"'This is the most extraordinary thing that I have ever read or heard of, in or out of history. Mr. Secretary, please read this.'
[Illustration: Uncle Daniel conferring with Lincoln and Stanton 404]
"The Secretary read it very carefully and remarked: 'This is what they are coming to; they will stop at nothing. But the most surprising part of all is the attitude of your Vice-President. What can he mean by hobnobbing with those traitors and having interviews with one of their principal leaders inside of our lines?' "'Yes,' said the President; 'this is strange, indeed.' "After further conversation it was determined to have the Cabinet officers meet that day. The President also directed the Secretary of War to ask Gen. Silent to be at the Executive Mansion the next morning. He asked me to remain in Washington and come to see him the next day at 10 o'clock, and not to fail. I left, went to the Owen House and took a room.
"While there I met a man in rather delicate health, who said his name was Alston, that he was a Canadian, and had come to Washington on account of the mildness of the climate. He was about five feet ten inches in height, hazel eyes, light hair, with small goatee; was quite a nervous man, moving his hands, or sitting down and immediately rising again, picking his teeth, or pulling his goatee. I remembered the man's name as that of one of the conspirators, and marked him well. On inquiry I found he had arrived the day before and was intending, as he said, to remain for some time in order to test the climate in his case. I stepped up to the War Department, and finding my friend, the Secretary, in, I asked him to send a detective with me, and he did so. I put him on the man and said no more to any one until I met the President and others the next day.
"At 10 o'clock the following morning, I appeared at the Mansion and was admitted at once. On entering the President's office I met Gen. Silent.
Having previously met him at Chatteraugus and elsewhere, he recognized me, and after the usual compliments asked about Gen. Anderson. I told him about my misfortunes, the last of which he was not aware of. He said no more for a short time; he then asked me if Gen. Anderson would not like to come East and have a better command. He said he did not think he had been given a command equal to his ability; that he would order him East if agreeable. I wrote the General as soon as I returned to my hotel.
"The conversation was then turned to the report of Henry. The President seemed serious, and said the astounding statement about the Vice-President worried him, and yet, he said, it was almost incredible.
"Gen. Silent said he could believe it, but was very much surprised at his having the interview and disclosing his opinions to our enemies.
Silent said he made some curious statements to him while he was making his headquarters at Nashua, but he attributed it to Tennessee whisky more than to any wrong motive in his mind, until he repeated the same things over more than once. He thought strange of it, but did not mention the conversation.
"'But,' said the Secretary, 'what do you say to the attempt they are to make to capture you two gentlemen?'
"Silent said: 'That scheme has already failed. Our knowledge of the fact defeats it. You must have a guard of at least one company of infantry at or near the White House, and the officers must be notified, in confidence, why they are placed here. There must be a company of cavalry ordered here for escort to the President, and he must not go out of call of the guards without an escort.'
"The President said: 'This will not look well, but I suppose I must do it for safety. I do not like this Vice-President's talk; it worries me.
But how about yourself, Gen. Silent; they seem to be after you as well.'
"'Yes,' said the General; 'but you must remember that I am surrounded by an army, and this notice protects me. I will look after that hereafter.
The truth is, they might have caught me napping, as I have heretofore had but a small guard. I will make it large enough when I return. My fears, however, are very much increased, as I see that there were many of those conspirators in favor of taking the proposition to assassinate instead of capture. That can be done in spite of guards, by reckless men who will take desperate chances. This is what we must look out for. I see that they are to take orders from Jacob Thomlinson, who is a most reckless man, without any of the instincts of humanity, and utterly without any regard for the rules of civilized warfare. He is a very dangerous man if he has about him those who will do his bidding. So look out, Mr. President; my judgment is that you will be in imminent peril.'
"'Yes,' said the President. 'Gen. Silent do you remember the dream I repeated to you when you came to Washington?'
"'Oh, yes,' said Gen. Silent, 'perfectly; and in that dream I was to be murdered as soon as the rebellion should be ended. But I do not feel alarmed about myself; dreams, you know, Mr. President, go by contraries.'
"'Yes,' said the President, 'I will not say that I believe in dreams, neither do I; yet they make an impression on my mind.'
"Gen. Silent said no more on the subject, and the conversation on that topic was dropped.
"'I was asked if I would send Henry back to Canada to watch further developments. I assented. They all thought that perhaps in this way we would be able to head off any further scheme as the one reported had been.
"I then related what I had discovered at the Owen House, and suggested a close watch on this man Alston. The President took up the report, and finding the name, thought there might be something in my suggestion.
They sent for the detective that I had placed to watch him, and he informed us that this man drank pretty freely, and had disclosed to him while in his cups the night before that he was from St. Catharine's, Canada; that he had plenty of money in gold, and was desirous of finding some five or six good, active, bold and daring young men, who would be likely to be fond of an adventure. The detective was sent back at once with instructions to arrest him and have him taken to Old Capitol Prison. If any questions should be asked, he was to answer that the Secretary of War had directed it. The next morning it was telegraphed all over the country that a Mr. Alston was arrested in Washington for attempting to hire men to kidnap the President; and so the scheme, was exploded.
"The next day I bade the President and the Secretary good-by, at the same time warning the President of his great danger. He could not thank me enough, he said, for my interest. Silent had left for the army. Just as I was leaving, the President said to me in a whisper:
"'Look out for a great battle soon, and with it you will hear of the fall of Richmond.'
"I thanked him for his confidence in me and left. On arriving at home I found all well and very anxious to see me, as this had been my first absence since the death of my wife and Peter. Henry had seen the notice of Alston's arrest, and when I described him he said he was the right man. I wrote to the President what Henry said, and Alston remained in prison.
"In a short time I heard from Gen. Anderson. He was willing to go East.
I telegraphed Gen. Silent and he ordered him to report at once. He came by home on his way and remained over several days. Lieut. Whitcomb was with him. While there I related all that had taken place. He thought Henry should return at once to Canada, leaving Seraine with us. He said it would be dangerous since Alston's arrest to risk writing, so Henry would have to come to my house with any information that he might have.
Henry left at once and the General the next day.
"We were alone again. The women and children were weeping over the departure of Henry and the General. Aunt Martha came in and said:
"'Bress de good Laud, chil'n, what is you cryin' 'bout. De Gen! all right; dars no danger 'bout him; he am safe. De Laud protect him. He dun sabe him all dis time for good. Don't you see de Sesh git whip whareber he goes? Dey all done killed down whar he bin, and now dey jest' take him ober by whar Marsa Linkum am, and de Sesh all git smash up ober dar de same way as what dey is down whar he bin afore.'
"Old Ham chimed in: 'Yas, Marfa, dat am de fac You see, when I goes wid Marsa Gen'l, he gets shotted nearly ebery time. I not understand dis, but he not git any time hurt when I's away. How is dat, Marfa? Guess it best for me not be wid him. I tell you I guess I see it all now; de Laud want me to stay here wid dese womens and dese chil'ns, and Marsa Gen'l he not t'ink ob dat, so de Laud jes' let him git hurted, so he hab to come and stay wid de folks and hab me heah? Is dat it, Marfa?'
"'Yes, dat am de case; and I 'spec you is glad, kase you is a powerful coward, Ham; you knows you is.'
"'Marfa, you neber see me fightin' dem Sesh. Else you not say dem hard words 'bout Ham. No, indeed, you not know 'bout me.'
"'I 'specs dat's so, Ham. How many of de Sesh does you 'specs you is killed?'
"'Don' know, don' know. I neber counted em; war too busy, Marfa.'
"This was getting Ham into a close place, and he retired.
"In a few days Henry returned and reported that the arrest of Alston had alarmed the conspirators in Canada very greatly. Carey and Page were still in Richmond. Wilkes had returned to Canada and had been at Montreal with Thomlinson, but Henry could get nothing out of him, as Thomlinson thought it best not to have any one know what was to be attempted unless they could aid in carrying it out; but he said the country would be startled very soon. Henry surmised what he meant, and as soon as he could get away from Wintergreen he left for home.
"I sent him to the President with this information, also a letter calling the President's attention to his great danger, and the danger in which the country would be in the event that anything should occur that would put the Vice-President in power. This was the last communication I ever had with the best of all Presidents."
CHAPTER XX.
COLLAPSE OF THE GREAT REBELLION.--LAWS' ARMY SURRENDERS.-- THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
"After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well: Treason has done his worst; nor steel nor poison, Malice domestic, foreign envy, nothing Can touch him farther."
--Shakespeare.
"When I left off speaking of Gen. Silent and his command in the East, and continued my story about the West and Center, you will remember that he had passed through eight days of bloody contest with Laws. We must now return to him and understand the condition of things on his line while these events were transpiring in the North, in Canada, and in Sherwood's department, of which I have given you a history.
"Silent moved out in the night time the last of May, and on June the first found a heavy force in his front. Fighting at once began again.
Sherlin was in the advance, and by direction held his ground through that night. By daylight support reached him and his position was secure. Silent now established his headquarters at an old tavern, under wide-spreading trees, at Cool Haven, some ten or twelve miles from the rebel Capital, and at once assaulted Laws in his works. The Union troops charged with great dash and heroism, taking the enemy's first line of rifle-pits; but the enemy, falling back to his shorter and stronger line, was enabled to hold his position and force our troops to abandon the assault. The contest continued during the afternoon and evening. Our losses were quite heavy.
"On the next day a general assault was made, which resulted in our repulse. The enemy being behind heavy earthworks, it proved too great a task to dislodge him. Onr army was now intrenched, and heavy skirmishing continued for several days. Laws made two assaults on our lines, but was repulsed with severe loss on both occasions.
"A few more days of skirmishing and desultory fighting, and the campaign closed for the season. During the Summer, Silent had succeeded in holding Laws close to Richmond. The Copperhead press and orators of the North made him the especial target for their calumny during the Presidential campaign. This course was evidently directed from Richmond and Canada.
"The following September, Silent, with his usual vigor, began active operations against the enemy. Sherlin was now in the valley of the Shannon, operating against the rebel Gen. Dawn, and Silent was holding Sentinel Point as his headquarters, and directing operations from there.
On the morning of the last day of September Boutler moved from Deep Valley. Orden's Corps moved by the Veranda road close to the river, Burns by the new Sales road, and the cavalry by the Derby road to our right. All our forces were now moving in the direction of the rebel Capital.
"Our troops struck the rebel works and attacked them at five o'clock p.m., and after desperate fighting for hours Fort Harris was taken, with its fifteen guns and all its garrison; also, the line of works running down to Champ's farm, with several hundred prisoners. Thus again the work of war had begun in earnest. Silent stood on the side of the fort, and could with his field-glass view the whole line of rebel works now held by them, as well as see the church spires in Richmond. Our cavalry had advanced on our right to within six miles of the Capital. This was very encouraging. Yet many a bloody battle must be fought before the prize could be ours.
"Burns now made a gallant assault against the enemy's works in front of his advance, but, unfortunately, was repulsed. This checked the advance of our troops on this part of the line. Boutler's position now extended from the river (James) to the Derby road, fronting Richmond.
"Meador's command was in front of Petersville. In the afternoon of the next day Parker's Division of Warner's Corps was attacked near Boyd's road. He was promptly re-enforced, and the rebels were repulsed with great loss. Fort Harris was also assaulted with a view of recapture, as it was a very important position. The attempt failed, and we still held the fort.
"Our right and left wings were now being slowly advanced in the direction of the Capital, under the very eye of Laws, the rebel commander. He had the advantage in this, that it would require a day for Silent to move from one flank to the other, while Laws, holding the chord of the circle, could re-enforce any part of his line in a few hours. Laws could not by any possibility stretch his line much farther, while Silent was steadily acquiring more ground.
"The greatest consternation now prevailed in the city of Richmond. Its evacuation was seriously contemplated. The publication of the newspapers was suspended, and the printers were called out to defend the city. Some of the city police fell into our hands. Offices and shops were closed.