' The country is
tired. The administration is unpopular, and the departments are
mismanaged. I am candid, you see. The days of the Confederacy are
numbered, and worse than all, nobody knows it. We ought to negotiate
for the best terms, but the man who advises that, will be hissed at and
called a 'coward.' It is an invidious thing to do. It is much grander
to shout 'Death sooner than surrender!' I shouted that lustily as long
as there was any hope--now, I think it my duty as a statesman, and
public functionary, to say, 'There are worse things than death--let us
try and avoid them by making terms.' I say that to you--I do not say so
on the streets--the people would tear me to pieces, and with their
sources of information they would be right in doing so."
"Is it possible that all is lost? That negotiations are our only hope?"
"Yes; and confidentially speaking--this is a State secret, my dear
colonel--these will soon be made."
"Indeed!"
"You think that impossible, but it is the impossible which invariably
takes place in this world. We are going to send commissioners to meet
Mr. Lincoln in Hampton Roads--and it will be useless."
"Why?"
"We are going to demand such terms as he will not agree to. The
commissioners will return. The war will continue to its legitimate
military end, which I fix about the last days of March.
Pages:
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585