Newspaper Page Text
THE WEEKLY CONSTITUTION DECEMBER 27. 1S81.
JOHNSTON’S JUDGMENTS.
A STAHTLINO STATEMENT CON
CERNING EX-PRESIDENT DAVIS.
Be Xs Asked to Aeooont for More Than Two Millions
of Dollars of Confederate Treasure—General
Johnston Tells Some of the Secrets
and Trials of His Campaigns.
I’mt.ADEl.rniA, Pa., December 16,1881.—Not long
ago I found myself upon u slow train on the rail
road between Goldsboro, N. C., and Raleigh, the
capital of the "tar heel” state. It was daytime, and
I had gotten up early, and was consequently out of
humor. A long, lank North Carolinian sat behind
me, and every now and then would lean forward
and coll my attention to some point of historic in
terest, or wiTuld relate some ludicrous story
which relieved the tedium of travel and soon bet
tered my spirits. He tinally fell to asking questions,
and his first was:
"Say, stranger, I'll bet you war a yankco sol
dier.”
“Why do you think fo?”
"You seem so mighty interested in the wa'. What
did you belong to? War yon a footman, or did you
Jiuc a critter regiment? We didn’t mind so much
•bout them 'are walking men, but them critter sol
diers war hell. Why, I have seen many a one on
’em that had got stealin' down so line that he’d
milk afcow, on the keen run, into the mouth of a
canteen without spillin' a drop.”
"Thar s whar Joe Johnston and Sherman met be
fore the final surrender, and whar all the deviltry
was done," said my eccentric companion who hnd
just given Ids unique estimate of the cavalry army
of tiie federal service. He broke short off in the
story In which I wns interested to point to a place
not a stone’s throw from the railroad over which
we were traveling. The spot is about six miles
from Durham, N. C., that thriving town of several
thousand inhabitants which has sprung up since
the war, through the iudustry of a Mr. Blackwell,
whom they say lias advanced from a poor teamster
to be one of the richest men in the state. It is
purely a tobacco manufacturing town, it has no
other industry and seems to be content with its lot.
It is really a striking example of what can ho done
in the south by energy and pluck. Durham is the
point where General Sherman stopped aa he came
down from Raleigh by rail, and he there took to his
saddle and rode across the country to meet General
Johnston at the Bennett house—the place that my
North Carolinian informant pointed out to me
some miles down the road toward Greensboro.
There is no business of life so weighty but that it
has its lights as well as shades, but that it has its
ludicrous as well ns serious sides. This fact was il
lustrated In the important conference which pre
ceded the final surrender of Jonston.
The incident was told to me some years ago by a
gentleman who bad it shortly after it occurred,
from one of the principals. It wns at the second
meeting between Sherman and Johnston; the terms
of peace had been practically agreed upon the first
day; there was only one serious difference, that
was the exclusion of Jeff Davis and his cabinet
from the terms of amnesty. General Breckinridge,
Mr. Davis's secretary of war, lmd been brought in to
represent the president’s position upon that ques
tion. When the three were alone General Sherman
took from one side of his saddle-bags] writing ma
terials, and from the other, a bottle of spirits. The
three took a social glass by way of introduction.
It was pretty good liquor, which was a scarce article
with the confederates in those days, and ns Breckin
ridge was very fond of a drink, this introduction to
the great general, who made “the march to the
sea," was an agreeable one. The introduction
over, General Sherman sat down to the table
and began writing the famous terms of peace,
which Secretary Stanton disapproved. Breckin
ridge and Johnston sat near by, and every now and
then Breckinridge's oyes would turn wistfully
toward the bottle which sat near General Sherman’s
elbow. The general, however, was intent upon his
work, and ceemed oblivions to the presence of any
one. At last he dropped his pen, ami grasped the
coveted liquor. Breckinridge’s face at once lighted
up with a. joyful expectancy,and dropping bis quid
of tobacco from his mouth into his hand he tossed
it briskly out of the door, and stroked liis heavy
black mustache by way of preparation, and in evi
dent anticipation of a renewal of the introduction.
Sherman, however, was absorbed in his work. He
simply poured a tablespoonful of liquor into the
glass, drank it. set the bottle down, and went on
with his writing without a word of recognition to
cither of his companions. Breckinridge's cotintc-
uaneo fell, he quickly arose from his seat, and with
an evident shade of grave disappointment upon his
face, walked to the window and looked sorrowfully
out upon the beautiful evidences of spring time
which greeted the close of the war.
This reference to the terms of pence first made be
tween General Sherman and Genera] Johnston
affords a fitting opportunity to furnish the reasons
why General Hhemiun treated President Johnson
with perfect courtesy at the great military review in
Washington soon niter the final surrender, when
he took deliberate occasion to publicly insult Sec
retary Stanton. It is a fact, doubtless stated in print
here for the first time, and given upon indisputable
authority. President Johnston took early opportu
nity to assure General Sherman that he had no part
in issuing the proclamation whicii, Sherman
thought, offensively rejected the agreement he had
made for the surrender of Johnston's arm v and the
restoration of peace. He told General Sherman that
he did not sign the proclamation, and knew noth
ing of it until he saw it in the public prints; that
the secretary of war had acted upon his individual
authority in affixing his signature thereto. The
president assured him that he approved his action,
as it was based upon the views expressed by Presi
dent Lincoln before his death. Ill the then excited
state of the public mind he doubtless thought it
best not to interfere \vith,the unauthorized action of
the secretary of war, for it would have provoked a
conflict, the result of which could hardly have been
orcsccn.
Reviewing those recollections of the important
meeting between the two generals, who represented
the remaining active forces after General Leo's sur
render, recalls a very pleasant and instructive con
versation l had with General Johnston not long
since, when he gave me a very,vivid and striking
narrative, not only of the meeting between himself
and General Sherman, but of most of the exciting
and important incidents whieh preceded it. This
narrative from the lips of the greatest confederate
soldier now living cannot fail to be of interest.
"I was at a point not far from Columbia," said
General Johnston, “when 1 received a telegraphic
order from General Lee to take command of the
army against which Sherman was operating, to con
centrate it, and drive Sherman back. Onr armv
was then marching in three columns, two of which
were farther to the rear lliun -neitnan scenter. I
obeyed orders so far as uniting the armv, but, of
course, our force was not then large enough to seri
ously interrupt General Shermans progress. It is
doubtful whether it could have successfully re
sisted any single column of hisarniy. We di 1 how
ever make the best use of what force we had. As
long as it was possible I kept upmy communication
with General Lee, and we frequently conferred as
to the plan of action. After the evacuation of Rich
mond my communication with him was broken.
Soon after I received a dispatch from Mr. Davis at
Danville, Virginia, announcing the surrender:
Danville, Vo., April 10, 1865.—General J. E.
Johnston: A scout reports that General Lee sur
rendered the remnant of his army near Appomat
tox, C. H„ yesterday. Have no official intelligence
of the event, but there is little room for doubt us to
its correctness. General H. H. Walker is ordered
with forces here to join you at Greensboro. Let me
hear from you there; I will need to see you to con
fer for future action. »<■■>* o
Jekferson Davis.
The following reply was sent:
•RAl.Eic.it. April 11, 1865, 1:30 p.m.—His Excel
lency, Jefferson Davis, Greensboro: Your dispatch
received. Our infantry and artillery will be here
to-night. Please order if I shall go to Greensboro.
The enemy is beyoed Neuse river. In the direction
of Goldsboro. I am not indispensable here.
. , "J. E. Johnston."
Before General Johnston sent the above dispatch
Mr. Davis and a portion of his cabinet had arrived
at Greensboro and Mr. Davis had transmitted the
following dispatch:
"Greensboro, April 11,1865.—General J. E. John
ston : The secretary of war did not join me at Dan
ville. Is expected her this afternoon. As your
.situation may render best wil go to your head
quarters immediately u ter the arrival o'f thesecre-
tary of war. or you can come hen J In the former
case our conference must be without the presence
of General Beauregard. I have no official report
Secretary ol war has not arrived. To save time,
and have all information, it is probably oeltcrtbat
you come here. In that event you will give the
needful instructions to your second in command,
and if circumstances warrant, suspend the move
ment suggested in your dispatch of 3:30 pm., for
a time, which will enable you to communicate
from here with that officer, or to indicate that the
line has been broken by the enemy so as to inter
rupt communication. Jefferson Davis.”
General Johnston returned the following reply:
"6:00 p.m.. April 11th. 1865.—His Excellency,
Jefferson Davis: Your dispatch of 3:30 p.m. re
ceived. I will report at Greensboro as soon as
practicable. Joseph E. Johnston.”
"The morning of the 12th.” continued General
Johnston, “found me in Goldsboro, the guest of
General Beauregard. We carefully reviewed the
condition of affairs, and agreed that. In view of the
great disaster to our arras in the surrender of Gen
eral Lee, the southern confederacy was overthrown.
When we were summoned to the president’s office
for consultation, we found him of an entirely dif
ferent opinion. He Kt-emed to have no thought
that the end was near, and went on giving informa
tion as to the resources of the army, and mapping
out plans for the future. He said in a few weeks
lie could have a large army in the field, and pro
ceeded to state his plans for a continuation of the
war. Thcconference terminated without an opin
ion, or information, being asked by him of any
one present. The president seemed to
have made up bis mind. and
to be relying as usual upon his individual judg
ment. General Breckinridge, the secretary oi war,
had not tiieu arrived, but later in the day he
reached Goldsboro and confirmed the report of the
surrender of General Lee. 1 had a conversation
with him later in the day, th which 1 expressed the
conviction that the war was virtually at an end,
and timt all the powers of government whieh re
posed in the executive were destroyed except one—
that was the tiower to terminate the war: and I ex
pressed the decided opinion that this power should
be exercised at once. I had not then expressed
myself thus to Mr. Davis because he had given me
no opportunity. At our conference he, rather to
my surprise, gave information and opinions rather
than songbt them. The conversation between
Breckinridge and me, however, brought about a
second conference, at which were present Mr. Davis
and his cabinet, General Beauregard and myself.
Mr. Davis asked my estimate of the relative strength
of the available military forces of the two parties to
the war. It was demonstrated that the armies of
General Grant, General Sherman and General
Can by aggregated something more than 310,000
available men, while the force at our command was
not more than 25,000, all told. 1 took this occasion
to say to Mr. Davis that, under the existing circum
stances, it was his duty to exercise without delay
the single function of government left in his hands,
and open negotiations for peace; and that it would
be the greatest of crimes to attempt to continue the
war. the only possible effect of which would be to
further devastate our country and to uselessly shed
the bloo(l of our countrymen. General Breckin
ridge, Mr. Mallory aud Mr. Reagan, ol Mr. Davis’s
cabinet expressed themselves very decidedly
against a continuance of the war, and
thought it the president’s duty to
make terms of peace at once.
The president seemed considerably annoyed at
these emphatic expressions against his views, and
called attention to the result of the "Hampton
Roads Conference,” which he said demonstrated
that any termsoi peace he might offer would not
be considered by the United States, or his authori
ty to treat recognized. Mr. Benjamin sustained
Mr. Davis, not only in his position, but in his
scheme for continuing hostiliies, and made a dra
matic speech in favor of prolonging the war.
“I suggested to Mr. Davis, that military com
manders frequently agreed to an arxnsistie.e, and
initiated negotiations upon which their respective
governments founded treaties of peace, and X pro
posed that he should allow me to address General
Sherman to this end. He rather objected to the
latter part of the proposition, but suggested that I
address General Sherman, asking a meeting to
arrange the terms of an armistice. I suggested that
the letter be then and there prepared; that Mr.
Mallory should write It, and that 1 would sign and
send it at once to General Sherman. The letter was
written, and I dispatched it with all possible haste
to General Hampton, who was authorized not only
to forward it to General Sherman, but to arrange
the time and place for the conference with any
officer General Sherman might designate. X then
left Mr. Davis and returned to my command, and
on-the 16th of April received General Sherman’s
favorable reply to my proposal for a.conference.
General Hampton on the same day informed me
that we were to meet at noon on the 17th of April
at the house of Mr. Bennett, on the dirt road run
ning from Hillsboro to Raleigh and about midway
between the cavalry out-posts of tiie two
armies. On tiie morning of the 17th, ac
companied by my staff and about a com
pany of cavalry I started for the place of meeting.
I arri
rived shortiy in advance of General Sherman,
but saw him coming up the road as we halted, and
1 did not dismount until he rode np. We saluted
as lie approached, dismount :d and walked into the
house together. We were shown into a room that
had been set apart for our use; the door was closed,
and we were alone. The first thing General Sher
man did was to hand me a telegram from the secre
tary of war announcing the assassination of Presi
dent Lincoln. He said he had received it by courier
on his way to the conference, and that he had re
frained from speaking of it, or showing tiie messuge
to any one, lest it might create undue excitement
among the troops, and lead to a mistaken impres
sion that tiie crime had been incited or committed
by the confederate authorities. I was therefore the
first one in this section after General Sherman to
receive the sad intelligence of Mr. Lincoln's
murder. I expressed the conviction then that I have
ever since held, that It was the greatest calamity
that he offered me the same terms Grant had
accorded to Geneaal Lee. I called his
attention to the terms of my note, and
that could have befallen the South.
After the con vers tion, which the introduction of
this subject provoked, the object of our meeting
was brought up by General Sherman's remarking
suggested that it did not contemplate a conference
for surrender.but simply an nnnislice to permit the
civil authorities of the two countries to negotiate
terms of peace. He replied that the government of
the United Suites did not recognize the existence of
a southern confederacy and that he could not re
ceive or transmit, any proposition addressed to the
government of the United States by those claiming
to he the civil authorities of the confederacy. He,
however, expressed himself as exceedingly anxious
to divert from the south such calamities as the con
tinuation of the war would inevitably bring, and
reiterated his offer of such terms as Grant gave to
Lee. I reminded him that the position of our ar
mies was vastly different from those of General Lee
and General Grant: that mine was four days march
from him, and that the distance could not be les
sened, therefore I would not be justified In making
a capitulation. After some further conversation I
suggested that there were eminent precedents to
justify us in going further than a mere suspension
of hostilities. I cited several of them, and called
his attention to the offers of Napoleon to the Arch
Duke Charles, and again to other eminent military
authorities who had negotiated terms of peace.
Here began what to me was a very interesting part
of the conference. General Sherman entered into
the discussion of these military precedents with
great interest. He evinced an earnest desire to pre
vent further bloodshed, and to restore the union.
When the question of authority to conduct
negotiations to that end had been seit’.ed, we began
to consider the terms which might be accorded to
the southern states in view of their submission to
theauthority of the United States. General Sherman
had had along conversation with Mr. Lincoln, but a
very short time before our meeting If hich furnished
him with the basis for the terms of peace which we
afterward agreed to. I have never had any doubt
but that they were entirely in accordance with Mr.
Lincoln's views, and would have been accepted and
ratified by him, had he lived. It did not take us
long to agree upon the terms, as expressed in the
memorandum, which we signed at our second meet
ing, with the exception of one clause; that
was the one relating to amnesty for Mr.
Davis and his cabinet. We spent most
of the afternoon discusing this jjuestion, and at sun
down bad reached no conclusion. General Sher
man’s idea seemed to be to dispose of this question
in some manner that would not jeopardize the rati
fication of the terms of peace by his government,
and hence the earnest consideration given to it.
Ifwas after sunset before onr first conference was
concluded.and we parted to meet the next morning
at 10 o’clock. Immediately after we separated I
telegraphed for Mr. Breckinridge, the secretary of
war, whose confidential relations with Mr. Davis I
thought would enable him to represent his position
upon the amnesty question under consideration.
Mr. Breckinridge came and, at Mr. Davis’s request,
Mr. Reagan, the postmaster general, accompanied
him. They joined at General Hampton'sjhead
quarters shortly before daybreak on the 18th. 1
gave them a very full account of the first day's dis
cussion between General Sherman and myself, aud
the terms asdar as agreod upon. Mr. Reagan sat
down and reduced them to writing,
to facilitate the business of the second
meeting. He included the articles for amnesty
without excepting Mr. Davis or tiie cabinet.
W.ien General Sherman and I met that morning
I suggested to him the presence of General Breck
inridge, and his close personal relations to the
S resident of the confederacy, and proposed that he
e admitted to the conference. General Sherman
assented. When the memorandum as prepared by
Mr. Reagan was handed me I read it to General
Sherman who took it and immediately
sat down at the table and began
writing, holding the paper I had given
him directly in front of him with his left hand.
He had been writing but a moment when General
Breckinridge interrupted him, and began makings
speech upon the blessings of peace. General Sher
man looked up from his work and gazed at
him fixedlv until he had finishhd, when he
took General Sherman about four or five days to
communicate with the civil authorities of the
United States and get a reply, but I did not receive
Mr. Davis's approval of the agreement until the
21th of April, aud within an hour of the time f re
ceived General Sherman’s announcement that his
government disapproved of the terms, and that
the armistice would terminate in forty-
eight hours. Mr. Davis had - evidently been
considering for all these.five or six days whether or
not he would accept the terms of peace which the
United States government rejected as too liberal.
“When the agreement between General Sherman
and myself had been signed every one that knew of
it felt elated. Breckinridge was in great glee, and
riding* back to General Hampton's headquarters
took it for granted that thi war was ended. He
made several business propositions to me, some of
them of considerable magnitude. Before we had
got three miles from the Bennett house on our re
turn, he proposed that we buy the Greenbrier white
sulphursprings in Virginia. This seemed to be his
pet scheme, and he insisted that it would be a great
money-making venture. I suggested that we had no
tnorey.”
•Not a bit of trouble about that,' he said; ‘tiota
bit of trouble about getting the money; we can bor
row it.’
‘Where, and of whom?’ I asked.
'Oh, most any capitalist would be 'willing to
back us,’ he replied. ‘There will be no trouble
about the money.’
"Mr. Reagan was also pleased with the settle
ment. and almost every one else except Mr. Davis.
The armistice and conference had. however, been
demoralizing -to onr troops, as they feared they
were to be made prisoners of war.
“Immediately upon receipt of the dispatches
from General Sherman, announcing the rejection
bv bis government of the agreement, and the eud-
ingof the armistice within forty-eight hours, I
communicated the fact to Mr. Davis. It was about
six o’clock in the evening of the 21th when I sent
the dispatch, aud in addition to giving thodhfor-
mation I asked for instructions, and sug
gested that the army be disbanded at. once
to prevent further devastation and blood
shed. 1 received a dispatch in reply, dated
11 p.m, oi the 21th, and signed by General Breck
inridge as secretary oi war, and was, of course, by
Mr. Davis's direction. It ordered me to disband
the infantry with instructions to meet again at
some given point farthersouth, aud directed that I
join the president with all the available cavalry at
my command and any other soldiers who could be
mounted upon serviceable animals froi# the wagon
trains, and all the light artillery I eould furnish
serviceable horses for. This was the last order I
ever received from the confederacy, and I felt im
pelled from a sense of duty to refuse to obey it. I
returned the following response by wire:
April 25, 1805.—Hon. J. C, Breckinridge:
"Y'our dispatch received. We have to save the peo
ple. spare the blood of tiie army and save the high
civil functionaries; your plan, i think, can only do
the last We ought to prevent invasion, make terms
for our troops, and give an escort of our best
cavalry to the president, who ought to move with
out loss of a moment. The commanders believe the
troops will not fight again. We think your plan
impracticable. Major General Wilson, of the United
states army, has captured Macon with Major Gener
als Cobb, G. W. Smith, Brigadier Generals Mackally
and Mercer, and the garrison. The federal papers
announce the capture of Mobile with three thou
sand prisoners. J. E. Johnston General,
"The talk about disbanding the infantry to meet
at some given point I, of course, recognized as a
subterfuge. The object was evident. The presi
dent desired to organize a force, which could travel
much faster than infantry, and the pamgrapt in
the dispatch relating to a reorganization of the in
fantry at some point further south, was simply to
conceal the president’s purpose. My impression
was at the time, and still is. that it was his inten
tion to take this class of troops anti pusli south, and
continue the war west of the Mississippi that he
might wear the title of president a few months
longer, and when he was finally forced to leave
the country to have a respectable escort across the
ltio Grande into Mexico. With my sense ol duty
to the southern people I could not lend myself in
command to any stich project. I felt that a con
tinuation of the war was a crime, aud that to lead
the victorious armies across tiie southwestern states
in achose after Mr. Davis, and the force with which
he proposed to surronnd himself to prolong the
war, would be a fresh disaster to the people of the
south which I did not propose to be a party to.
This is the disobedience of orders on my part which
Mr. Davis, in his so-called ‘History of the Rise aud
Fall of the Confederate Government," alludes to
when he says: “Had General Johnston obeyed the
order sent him from Charlotte, and moved on the
route selected by himself, with all his cavalry, so
much of the infantry as could be mounted and the
light artillery, he could not have been successfully
K ursued by Sherman. His force, united to that 1
ad assembled at Charlotte, would, it was believed,
have been sufficient to vanquish any troops whicii
tiie enemy hud between us aud the Mississippi
river. Hud the cavalry with which 1 left Charlotte
beeu associated with a force large enough to inspire
hope for the future, instead of being discouraged
by the surrender in their rear, it would probably
have gone on, and when united with the forces of
from Genera! Lee. Secretary of war may be able to J instantiv dropped his eyes upon the paper without
add to information heretotore communicated. The 1 even a sign of response, " '
important question lobe solved is at what point
shall concentration be made In slew of the present
IKisition of the two columns of the enemy, and the
routes which they may adopt to encage your forces
before a prompt junction with General Walker and
others. Your more intimate knowledge of the data
for the solution of the problem deters me
from making a specific suggestion on that point.
Later on the same day the following dispatch was
received by General Johnston:
“Greensboro, Acril llth, 1:30 p.m.—General J. E.
Johnston: Y’our dispatch of 1:30 p.m., received.
ign of response, and began writing as rap
idly as possible. When the memorandum he had
beeu writing was finished I found that it differed
from mine only in being more in detail. The con
ference was not continued long after tne terms
were agreed upon. Colonel Dayton, of General
Sherman's staff, was called to make tonr copies of
the agreement—one for each of the presidents, one
for General Sherman and one for myself. When
they were finished and signed we separated. I
transmitted a copy to Mr. Davis at once, and Gen
eral Sherman sent a copy to President Johnson.
Mr. Davis received his copy within a few hours. It
Moivry. Forest and Taylor, in Alubamauud Missis
sippi, have constituted an army large cuodVfco
attract stragglers aud revived the drooping spirits
of the country.’
“Because I did not lend myself to this plan of
Mr. Davis’s for prolonging the war. he seems to
think that I committed an offense against the south
ern people. My information is that they take a
different view of it. and I am thoroughly cotitent
with their estimate of my conduct on that occa
sion.”
Mr. Davis left Charlotte soon after General Sher
man gave notice that the armistice would terminate
in forty-eight hours, and acting upon my authority
as a militaty commander I proposed to General
Sherman another armistice to negotiate for a settle
ment of the difficulties upon the basis of the mill
tary part of the agreement which his government
had rejected. Soon after daybreak, on the morning
of the 26th of April, I received a favorable reply
from General Sherman, and set out at once for the
Bennett house, where our first negotiations
had been conducted. We met about noon
and in a very short lime had agreed upon terms
which put an end to the war within the limits of
onr commands which are embraced within the
same territory.
"Is Mr. Davis a man of much military ability?’
“By no means. I do not regard him os qualified
for high executive or military duties. His service
as the executive of the confederacy demonstrated
this fact. I do not believe that there is in the liis-
torv oi the world another such example oi demor
alizing control as that of Mr. Davis’s management of
the affairs of the confederacy, ne is a man oi over
weening vanity and great will power. I regard
him even more of a failure as a military man than
as a civil executive. He naturally has no under
standing or conception of military operations on an
extended scale, and yet is vain enough to think
that he knows it all."
I see that in h'S book he alludes to having left
some money with you at Charlotte and that you
distributed it among the troops.” ,
‘‘Yes, that was an occurrence which I distinctly
recall. On the l'Jth of April, after the conclusion
of my first conference with General Sherman, I
hastened to Greensboro, where my headquarters
had been removed, and atrived there about day
light. We did not sleep much in those eventful
days. I there expected tojfind Mr. Davis, but he had
removed to Charlotte. X found, however, a com
munication from him in which he (directed me to
obtain from the treasury agent a box of silver which
he had left in his hands subject to my order. It
was said to contain $39,000 in specie and Mr. Davis
said that I should use it as my militaty chest for the
armv. When I came to receive it, it was $1,200 short,
which amount the treasury agent said the
commissary general had taken from it. After
the receipt of the first order directing me to take
charge ot this money for the use of the army
Mr. Davis sent a second order directing its return to
him at Charlotte. Both letters were received by my
adjutant general. Colonel Anderson, before my ar
rival, ana were handed me together. I replied to
Mr. Davis’s two notes and acknowledged the receipt
of the money, but declined to return it as directed
in his second note. I took the position in my re
sponse that the civil authority of the southern con
federacy had been destroyed, and that only the
military part of our government had au existence.
Therefore, I regarded it as very equitable that a
share of the funds still left should be appropriated
for the use of the army, especially as the troops had
received no pry for many months and nothing of
real value for years. I assured Mr. Davis that tiie
monev would he nut to quite as good use and pur
pose if I retained it, as if it were returned to; him.
1 directed this specie to be paid to the army, each
officer and man to share and share alike, and it was
so distributed.”
“I had learned from General Beauregard that the
president had a large amount of specie in his pos
session. and I therefore wrote a letter urging that a
portion of it be paid to the soldieis then in active
service. My letter to Mr. Davis on this subject a as
quite urgent, and I entrusted it to Colonel Mason,
of mv staff, with instructions that he deliver it in
person to Mr. Davis and wait until he got a reply.
Colonel Mason went to Charlotte, delivered the let
ter to him. but beyond a telegraphic acknowledge
ment to me that the letter was received, no response
has ever been made. Colonel Mason waited some
time, and made several efforts to get a response
from Mr. Davis in obedience to my instructions, but
wns obliged to return without one.
“What became oi this specie?"
“It followed or preceded the head of the civil
government ofthe confederacy to the south, about
the lime Mr. Davis went in that direction.”
“Have you any idea of the amount of specie Mr.
Davis carried south ?’’
“Colonel Paul, an eminent artillery officer of the
confederacy, and now a prominent lawyer of Rich
mond, a man of high character, told me that he
saw tbe specie before its removal from Richmond
and after it had been loaded ready for transporta
tion. He said that there was a car load of it. As
he only saw it boxed ready for shipment he could,
of course, give no information as to the amount in
dollars and cents. General Beauregard, however,
was in immediate command at Greensboro while
the president was there, and doubtless had oppor
tunity of knowing more accurately the amount of
moneV with him than most any one except his im
mediate jioiitical family. He iinformed me that he
was convinced that $2,.500,000 in specie was taken
from Greensboro when thecivil goverumentmoved.
1 have no doubt but that General Beauregard’s esti
mate was within bounds. After Mr. Davis left
Charlotte and moved south, a confederate officer
told that while standing near a bridge crossing a
said that he was in charge of the. president's money
train, and wanted to see whether the bridge was
‘safe or not. The man in charge told the officer he
had twenty wagon loads of specie in the train,
which would be in perfect harmony with General
Paul's statement that there was a car load when it
left Richmond, and with General Beauregard’s
opinion that there was $2,500,000 of it when it left
Greensiioro.”
"What became of the money?”
“That I am unable to say. Mr. Davis has never
accounted for it: and what is a strange thing to me
is that the southern people have never hekl him to
account for its disposition. The $39,000, he left for
me the soldiers received. Major Moses, an attor
ney. now living in Atlanta, has accounted for
$20,000 more. A short time before the evacuation
of Richmond the bankers of that city placed in Mr.
Davis's hands $360,000 In specie, for tne defense of
the city. There was never any service rendered for
this money, but when Richmond was evacuated it
was transported south with the specie belonging to
the confederacy. A committee of Richmond bank
ers was sent to recover it. At Washington. Ga.,
thev succeeded in getting between $110,000
and $120,000, but while transporting
it home it was captured by Gen
eral Wilson's cavalry and turned into the United
States treasury, it is now there and in litigation.
The Richmond bankers have been suing for its
recovery all these years and it has never yet been
decided to whom it belongs. Say $120,000 is there,
and $39,000 in the military chest left at Greensboro
for the army, and $20,000 accounted for by Major
Moses. This would make $179,000 out of the $2,5u0,-
000, which General Beauregard and other good
authority, estimates was on hand after Lee's sur
render.”
"Mr. Davis in his bosk says he does not remember
anything about the circumstances of that money
tra’nsaction with you?”
Mr. Davis’s book is full of inaccuracies and in
consistencies. It is doubtless the weakest publica
tion that has yet been written upon the war. He
appears to have been equally forgetful about many
important matters connected with his administra
tion of the affairs of the confederacy. He either
forgets or misstates many oi the facts m relation to
my campaign against Sherman before my removal
from the command at Atlanta in 1861.
1 was a good deal amused to read of the long in
terview between myself aud Ben Hill, prior to that
time, which he related to you in such great detail.
The interview in that form and to that extent never
took place, but Hill has an elastic imagination, and
is quite capable of putting words into my mouth.
I do not think the talk between Mr.
Hill and myself lasted longer than ten
minutes. and it was of the most
commonplace character. I see that he told you
that I had informed him at that interview that I
could hold Sherman beyond the Chattahoochee six
weeks. I never had such a thought. 1 was at Ma
rietta when we had the talk, and 1 had determined
to make two stands between that and the Chatta
hoochee river. One about midway between the two
points, the one on the bank of that stream, and
at the time of the interview with Mr. Hill my en
gineer ollicers were at work fortify
ing these points. How long these stands
would be no human being could f iretell.
They were also inspecting the heights about Attau-
ta with a view of selecting the strongest points for
a final stand against Sherman's advance. My plan
was, after 1 crossed the Chattahoochee, to take up
my position upon the heights, and fortify them
strongly. I had some good, heavy artillery and
Governor Brown had furnished me 3,000 militia
and promised 10,000 more These troops I calcula
ted to post for a show of strength upon Alie hills
about the fortified works. After they were in good
position I should have withdrawn the active forces
within the city, and then moved out and struck
Sherman upon either flank with my line still resting
upon Atlanta as a pivotal point, so that in case of
disaster I could have swung back upon the city into
the almost impregnable position my fortifications
afforded. I could there nave resisted almost any
army that could have been brought against me.
Sherman had not the forts: to carry' Atlanta by as
sault, and I did not believe he could get it; could
not have cut the Suite railroad, my line of comma-
nicntioii, without uncovering his to his base of sup
plies. While these plans were being consummated
Mr. Davis was constantly sending me telegraphic
inquiries as to my intentions for the future. His
last dispatch, except the one removing me from
command, was simply:
What are your intentions?
I returned the following reply:
“Near Atlanta, July 16, 1861.—His Excellency,
tiie President, Richmona Ya: Y'our dispatch of to
day received. Tiie light, change in the enemy’s
position made since my dispatch of the 14th to
General Cooper, was reported to General Bragg,
yesterday. It wits a report from General Wheeler
that Scofield s corps had advanced eastwardly
about three miles from Isham’s Ford, and en
trenched., As the enemy has double our number
we must be on the defensive. My plan of opera
tions must therefore depend upon that
of the enemy. It is mainly to
watch for an opportunity to fight to advantage.
We are trying to put Atlanta iti condition to be
held for a day or two by the Georgia militia, that
army movements may be freer and wider.
‘J. E. Johnston.
“The dispatch is the one for which there has
been so much search, and is the one which Mr. H1U
told you was so evasive as to determine the presi
dent to remove me. I considered it then as I do
now, a fair statement of my purposes. I would not
have given the president a detailed plan of my op
erations had he been present. It is enough for me
to know that General Lee was satisfied with
my conduct, and urgently objected
to my removal. Mr. Davis’s opinion I cared and
care little for. There was no one who knew any
thing about our military operations there who did
not know that I intended to defend Atlanta to the
last, as I regarded it the most important point in
the south save Richmond anil the strongest of any.
“There is nothing In the history of war that can
equal many of the maneuvers of that important
campaign. History does no record such marvelous
ability to overcome obstacles and prepare the path
way ior an army, as was exhibited
oil many occasions by General Sherman’s
engineers. It was just four dayctfrom the time
they reached the Chattahoochee river, and pointed
out the standing timber to the vigorous uxraeii be
fore they had trains running across the river over a
substantial bridge several hundred feet long, built
of hewn timber. Agttin, in North Carolina they
marched nine miles a day and corduroyed every
foot of the road, a feat never before npproaehed in
the history of army movements. General Hamp
ton came to me one day and said that he
had obstructed a cut on the North
Carolina railroad in sutha manner as to prevent
Sherman’s advance for some weeks, but we were
never able to discern that it in any way interfered
with his progress. I look upon the ability of the
army under my command, with its meagre resources
of everything to make successful warfare to resist
Sherman’s march as well as it did, as an achieve
ment worthy of their matchless valor and en
durance. No soldiers ever suffered and endured
more for their homes and country. None ever
fought harder, or with greater bravery. Mr. Davis
was a sorry chief for such soldiers.’ ’ F. A. B.
Special dispatch to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
New Orleans, December 21.—Relative to the
statement attributed to General Joseph E. Johnston
—that at the close of the was; Jefferson Davis made
away with $2,500.000 confederate money—the En
quirer correspondent saw Jefferson Davis -at the
office of Payne, Kennedy & Co., on Barronne
street, where a small office is assigned for his use
during his brief visits to this city
Mr. Davis, when asked to make a statement con
cerning the assertion, replied: “I do not be
lieve that General Johnston ever made a statement
so absurdly false; and I am convinced,that if any
such statement appears in print as having emana
ted from him, that General Johnston will promptly
publish over bis own signature ft denial of ever
having made so notoriously false a statement.”
The Enquirer correspondent stated to Mr. Davis
that tiie editor of the Enquirer was particularly
anxious that Mr. Davis’s reply should be as volumi
nous as he chose to make it. To this Mr. Davis
responded:
“I know the editor oi the Enquirer very well
but there is no other reply to make. ‘A short horse
is soon curried.’ ’’
The Enquirer correspondent informed Mr Davis
that he had seen General Beauregard aud Mr. E.
Howard McCaleb, who had command of his escort
during the last hours of the struggle, and that Mr.
McCaleb requested him to revise his written state
ment. to correct any errors of memorv which might
unwittingly have occurred. Mr Davis declined to
make any revision.
Your correspondent then observed that General
Sam IV. Ferguson, upon whose staff he had served
during the war, had subsequently giten the writer
a specific account of what occurred at the collapse.
To this Mr. Davis replied:
“General Ferguson was the last man with me be
fore my capture.”
In response to the interrogatory of the Enquirer
correspondent, General G. T. Beauregard replied
“When the surrender took place at Greeusbor-
ough. N. C., Mr. Davis handed me $27 in silver,
which was at once distributed pro rata amoug the
men, each receiving $1.15. If there were any other
money, 1 have no knowledge whatever concerning
it.
Mr. E. Howard McCaleb makes the following
statement over his owy signature:
“At Greeijsborough, N. C„ in April, 1865,1 had
command of some forty or fifty Mississippi soldiers,
members of Humphreys's and Harris's brigade:
who were absent on furlough at the time of Gen
eral Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court-house,
and were returning to their regiments when ap
prised of that event. I met there Colonel Burton
now a prominent law yer in New Y'ork city, who re
quested me to see tue president and accompany
him and his cabinet on tneir journey southtferd. I
consented. and next day we left Char
lotte, North Carolina, and continued
daily traveling southward on horseback
through North Carolina and South Carolina, until
we reached Washington, Ga There were in this
cavalcade President Davis, Hon. John II. Reagan,
postmaster general; Hon. S. R. Mallory, secretary
of the navy: Hon. Judah P. Benjamin, secretary
of state: and a portion of the time Hon. John C.
Breckinridge, secretary of war: of the president’s
stall'. Colonel Wm. Preston Johnston, Colonel John
B. Lubback, Colonel John Wood, Major Jeff 1).
Van Benthuyseu. quartermaster, and Captain Coe,
Commanding the president’s guard, with a num
ber of crippled and disabled soldiers, and Captain
Given Campbell, with a company of Kentuckians,
who attended the president until he was cap
tured ot Chester court house South Carolina
“My command guarded the wagons known as the
gold trains, l heard at tiie time that there was about
$200,000 in these wagons. General Ferguson’s
brigade, of Wheeler’s corps, had also been detsoiled
to accompany the president southward. At Wash
ington, Georgia, after the assassination of President
Lincoln and the offer of $100,000 reward in gold for
the capture of Mr. Davis, he determined to disband
his escort, thinking that smaller bodies of men could
more easily elude the vigilance of the enemy, and
that he would be able to join General Forrest if his
troops were in a state of organization, and, if not, to
cross the Mississippi, induce all the soldiers who had
not surrendered to join Kirby Smith, aud there pro
long the war to the bitter end.
"When with my command at Washington, Ga., I
called upon President Davis to bid him good-bye,
be said to me: ‘General Johnston has surrendered
this department without my knowledge or consent.
There was no necessity for it. Meet me south of the
Chattahoochee. We will go to Mississippi aud there
rally on Forrest if he is in a state of organization.
If not, we will cross the Mississippi river, induce all
soldiers who have not surrendered to join Kirby
Smith, and there we can carry on the war forever.’
He then directed me to go to Mr. John H.
Reagan, postmaster general, who was then
acting as secretary of the treasury, who
would give me one mouth’s pay in
specie for myself and men. I remember I received
over $4,000, which I distributed among my men.
The gold was in English sovereigns, $1.85, and the
silver in Mexican dollars. All the other troops
around Washington, Georgia, at the time were, as 1
was then informed, paid off in this, the remainder
of the speci i left in the confederate treasury. I
think Mr. John H. Reagan, who is now nmember of
congress front Texas, will substantially corroborate
this statement. The troops attending the president
were disbanded at Washington, Georgia, and lie was
captured a few days after, near Macon.
"K. Howard McCaleb,
Late Adjutant Twelfth Mississippi Regiment,
Army Northern Virginia.”
Joe Johnston Itxplulns.
SOME MATTERS REFERRED TO IN THE BURR INTERVIEW.
Washington, December 21 .—Calling on General
Joseph E. Johnston at his very pretty home. No.
1023 Connecticut avenue, and sending his card in
by a polite servant, your reporter was promptly
ushered into the parlor, and very soni after the
grand old hero came in with that gentle dignity
and cordiality which has for fifty years past marked
him as an examplnrof the ideal American gentle
man. After a hearty shake of the hand and "Please
be seated, sir,” your reporter said:
“General, 1 have called on you this morning in
au unusual role.”
“Pray what is It, sir?”
“Well, sir, the correspondent of the Cincinnati
Enquirer in Washington—who, learning that I hud
the honor to have known you personally and olli-
ciully for thirteen years-requested me to cull upon
you and deliver the Philadelphia Press, containing
an article said to be an interview with you in
Richmond on the subject of certain moneys which
were supiioscd to have accompanied Mr. Davis in ills
effort to escape to the Trans-Mississippi department,
where General Hick Taylor was in command. You
doubtless have seen the article referred to, sir?”
“Not until this morning,” said the general, ‘and
hen in one of the Washington papers.”
“Please, general, do me the corn tesy. if entirely
agreeable to you, to say if tiie interview as reported
Is correct?”
‘Well,sir, before I proceed, permit me to say that
already this morninga representative of a New Y'ork
paper lias been here, and I said to him that any
thing 1 bad to say 1 preferred to appear in Mr. Mc
Lean’s Cincinnati Enquirer. Now, sir, I could not
have said the direct things attributed to me in that
interview, because i did not positively know them.
I think it was in November (I remember it was a
cold night) that I was introduced to tiie gentleman
in ail omnibus going from tue depot to the hotel in
Richmond, and, getting into conversation with him,
one subject drifted into another, until, after
entering the hotel, he said: ‘I would like to talk
with you on thesubject of the mysterious disappear
ance of that confederate specie that has now
and again appeared in the newspapers.’ This all
occurred in the public room of the hotel, and 1 dis
cussed the subject as I have repeatedly done before
—not fora moment supposing I was being inter
viewed until we had finished—when he remarked
something about publishing it, to which Isitid:
"You will please permit jne to sec anything you
have to say of this conversation before going to the
newspaper. He promised to do so, and this
is the first ihtimation I have had of it
1 certainly did not say that Mr. Davis had received
any direct or indirect benefit from this money.
This I could not possibly have known; but I did
say, substantially, what he says iu reference to my
sending my aid. Colonel, Mason to the secretary of
war (this wns the source through which I commu
nicated with the government), aud requesting him
to use a portion of the specicjthen in pos“Cssirn of
the confederate government to pay the troops off.
as far as it would go. To my letter I received a
telegraphic acknowledgement, hut after several
days’ waiting, Colonel Mason returned to
me very much disgusted, and said each day of his
stay iu Richmond he was put off witli one or
another excuse: and, being convinced tliat lie'
eould accomplish nothing, realized tiie uselessness
of his warming his toes around the reception room
of the secretary.” A'nd then the old general, with
a merry twinkle ot his eye, said: “If there had
beeu no specie, would my aid have to wait such
ajength of time to have been informed of the fact?
1 think not. Y’ou arc aware, of course, sir, that
when Trenholm was called to the secretary
ship of the treasury, almost his first act was to an
nounce to the people his intention to collect and
accumulate every dollar of specie possible, that it
might form a basis, as used to be the case in the
state banks issuing their own notes. For instance,
the Virginia banks, on a foundation of each dollar
in specie, were permitted to issue three dollars,
and so on. It is further known to every intelligent
man in the south that there was a large amount
thus accumulated.”
“What became of it, general?”
“It was the undoubted opinion of General Beau •
regard that at least $2,500,000 went south from Char
lotte, N. C. The reporter made a mistake in the
n umber of wagons. I said that the confederate
officer told me that there were fifteen wagons.
Three weeks, or thereabouts, before my surrender
to General Sherman, a special detail was made
from tiie navy, the sailors ranking as privates, with
a few commissioned naval officers, aud were sent
to Charlotte as an extraordinary guard for the mint
wherein this specie was stored; and tiiese
men were carefully selected as a guard
for this treasure when it was removed,
it being generally understood that their
principal duty was to protect it against the irregu
lar cavalry—such as linboden, Duke, etc.—which
accompanied Air. Davis. These cavalrymen • re
turned in a state of thorough disgust, when,
after starting as an escort of honor, they found
themselves suspected. These men had received
about fifty cents each in coppers. In this interview
I do not desire to give any names. I have been
misrepresented so of.cn that it was
imposible u> make corrections, and
I have m t made up my mind if I
shall or shall not write anything on the subject for
the papers, if, however, I so decide, the Cincin
nati Enquirer, that you represent, shall have i
communication for publication in preference to c
other piper. This published interview ueccssititl
small creek, a man rode up and inspected it. He N. Harrison, private secretary of President Davis
God rest his soul)..was as gallant and orave aman us
ever drew a sword. He was captain of an artillery
company, of which Jack McGill, once well known
in Chicago, was first lieutenant. One evening in
the month of December, 1865,1 was sitting with
him over a bright tire in a second-story room in the
city of Savannah, and we were talking over our
battles, marches, fatigues, etc., when, turning
suddenly to me. ho said: ‘B., I am going to
tell you a little episode at _ (lie cud of the war
which occurred to me. Being at Charlotte, N.
when tiie thing collapsed. General
came to me and said: Captain D., I have a very
special duty which I have come to you to request
that you will perform. It is nothing more :.or less
than this. I have two or three wagons loaded wUh
specie lieloiiging to the confederate government,
and no one, not even the driver, isaware of it: and
knowing you from your childhood,] have come to
intrust it to your care. A request from such a
source was ah order, and 1 sleeplessly guarded it
until we reached Augusta The morniug after we
reached there, just before day, this gentleman
came to me and thanked me for my vigilance, and
said lie and General would henceforth relieve
me. 1 saw those wagons move out and di-appear
on the old Savannah road: the two gentlemen ac
companied them on horseback. I have never heard
of the wagons since; but General ’s family (all .
bands! are in Europe now, too poor, you know, to
live here; and the general swells down the stream
of live in a very dignified mid easy manner. Had
they divided, I would not now be compelled to ask
voutojoin me in spirits instead of champagne.
To-day both of these generals are very wealthy,
and correspondingly liappy.’ ”
General Alexander
HAS AN INTERESTING STORY TO TELL
Louisville, December 21.—General E. I*. Alexan
der. in an interview to-night, said that he was well
satisfied that General Johnston lmd beeu intention
ally m isquoted in regard to Jefl'ersou Davis and the
specie of the Confederacy and Richmond banks;
that, notwithstanding personalities. General John
ston still possessed a full share of gentlemanly qual
ities, that would prevent him making such absurd
statements as those published in the Philadelphia
Press. He said that Davis was possessed of the no
blest instincts of which a man is heir, and tliat he
would scorn the very thought of being implicated
in either wronging the confederacy or t he banks at
the time reported.
The whole transaction," said the general, “as 1
have read it, is absurd, simply from the fact that
at the close of the siege of Richmond all the money
in the world could not have saved it, as it would not
have made men, muskets or ammunition, lienee
the money said to have been contributed by tiie
Richmond banks is a myth. The entire story is ex
aggerated as to amounts anyhow, I am well satis
fied.”
X understand. General Alexander, that your
borne was at Washington, Georgia, when the war
Yes, it was: and I arrived at home from the army
on the 1th of May, 1865, in about two hours after Mr.
Davis and his party had left”
“Did you hear anything then about the specie al
luded to in these reports?”
“Y'es. There were two lots of specie, belonging to
the Richmond banks, deposited in the vault of a
branch of the old hank of the state of Geoigia at
Washington. This, I think, amounted to $400,000;
and there was also some confederate
specie in tiie vault, but a much
less amount than the banks had. I am satisfied
that all the confederate coin that was brought to
Washington was distributed to tiie soldiers before
they were disbanded, except a small amount that
was taken liy General Breckinridge to pay his ex
penses across the Mississippi. Alter Breckinridge
lmd readied a point a few miles away from Wash
ington lie heard of the advance 'of some federal
cavalry, and turned liis course toward Florida;
and, in order to make his burden lighter, he
sent a man back to Washington with two
bags of the specie he had taken, and the-
man threw them into the yard of the resi
dence of General Toombs, where it was afterward
found and turned over to the federal authorities.
Breckinridge, however, got some of the money, but
I can not say how much. He went to Cuba, at any
rate, and tliat was the last I heard of him for some
time. The next confederate valuables that I re
member hearing of was $19,000 or $50,000 of bullion
sent from Richmond in cars. It was on deposit for
a short time at the branch of the Georgia state
bank, but I do not remember who had charge
of it. Y'et my recollection is that
it was finally turned over to the
federal authorities at Augusta. It was sent down
to that city for that purpose. That Air. Davis got
none of this money was evident to everybody, os
he nor any of the members of his body-guard’had
any money when captured.”
•ITow long did tire money belonging to the
Richmond banks remain on deposit iu Washing
ton?”
“Until August, 1865. Til that month a delegation
of wealthy bankers from Richmond came down
and loaded it in three wagons, with whicii they
started to Abbeville: but while encamped over
night near Danbury, a large squad of disbanded
confederate cavalrymen, mostly Tennesseeans,
made a mid into tiie camp, secured and tied tiie
bank officers, and after piling them into a fence-
corner, proceeded to rifle the wagons of flic con
tents, and got away with all but about $30,000or
J£0.000. Next day the robbers were pursued aiul
some $80,000 were recovered and re
turned to the vault at Washington, where
it remained with the $30,000 left with the bankers,
and finally this money was called for by and de
livered . to General Wilde, of the United Stales
army. This, 1 think, is the same money spoken of
in litigation between the Richmond batiks and the
United Stater. The robbers who raided tiie bankers
camped near Danbury were, however, pursued by
myself and a squad that was speedily organized for
that purpose, and we captured someof ’them: but
later on the guards iu whose charge wc placed
them were tampered with, and they were allowed
to escape, and with them, I think, went the rest of
the Richmond bankers’ money.
“Then, general, you are satisfied tliat the entire
affair as reportiitl is a canard?”
"Y'es, lam satisfied it is, so far as the honor of
Jefferson Davis ip concerned. In fact, 1 know that
lie never got .to convert either the confederate or
Richmond banks’ money to his own use, and I be
lieve that General Johustoh has been iutentionally
misquoted.”
Rome Kye-Witnesses
ARE BROUGHT IN TO GIVE TESTIMONY.
New Y’ork Times. s
Before his capture by union soldiers, according
to the published statements of General Joseph E.
Johnston, Jefferson Davis received over $2,003,000
belonging to the confederate treasury the major
portion of which he in no way ever accounted for.
A reporter of the Times yesterday soughtjColonel
Burton N. Harrison, who wns with Mr. Davis at the
time of the capture, and asked him what truth
there was in the insinuation of General Johnston
that the president of the confederacy -converted
the vast sum to his own use.
“Mr. Davis never appropriated a pcnnybelonging
to the confederacy,” replied Colonel Harrison quite
warmly. “1 have the highest personal regard for
General Johnston, but if he made the statement at
tributed to him, he certainly has been misinformed.
I urn inclined to doubt the accuracy of the inter
view. As 1 was with Mr. Davis when he was cap
tured. X «ran say of rny own knowledge tliat lie had
no specie, which General Johnston Is made to say
the money consisted of, andin fact no funds what
ever with him. There were several wagons mid an
ambulance in the train during tiie retreat south.
Tiie ambulance belonged to Captain Moody, of
Mississippi, and contained his private, property.
The wagons were used to convey the luggage of
Mrs. Davis and the rest of the family.”
"But General Jonnston says tliat the specie train
followed or preceded the head of ihe civil govern
ment of the confederacy in the retreat. ’
“Tliat certainly is not so, and what is more, the
funds of the confederacy were not placed iu the
hands of Mr. Davis. They were handled entirely
by George A. Trenholm, tiie secretory of the con
federate treasury. There was some sjiecie in Au
gusta or Washington, Ga., in charge of the treasury
officers, a week before tiie capture of Mr. Davis, but
exactly how much I do not know. I am sure it did
not amount to$500,o00. Why, there was not$2,500,-
000—the amount alleged to have been in the train
—in the whole confederacy. The south was scraped
clean, and I might say scarcely a dollar left in it.
The United .States government secured what there
was. The government madeexhaustiveinquiriesin-
tbis country and Englad.and if there had been $10
000 of con federate funds afloat thegevenunent would
have found it out. The money question was thor
oughly discussed in 1865, and 1 am prone to consider
the reports of this late day little better than old
women’s stories. Y’es, the confederate states were
poor, very poor, and if they had possessed millions
the r oney could not have been carried about the
country. I can very easily proven* you how im
probable the story is. At the time the train is said
to have been en route the country was filled with
soldiers returning home. They were iienniless, and
little lietter than brigands. Now, do you suppose
the train would have been permitted 'to pass un
molested? so, sir. It would have been robbed.”
“General Jonnston says that he sent a letter by
special messenger to Mr. Davis requesting him to
pay a poYtion of the money to the soldiers, butonly
a telegraphic acknowledgement of its receipt was
received,and no moneyAvas disbursed ”
“I have no recollection of such a letter, and it
seems to me improble that it was sent. General
Johuston had an interview with Mr. Davis at
Greeuesboro, where the train is said to have been
made up, and it is very strange indeed, if he deemed
the disbunsement necessary, tliat he did not urge it
then. I have no knowledge that $39,000 was left
at Greensboro for tiie soldiers, as stated, aud I feel
confident that Mr. Davis left no such sum. About
the $20,000 which Major Moses is said to have re
ceived 1 know nothing.”
“What about the statement that the banks of
Richmond, Y'a., placed $309,000 in the hands of Mr.
Davis for the defense of the city a short time before
theevacuation?” General Jolinston says ttat a
committee went after the train and at Washington,
Ga, succeeded in recovering between $110,000and
shall have my
eferenceto any
piper. TUIs published interview necessitates,
however, my writing to General Beauregard und
Colonel Paul.”
As public attention is all agog over the specie af
fair, I deem it a tit opportunity to write something
in reference to tiie origin of the coolness that has for
wars existed between Mr. Davis and General
Johnston. As t m often the case, it may he traced
directly to the ladies of their respt Clive households.
General Johnston's wife was Miss I-illie McI-ane, of
Baltimore, a lady of great beauty and commanding
presence, and in her veins coursed the very bluest
blood of old Maryland, while herhusband belonged
to one of Virginia's best old families. They were
young and rich. He was quartermaster-gen
erul of the United States, and they were very tiatu
rally the toast in Washington. On the other hand,
Mr. Davis had married a second time (his first wife
being u daughter of General Taylor); this time his
wife being Miss Varina Xfoweli, of Natchez, Miss.
They were married in that city. She was a bru
nette, with dark, fine eyes, was very Spanish-look-
ing, and she was enormously rich, being the daugh
ter of a merchant of that city, but social history
savs nothing of her pedigree. She was the wife of
a’United States senator, an ex-secretary of war.
These ladies were rival leaders of fash
ion—Mis. Johnston, with all the pride of birth, etc.,
Mrs. Davis with money and Mrs. Davis as a hus
band. The cal dr in fumed in Washington, and the
bitterness was renewed when they appeared in
Richmond. She was then the vyife of the. president,
and Mrs. Johnston’s husband was a lieutenant
general; and right here it is reported that Mrs.
President Davis unde took to ignore Mrs. General
Johnston This, of course, was not to be quietly
borne. General Johnston was winning fame every
day. Finally, so the gossips have it, Mr. Davis es
poused the cause of his wife, and henceforth Gen
eral Johnston was impeded at every point in his
brilliant career. Many persons believe that had it
not been for Mis. Davis's jealousy of Mrs. Johnston,
no unpleasantness would now exist between the
gentlemen.
It was my good fortune to-dav to meet with a
southern gentleman who served during the entire
war in the armies of his section, and he, very natu
rally was interested in the Da vis-Johnston inter- . „ ....
view. In a few moments I discovered that he $120,000 of it, but while taking it home it was
knew something about the confederate specie, also, I captured and turned into the United States treas-
and, after a general talk, X asked him to give mean j ury.
item for publication, which he unhesitatingly did. j "There was, I know, a' sum under control of the
He began thus: ? officers of the confederate treasury raid to belong
‘ Poor Charley Daniel, of Savannah, (dead now— to the banks of Richmond, but how large It was X