CLOSING OPERATIONS OF THE WAR--SURRENDER.
On the 26th of March Canby invested Spanish Fort, and began the siege by
regular approaches, a part of his army investing Blakeley on the same
day. General R.L. Gibson, now a member of Congress from Louisiana, held
Spanish Fort with twenty-five hundred men. Fighting all day and working
all night, Gibson successfully resisted the efforts of the immense force
against him until the evening of April 8, when the enemy effected a
lodgment threatening his only route of evacuation. Under instructions
from Maury, he withdrew his garrison in the night to Mobile, excepting
his pickets, necessarily left. Gibson's stubborn defense and skillful
retreat make this one of the best achievements of the war. Although
invested on the 26th of March, the siege of Blakeley was not pressed
until April 1, when Steele's corps of Canby's army joined the original
force before it. Here, with a garrison of twenty-eight hundred men,
commanded General Liddell, with General Cockrell, now a Senator from
Missouri, as his second. Every assault of the enemy, who made but little
progress, was gallantly repulsed until the afternoon of the 9th, when,
learning by the evacuation of Spanish Fort how small a force had delayed
him, he concentrated on Blakeley and carried it, capturing the garrison.
Maury intended to withdraw Liddell during the night of the 9th. It would
have been more prudent to have done so on the night of the 8th, as the
enemy would naturally make an energetic effort after the fall of Spanish
Fort; but he was unwilling to yield any ground until the last moment,
and felt confident of holding the place another day. After dismantling
his works, Maury marched out of Mobile on the 12th of April, with
forty-five hundred men, including three field batteries, and was
directed to Cuba Station, near Meridian. In the interest of the thirty
thousand non-combatants of the town, he properly notified the enemy that
the place was open. During the movement from Mobile toward Meridian
occurred the last engagement of the civil war, in a cavalry affair
between the Federal advance and our rear guard under Colonel Spence.
Commodore Farrand took his armed vessels and all the steamers in the
harbor up the Tombigby River, above its junction with the Alabama, and
planted torpedoes in the stream below. Forrest and Maury had about eight
thousand men, but tried and true. Cattle were shod, wagons overhauled,
and every preparation for rapid movement made.
From the North, by wire and courier, I received early intelligence of
passing events. Indeed, these were of a character for the enemy to
disseminate rather than suppress. Before Maury left Mobile I had learned
of Lee's surrender, rumors of which spreading among the troops, a number
from the neighboring camps came to see me. I confirmed the rumor, and
told them the astounding news, just received, of President Lincoln's
assassination. For a time they were silent with amazement, then asked if
it was possible that any Southern man had committed the act. There was a
sense of relief expressed when they learned that the wretched assassin
had no connection with the South, but was an actor, whose brains were
addled by tragedies and Plutarch's fables.
It was but right to tell these gallant, faithful men the whole truth
concerning our situation. The surrender of Lee left us little hope of
success; but while Johnston remained in arms we must be prepared to
fight our way to him. Again, the President and civil authorities of our
Government were on their way to the south, and might need our
protection. Granting the cause for which we had fought to be lost, we
owed it to our own manhood, to the memory of the dead, and to the honor
of our arms, to remain steadfast to the last. This was received, not
with noisy cheers, but solemn murmurs of approval, showing that it was
understood and adopted. Forrest and Maury shared my opinions and
objects, and impressed them on their men. Complete order was maintained
throughout, and public property protected, though it was known later
that this would be turned over to the Federal authorities. A
considerable amount of gold was near our camps, and safely guarded; yet
it is doubtful if our united means would have sufficed to purchase a
breakfast.
Members of the Confederate Congress from the adjoining and more western
States came to us. These gentlemen had left Richmond very hurriedly, in
the first days of April, and were sorely jaded by fatigue and anxiety,
as the presence of Wilson's troops in Georgia had driven them to
by-paths to escape capture. Arrived at a well-ordered camp, occupied by
a formidable-looking force, they felt as storm-tossed mariners in a
harbor of refuge, and, ignorant of recent events, as well as uncertain
of the future, were eager for news and counsel. The struggle was
virtually over, and the next few days, perhaps hours, would decide my
course. In my judgment it would speedily become their duty to go to
their respective homes. They had been the leaders of the people, had
sought and accepted high office at their hands, and it was for them to
teach the masses, by example and precept, how best to meet impending
troubles. Possibly they might suffer annoyance and persecution from
Federal power, but manhood and duty required them to incur the risk. To
the credit of these gentlemen it should be recorded that they followed
this advice when the time for action came. There was one exception which
deserves mention.
Ex-Governor Harris, now a United States Senator from Tennessee, occupied
the executive chair of his State in 1862, and withdrew from Nashville
when the army of General Sidney Johnston retreated to the Tennessee
River in the spring of that year. By the death of President Lincoln,
Andrew Johnson had succeeded to power, and he was from Tennessee, and
the personal enemy of Governor Harris. The relations of their State with
the Federal Union had been restored, and Harris's return would be
productive of discord rather than peace. I urged him to leave the
country for a time, and offered to aid him in crossing the Mississippi
River; but he was very unwilling to go, and only consented after a
matter was arranged, which I anticipate the current of events to relate.
He had brought away from Nashville the coin of the Bank of Tennessee,
which, as above mentioned, was now in our camp. An official of the bank
had always been in immediate charge of this coin, but Harris felt that
honor was involved in its safe return. At my request, General Canby
detailed an officer and escort to take the coin to Nashville, where it
arrived intact; but the unhappy official accompanying it was
incarcerated for his fidelity. Had he betrayed his trust, he might have
received rewards instead of stripes. 'Tis dangerous to be out of harmony
with the practices of one's time.
Intelligence of the Johnston-Sherman convention reached us, and Canby
and I were requested by the officers making it to conform to its terms
until the civil authorities acted. A meeting was arranged to take place
a few miles north of Mobile, where the appearance of the two parties
contrasted the fortunes of our respective causes. Canby, who preceded me
at the appointed spot, a house near the railway, was escorted by a
brigade with a military band, and accompanied by many officers in "full
fig." With one officer, Colonel William Levy, since a member of Congress
from Louisiana, I made my appearance on a hand-car, the motive power of
which was two negroes. Descendants of the ancient race of Abraham,
dealers in cast-off raiment, would have scorned to bargain for our rusty
suits of Confederate gray. General Canby met me with much urbanity. We
retired to a room, and in a few moments agreed upon a truce, terminable
after forty-eight hours' notice by either party. Then, rejoining the
throng of officers, introductions and many pleasant civilities passed. I
was happy to recognize Commodore (afterward Admiral) James Palmer, an
old friend. He was second to Admiral Thatcher, commanding United States
squadron in Mobile Bay, and had come to meet me. A bountiful luncheon
was spread, of which we partook, with joyous poppings of champagne corks
for accompaniment, the first agreeable explosive sounds I had heard for
years. The air of "Hail Columbia," which the band in attendance struck
up, was instantly changed by Canby's order to that of "Dixie"; but I
insisted on the first, and expressed a hope that Columbia would be again
a happy land, a sentiment honored by many libations.
There was, as ever, a skeleton at the feast, in the person of a general
officer who had recently left Germany to become a citizen and soldier of
the United States. This person, with the strong accent and idioms of the
Fatherland, comforted me by assurances that we of the South would
speedily recognize our ignorance and errors, especially about slavery
and the rights of States, and rejoice in the results of the war. In vain
Canby and Palmer tried to suppress him. On a celebrated occasion an
Emperor of Germany proclaimed himself above grammar, and this earnest
philosopher was not to be restrained by canons of taste. I apologized
meekly for my ignorance, on the ground that my ancestors had come from
England to Virginia in 1608, and, in the short intervening period of two
hundred and fifty-odd years, had found no time to transmit to me correct
ideas of the duties of American citizenship. Moreover, my grandfather,
commanding the 9th Virginia regiment in our Revolutionary army, had
assisted in the defeat and capture of the Hessian mercenaries at
Trenton, and I lamented that he had not, by association with these
worthies, enlightened his understanding. My friend smiled blandly, and
assured me of his willingness to instruct me. Happily for the world,
since the days of Huss and Luther, neither tyranny nor taste can repress
the Teutonic intellect in search of truth or exposure of error. A
kindly, worthy people, the Germans, but wearing on occasions.
The party separated, Canby for Mobile, I for Meridian, where within two
days came news of Johnston's surrender in North Carolina, the capture of
President Davis in Georgia, and notice from Canby that the truce must
terminate, as his Government disavowed the Johnston-Sherman convention.
I informed General Canby that I desired to meet him for the purpose of
negotiating a surrender of my forces, and that Commodore Farrand would
accompany me to meet Admiral Thatcher. The military and civil
authorities of the Confederacy had fallen, and I was called to
administer on the ruins as residuary legatee. It seemed absurd for the
few there present to continue the struggle against a million of men. We
could only secure honorable interment for the remains of our cause--a
cause that for four years had fixed the attention of the world, been
baptized in the blood of thousands, and whose loss would be mourned in
bitter tears by countless widows and orphans throughout their lives. At
the time, no doubts as to the propriety of my course entered my mind,
but such have since crept in. Many Southern warriors, from the hustings
and in print, have declared that they were anxious to die in the last
ditch, and by implication were restrained from so doing by the readiness
of their generals to surrender. One is not permitted to question the
sincerity of these declarations, which have received the approval of
public opinion by the elevation of the heroes uttering them to such
offices as the people of the South have to bestow; and popular opinion
in our land is a court from whose decisions there is no appeal on this
side of the grave.
On the 8th of May, 1865, at Citronelle, forty miles north of Mobile, I
delivered the epilogue of the great drama in which I had played a humble
part. The terms of surrender demanded and granted were consistent with
the honor of our arms; and it is due to the memory of General Canby to
add that he was ready with suggestions to soothe our military pride.
Officers retained their side arms, mounted men their horses, which in
our service were private property; and public stores, ordnance,
commissary, and quartermaster, were to be turned over to officers of the
proper departments and receipted for. Paroles of the men were to be
signed by their officers on rolls made out for the purpose, and I was to
retain control of railways and river steamers to transport the troops as
nearly as possible to their homes and feed them on the road, in order to
spare the destitute people of the country the burden of their
maintenance. Railways and steamers, though used by the Confederate
authorities, were private property, and had been taken by force which
the owners could not resist; and it was agreed that they should not be
seized by civil jackals following the army without special orders from
Washington. Finally, I was to notify Canby when to send his officers to
my camp to receive paroles and stores.
Near the Tombigby River, to the east of Meridian, were many thousands of
bales of cotton, belonging to the Confederate Government and in charge
of a treasury agent. It seemed to me a duty to protect public property
and transfer it to the United States, successors by victory to the
extinct Confederacy. Accordingly, a guard had been placed over this
cotton, though I hated the very name of the article, as the source of
much corruption to our people. Canby remarked that cotton had been a
curse to his side as well, and he would send to New Orleans for a United
States Treasury agent, so that we might rid ourselves of this at the
earliest moment. The conditions of surrender written out and signed, we
had some conversation about the state of the country, disposition of the
people, etc. I told him that all were weary of strife, and he would meet
no opposition in any quarter, and pointed out places in the interior
where supplies could be had, recommending him to station troops at such
places. I was persuaded that moderation by his officers and men would
lead to intercourse, traffic, and good feeling with the people. He
thanked me for the suggestions, and adopted them.
The Governors of Mississippi and Alabama, Clarke and Watts, had asked
for advice in the emergency produced by surrender, which they had been
informed was impending, and I thought their best course would be to
summon their State Legislatures. These would certainly provide for
conventions of the people to repeal ordinances of secession and abolish
slavery, thus smoothing the way for the restoration of their States to
the Union. Such action would be in harmony with the theory and practice
of the American system, and clear the road of difficulties. The North,
by its Government, press, and people, had been declaring for years that
the war was for the preservation of the Union and for nothing else, and
Canby and I, in the innocence of our hearts, believed it. As Canby
thought well of my plan, I communicated with the Governors, who acted on
it; but the Washington authorities imprisoned them for abetting a new
rebellion.
Returned to Meridian, I was soon ready for the Federal officers, who
came quietly to our camp and entered on their appointed work; and I have
now in my possession receipts given by them for public stores.
Meanwhile, I received from Canby a letter informing me that he had
directed two of his corps commanders, Generals Steele and Granger, to
apply to me for instructions concerning the movement of their troops, as
to time, places, and numbers. It was queer for one to be placed in
_quasi_ command of soldiers that he had been fighting for four years,
and to whom he had surrendered; but I delicately made some suggestions
to these officers, which were adopted.
With two or three staff officers, I remained at Meridian until the last
man had departed, and then went to Mobile. General Canby most
considerately took me, Tom, and my two horses on his boat to New
Orleans; else I must have begged my way. The Confederate paper (not
currency, for it was without exchangeable value) in my pocket would not
have served for traveling expenses; and my battered old sword could
hardly be relied on for breakfasts, dinners, and horse feed.
After an absence of four years, I saw my native place and home, New
Orleans. My estate had been confiscated and sold, and I was without a
penny. The man of Uz admitted that naked he came into the world, and
naked must leave it; but to find himself naked in the midst of it tried
even his patience. My first care was to sell my horses, and a purchaser
was found who agreed to take and pay for them the following morning. I
felt somewhat eager to get hold of the "greenbacks," and suffered for my
avarice. The best horse, one that had carried me many a weary mile and
day without failing, could not move a hoof when the purchaser came to
take him. Like other veterans, long unaccustomed to abundance of prog,
he had overfed and was badly foundered. Fortunately, the liveryman
proposed to take this animal as a consideration for the keep of the two,
and the price received for the other would suffice to bring my wife and
children from the Red River to New Orleans, and was sent to them for
that purpose.
Awaiting the arrival of my family, I had a few days of rest at the house
of an old friend, when Generals Price, Buckner, and Brent came from
Shreveport, the headquarters of the "Trans-Mississippi Department,"
under flag of truce, and sent for me. They reported a deplorable
condition of affairs in that region. Many of the troops had taken up the
idea that it was designed to inveigle them into Mexico, and were greatly
incensed. Some generals of the highest rank had found it convenient to
fold their tents and quietly leave for the Rio Grande; others, who
remained, were obliged to keep their horses in their quarters and guard
them in person; and numbers of men had disbanded and gone off. By a
meeting of officers, the gentlemen present were deputed to make a
surrender and ask for Federal troops to restore order. The officers in
question requested me to be present at their interview with General
Canby, who also invited me, and I witnessed the conclusion. So, from the
Charleston Convention to this point, I shared the fortunes of the
Confederacy, and can say, as Grattan did of Irish freedom, that I "sat
by its cradle and followed its hearse."
For some weeks after my return to New Orleans, I had various occasions
to see General Canby on matters connected with the surrender, and recall
no instance in which he did not conform to my wishes. Narrow perhaps in
his view, and harsh in discharge of duty, he was just, upright, and
honorable, and it was with regret that I learned of his murder by a band
of Modoc savages.