had a few when the war
began. I was of some use to them; they never were of any to me. Against
their will you 'emancipated' them; and you may 'emancipate' every negro
in the Confederacy, but _we will be free_! We will govern ourselves. We
_will_ do it, if we have to see every Southern plantation sacked, and
every Southern city in flames."

"I see, Mr. Davis, it is useless to continue this conversation," I
replied; "and you will pardon us, if we have seemed to press our views
with too much pertinacity. We love the old flag, and that must be our
apology for intruding upon you at all."

"You have not intruded upon me," he replied, resuming his usual manner.
"I am glad to have met you, both. I once loved the old flag as well as
you do; I would have died for it; but now it is to me only the emblem of
oppression."

"I hope the day may never come, Mr. Davis, when _I_ say that," said the
Colonel.

A half-hour's conversation on other topics--not of public
interest--ensued, and then we rose to go. As we did so, the Rebel
President gave me his hand, and, bidding me a kindly good-bye, expressed
the hope of seeing me again in Richmond in happier times,--when peace
should have returned; but with the Colonel his parting was particularly
cordial. Taking his hand in both of his, he said to him,--

"Colonel, I respect your character and your motives, and I wish you
well,--I wish you every good I can wish you consistently with the
interests of the Confederacy."

The quiet, straightforward bearing and magnificent moral courage of our
"fighting parson" had evidently impressed Mr. Davis very favorably.

As we were leaving the room, he added--

"Say to Mr. Lincoln from me, that I shall at any time be pleased to
receive proposals for peace on the basis of our Independence. It will be
useless to approach me with any other."

When we went out, Mr. Benjamin called Judge Ould, who had been waiting
during the whole interview--two hours--at the other end of the hall, and
we passed down the stairway together. As I put my arm within that of the
Judge, he said to me,--

"Well, what is the result?"

"Nothing but war,--war to the knife."

"Ephraim is joined to his idols,--let him alone," added the Colonel,
solemnly.

I should like to relate the incidents of the next day, when we visited
Castle Thunder, Libby Prison, and the hospitals occupied by our wounded;
but the limits of a magazine-article will not permit. I can only say
that at su