - I know of no similar institution or community in the Confederacy - that has rendered greater services or endured greater losses and - privations than the University of North-Carolina, and the village of - Chapel Hill. - - "The number of students at present here is sixty-three; of whom - fifty-five are from North-Carolina, four from Virginia, two from - South-Carolina, and one from Alabama; nine Seniors, thirteen Juniors, - fourteen Sophomores, and twenty-seven Freshmen. - - "A rigid enforcement of the Conscription Act may take from us nine or - ten young men with physical constitutions in general better suited to - the quiet pursuits of literature and science than to military service. - They can make no appreciable addition to the strength of the army; - but their withdrawal may very seriously affect our organization, and - in its ultimate effects compel us to close the doors of the oldest - University at present accessible to the students of the Confederacy. - - "It can scarcely be necessary to intimate that with a slender - endowment and a diminution of more than twenty thousand dollars in - the annual receipts for tuition, it is at present very difficult and - may soon be impossible to sustain the institution. The exemption of - professors from the operation of the Conscript Act is a sufficient - indication that the annihilation of the best established colleges - in the country was not the purpose of Our Congress; and I can but - hope with the eminent gentlemen who have made me their organ on this - occasion, that it will never be permitted to produce effects which I - am satisfied no one would more deeply deplore than yourself. - - "I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, your obedient - servant, - - D.L. Swain." - -The result of this application was that orders were issued from the -Conscript Office to grant the exemption requested. President Davis -is reported to have said in the beginning of the war in reference to -the drafting of college boys, that it should not be done; "that the -_seed-corn_ must not be ground up." - -But as the exigencies of the country became more and more pressing, the -wisdom of this precept was lost sight of. In the spring of 1864, in -reply to a second application in behalf of the two lower classes, Mr. -Seddon returned the following opinion to the Conscript Bureau: - - "I can not see in the grounds presented such peculiar or exceptional - circumstances as will justify departure from the rules acted on in - many similar instances. Youths under eighteen will be allowed to - continue their studies. Those over, capable of military service, will - best discharge their duty and find their highest training in defending - the country in the field. - - "March 10, 1864." - -In compliance with this opinion, the Conscript Act was finally enforced -at the University; the classes were still further reduced by the -withdrawal of such as came within the requirements of the act, or who -were determined to share at all hazards the fate of their comrades in -the army. The University, however, still struggled on; and when General -Sherman's forces entered the place, there were some ten or twelve boys -still keeping up the name of a college. The bell was rung by one of the -professors, and morning and evening prayers attended to during the -stay of the United States forces. The students present, with two or -three exceptions, were those whose homes were in the village. The two -or three who were from a distance, left on the advent of the Federals, -walking to their homes in neighboring counties, there being no other -means of locomotion in those days. But one Senior, Mr. W.C. Prout, -graduated at the ensuing commencement, having taken the whole course. -There were three others who received diplomas at the same time. For -the first time in thirty years, the President was absent from these -exercises, having been summoned by President Johnson to Washington -City, to confer with him and with other North-Carolina gentlemen on -the condition of affairs in the State. Not a single visitor from -abroad attended the commencement, with the exception of some _thirty -gentlemen dressed in blue_, who had been delegated to remain here and -keep order. The residents of the village were the only audience to hear -the valedictory pronounced by the sole remaining representative of his -class. Where were the hundreds who had thronged these halls four years -before? Virginia, and Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, and -Georgia were heaving with their graves! In every State that had felt -the tread of armies, and wherever the rough edge of the battle had -joined, there had been found the foster-children of North-Carolina's -University;[22] and now, sitting discrowned and childless, she might -well have taken up the old lamentations which come to us in these later -days more and more audibly across the centuries, "Oh! that my head were -waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and -night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" - -There is not a prettier village in the South than that which lies -around the University, and has grown up with it and has been sustained -and elevated by it. And not a village in the South gave more freely of -its best blood in the war, not one suffered more severely in proportion -to its population. Thirty-five of our young men died in the service. -Some of them left wives and little ones; some were the only support -and blessing of aged parents; all were, with very few exceptions, the -very flower of our families, and were representatives of every walk -and condition of life. The first company that left the place in May, -1861, commanded by Captain R.J. Ashe, was attached to the famous First -North-Carolina regiment, which so distinguished itself at the memorable -battle of Bethel, June tenth of that year. Upon the disbanding of this -regiment, the members of the Orange Light Infantry attached themselves -to other companies--for no fewer than four were raised here and in the -vicinity--and many of them were among those who dragged themselves home -on foot from Lee's last field. - -The decline of the University threw many of our citizens out of -employment, and the privations endured here tell as sad a story as -can be met with anywhere. There was some alleviation of the general -distress for those who had houses or furniture to rent; for every -vacant room was crowded at one time by refugee families from the -eastern part of the State, from Norfolk, and latterly from Petersburg. -And this was the case with every town in the interior of the State. -Some of these settled here permanently during the war, attracted by -the beauty and secluded quiet of the place, and by the libraries--best -society of all! Some of them merely alighted here in the first hurry of -their flight, and afterward sought other homes, as birds flit uneasily -from bough to bough when driven from their nests. These families were -generally representatives of the best and most highly cultivated of our -Southern aristocracy. They fled hither stripped of all their earthly -possessions, except a few of their negroes. Many came not only having -left their beautiful homes in the hands of invaders, but with heads -bowed down with mourning; for gallant sons who had fallen in vain -defense of those homes. Some of them, the elders among them, closed -their wearied eyes here, and were laid to rest among strangers, glad to -die and exchange their uncertain citizenship in a torn and distracted -country for that city which hath foundations. - -The benefits of the war in our State should not be overlooked in -summing up even a slight record concerning it. It brought all classes -nearer to each other. The rich and the poor met together. A common -cause became a common bond of sympathy and kind feeling. Charity was -more freely dispensed, pride of station was forgotten. The Supreme -Court judges and the ex-governors, whose sons had marched away in the -ranks side by side with those of the day-laborer, felt a closer tie -henceforth to their neighbor. When a whole village poured in and around -one church building to hear the ministers of every denomination pray -the parting prayers and invoke the farewell blessings in unison on the -village boys, there was little room for sectarian feeling. Christians -of every name drew nearer to each other. People who wept, and prayed, -and rejoiced together as we did for four years, learned to love each -other more. The higher and nobler and more generous impulses of our -nature were brought constantly into action, stimulated by the heroic -endurance and splendid gallantry of our soldiers, and the general -enthusiasm which prevailed among us. Heaven forbid we should forget the -good which the war brought us, amid such incalculable evils; and Heaven -forbid we should ever forget its lessons--industry, economy, ingenuity, -patience, faith, charity, and above all, and finally, humility, and a -firm resolve henceforth to _let well alone_. - -That North-Carolina has within herself all the elements of a larger -life and hope, and a more diffused prosperity than she has ever known, -is not to be doubted by those who are acquainted with the wealth of her -internal resources and the consummate honesty, industry, and resolution -of her people. Time will heal these wounds yet raw and bleeding; the -tide of a new and nobler life will yet fill her veins and throb in -all her pulses; and taught in the school of adversity the noblest of -all lessons, our people will rise from their present dejection when -their civil rights have been restored them, and with renewed hope in -God will go on to do their whole duty as heretofore. Silently they -will help to clear the wreck and right the ship; silently they will do -their duty to the dead and to the living, and to those who shall come -after them; silently and with the modesty of all true heroism they will -do great things, and leave it to others to publish them. Remarkable -as North-Carolinians have ever been for reticence and sobriety of -speech and action, it is reserved for such epochs as those of May -twentieth, 1776, and May twentieth, 1861, and for such great conflicts -as succeeded them, to show what a fire can leap forth from this grave, -impassive people--what a flame is kindled in generous sympathy, what -ardor burns in defense of right and liberty. They are now to show the -world what true and ennobling dignity may accompany defeat, surrender, -and submission. - -I close these slight and inadequate sketches of a memorable time with -the words of my first sentence. The history of the great war is yet -to be written, and can scarcely be fairly and impartially written by -this generation. But it is our imperative duty to ourselves and to our -dead to begin at once to lay up the costly material for the great work. -Every man should contribute freely according to his ability, gold and -silver, precious stones, iron and wood; and with this motive, I have -ventured to present such an outline of events in the last ninety days -as circumstances would permit me to gather. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 21: There was then, as now, no money in the country, and this -was the largest cash donation ever received by the University.] - -[Footnote 22: It is stated upon good authority, and is confidently -believed, that there was not a single regiment in the entire -Confederate service in which could not be found one or more old -students of Chapel Hill.] - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -I. - -"_More than a seventh of the aggregate number of graduates are known to -have fallen in battle._" - -This was written in October, 1863. When the war was closed, the -proportion was much greater. - -It is hardly consistent with the slight character of these sketches -to enter deeply into questions of constitutional law, involving the -rights of belligerents and insurgents in time of civil war. I had no -intention of attempting more than a plain, unvarnished statement of -facts; with some hope, I confess, that a faithful narrative of the -losses and the sufferings of the vanquished might do something at least -toward arousing a generous remorse and regret in the breasts of the -victors. This volume will produce an effect altogether contrary to what -is intended if it serves only to prolong the remembrances which excite -sectional animosity. - -The records of our literary institutions all over the South will be -found especially valuable in making up the estimate of our losses on -the battle-field; for they will show unerringly that it was the _best_ -blood of the South that was poured out like water; that her educated -young men were the first to offer themselves in what they deemed a -glorious cause, and were among the first to fall. And North-Carolina, -in particular, may point with pride to her University for an example of -patriotic devotion unsurpassed by any other institution in the South. - -I had hoped to be able to exhibit in this Appendix a collection of -statistical details in connection with our University, of a deep and -melancholy interest; and have taken much pains and made numerous -inquiries to ascertain what proportion of the living Alumni had -participated in the contest, and what number had fallen in battle. -It is, however, impossible to accomplish this design at present, and -a complete record, if it can ever be obtained, must be reserved for -future publication. I must content myself with a general view in -relation to the actors of one particular era; judging by which we may -form some estimate of the whole number of those, who, having enjoyed -the best advantages of education, and representing the best classes of -society, counted not their lives dear in the service of their country. - -Let me here present one scene at the University as it occurred in the -days when the Almighty was yet with us, when His candle shined upon our -head, and our children were about us. - -The annual commencement of 1847 was rendered a literary festival -of unusual interest, by the attendance of President Polk, and the -Secretary of the Navy, Judge Mason, both of whom were alumni of the -University. - -The commencement of 1859 was rendered no less memorable by the visit -of President Buchanan, and the Secretary of the Interior, Hon. Jacob -Thompson, who was not only a graduate, but had been at one time a tutor -in the Institution. How vivid is the recollection of those scenes in -the minds of all who witnessed them! How interesting and imposing the -assemblage of all that could give dignity or influence to a State, or -shed the light of beauty and grace on these venerable cloisters and -schools of learning. In 1859, apprehensions of the permanency of the -Union were beginning to be excited by symptoms of dissatisfaction in -the neighboring States. Secretary Thompson, in reply to the welcome -addressed to him at his reception in front of Governor Swain's -residence, referring to these ominous indications, congratulated the -assembly on the steadiness of attachment to the Union everywhere -manifested by the people of his native State. He was applauded with -a vehemence which gave full assurance of the deep and universal -loyalty of his hearers. President Buchanan repeatedly expressed his -pleasure at these evidences of feeling which were reiterated whenever -occasion offered. How little did he, how little did any one, foresee -what changes a single year was to effect. On the evening preceding -commencement-day, President Buchanan appeared upon the rostrum and -performed an interesting part in the exercises. At the request of the -Rev. Dr. Wheat, the then Professor of Rhetoric, he delivered the prize -awarded to the best English writer in the Sophomore class, Eldridge E. -Wright, of Memphis, Tenn., who afterward graduated with the highest -distinction, and the most flattering hopes and promises of future -usefulness. He fell, a captain of artillery, in defense of his battery -at the battle of Murfreesboro. The two eldest sons of Dr. Wheat both -fell in battle--one at Shiloh and the other in Virginia. Of the six -college tutors then present but one survives. Of the crowd of trustees -and distinguished North-Carolinians who surrounded that rostrum, time -would fail me to tell of the prostrate hopes and darkened hearths; but -in brief, I may say, that of the four hundred and thirty young men then -listening with intense eagerness and prolonged applause to words of -wisdom and affection from their chief magistrate, more than a fifth, in -less than five years, fell in fratricidal strife on every battle-field -from Pennsylvania to Texas. Could the curtain that in mercy vailed -the future, have been that day withdrawn, what would have been the -emotions of the audience? Could they have seen one hundred of those -four hundred and thirty gay and gallant boys lying in all the ghastly -and bloody forms of death on the battle-field; a like proportion with -amputated limbs, or permanently impaired constitutions; and all, with -few exceptions, seamed with honorable scars, would they not have -recoiled horror-stricken from such a revelation of war as it really is? -What would have been the effect on that veteran statesman could he have -seen all this--seen his friend and associate in the councils of the -nation an exile, wandering in foreign lands, and all the wide-spread -havoc, ruin, and woe of a four years' merciless war darkly curtaining -the broad and smiling land? In the providence of God he was childless. -How many fathers of that goodly throng have gone down to the grave -sorrowing--for sorrow slays as well as the sword; how many mothers, -sisters, and wives refuse to be comforted, and long for the grave, and -are glad when they find it! - -I have selected the catalogue of 1859-60 referred to in the letter -from Governor Swain to President Davis, as best calculated to show the -results of the fearful change produced among us in the brief interval -preceding the civil war. - -The Senior class of 1860 consisted of eighty-four members. The -subjoined table will show that every one of these able to bear arms, -with perhaps a single exception, entered the service, and that _more -than a fourth_ of the entire number now fill soldiers' graves. The -proportion of the wounded to the killed is ordinarily estimated as not -smaller than three to one; and judging by this rule, it appears and -is believed to be the fact, that very few of the whole class remained -unscathed. Of the younger classes, my information is not sufficiently -complete to justify the giving a list; but enough is ascertained to -make it certain that the sacrifice of life among them was in very -nearly the same proportion as among the Seniors. As a matter of undying -interest to the people of my own State, and significant enough to those -of others, I present this record of the sons of her University. - - Adams, Robert B. In service from South-Carolina. - Alexander, Sydenham B., Capt. 42d N.C. Regt. - Anderson, Lawrence M., Lieut. Killed at Shiloh. - Askew, George W., Capt. Miss. Regt. - Attmore, Isaac T. Killed in Virginia. - Baird, William W., Lieut. N.C. Regt. - Barbee, Algernon S., Lieut. Com. Dept. Army of the West. - Barrett, Alexander, Lieut. 49th N.C. Regt. - Battle, Junius C., Killed at Sharp's Mountain. - Bond, Lewis, Chief Ord. to Gen. Jackson. - Borden, William H., Lieut. 50th N.C. Regt. - Bowie, John R., Sergt. Signal Corps, Louisiana. - Brickell, Sterling H., Capt, 12th N.C. Regt. Resigned from wounds. - Brooks, William M., 3d N.C. Cav. - Bruce, Charles, Jr. Killed at Richmond. - Bryan, George P., Capt. 2d N.C. Regt. Killed. - Bullock, Richard A., Com. Sergt. 12th N.C. Regt. - Butler, Pierce M., 1st Lieut. 2d S.C. Cav. - Cole, Alexander T., Capt. 23d N.C. Regt. - Coleman, Daniel R., 20th N.C. Regt. - Cooper, Robert E., Chaplain Cobb's Legion. - Cooper, Thomas W., 1st Lieut. 11th N.C. Regt. Killed at Gettysburgh. - Daniel, S. Venable, 1st Lieut. 17th N.C. Regt. - Davis, Samuel C., Lieut. 4th N.C. Regt. - Davis, Thomas W., Lieut. 8th N.C. Regt - Drake, Edwin L., Col. Tenn. Regt. Cav. - Fain, John H.D., Capt. 33d N.C. Regt. Killed at Petersburg, - 2d April, 1865. - Ferrand, Horace, Louisiana Regt. - Fogle, James O.A., Medical Dept. Richmond. - Franklin, Samuel R. Died in service. - Garrett, Woodston L., Lieut. 8th Ala. Cav. - Gay, Charles E., Lieut. Miss. Artillery. - Graham, James A., Capt. 27th N.C. Regt. - Haigh, Charles, Sergt.-Major 5th N.C. Cav. - Hale, Edward J., Jr., Capt. A.A.G. to Gen. Lane. - Hardin, Edward J., Lieut. and Adjt. Conscript Bureau. - Hays, Robert B., Forrest's Cavalry. - Headen, William J., Lieut. 26th N.C. Regt. Killed. - Henry, William W., Capt. Artillery, Army of the West. - Hightower, Samuel A., 26th Louisiana Regt. - Holliday, Thomas C., Capt. A.A.G. to Gen. Davis. Killed. - Houston, R. Bruce B., Lieut. 52d N.C. Regt. - Jones, H. Francis, Lieut. A.D.C. to Gen. Young. Killed. - Jones, Walter J., Heavy Artillery. Afterward 40th N.C. Regt. - Kelly, James, Presbyterian clergyman. - Kelly, John B., 26th N.C. Regt. - King, William J., Medical Dept. Richmond. - Lutterloh, Jarvis B., Lieut. 56th N.C. Regt. Killed at Gum Swamp. - Martin, Eugene S., Lieut. 1st Battery Heavy Artillery. - Martin, George S., Capt. Tenn. Art'y. Killed by bushwhackers. - McCallum, James B., Lieut. 51st N.C. Regt. Killed at Bermuda Hundreds. - McClelland, James C. Died in 1861, in Arkansas. - McKethan, Edwin T., Lieut. 51st N.C. Regt. - McKimmon, Arthur N., Q.M. Dept. Raleigh. - McKimmon, James, Jr., Lieut. Manly's Battery. - Mebane, Cornelius, Adjt. 6th N.C. Regt. - Mebane, John W. Capt. Tenn. Artillery. Killed at Kenesaw Mountain. - Micou, Augustin, Lieut. and A.A.G. Drew's Battalion. - Mimms, Thomas S., Western Army. - Nicholson, William T., Capt. 37th N.C. Regt. Killed. - Pearce, Oliver W., 3d Regt. N.C. Cav. - Pittman, Reddin G., 1st Lieut. Eng. Dep. - Pool, Charles C. - Quarles, George McD. Died in service. - Ryal, Tims, Louisiana Regt. - Royster, Iowa, Lieut. 37th N.C. Regt. Killed at Gettysburgh. - Sanders, Edward B., Sergt.-Major 35th N.C. Regt. - Saunders, Jos. H., Lieut.-Col. 33d N.C. Regt. - Scales, Erasmus D., Capt. and Com. Sub. 2d N.C. Cav. - Smith, Farquhard, Jr., 3d N.C. Cav. - Smith, Norfleet, 1st Lieut. 3d N.C. Cav. - Smith, Thomas L. Killed at Vicksburgh. - Sterling, Edward G. Died in service. - Strong, Hugh. In South-Carolina service. - Sykes, Richard L. In Mississippi service. - Taylor, George W., Ass't. Surgeon, 26th La. - Thompson, Samuel M., Colonel Tenn. Regt. - Thorp, John H., Capt. 47th N.C. Regt. - Vaughan, Vernon H. In Alabama service. - Wallace, James A., 44th N.C. Regt. - Wier, Samuel P., Lieut. 46th N.C. Regt. Killed at Fredericksburgh. - Whitfield, Cicero, Sergt. 53d N.C. Regt. - Wilson, George L. Died. - Wooster, William A., Capt. 1st N.C. Regt. Killed at Richmond. - -Of field-officers in the Confederate service, at least thirteen -illustrious names are among the Alumni of the University, namely: - - Lieut.-General Leonidas Polk, - Brig.-Generals Geo. B. Anderson, - Rufus Barringer, - L. O'B. Branch, - Thomas L. Clingman, - Robert D. Johnston, - Gaston Lewis, - James Johnston Pettigrew, - Matt. W. Ransom, - Ashley W. Spaight; and - Adjutant-Generals - R.C. Gatlin, - John F. Hoke. - -Generals Polk, Anderson, Branch, and Pettigrew were killed, and all -the others (with the exception of the two bureau officers) severely -wounded, and most of them more than once. - -I regret that my information in regard to many other gallant -field-officers is at present too imperfect to justify the enumeration; -much less am I able to give a correct list of subaltern officers, -and the unrecorded dead. It will be a labor of love to continue my -inquiries, in the hope of being able at some future day to present a -suitable memorial of all our loved and lost. - - Beloved till Time can charm no more, - And mourned till Pity's self be dead. - -In looking over the list of even so few as are recorded above, one -is struck with the number of those killed, of whom interesting and -touching obituary memorials might be written. Nearly all of them -were men of rank. One of the most widely read and admired and useful -religious biographies of the day has been Miss Marsh's Life of Captain -Hedley Vicars of the English Crimean Army. We had many a Captain Vicars -in our Southern Confederate army, whose life, if written as well, would -be quite as striking, quite as valuable--many pure and noble Christian -young men, the beauty of whose daily lives still sheds a glow around -their memories. It was in fact a common remark, during the war, that it -was the best who fell. I am sure that North-Carolinians, at least, will -not be displeased with particular mention of a few of their dead in -this place. - -Of the six tutors connected with the University at the opening of -the war, all of whom volunteered at once, _five_--namely, Captains -Anderson, Bryan, Johnson, Morrow, and Lieutenant Royster--fell on the -battle-field, and they were all, without one exception, young men of -more than ordinary promise. - -Captain Anderson, of Wilmington, was a brother of General George B. -Anderson. He graduated with the highest distinction in the year 1858. -His class consisted of ninety-four members, nearly all of whom it -is believed entered the army. Two of the seven who shared the first -distinction with him--one subsequently tutor in the University, W.C. -Dowd, the other Captain W.C. Lord, of Salisbury--are in their graves. - -Captain William Adams, of Greensboro, whose name occurs first on -the roll of his classmates, was killed at Sharpsburgh. Captain Hugh -T. Brown, (half-brother to General Gordon,) fell at Springfield; -and Lieutenant Thomas Cowan, at Sharpsburgh. Among those who have -survived the perils of the battle-field and the hospital, are -Lieutenant-Colonels H.C. Jones, A.C. McAllister, and J.T. Morehead, -Colonels John A. Gilmer and L.M. McAfee, and General Robert D. Johnston. - -Captain Anderson was a candidate for orders in the Episcopal Church, -but believed it his duty to contribute his share to the vindication -of the rights of his country. He served with continually increasing -reputation, and fell in the battle of the Wilderness Creek. - -Captain George Pettigrew Bryan, of Raleigh, was another most rare -spirit. Belonging to the class of 1860, enumerated above, he was the -youngest of eight who received the first distinction. During his -college life, and throughout the whole of his brief but brilliant -career, he was as conspicuous for his fidelity to duty as for his -intellectual attainments. He, too, was to have consecrated his rare -gifts to the ministry of the Church. He fell, while leading a charge -on the enemy's works, ten miles east of Richmond. Mortally wounded in -the breast, he said, "Boys, I'm killed, but I wish I could live to see -you take those works." In a few moments the works were carried and the -enemy routed. In half an hour after, he died peacefully and calmly: his -promotion to lieutenant-colonel arriving just after his death. - -Captain George B. Johnson, of Edenton, a graduate of 1859, bearing away -the highest honors, died in Chapel Hill of a decline brought on by the -hardships of prison life at Sandusky, Ohio. One of his professors wrote -of him: "His powers of mind were unusual, his energy of character very -marked, his tastes all scholarly, and his attainments extensive and -accurate. Always pure and upright and truthful and unselfish. Never was -a whisper of reproach or censure uttered against him." - -Lieutenant I. Royster, of Raleigh, was one of the graduates of this -University who would have shed a lustre on its name had he lived. One -of the eight of 1860 who received the first distinction, he was in many -respects a remarkable genius--intellectually one of the most gifted -young men who ever left these halls. He fell at Gettysburgh, advancing -to the charge considerably in front of his company and singing "Dixie" -as he met his instant death. - -Captain E. Graham Morrow, of Chapel Hill, fell at Gettysburgh. -Another noble, modest, gallant, and true young man. He was a son -of North-Carolina in a particular sense, for he came of fathers, -grandfathers, great-grandfathers and ancestors even more remote who -had been an honor to the same soil before him. On these six slight -memorials there is yet a crown to be placed. These young men were all -Christians. That light above any that ever shone by sea or shore falls -upon their graves. - -In the list of the Seniors of 1860 given above, of the eight who -received the first honors of the University, but three survive; of the -_twenty-seven_ distinguished (more than a third of the whole number) -ten are no more. Of the twenty-four dead, who shall estimate the loss -to their country, and to their families of even these? Of one of the -fairest and best, Captain John Fain, of Warren, who was the only child -of his mother, and she a widow; killed after passing safely through -four years of peril and suffering, and falling in the last day of -the last fight before Petersburg, April 2d, 1865. Another of the -first eight was Junius C. Battle, of Chapel Hill, fourth son of the -Law Professor, Judge Battle. Having suffered amputation of the left -leg, after the battle of South-Mountain, he occupied such of the few -remaining hours of his life as he could redeem from his own sufferings, -in reading to the crowd of Confederate and Federal wounded around him. -We can well imagine, wrote a friend, how eloquent such reading was to -such an audience. The reader's own eye was fast glazing, and the pains -of death among strangers were upon him, but he rallied the remnants of -his vision and self-control, and spent them in directing the fading -eyes around him to that WICKET-GATE and SHINING LIGHT. Surely it was -a cup of cold water given in the name of his Master, and even now is -abundantly rewarded. - -Of William A. Wooster of Wilmington, and of George L. Wilson of -New-Berne, of whom, standing before him to say farewell, Gov. Swain -said that he never had under his care, never had known two young men of -higher character, purer faith, or more gifted intellect than these two -beloved pupils. - -I am tempted to go on with this list, but am reminded that I shall -exceed my limits. Some abler hand, I trust, will some day gather up for -preservation all these records of our noble boys; worthy, all of them, -of that glorious epitaph once to be seen at Thermopylae: "Tell it in -_North-Carolina_, that we lie here in obedience to HER laws." - -Of our Generals much might be said that would be of deep and permanent -interest. In General Pettigrew, North-Carolina was universally and -justly considered to have lost one of the most remarkable men that -this continent has ever produced. He graduated in 1847, when he and -General Ransom received the first distinction in their class. The -latter delivered the Salutatory of his class to President Polk, and -fortunately survives the perils of many a battle-field still further -to honor and receive honor from his native State. Of General Pettigrew -I append a biographical sketch, which originally appeared in the -_Fayetteville Observer_, by a hand fully competent to do him justice, -and which presents him not overdrawn nor too highly colored. Of none -of the thousands of the flower of this Southern land who fell in her -defense can it be said more justly than of James Johnston Pettigrew: - -"_Felix non solum claritate vitae, sed etiam opportunitate mortis._"[23] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 23: Fortunate not only in the renown of his life, but also in -the opportunity of his death.] - - -II. - -GEN. JAMES JOHNSTON PETTIGREW. - -From The Fayetteville Observer. - - -James Johnston Pettigrew, late a Brigadier in the army of the -Confederate States, was born at Lake Scuppernong, in Tyrrell county, -North-Carolina, upon the 4th day of July, 1828. His family is -originally of French extraction. At an early period, however, one -branch of it emigrated to Scotland, where it may be traced holding -lands near Glasgow about the year 1492. Afterward a portion of it -removed to the northern part of Ireland. From this place James -Pettigrew, the great-grandfather of the subject of this notice, -about the year 1732, came into Pennsylvania, and, some twenty years -afterward, into North-Carolina. About 1770, this gentleman removed -to South-Carolina, leaving here, however, his son Charles, who was -a resident successively of the counties of Granville, Chowan, and -Tyrrell. Charles Pettigrew was subsequently the first Bishop-elect of -the Protestant Episcopal Church in this diocese. He died in 1807, and -his memory survives, fragrant with piety, charity, and an extended -usefulness. His son Ebenezer succeeded to his estates and reputation. -Devoting his life to the successful drainage and cultivation of the -fertile lands which he owned, and to the government of the large family -of which he was the head, Mr. Pettigrew resisted every solicitation -presented by his neighbors for the employment of his talents in public -service. Upon one occasion alone was his reluctance overcome. In 1835, -he was chosen by a very flattering vote to represent his District in -the Congress of the United States. At that election he received the -rare compliment of an almost unanimous vote from his fellow-citizens -of Tyrrell, failing to obtain but three votes out of more than seven -hundred. He could not be prevailed upon to be a candidate at a -second election. Mr. Pettigrew married Miss Shepard, a daughter of -the distinguished family of that name seated at New-Berne. She died -in July 1830, when her son James Johnston was but two years of age. -Ebenezer Pettigrew lived until July, 1848, having witnessed with great -sensibility the very brilliant opening of his son's career among the -cotemporary youth of the land. - -After his mother's death the child was taken to the home of his -grandmother at New-Berne, and there remained until he was carried -into Orange county, to pursue his education. Owing to an unfortunate -exposure whilst an infant, young Pettigrew was a delicate boy, but by -diligent and systematic exercise he gradually inured his constitution -to endure without harm extraordinary fatigue and the extremes of -weather. He was a member of various schools at Hillsboro from the year -1836, enjoying the advantages of instruction by Mr. Bingham for about -four years previously to his becoming a student at the University. -During this period the state of his health required him to be often at -home for several months together. He was a member of the University of -North-Carolina during the full term of four years, graduating there -at the head of his class in June, 1847. From early childhood young -Pettigrew had been noted as a boy of extraordinary intellect. At all -the schools he was easily first in every class and in every department -of study. He seemed to master his text-books by intuition. They formed -the smallest portion of his studies, for his eager appetite for -learning ranged widely over subjects collateral to his immediate tasks. -Nor did they always stop here. His father was amused and gratified -upon one occasion to observe the extent to which he had profited by -his excursions among the medical books of an eminent physician at -Hillsboro, of whose family he was an inmate at the age of fourteen. -In the class-room at the University he appeared in reciting rather -to have descended to the level of the lesson, than to have risen up -to it. Student as he was, and somewhat reserved in demeanor, he was -nevertheless very popular with his fellows, and the object of their -enthusiastic admiration. Anecdotes were abundant as to the marvelous -range of his acquirements, and the generosity and patience with which -he contributed from his stores even to the dullest applicant for aid. -Nor was it only in letters that he was chief. A fencing-master, who -happened to have a class among the collegians, bore quite as decided -testimony to his merits as he had obtained from the various chairs of -the faculty. - -The commencement at which he graduated was distinguished by the -attendance of President Polk, Mr. Secretary Mason, and Lieutenant -Maury of the National Observatory. Impressed by the homage universally -paid to his merits, as well as by the high character of his graduating -oration, these gentlemen proposed to him to become an assistant in -the Observatory at Washington City. After spending some weeks in -recreation, Mr. Pettigrew reported to Lieutenant Maury, and remained -with him for some six or eight months. In the occupations of this -office he fully maintained his earlier promise; but soon relinquished -the position, inasmuch as the exposure and labor incident to it were -injuriously affecting his health. - -After an interval of travel in the Northern States, Mr. Pettigrew, in -the fall of 1848, became a student of law in the office of James Mason -Campbell, Esq., of Baltimore, where he remained for several months. At -the close of this period, by the solicitation of his kinsman, the late -James L. Petigru of Charleston, S.C., he entered his office with the -design of being subsequently associated with him in the practice of his -profession. Upon obtaining license, Mr. Pettigrew, by the advice of -his kinsman just mentioned, proceeded to Berlin and other universities -in Germany in order to perfect himself in the civil law. He remained -in Europe for nearly three years. Two years of this time he devoted to -study, the remainder he spent in traveling upon the Continent, and -in Great Britain and Ireland. He availed himself of this opportunity -of becoming acquainted with modern European languages so far as to be -able to speak with ease in those of Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. -During this tour he contracted a great partiality for the Spanish -character and history, having had considerable opportunity for studying -the former not only as a private gentleman, but also as Secretary of -Legation for a short while to Colonel Barringer, then Minister of the -United States near the Court of Spain. It may be proper to add here, -that among the unaccomplished designs of Mr. Pettigrew, to which he had -given some labor, was that of following Prescott in further narratives -of the connection of Spain with America, and as a preliminary to this -he had formed a collection of works in Arabic, and had made himself -acquainted with that language. - -Mr. Pettigrew returned to Charleston in November, 1852, and entered -upon the practice of law in connection with his honored and -accomplished relative. He profited so well by his studies in Europe and -by his subsequent investigations, that in the opinion of his partner, -who was well qualified to judge, he became a master of the civil law -not inferior in acquisition and in grasp of principle to any in the -United States. His success at the bar was brilliant. In 1856, he was -chosen one of the representatives of the city in the Legislature, -holding his seat under that election for the two sessions of December, -1856, and December, 1857. He rose to great distinction in that body. -His report against the reopening of the Slave Trade, and his speech -upon the organization of the Supreme Court, gave him reputation beyond -the bounds of the State. He failed to be reelected in 1858. - -Mr. Pettigrew persistently refused to receive any portion of the income -of the partnership of which he was a member. Independent in property, -and simple in his habits of personal expenditure, he displayed no -desire to accumulate money. Noble in every trait of character, he held -the contents of his purse subject to every draft that merit might -present. - -For some years previous to the rupture between the North and the South, -Mr. Pettigrew had anticipated its occurrence, and believing it to be -his duty to be prepared to give his best assistance to the South in -such event, had turned his attention to military studies. Like many -other rare geniuses, he had always a partiality for mathematics, and -so very naturally devoted much time to that branch of this science -which deals with war. Even as far back as 1850 he had been desirous of -becoming an officer in the Prussian army; and negotiations for that end -set upon foot by military friends whom he had made at Berlin, failed -only because he was a republican. Afterward he became Aid to Governor -Alston of South-Carolina, and more recently to Governor Pickens. Upon -the breaking out of the war between Sardinia and Austria, Colonel -Pettigrew at once arranged his private business and hastened to obtain -position in the army under General Marmora. His application to Count -Cavour was favorably received, but after consideration his offer was -declined on the ground that the event of the battle of Solferino had -rendered further fighting improbable. He was greatly disappointed, as -his reception had inspired him with hopes of seeing active service in -the Sardinian army with rank at least as high as that of a colonel. -Availing himself, however, of his unexpected leisure, he revisited -Spain, and after a stay of a few months returned to South-Carolina. -The fruits of this second visit were collected by him into a volume -entitled Spain and the Spaniards, which he printed for the inspection -of his friends in 1860. It will be found to be a thoughtful, spirited, -and agreeable record of his impressions of that romantic land. - -At the opening of the present war, Colonel Pettigrew, as Aid to -Governor Pickens, took a prominent part in the operations of -Charleston. He was at that time also colonel of a rifle regiment in -which he was much interested, and which became conspicuous amongst the -military organizations around Charleston in the winter of 1860-1861. As -commander of this body he received the surrender of Castle Pinckney, -and subsequently held himself in readiness to storm Fort Sumter, in -case it had not surrendered after bombardment. Later in the spring, -having failed to procure the incorporation of his regiment into the -army of the Confederate States, and believing there was little chance -of seeing active service in South-Carolina, he transferred himself as -a private into Hampton's Legion, and early in the summer accompanied -that corps into Virginia. A few days afterward he was recalled to the -service of his native State by an unsolicited election as Colonel of -the 12th Regiment of North-Carolina Volunteers, now the 22d Regiment -of North-Carolina Troops. It had been Colonel Pettigrew's earnest -wish to become connected with the North-Carolina army, and so he at -once accepted the honorable position, and repaired to Raleigh where -his regiment was stationed in its camp of instruction. He devoted his -attention to its discipline with great assiduity, and in the early -days of August was ordered into Virginia. The fall and winter of 1861 -were spent by him near Evansport, upon the Potomac. He gave his whole -time and attention to the perfecting of his regiment, in the duties of -soldiers. He fully shared in every hardship that was incident to their -situation. In this new position Colonel Pettigrew became conspicuous -for another characteristic necessary to eminent success in every -department, but especially in that of military life. The men under -his command became devotedly attached to him. Their enthusiasm knew -no bounds. Their confidence in his administration of the police of -the camp was perfect, and their assurance of his gallantry and skill -unqualified. He soon felt that he might rely upon his brave men for -all that was possible to soldiers, and his attachment to the regiment -became marked. Being offered promotion to the rank of brigadier, he -declined it on the ground that it would separate him from his regiment. -Some time later in the spring of 1862, an arrangement was made by which -the 12th Regiment was included in the brigade that was tendered to him, -and he no longer felt any difficulty in accepting the promotion. - -General Pettigrew shared in the march under General Johnston into the -Peninsula, and afterward in the retreat upon Richmond. On the 1st day -of June, 1862, in the battle of Seven Pines, he was severely wounded -by a ball which passed transversely along the front of his throat and -so into the shoulder, cutting the nerves and muscles which strengthen -the right arm. This occurred in a charge which he had headed with -great gallantry. He was left upon the field for dead, and recovered -his consciousness only to find himself in the hands of the enemy. Some -weeks later his exchange was effected, and, being still an invalid, -he was placed in command at Petersburg. The exigencies of the service -having required his regiment to be transferred to another brigade, he -found, upon his return, that it had been placed under the gallant--and -now, alas! lamented--General Pender. By degrees a new brigade assembled -around General Pettigrew, and such was his pains in its instruction, -and such the desire among the North-Carolina soldiers to make part of -his command, that by the close of the year he was at the head of a -brigade which, in point of quality, numbers, and soldierly bearing, -was equal to any in the army. He commanded this brigade in repelling -the Federal raid into Martin county, late in the fall of 1862, and -again in General Foster's expedition against Goldsboro, in December, -1862, and although the quick dexterity of the enemy in falling back did -upon neither occasion afford him and his associates an opportunity of -trying conclusions with them, yet upon both occasions the magnificent -appearance of Pettigrew's Brigade tended greatly to revive the spirit -of a community recently overrun by the enemy. He was also with -General D.H. Hill during the spring of this year, in his attempt upon -Washington in this State; and in the very brilliant affair at Blount's -Creek gave the public a taste of what might be expected from his -abilities when untrammeled by the orders of a superior. - -At the time of General Stoneman's raid on the north of Richmond, -General Pettigrew was ordered to the protection of that city, and -shortly afterward took position at Hanover Junction. His brigade -subsequently made part of the Army of Northern Virginia, and -accompanied General Lee into Pennsylvania. At the battle of Gettysburgh -he was in command of General Heth's division, and won many laurels. His -division was greatly cut up. The loss of his brigade in killed and -wounded was so heavy as almost to destroy its organization. He himself -was wounded by a ball which broke one of the bones of his hand. He -regarded it so little as not to leave the field. Moving afterward with -General Lee to Hagerstown and the Potomac, it devolved upon General -Pettigrew, on the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th of -July, to assist in guarding the passage of that part of the army which -recrossed at Falling Water. About nine o'clock in the morning of the -latter day, having been in the saddle all night, General Pettigrew and -other officers had thrown themselves upon the ground for a few moments' -rest, when a party of Federal cavalry rode into their midst. In the -_melee_ which ensued General Pettigrew was shot--the ball taking effect -in the abdomen and passing through his body. When the enemy had been -repulsed, he was taken up by his sorrowing soldiers and carried across -the river some seven miles into Virginia, along the track of the army. -Upon the next day he was carried some fifteen miles further, to the -house of Mr. Boyd at Bunker Hill, where he received every attention of -which his situation allowed. Upon General Lee's expressing great sorrow -for the calamity, he said that his fate was no other than one might -reasonably anticipate upon entering the army, and that he was perfectly -willing to die for his country. To the Rev. Mr. Wilmer he avowed a firm -persuasion of the truths of the Christian religion, and said that in -accordance with his belief he had some years before made preparations -for death, adding, that otherwise he would not have entered the army. -He lingered until the 17th, and then at twenty-five minutes after six -in the morning, died, quietly and without pain. The expression of -sympathy for his sad fate was universal. Private soldiers from other -commands and distant States, vied with his own in repeated inquiries -after his condition. Upon its way to Raleigh his body was received -by the authorities and by the citizens everywhere with all possible -respect and attention. On the morning of Friday, the 24th of July, the -coffin, wrapped in the flag of the country, and adorned with wreaths -of flowers and other tributes of feminine taste and tenderness, lay -in the rotunda of the Capitol, where, within the year, had preceded -him his compatriots Branch and Anderson. Later in the day the State -received his loved and honored remains into her bosom. - -It was a matter of great gratification to North-Carolina when this -son, after an absence of a few years, gladly returned to her service. -She views his career in arms with a just pride. She will ever reckon -him among the most precious of her jewels; and will hold him forth as -the fittest of all exemplars to the coming generations of her young -heroes. Chief among his triumphs will it be reckoned that in the midst -of his elevation and of the high hopes which possessed his soul, he so -demeaned himself as to secure a place, hallowed by grief, in many an -humble heart throughout North-Carolina. His name is to be pronounced -reverently and with tears by the winter fireside of many a hut; and -curious childhood will beg to have often repeated the rude stories in -which soldiers shall celebrate his generosity, his impartiality, his -courtesy, and his daring. It is true that many eyes which flashed with -enthusiasm as their favorite urged his gray horse into the thick of the -battle, are forever dull upon the fatal hills of Pennsylvania; but this -will render his memory only the more dear to the survivors; what of his -fame was not theirs originally, they will claim to have inherited, from -the dead around Gettysburgh. - -If this story has been properly told, little remains to be said by -way of comment. A young man of very rare accomplishments and energy, -fitted equally for the cloister of the scholar and for the field of -battle, has been snatched from our midst. Admirably qualified to be -of assistance to the country as a soldier or as a statesman, General -Pettigrew has been suddenly removed at the very commencement, as it -were, of his career. - - _Ostendent terris hunc tantum fata, neque ultra - Esse sinent._ - -Although what he has achieved is sufficient for fame, that which -impresses the observer most forcibly is that such vast preparation -should, in the course of Providence, be defeated of an opportunity -for display at all commensurate with what seemed its reasonable -requirements. Under the circumstances his death looks like a prodigious -waste of material. It adds a striking illustration to that class of -subjects which has always been popular in poetry, and in morals whether -heathen or Christian. It appears very clearly that the Ruler of all -things is under no necessity to employ rare talents and acquirements -in the course of His awful administration, but in the crisis of great -affairs can lay aside a Pettigrew with as little concern as any other -instrument, even the meanest. - -Upon some fitting occasion no doubt his friends will see that the -public is furnished with a more suitable and detailed account of the -preparation he had made to do high service to his generation. It will -then be better known that no vulgar career of ambition, and no ordinary -benefit to his country, had presented itself to him as worthy of the -aims and endowments of James Johnston Pettigrew. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAST NINETY DAYS OF THE WAR IN -NORTH-CAROLINA*** - - -******* This file should be named 62332.txt or 62332.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/2/3/3/62332 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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