wo and constituted
the center, besides five thousand six hundred and fifty-nine cavalry,
under Kilpatrick, and ninety-one pieces of artillery. General Johnston
had encamped his army between two roads, one leading to Raleigh, the
other to Weldon. The Confederate Government, after the evacuation of
Richmond, had now established its quarters at Danville, Va., awaiting
the next turn of the wheel. Lee had fallen back from Petersburg; while
Johnston, before Sherman, was awaiting the move of that General to
fall back still nearer to his illustrious chieftain. The government
and all the armies were now hedged in the smallest compass. Still our
leaders were apparently hopeful and defiant, the troops willing to
stand by them to the last.

On the 10th of April President Davis and a part of his cabinet left
Danville on his way to Greensboro. Even at this late day President
Davis was urging the concentration of the troops under General Walker,
the scattered troops at Salisbury and Greensboro, and those under
Johnston at same place on the Yadkin, and crush Sherman, and then it
is supposed to turn on Grant. All this with less than twenty thousand
men!

The last conference of the great men of the Confederacy met at
Greensboro, on the 13th of April, 1865. Those present were President
Davis, Messrs. Benjamin, Secretary of State; Mallory, of the Navy;
Reagin, Postmaster General; Breckinridge, Secretary of War, and
General Johnston. The army had been falling back daily through
Raleigh, and was now encamped near Greensboro. President Davis still
clung to the delusion that by pressing the conscript act and bringing
out all absentees, they could yet prolong the struggle, even if
they had to cross the Mississippi and join with Kirby Smith. General
Johnston urged in his and General Beauregard's name its utter
impracticability, and informed the President plainly and positively
that it was useless to continue the struggle--that they had as well
abandon all hope of any other issue than that which they could gain
through the Federal authorities, and besought Mr. Davis to open
negotiations looking to peace--that he was yet the executive and head
of the Confederate Government; that he was the proper one to commence
such negotiations. This Mr. Davis refused, saying the Federal
authorities would refuse to treat with him. Then General Johnston
proposed doing so in his own name. This was agreed to, and a letter
written by Mr. Mallory, he being the bes