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PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



Proceedings relative to Peace. 

 The correspondence respecting peace in 1864 

 will be found under the title UNITED STATES. 

 At the commencement of 1865 the following 

 further proceedings took place : 



PBESIDENT LINCOLN'S MESSAGE RELATIVE TO THE PEACE 

 CONFERENCE AT FORTRESS MONROE. 



To the Honorable the House of Representatives : 



In response to your resolution of the 8th inst., re- 

 questing information in relation to a conference held 

 in Hampton Roads, I have the honor to state that on 

 the date I gave Francis P. Blair, senior, a card writ- 

 ten as follows, to wit : 



"DECEMBER 28, 1864. 



Allow the bearer, F. P. Blair, Sr., to pass our 

 lines, go South and return. 



(Signed) A. LINCOLN." 



That at the time I was informed that Mr. Blair 

 sought the card as a means of getting to Richmond, 

 Va., but he was given no authority to speak or act 

 for the Government. Nor was I informed of any 

 thing he would say or do on his own account or oth- 

 erwise. 



Mr. Blair told me that he had been to Richmond 

 and had seen Mr. Jefl'erson Davis, and he (Mr. Blair) 

 at the same time left with me a manuscript letter as 

 follows, to wit : 



li RICHMOND, VA., Jan. 12, 1S65. 

 F. P. Blair, Esq.: 



Sir : I have deemed it proper and probably desira- 

 ble to you to give you in this form the substance of 

 the remarks made by me to be repeated by you to 

 President Lincoln, &c. I have no disposition to find 

 obstacles in forms, and am willing now, as hereto- 

 fore, to enter into negotiations for the restoration of 

 peace. I am ready to send a commission whenever 

 I have reason to suppose it will be received, or to re- 

 ceive a commission if the United States Government 

 shall choose to send one. Notwithstanding the re- 

 jection of our former offers, I would, if you could 

 promise that a commission, minister, or other agent 

 wruld be received, appoint one immediately, and re- 

 new the effort to enter into a conference with a view 

 to secure peace to the two countries. 



Yours, &c., JEFFERSON DAVIS." 



Afterward, with a view that it should be shown to 

 Mr. Davis, I wrote and delivered to Mr. Blair a letter, 

 as follows, to wit : 



" "WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 1865. 

 F. P. Blair, Esq. : 



Sir : You having shown me Mr. Davis' letter to 

 you of the 12th inst., you may say to him that I have 

 constantly been, am now, and shall continue ready 

 to receive any agent whom he, or any other influen- 

 tial person now resisting the national authority, may 

 informally send me, with a view of securing peace to 

 the people of our common country. 



Yours, Ac., A. LINCOLN." 



Afterward Mr. Blair dictated for and authorized 

 me to make an entry on the back of my retained 

 copy of the letter just above recited, which is as fol- 

 lows : 



" JANUARY 28, 1865. 



To-day Mr. Blair tells me that on the 21st inst. he 

 delivered to Mr. Davis the original, of which the 

 within is a copy, and left it with him ; that at the 

 time of delivering Mr. Davis read it over twice in 

 Mr. Blair's presence, at the close of which he (Mr. 

 B.) remarked that the part about our common coun- 

 try related to the part of Mr. Davis's letter about the 

 two countries, to which Mr. D. replied that he un- 

 derstood it. A. LINCOLN." 



Afterward the Secretary of War placed in my 

 hands the following telegram, indorsed by him, as 

 appears : 



" OFFICE U. S. MILITARY TF.I.EGRAPH, ) 

 War Department, f 



[CIPHER.] The following telegram was received at 

 Washington, Jan. 29. 18G5 : 



' FROM HEADQUARTERS A BMY OF THE JAMES, t 

 _ JT 6:30 p. M., Jan. 29, 1S65. 



To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War : 



The following despatch is just received from Major- 

 Gen. Parke, who refers it to me for my action. I 

 refer it to you in lieu of Gen. Grant's absence. 

 (Signed) E. 0. C. ORD, Maj.-Gen. Comdg.' 

 ' HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TUB JAMES. 

 Ihe following despatch is forwarded to you for 

 vour action, since I have no knowledge of Genera 1 

 Grant's having had any understanding of this kind 

 I refer this matter to you as the rankino- officer pres 

 ent in the two armies. (Signed) " 



JOHN G. PARKE, Maj.-Gen. Comdg.' 



' FKOM HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS, ) 

 ..... January 29, 1SG5. f 



Maj or- General John, G. Burke. Headquarters Arm* 



of the Potomac : 



Alexander H. Stephens, R. M. T. Hunter, and J. 

 A. Campbell desire to cross my lines, in accordance 

 with an understanding claimed to exist with Lieut.- 

 Gen. Grant, on their way to Washington as Peace 

 Commissioners. Shall they be admitted ? They de- 

 sire an early answer, so as to come through imme- 

 diately. They would like to reach City Point to- 

 night if they can. If they cannot do this they would 

 like to come through to-morrow morning. 



0. B. WILSON, Major Comm'ng Ninth Corps.' 



Respectfully referred to the President for such in- 

 structions as he may be pleased to give. 



EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War." 



JANUARY 29, 18658:30 p. M. 



It appears that about the time of placing the fore- 

 going telegram in my hands the Secretary of War 

 despatched to General Ord as follows, to wit : 



" WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON CITY. I 

 Jan. 29, 136510 p. M. f 

 Major- General Ord ; 



This Department has no knowledge of any under- 

 standing by Gen. Grant to allow any person to come 

 within his lines as commissioners of any sort. You 

 will therefore allow no one to come into your lines 

 under such character or profession until you receive 

 the President's instructions, to whom your telegrams 

 will be submitted for his directions. 



EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War." 

 [SENT IN CIPHER AT 2 A. M.] 



Afterward, by my directions, the Secretary of War 

 telegraphed Gen. Ord as follows, to wit : 



" WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON CITY, D. C., ) 

 Jan. 30, 186510 A. M. f 



Major- General E. 0. C. Ord, Headquarters Army of 

 the James ; 



By the direction of the President you are instruct- 

 ed to inform the three gentlemen, Messrs. Stephens, 

 Hunter, and Campbell, that a message will be de- 

 spatched to them at or near where they now are with- 

 out unnecessary delay. 



EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War." 

 Afterward I prepared and put into the hands of 

 Major Thomas T.'Eckert the following instructions : 



EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 1865. 

 Major T. T. Eckert : 



Sir : You will proceed with the documents placed 

 in your hands, and on reaching Gen. Ord will de- 

 liver him the letter addressed him by the Secretary 

 of War. Then, by Gen. Ord's assistance, procure ah 

 interview with Messrs. Stephens, Hunter, and Camp- 

 bell, or any of them, deliver to him or them the paper 

 on which your own letter is written. Note on the 

 copy which you retain the time of delivery and to 

 whom delivered. Receive their answer in writing, 

 waiting a reasonable time for it, and which, if it 

 contain their decision to come through without fur- 

 ther conditions, will be your warrant to ask Gen. 

 Ord to pass them through as directed in the letter of 

 the Secretary of War. If by their answer they de- 

 cline to come, or propose other terms, do not hav 



