Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: 4CJ
Mr. Lincoln jumped up from his chair, as Mr. Rives was standing, advanced one step towards him, and said, "Mr. Rives! Mr. Rives! if Virginia will stay in, I will withdraw the troops from Fort Sumter."

Hiram Fuller, North and South, Londen: Chapman and Hall, 1863, p.261

An interesting story, except that Fuller wasn't there and the participants who were there varied in their accounts of what happened, the two versions being either Lincoln never said any such thing, or that the recipients didn't think it worth mentioning to the Virginia convention.

COL BALDWIN: When we arrived at the house of Mr. Botts, we were shown into the parlor, and, after the ordinary salutations, Mr. Botts opened the conversation by asking me if I had reported to the Convention what had passed between Mr. Lincoln and myself on my recent visit to Washington. I replied that I had not. He asked, why not? And I told him the Convention had nothing to do with the matter, and that I had gone to see the President at the instance of some of the Union men of the Convention, to whom I had reported fully all that occurred. Taking hold of my remark, that the Convention had nothing to do with the matter, he became somewhat excited, and told me that I had taken upon myself a very grave responsibility in withholding the knowledge of such an interview from the Convention. He did not, according to my recollection, undertake to give me any account of the interview as derived from Mr. Lincoln, but pressed questions upon me as to whether the Convention had nothing to do with the question of its own adjournment; nothing to do with the evacuation of Fort Sumter. I remember telling him that both of those subjects had been discussed between Mr. Lincoln and myself, and he again inquired how I could withhold such a conversation from the Convention, to which I again replied, that I had reported to those who sent me, and that it was not reported to the Convention, for the reason that there was nothing in the conversation upon which the Convention could act, or upon which I, as a member of the Convention, would have been willing to act. I soon found that I was willing to undergo a species of reproof to which I was not accustomed, and that the conversation was likely to be a long and not a very pleasant one; so I put an end to it by telling him that if he desired to know all that had passed between Mr. Lincoln and myself I had no objection to tell him, or to discuss the matter fully with him, but that I could not do so then, as the Convention was about to meet, and I felt bound to be present at an important vote expected that morning.

source

396 posted on 08/30/2007 10:09:11 AM PDT by Bubba Ho-Tep
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 388 | View Replies ]


To: Bubba Ho-Tep
An interesting story, except that Fuller wasn't there and the participants who were there varied in their accounts of what happened, the two versions being either Lincoln never said any such thing, or that the recipients didn't think it worth mentioning to the Virginia convention.

Wow, what a stretch - I never claimed Baldwin was present. Attending the meeting were William Cabell Rives [former minister to France, US Senator], Judge Somers of Virginia, Gen. Donovan of Missouri, James Gutherie [former Secretary of the Treasury), and Gov. Charles S. Morehead of Kentucky.

Neither Col. Baldwin, nor John Minor Botts attended this meeting.

399 posted on 08/30/2007 11:10:46 AM PDT by 4CJ (Annoy a liberal, honour Christians and our gallant Confederate dead)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 396 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson