COLLOQUY XXIII.

HAMPTON ROADS CONFERENCE-BRIEF REVIEW OF PRECEDING MILITARY AND POLITICAL EVENTS-BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA-MEADE'S ATTACKS ON LEE GRANT THE COMING MAN-BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON SUPERSEDES BRAGG-GRANT MADE LIEUTENANT-GENERAL— GLOOM AT THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 1863-BRILLIANT CONFEDERATE VICTORIES EARLY IN 1864, AT OCEAN POND AND MANSFIELD-SHERMAN'S EXPEDITION TO MOBILE CHECKED BY FORREST-SHERMAN ASSIGNED TO COMMAND THE "ONWARD" INTO GEORGIA-THE TWO GRAND CAMPAIGNS— PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN THE NORTH-GRANT'S GREAT LOSSES OF MEN IN THE SUMMER CAMPAIGN-JOHNSTON REMOVED AND HOOD APPOINTED—

BATTLES OF ATLANTA; ITS FALL-HOOD'S TENNESSEE CAMPAIGN: BATTLES OF FRANKLIN AND NASHVILLE-SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA-SHERIDAN DEVASTATES THE VALLEY OF VIRGINIA-MR. STEPHENS'S VIEWS OF THE SITUATION-BLAIR'S VISITS TO RICHMOND-FIRST INTERVIEW WITH GRANT, AND IMPRESSIONS MADE BY HIM-THE CONFERENCE AND ITS RESULTS-FALL OF FORT FISHER-MR. DAVIS'S SPEECH AT THE AFRICAN CHURCH-LAST SCENES OF THE WAR-CHANGES IN THE CONFEDERATE CABINET GRANT'S OPERATIONS: LEE'S LINES BROKEN-RICHMOND GIVEN UP-LEE'S SURRENDER-LINCOLN ASSASSINATED SURRENDER OF JOHNSTON, DICK Taylor, and KIRBY SMITH-END OF THE WAR.

MR. STEPHENS. In the Congressional language, Judge Bynum, with which we were so familiar when we were members of the House together, the "special order” for this morning is the Hampton Roads Conference in February 1865, about which you desired information.

On

JUDGE BYNUM. Yes, that is a matter I feel more interest in than the consideration of Battles, Proclamations, Conscript Laws, or anything else pertaining either to the causes, character, or general conduct of the war. these topics I think I very clearly perceive your general views. I am now more interested in getting some light upon the efforts which were made for stopping it. How did this celebrated Conference, having these objects,

originate? Who projected it, and how did it happen to fail? You must have known, at that time, that a further prosecution of the war was utterly hopeless. I have seen various reports about it. Amongst other things, I have seen it stated that Mr. Davis again yielded to your wishes to attempt negotiations for Peace, but so tied your hands with instructions that nothing could be accomplished by it, and that his object in the whole matter was to use the failure as a means more effectually to arouse the people of the Confederate States to renewed efforts and energy, by showing them that there were no hopes left for them of attaining Peace, except by the sword. How is this? If you have no objections to responding to my inquiries, I should like to know what your instructions were, and what did really occur at the interview between the Confederate Commissioners, and Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Seward, in that Conference.

MR. STEPHENS. The reports to which you refer are utterly unworthy of notice. These, as those in reference to the proposed Conference in 1863, have tended only to mislead the public mind, and to divert it from the truth in the case. The real objects of the Hampton Roads Conference have never been made fully known to the country, so far as I am aware. It was not intended in its origin or objects to bring about direct negotiations for Peace. On this point very erroneous ideas existed at the time, and do yet, I believe. We had no written instructions upon that subject, or any other, except what were contained in the letter of our appointment, which has been published ;* nor any verbal instructions on that subject inconsistent with the terms of that letter. The Conference, moreover, did not originate in any way with me, as you seem to suppose.

*See Correspondence, Appendix R, No. 2

But for a proper understanding of its origin, nature, and objects, as well as my connection with it, it is essentially necessary that we shall first take another rapid glance at the intervening military as well as political events, which occurred between this and the other proposed Conference referred to. I will not worry you with unnecessary details of battles or other subjects, but confine myself briefly as possible to such points, in both a military and political view, as are essential to a proper understanding of the matter in hand.

It must be borne in mind, then, that after the great reverses met with by the Confederates at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and after the withdrawal of Lee's Army from Pennsylvania-which, with his great skill, was safely effected, though Meade then had quite two to one at his command against him-everything remained comparatively quiet for some time, in a military point of view. The Political aspect of affairs at the North, however, was greatly changed by what had occurred. The raid of Morgan into Ohio, as well as the invasion of Pennsylvania by General Lee, gave new life and vigor to the War Party in all the Northern States, but especially in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Mr. Lincoln, by this, was enabled, easily, to recruit his armies by volunteers. in defence of their own homes and firesides, even from the ranks of those who were utterly opposed to the policy of subjugating the Southern States. The result was, that the Anti-War Party at the North-those who had favored Peace movements-were again put to silence under the denunciation of incivism, which was hurled against them. The elation caused by these late greatest successes which had attended their arms during the war, came, as might have been expected, to their aid in the fall elections. In the political contest in 1863, therefore, the War Party

proper, recovering from its wound, regained all that it had lost the year before. Vallandigham was beaten in Ohio, and in a large majority, if not all of the States, the Centralists were again triumphant. So much for the political aspect just now. Let us leave it a moment to glance further at military operations.

While Lee was still holding Meade at bay in Virginia, Rosecrans, at the head of the Army of the Cumberland, greatly reinforced, was projecting an attack upon Chattanooga, and a campaign thence to Atlanta and through Georgia. To defeat this most dangerous movement, Lee sent about 5,000 of his army to the assistance of Bragg, who, at the head of the Confederates, was now confronting Rosecrans. The result was the great battle of Chickamauga, fought on the 20th of September, 1863, where the Confederate arms under Bragg, D. H. Hill, Longstreet and Hood, again achieved a most brilliant victory. Rosecrans was not only checked, but almost routed. His army was saved by seeking protection behind the Fortifications in and around Chattanooga. The united forces on the Confederate side, in the battle of Chickamauga, was about 40,000, while the Federals. under Rosecrans, numbered, from the best accounts, fully 55,000. The Confederate loss was heavy-not less than 16,000; while the Federal loss was fully 20,000 men, (8,000 of whom were prisoners,) besides 49 pieces of artillery, and 15,000 small arms.

After this terrible conflict, Military affairs were again comparatively quiet for a time, both in the East and the West. Rosecrans remained behind his works at Chattanooga, and Bragg confronted him on Missionary Ridge. In Virginia, however, matters were not quite so still. Meade made several attempts to assail Lee's weakened Army, reduced, as it was, by the absence of Longstreet's

Corps. The most noted of these were at Centreville, Bristoe Station, and Mine Run. These resulted in no serious loss to Lee.

In the meantime, Grant, who, from his exploits at Vicksburg, was now fully recognized as "the coming man," had been put at the head of all the South-western Federal forces, and given the control of the movement into Georgia from Chattanooga. Rosecrans having fallen out of favor at Washington, had been removed, and Major-General G. H. Thomas put in his place at Chattanooga, he being himself, however, now under the chief command of Grant. About this time, most unfortunately for the Confederates, there was a separation of their forces near Missionary Ridge, when there should have been every possible concentration of them. Longstreet was sent upon an expedition against Knoxville, where, on the 17th of November, he made an unsuccessful assault upon the Federals there strongly fortified, sustaining considerable loss, and accomplishing nothing. While Bragg was thus weakened by the absence of Longstreet's command, Grant, very adroitly, and with consummate skill, by a concentration of his forces, planned and executed those movements which resulted in his most memorable victory, known as the Battle of Missionary Ridge. This was fought on the 25th day of November. Bragg's Army was completely routed. This was the greatest disaster which attended the Confederate Arms in a pitched battle, during the war: not so much in the loss of men, (for that was only about 3000,) as in the loss of ground and the demoralization of his broken columns. Having lost the confidence of his men, he was, upon his own application, relieved from the command of the Army of Tennessee. This position was now, upon the earnest remonstrance and entreaty of many persons high in