memoirs of general william t. sherman-2-第96章

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W。　T。　SHERMAN；　Major…General　commanding。

On　the　same　day；　but　later；　I　received　an　answer　from　General　Johnston；　agreeing　to　meet　me　again　at　Bennett's　house　the　next　day；　April　26th；　at　noon。　　He　did　not　even　know　that　General　Grant　was　in　Raleigh。

General　Grant　advised　me　to　meet　him；　and　to　accept　his　surrender　on　the　same　terms　as　his　with　General　Lee；　and　on　the　26th　I　again　went　up　to　Durham's　Station　by　rail；　and　rode　out　to　Bennett's　house；　where　we　again　met；　and　General　Johneton；　without　hesitation；　agreed　to；　and　we　executed；　the　following　final　terms：


Terms　of　a　Military　Convention；　entered　into　this　26th　day　of　April；　1865；　at　Bennett's　House；　near　Durham's　Station。；　North　Carolina；　between　General　JOSEPH　E。　JOHNSTON；　commanding　the　Confederate　Army；　and　Major…General　W。　T。　SHERMAN；　commanding　the　United　States　Army　in　North　Carolina：

1。　　All　acts　of　war　on　the　part　of　the　troops　under　General　Johnston's　command　to　cease　from　this　date。

2。　　All　arms　and　public　property　to　be　deposited　at　Greensboro'；　and　delivered　to　an　ordnance…officer　of　the　United　States　Army。

3。　　Rolls　of　all　the　officers　and　men　to　be　made　in　duplicate；　one　copy　to　be　retained　by　the　commander　of　the　troops；　and　the　other　to　be　given　to　an　officer　to　be　designated　by　General　Sherman。　Each　officer　and　man　to　give　his　individual　obligation　in　writing　not　to　take　up　arms　against　the　Government　of　the　United　States；　until　properly　released　from　this　obligation。

4。　　The　side…arms　of　officers；　and　their　private　horses　and　baggage；　to　be　retained　by　them。

5。　　This　being　done；　all　the　officers　and　men　will　be　permitted　to　return　to　their　homes；　not　to　be　disturbed　by　the　United　States　authorities；　so　long　as　they　observe　their　obligation　and　the　laws　in　force　where　they　may　reside。

W。　T。　　SHERMAN；　Major…General；　Commanding　United　States　Forces　in　North　Carolina。

J。　E。　JOHNSTON；　General；　Commanding　Confederate　States　Forces　in　North　Carolina。

Approved：

U。　S。　GRANT；　Lieutenant…General。


I　returned　to　Raleigh　the　same　evening；　and；　at　my　request；　General　Grant　wrote　on　these　terms　his　approval；　and　then　I　thought　the　matter　was　surely　at　an　end。　　He　took　the　original　copy；　on　the　27th　returned　to　Newbern；　and　thence　went　back　to　Washington。

I　immediately　made　all　the　orders　necessary　to　carry　into　effect　the　terms　of　this　convention；　devolving　on　General　Schofield　the　details　of　granting　the　parole　and　making　the　muster…rolls　of　prisoners；　inventories　of　property；　etc。；　of　General　Johnston's　army　at　and　about　Greensboro'；　North　Carolina；　and　on　General　Wilson　the　same　duties　in　Georgia；　but；　thus　far；　I　had　been　compelled　to　communicate　with　the　latter　through　rebel　sources；　and　General　Wilson　was　necessarily　confused　by　the　conflict　of　orders　and　information。　　I　deemed　it　of　the　utmost　importance　to　establish　for　him　a　more　reliable　base　of　information　and　supply；　and　accordingly　resolved　to　go　in　person　to　Savannah　for　that　purpose。　But；　before　starting；　I　received　a　New　York　Times；　of　April　24th；　containing　the　following　extraordinary　communications：


＇First　Bulletin＇

WAR　DEPARTMENT　WASHINGTON；　April　22；　1885。

Yesterday　evening　a　bearer　of　dispatches　arrived　from　General　Sherman。　　An　agreement　for　a　suspension　of　hostilities；　and　a　memorandum　of　what　is　called　a　basiS　for　peace；　had　been　entered　into　on　the　18th　inSt。　　by　General　Sherman；　with　the　rebel　General　Johnston。　　Brigadier…General　Breckenridge　was　present　at　the　conference。

A　cabinet　meeting　was　held　at　eight　o'clock　in　the　evening；　at　which　the　action　of　General　Sherman　was　disapproved　by　the　President；　by　the　Secretary　of　War；　by　General　Grant；　and　by　every　member　of　the　cabinet。　　General　Sherman　was　ordered　to　resume　hostilities　immediately；　and　was　directed　that　the　instructions　given　by　the　late　President；　in　the　following　telegram；　which　was　penned　by　Mr。　Lincoln　himself；　at　the　Capitol；　on　the　night　of　the　3d　of　March；　were　approved　by　President　Andrew　Johnson；　and　were　reiterated　to　govern　the　action　of　military　commanders。

On　the　night　of　the　3d　of　March；　while　President　Lincoln　and　his　cabinet　were　at　the　Capitol；　a　telegram　from　General　Grant　was　brought　to　the　Secretary　of　War；　informing　him　that　General　Lee　had　requested　an　interview　or　conference；　to　make　an　arrangement　for　terms　of　peace。　　The　letter　of　General　Lee　was　published　in　a　letter　to　Davis　and　to　the　rebel　Congress。　　General　Grant's　telegram　was　submitted　to　Mr。　Lincoln；　who；　after　pondering　a　few　minutes；　took　up　his　pen　and　wrote　with　his　own　hand　the　following　reply；　which　he　submitted　to　the　Secretary　of　State　and　Secretary　of　War。　　It　was　then　dated；　addressed；　and　signed；　by　the　Secretary　of　War；　and　telegraphed　to　General　Grant：


WASHINGTON；　March　3；　1865…12　P。M。

Lieutenant…General　GRANT：

The　President　directs　me　to　say　to　you　that　he　wishes　you　to　have　no　conference　with　General　Lee；　unless　it　be　for　the　capitulation　of　General　Lee's　army；　or　on　some　minor　or　purely　military　matter。　He　instructs　me　to　say　that　you　are　not　to　decide；　discuss；　or　confer　upon　any　political　questions。　　Such　questions　the　President　holds　in　his　own　hands；　and　will　submit　them　to　no　military　conferences　or　conventions。

Meantime　you　are　to　press　to　the　utmost　your　military　advantages。

EDWIN　M。　　STANTON；　Secretary　of　War。


The　orders　of　General　Sherman　to　General　Stoneman　to　withdraw　from　Salisbury　and　join　him　will　probably　open　the　way　for　Davis　to　escape　to　Mexico　or　Europe　with　his　plunder；　which　is　reported　to　be　very　large；　including　not　only　the　plunder　of　the　Richmond　banks；　but　previous　accumulations。

A　dispatch　received　by　this　department　from　Richmond　says：　〃It　is　stated　here；　by　respectable　parties；　that　the　amount　of　specie　taken　south　by　Jeff。　　Davis　and　his　partisans　is　very　large；　including　not　only　the　plunder　of　the　Richmond　banks；　but　previous　accumulations。　　They　hope；　it　is　said；　to　make　terms　with　General　Sherman；　or　some　other　commander；　by　which　they　will　be　permitted；　with　their　effects；　including　this　gold　plunder；　to　go　to　Mexico　or　Europe。　　Johnaton'S　negotiations　look　to　this　end。〃

After　the　cabinet　meeting　last　night；　General　Grant　started　for　North　Carolina；　to　direct　operations　against　Johnston's　army。

EDWIN　M。　　STANTON；　Secretary　of　War。


Here　followed　the　terms；　and　Mr。　Stanton's　ten　reasons　for　rejecting　them。

The　publication　of　this　bulletin　by　authority　was　an　outrage　on　me；　for　Mr。　Stanton　had　failed　to　communicate　to　me　in　advance；　as　was　his　duty；　the　purpose　of　the　Administration　to　limit　our　negotiations　to　purely　military　matters；　but；　on　the　contrary；　at　Savannah　he　had　authorized　me　to　control　all　matters；　civil　and　military。

By　this　bulletin；　he　implied　that　I　had　previously　been　furnished　with　a　copy　of　his　dispatch　of　March　3d　to　General　Grant；　which　was　not　so；　and　he　gave　warrant　to　the　impression；　which　was　sown　broadcast；　that　I　might　be　bribed　by　banker's　gold　to　permit　Davis　to　escape。　　Under　the　influence　of　this；　I　wrote　General　Grant　the　following　letter　of　April　28th；　which　has　been　published　in　the　Proceedings　of　the　Committee　on　the　Conduct　of　the　War。

I　regarded　this　bulletin　pf　Mr。　Stanton　as　a　persona）　and　official　insult；　which　I　afterward　publicly　resented。



HEADQUARTERS　MILITARY　DIVISION　OF　THE　MISSISSIPPI　IN　THE　FIELD；　RALEIGH；　NORTH　CAROLINA；　April　28；1865。

Lieutenant…General　U。　S。　GRANT；　General…in…Chief；　Washington；　D。　C。

GENERAL：　Since　you　left　me　yesterday；　I　have　seen　the　New　York　Times　of　the　24th；　containing　a　budget　of　military　news；　authenticated　by　the　signature　of　the　Secretary　of　War；　Hon。　E。　M。　Stanton；　which　is　grouped　in　such　a　way　as　to　give　the　public　very　erroneous　impressions。　　It　embraces　a　copy　of　the　basis　of　agreement　between　myself　and　General　Johnston；　of　April　18th；　with　comments；　which　it　will　be　time　enough　to　discuss　two　or　three　years　hence；　after　the　Government　has　experimented　a　little　more　in　the　machinery　by　which　power　reaches　the　scattered　people　of　the　vast　country　known　as　the　〃South。〃

In　the　mean　time；　however；　I　did　think　that　my　rank　（if　not　past　services）　entitled　me　at　least　to　trust　that　the　Secretary　of　War　would