Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/261

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CONFEDERATE TREATY.

The Only One Ever Negotiated with a Foreign Power.

A Washington correspondent of the Chattanooga Times writes, August, 1900: Although the Confederate Government was in ex- istence for a period of four years, history furnishes us with but one example of a treaty ever concluded between that government and a foreign power. The representative of Jefferson Davis, who succeeded in effecting the consummation of this unique treaty, was Lieutenant- Colonel C. H. Giddings, of the Confederate States of America, who was in command of the Confederate forces of Fort Duncan, Eagle Pass, Texas, in 1863 and 1864. Colonel Giddings is now in Wash- ington, and his account of this transaction is both interesting and novel.

"In 1863 I was commissioned by Jefferson Davis as lieutenant- colonel in command of the Confederate forces at Fort Duncan, Ea- gle Pass," said Colonel Giddings to your correspondent. "On assuming command of the fort, I was advised that an old Federal soldier, by the name of McManus, who had been paroled at the sur- render of General Twiggs and broken his parole, and crossed the Rio Grande and opened a recruiting office for the Federals in Pied- ras Negras, Mexico, and, that it was the headquarters for the or- ganization of bands of renegades and Mexican thieves, who were committing depredations upon the property of citizens of Texas. I called on Colonel Garza, who was in command of the Mexican forces and found my information to be correct. I filed a protest with Col- onel Garza, stating that it was in violation of international laws, etc., and asked him to have the recruiting office discontinued, which he did. Nevertheless, McManus continued to carry on practices clan- destinely, and organized a band of renegades and Mexicans, who attacked me in the night. This happened when a large part of my command were out scouting after these cattle thieves. I easily de- feated and drove them back across the river without any loss, one man, Captain Pickrell, my adjutant, being wounded.

" Numerous complaints, were made to me and my assistance asked for by citizens of Texas, who informed me that their stock, cattle, horses, etc., had been stolen by an organized band of thieves, com- posed of renegades from Texas (too cowardly to fight on either side