Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 27.djvu/142

 134 Southern Historical Society Papers.

can bring many good men to escort you over. My men are in hand and ready to follow me anywhere. * * * My plan is to collect all the men who will stick to their colors and to get to Texas. I can carry with me quite a number and I can get there."

To this letter, or my first one, I received the following answer by wire:

"NEAR GREENSBOROUGH, April 22, 1865.

"Letter not received. Wish to see you as soon as convenient. Will then confer.

"(Signed,) JEFF'N DAVIS."

I think the word " not " in the above was used instead of "just," for the telegram was obviously an answer to some communication from myself. On the 26th April, President Davis telegraphed to me from Charlotte, N. C., as follows:

11 To General Wade Hampton, Greensborough-'

" If you think it better, you can, with the approval of General Johnston, select men as proposed for a later period, the small body of men, and join me at once, leaving General Wheeler to succeed you in the command of the cavalry.

"(Signed,) JEFF'N DAVIS."

In response to the summons of President Davis, I had met him in Charlotte, where, after a full consultation, he approved of the plan suggested, and he gave me a letter authorizing me to join him with all the men who were willing to accompany us, and to take as many of the wagons and artillery horses as might be necessary to mount such of the infantry as decided to go with us. Having the authority of the President to carry out the plans which had been agreed on, I returned to Hillsborough, arriving there at n o'clock P. M. on the 26th April, and I found that the army had surrendered. This de- feated all the arrangements which had been made, for I recognized, of course, that my command had been embraced in the convention entered into between Generals Johnston and Sherman. Informing General Johnston that I had special orders from President Davis, I did not consider myself as embraced in the surrender, and that I should at once endeavor to join the President, but that I should take none of my command with me. Learning that a large part of my command cavalry and one battery which had served with me dur- ing the whole war, having refused to surrender, had left their camps,