Chapter I: Preface

The papers on the Last Ninety Days of the War in North-Carolina, which originally appeared in the New-York WATCHMAN, and are now presented in book form, were commenced with no plan or intention of continuing them beyond two or three numbers. The unexpected favor with which they were received led to their extension, and finally resulted in their republication.

To do justice to North-Carolina, and to place beyond cavil or reproach the attitude of her leaders at the close of the great Southern States Rights struggle--to present a faithful picture of the times, and a just judgment, whether writing of friend or foe, has been my sole object. Slight as these sketches are, they may claim at least the merit of truth, and this, I am persuaded, is no slight recommendation with the truth-loving people of North-Carolina.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

Difficulties of the History--The Position of North-Carolina--The Peace
Convention--The Montgomery Convention--Governor Vance--The Salisbury
Prison--Testimony on the Trial, 13

CHAPTER II.

Winter of 1864-'5--Letter of Governor Vance--Appeal for General Lee's
Army--The Destitution of the People--Fall of Fort Fisher--Advance of
General Sherman--Contrast between Sherman and Cornwallis--Extracts
from Lord Cornwallis's Order-book--The "Bloody Tarleton," 26

CHAPTER III.

Judge Ruffin--His History--His Character--His Services--General Couch's
Outrages after Peace had been declared--General Sherman's Outrages--His
unblushing Official Report--"Army Correspondents"--Sherman
in Fayetteville--Cornwallis in Fayetteville--Coincidences of
Plans--Contrasts in Modes--The Negro Suffers--Troops Concentrating under
General Johnston, 40

CHAPTER IV.

Laws of War--"Right to Forage older than History"--Xenophon--Kent on
International Law--Halleck's Authority _versus_ Sherman's Theory and
Practice--President Woolsey--Letter of Bishop Atkinson, 53

CHAPTER V.

Lord Cornwallis in Fayetteville--A young Lady's Interview with him--How
he treated her--How Sherman's Men treated her Grandson--"The
Story of the Great March"--Major Nichols and the "Quadroon Girls"--Such
is NOT War--Why these Things are recorded--Confederate Concentration
in North-Carolina--A Sad Story, 65

CHAPTER VI.

"Shays's Rebellion"--Kent on Massachusetts--Conduct of a Northern
Government to Northern Rebels--The "Whisky Insurrection"--How
Washington treated a Rebellion--Secession of New-England Birth--The
War of 1812--Bancroft on 1676--The Baconists--An Appeal, 76

CHAPTER VII.

Schofield's Army--Sherman's--Their Outrages--Union Sentiment--A
Disappointment--Ninety-two Years Ago--Governor Graham--His Ancestry--His
Career--Governor Manly, 94

CHAPTER VIII.

Governor Graham opposes Secession--But goes with his State--Is sent to
the Confederate Senate--His Agency in the Hampton Roads
Interview--Remarkable and Interesting Letters from Governor Graham,
written from Richmond in 1865, 109

CHAPTER IX.

State of Parties--The Feeling of the People--The "Peace"
Party--Important Letter from Governor Vance in January, 1864--His
Reëlection--The War Party--The Peace Party--The Moderates--Governor
Graham's Letter of March, 1865--Evacuation of Richmond, 121

CHAPTER X.

General Johnston preparing to uncover Raleigh--Urgent Letter from
Governor Swain to Governor Graham--Governor Graham's Reply--A Programme
of Operations agreed upon--Finally Governors Graham and
Swain start for Sherman's Headquarters, 134

CHAPTER XI.

Raleigh, when uncovered--The Commissioners to General Sherman--They
start--Are recalled by General Johnston--Are stopped by Kilpatrick's
Forces--Their Interview with Kilpatrick--Are carried to Sherman's
Headquarters--His Reply to Governor Vance--The further Proceedings
of the Commission--A Pleasant Incident--The Commissioners return
to Raleigh--Governor Vance had left--His Letter to Sherman--The
Federal Troops enter Raleigh--Incidents, 145

CHAPTER XII.

Johnston's Retreat--Governors Graham and Swain misunderstood--Wheeler's
Cavalry--Confederate Occupancy of Chapel Hill--The Last Blood--"Stars
and Stripes"--One in Death--General Atkins--Scenes around
Raleigh--Military Lawlessness, 165

CHAPTER XIII.

Correspondence between Governor Swain and General Sherman--Governor
Vance's Position and Conduct--Kilpatrick--The Conduct of the
Servants--"Lee's Men"--President Lincoln, 178

CHAPTER XIV.

General Stoneman--Outrages--Cold-blooded Murders--General
Gillam--Progress through Lenoir, Wilkes, Surry, and Stokes--Stoneman's
Detour into Virginia--The Defense of Salisbury--The Fight in the Streets
of Salisbury--General Polk's Family--Temporary Occupancy of
Salisbury--Continuous Raiding, 192

CHAPTER XV.

Iredell County--General Palmer's Courtesy to Mrs. Vance--Subsequent
Treatment of this Lady by Federal Soldiers--Major Hambright's Cruelty
in Lenoir--Case of Dr. Ballew and Others--General Gillam--His
Outrages at Mrs. Hagler's--Dr. Boone Clark--Terrible Treatment of
his Family--Lieutenants Rice and Mallobry--Mrs. General
Vaughan--Morganton, 213

CHAPTER XVI.

Plundering of Colonel Carson--Of Rev. Mr. Paxton--General Martin
repulses Kirby--Gillam plunders during the Armistice--Occupation of
Asheville--Wholesale Plunder--Dispatch from General Palmer, 225

CHAPTER XVII.

Surrender of General Lee--Why North-Carolina could not have taken
Measures to send Commissioners--Review--The Coal-fields
Railway--Difficulties of Transportation--Provisions--The Last
Call--Recreants--Privations--The Condition of the Press, 235

CHAPTER XVIII.

The University--Its Early History--Its Continued Growth--The Ardor of
the Young Men--Application for Relief from Conscription--Governor
Swain to President Davis--Another Draft on the Boys--A Dozen Boys
in College when Sherman comes; and the Bells ring on--"Commencement"
in 1865--One Graduate--He pronounces the Valedictory--Conclusion, 251

APPENDIX.

I.--UNIVERSITY RECORD, 267

II.--GENERAL JAMES JOHNSTON PETTIGREW, 278

THE LAST NINETY DAYS OF THE WAR

IN

NORTH-CAROLINA.