712 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



1 CITY POINT, VA., Feb. 1, 1=-C3. 

 To Lieut. -Gen. Grant : 



Sir : We desire to go to Washington City to con- 

 fer informally with the President personally, iu 

 reference to the matters mentioned in his letter to 

 Mr. Blair of the 18th of January, ult., without any 

 personal compromise on any question in tlie letter. 

 We have the permission to do so from the authorities 

 in Richmond. Very respectfully yours, 



ALEX. H. STEPHENS, 

 II. M. T. HUNTER, 

 J. A. CAMPBELL.' 



At 9:30 p. ir. I notified them that they could not 

 proceed further unless they complied with the terms 

 expressed iu my letter. The point of meeting desig- 

 nated in the above would not in my opinion be in- 

 sisted upon. I think Fortress Monroe would be ac- 

 ceptable. Having complied with my instructions, 

 will return to Washington to-morrow unless other- 

 wise ordered. THOMAS T. ECKERT, Major, &c." 



On reading this despatch of Major Eckert's, I was 

 about to recall him and the Secretary of State, when 

 the following telegram of Gen. Grant to the Secre- 

 tary of War was shown me : 



" OFFICE U. S. MILITARY TEI.EGEAITT, WAR DEPARTM'T. 

 [!N CIPHER.] 



The following telegram, received at Washington at 

 4:35 A. M., Feb. 2, 1805, from City Point, Va., Feb 1, 

 1865: 



' Hon. Edwin If. Stanton, Secretary of War ; 



Now that the interview between Major Eckert, 

 under his written instructions, and Mr. Stephens 

 and party has ended, I will state confidentially, but 

 not officially, to become a matter of record, that I am 

 convinced, upon conversation with Messrs. Stephens 

 and Hunter, that their intentions are good and their 

 desire sincere to restore peace and Union. I have 

 not felt myself at liberty to express even views of 

 my own, or to account for my reticence. This has 

 placed me irt an awkward position, which I could 

 have avoided by not seeing them in the first instance. 

 I fear now their going back without any expression 

 to any one in authority will have a bad influence. 

 At the same time I recognize the difficulties in the 

 way of receiving their informal commissioners at 

 this time, and I do not know what to recommend. I 

 am sorry, however, that Mr. Lincoln cannot have an 

 interview with the two named in this despatch, if not 

 all three -now within our lines. Their letter to me 

 was all that the President's instructions contem- 

 plated to secure their safe conduct if they had used 

 the same language to Capt. Eckert. 



U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.' " 



This despatch of Gen. Grant changed my purpose, 

 and accordingly I telegraphed him and the Secretary 

 of War as follows : 



" WAR DEPARTMENT, "WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 1 305. 

 To Lieut. -Gen. Grant, City Point, Va. : 



Say to the gentlemen that I will meet them person- 

 ally at Fortress Monroe as soon as I can get there. 



A. LINCOLN." 

 [SENT IN CIPHER AT 9 A. M.] 



"WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 2,1805. 

 To Hon. Win. H. Seward, fortress Monroe, Va. : 



Induced by a despatch from Gen. Grant, I join you 

 at Fortress Monroe as soon as I can come. 



A. LINCOLN." 

 [SENT IN CIPHER AT 9 A. M.] 



Before starting the following despatch was shown 

 me. I proceeded nevertheless : 



" OFFICE IT. S. MILITARY TELEGRAPH, WAR DEPARTMENT. 

 [!N CIPHER.] 



The following telegram was received at Washing- 

 ton, Feb. 2, 1865, from City Point. Va., 9 A. M., Feb. 

 2, 1865 : 

 'To Hon. W. H. Seward, Sec' y of State, Fortress Monroe: 



[Copy to Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War.] 



The gentlemen here have accepted the proposed 

 terms and will leave for Fortress Monroe at 9:30 A. M. 

 U. S. GRANT, Lieut.-Gen.' " 



On the night of the 2d, I reached Hampton Roads. 

 and found the Secretary of State and Major Eckeri 

 in a steamer anchored off the shore, and learned of 

 them that the Richmond gentlemen were in anothei 

 steamer, also anchored off shore in the Roads, and 

 that the Secretary of State had not yet seen 01 

 communicated with them. I ascertained that Majoi 

 Eckert had literally complied with his instructions, 

 and I saw for the first time the answer of the Rich- 

 mond gentlemen to him, which in his despatch to mo 

 of the 1st, he characterized as not satisfactory. That 

 answer is as follows, to wit : 



" CITY POINT, Va., Feb. 1, 1SG5. 

 To Titos T E<-l-crt, Major and Aide-de-camp. 



Major: Your note delivered by yourself this da/ 

 has been considered. In reply, we" have to say that 

 we were furnished with a copy of the letter of Presi- 

 dent Lincoln to F. P. Blair, of the 18th of January ult. 

 Another copy of which is appended to your note. 

 Our intentions are contained in the letter, of which 

 the following is a copy: 



' RICHMOND, Jan. 2S, 1S55. 



In conformity with the letter of Mr. Lincoln, of 

 which the foregoing is a copy, you are to proceed to 

 Washington City for an informal conference with him 

 upon the issues involved in the existing war and foi 

 the purpose of securing peace to the two countries. 

 Yv'ith great respect, your obedient servant, 



JEFFERSON DAVIS.' 



The substantial object to be attained by the in- 

 formal conference is to ascertain upon what terms 

 the existing war can be terminated honorably. Our 

 instructions contemplate a personal interview be- 

 tween President Lincoln and ourselves at Washing- 

 ton ; but with this explanation, we are ready to meet 

 any person or persons that President Lincoln may 

 appoint, at such place as he may designate. Our 

 earnest desire is that a just and honorable peace 

 may be agreed upon, and we are prepared to receive 

 or to submit propositions which may possibly lead to 

 the attainment of that end. 



Verv respectfully yours, 



ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS, 

 R. M. T. HUNTER, 

 JOHN A. CAMPBELL." 



A note of these gentlemen, subsequently addressed 

 to Gen. Grant, has already been given in Major 

 Eckert's despatch of the 1st inst. I also saw here 

 for the first time the following note addressed by the 

 Richmond gentlemen to Major Eckert : 



" CITY POINT, VA., Feb. 2, 1SG5. 

 Thomas T. Eckert, Major and A. D. C. 



Major: In reply to your verbal statement that 

 your instructions did not allow you to alter the con- 

 ditions upon which a passport would be given to us, 

 we say that we are willing to proceed to Fortress 

 Monroe, and there to have an informal conference with 

 any person or persons that President Lincoln may 

 appoint, on the basis of his letter to Francis P. Blair 

 of the 18th of January ultimo, or upon any other 

 terms or conditions that he may hereafter propose 

 not inconsistent with the essential principles of self- 

 government and popular rights, upon which our in- 

 stitutions are founded. It is our earnest wish- to 

 ascertain, after a free interchange of ideas and infor- 

 mation, upon what principles and terms, if any, a 

 just and honorable peace can be established without 

 the further effusion of blood, and to contribute our 

 utmost efforts to accomplish such a result. We think 

 it better to add, that in accepting your passport we 

 are not to be understood as committing ourselves to 

 any thing, but to carry on this informal conferenco 

 with the views and feelings above expressed. 

 Very respectfully 3 r ours, &c., 



ALEX. H. STEPHENS, 

 J. A. CAMPBELL, 

 R. M. T. HUNTER." 

 [NOTE. The above communication was delivered 



