The end of the civil war. Their april 1865 meeting happened two days after president lincolns assassination and a week after robert e lee surrendered at appomattox. This is part of the annually conform symposium and is just under an hour. Welcome to session one of the 21st annual lincoln for him symposiumincoln forum. Professor craig simons is Professor Emeritus of the United StatesNaval Academy and a member of the executive committee of the board of advisors of the lincoln forum. Newlythe author or editor 2000 two dozen books, including neptune, the allied invasion of europe and the dday andings that book won the Samuel Eliot Morrison award for literature. The author of lincoln and his admirals, which won the lincoln prize in 2009. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, the noble the Naval Historical Foundation awarded him the navalore deadly w knox history award for a lifetime achievement. John marszalak came out of retirement in 2008 and accepted the executiveing director of the ulysses s. Grant library. His honors include an excellence in writing award from the u. S. Army Historical Foundation for his work, the best writings of ulysses s. Grant, which was published in 2015. As testament to the high regard in which john is held, several of his students contributed to an edited volume titled of times and race, essays inspired marscalek. They are now infer married well. [laughter] something they share with lincoln. Their better halves are two women that i admire deeply and that im sure all of you will join me in that same sentiments. Their husbands will discuss johnston and sherman, the two surrenders. [laughter] [applause] craig what a perfect introduction. Thank you. We had a chance to come together tonight and consume someone. And part of the conversation fueled by wine, we talked about terribly jealous of john chernow, whose biography of hamilton inspired a very lucrative musical on broadway. We thought how appropriate it would be to have joseph a johnston, the musical. [laughter] or William T Sherman the musical. The one that really inspired us was well until how it, the musical. [laughter] you would be delighted to hear that this is not going to be a musical presentation today. Instead, it is a tragedy in three. Act one. 17, 1865, a full week after lee surrendered in appomattox. Johnston and William T Sherman met in the front yard of a small farm owned by james and near durhamt station in North Carolina. Heres what that farmhouse looks like today. And here is the newspaper engraving of the imagined meeting between these two moderns and here is a painting by dan nansen how he imagined that. However it looked, let us imagine the moment. It had been four years and five. Ays since the war began since then, these two men had spent a lot of that time, each of them taking about the other. Lurk insideat plans the active brain of his opponent. For two and a half months in the , they and summer of 1864 had dueled one another in north georgia, in what shall be foot called a red clay minuit, each striving to gain an advantage, each failing to do so until a frustrated and impatient Jefferson Davis replaced a johnston with John Bell Hood. They fought again all need two weeks before this meeting near bentonville North Carolina in another strategically indecisive engagement. Now with lees army already having surrendered in virginia, they met facetoface for the first time ever, with an opportunity to end the war. As important, to establish a foundation for the peace that would follow. Their conversation could well have much to do with what reconstruction would look like and how or even if the country recovered from its wounds. What is not evident in this painting is the amount of baggage that each man brought with him to the meeting. Not literal baggage, but metaphorical baggage. My job in the first segment of this tagteam presentation is to detail some of the personal, professional and political baggage the johnston brought to this meeting. Davis dismissed joe johnston from his command in july, 1864, the old general went into what amounted to retirement in Columbia South carolina, where the diarist mary chestnut was living. She noticed the johnston and his friends were bitter, it are about his dismissal, bitter at davis, bitter at John Bell Hood, whose subsequent defense of atlanta was a disastrous failure , add whose Chaotic Campaign into tennessee would even more thestrophic, resulting in virtual destruction of the army of tennessee outside nashville. If johnston supporters blame that catastrophe on james on davis and unheard, those two men, and many others as well, blame johnston, whose constant withdrawals in georgia had, in their view, taken the fighting spirit out of the army of tennessee before John Bell Hood ever got a hold of it. The error, as assad, was not that johnston was dismissed, but that he had been kept too long in command. The mutual bitterness was palpable. The observant mary chestnut wrote in her diary we thought this was a struggle for independence. Now it seems it is only a fight between joe johnston and geoff davis. Of course, Columbia South carolina was no safe haven. First sherman, advancing north from savanna, had it squarely in his sights. North, theyeaded rebelled against administration by passing a law that appointed robert e. Lee by name as commander in chief of all unfettered armies, nevermind the fact that the confederate constitution gave that title to the president. Calledr, that same act upon the president to appoint joseph e johnston, again, by name, to command what was left of the army of tennessee. It was a deliberate slap in the face to Jefferson Davis. While davis happily appointed lead to the top command, he refused to appoint joe johnston to anything, instead writing the johnston was, in his words, deficient in enterprise, tardy in movement, defective in preparation, and singularly neglectful of the duty of protective preserving our means and supplying transportation. But then he did it anyway. This was legal convinced hand that, if nothing else, the popular johnston, who was very much loved by the soldiers, my friend in some of those who had deserted to return to the colors. Johnstons first instinct was to refuse the appointment. Another ofd this was daviss tricks, putting him back in command, just so he would be the one to bear the historical burden of making the final surrender. By just as lee had taught davis to making the appointment, he also convinced johnson to accept it. That leeld johnston now hated davis as much as he did, which was not true, and at least i had confidence in his old friend add west point classmate, which was true. Job, johnston fought only one battle, the one of bentonville. It was indecisive. The view, iton proved that the men of the army of tennessee can still fight. And that disproved all the things that could had been saying about how the men of the army of tennessee had forgotten how to be soldiers. Nevertheless, it was obvious to johnson that any further fighting now im after appomattox, was useless. Bentonville, and least surrender at appomattox, he had most of the men in his army they leave the war was over. Of april, he week traveled to see davis, who is now heading southward from richmond, having evacuated the confederate capital in a train, to tell him so. Railroad car near greensboro, North Carolina on april 12. Davis sitting at a small does surrounded by what was left of his cabinet. I dont really have an image of that, but heres davis sitting at a desk. So that will have to do. [laughter] president ourthe people are tired of the war. They feel themselves whipped and will not fight. Davis was fiddling with a piece of paper he was holding in his hand, turning it over, folding it, unfolding it. He did not even look up to look at johnston in the face. But after a brief positive and he said, general johnston, what you propose . That was the opening johnston needed. He asked permission to send a note through the lines to sherman requesting a conference thatrange an armistice would now this is now quoted material permit the authorities to enter into the needful arrangements to terminate the exist in war. Davis hesitated. And he said, well, sir, you can adopt that course, though i confess i am not send one asked to ultimate results. Ascent,hat grudging johnston then invited sherman to the meeting at the Bennett House five days later. Now lets hear what may have been on shermans mind when he greeted johnston at the Bennett House. John i think you have all seen this picture before. [laughter] its the worst picture of sherman and he hated it. He didnt want his picture taken, but it is a picture of that particular period. Lets back up in regard to sherman. Sherman took alaniz september of 1854. But at that time, he showed no interest in crushing the army of confederate general john bell Joe Johnstons replacement. I do not wish to waste lives by an assault. He quickly sent word to henry w howlett who was chief of staff in washington. Ours and fairly won. Know was war as we bitterly far, but shermans decision not to destroy heard and his army in atlanta was a clear indication of something. This mans attitude was toward the confederacy and its people. Sherman simply did not want to war of into fighting a the and blood. But he couldnt remain in atlanta. He had to do something. Took anned and then and this took place over a period of time to institute a new form of warfare, to institute destructive war against the confederacy. And how was he going to do that . By marching to the sea. Not in and grant or favor of this. But sherman quickly wore them down, began his march from on novemberhe sea 14, 1864. One of the things i want to point out, if you remember, nothing else about my part of it , i know youll remember everything craig said. But my part of it, i want you to remember that this is not an example of shermans work. He did not burn atlanta down. We can talk it in about it afterwards, if youd like. But the lost cause wouldve happened. Johnas actually created by bell hood when he set fire to atlanta. He set fire to ammunition of atlanta and explosions happened and all the rest. Anyway, he didnt destroy everything despite what gone with the wind has to say. [laughter] there you have gone with the wind. Nor, as legend would have it, sherman did not burn every home between atlanta and the ocean. In we happen. He did, however, march march through georgia, and he arrived at savannah on december 21. From there, he sent a message to present to beg to you as a Christmas Gift of the city of savannah. Oh kinds of newspapers talked about our union santa claus. Hood inhe case with atlanta, sherman now had to deal with confederate general william hardy. But, again, he refused to cut off his escape. Rather, he consciously, specifically, left open and exit so hard he could get away and sherman would not have to fight him in the trenches. And when shermans army entered savannah, the soldiers, and soldiers, sherman soldiers were on their best behavior. Previously, they had taken or destroyed anything they wanted. Now they pay for everything they took. Well, what happened . Held out, hed fight them without mercy. As soon as southerners quit the war, he would as he phrased it become the souths best friend. Is not going to try to destroy hood or hardy or atlanta or savannah and is going to institute what comes to be known as a soft piece for the hard war hes been demonstrating in georgia. Well, lets face it. The war is hardly over at this particular point when sherman gets to savannah. Grant now want sherman to come to virginia. Sends him a letter. There is a letter waiting for sherman. Come to virginia and help me finish off robert e lee. Well, sherman fought against that idea because he didnt want to critique it to participate in such killing again. Thisad, and they worked out, he headed north into the carolinas and another example of destructive, psychological this time, he particularly punished South Carolina because he and his soldiers blame south rwanda for starting the war. Laying but interestingly, he was less harsh on North Carolina, which, as you know, was very slow in seceding and had been much less enthusiastic about secession. About secession and battle and war. So sherman and his troops are now marching through the johnston and what joe says is one of the most impressive military feats since julius caesar. In fact, what happens is a figure from shermans past reappears. Guess who that is . But interestingly, he was less harsh on guess who that is . That is craigs hero, joe johnston. [laughter] now craig pointed out that Jefferson Davis had fired johnston just before the fall of atlanta, and he also pointed out that now davis has to swallow his pride and bring johnston back. Why would he do that . Well, he had no choice. After George H Thomas destroyed John Bell Hood and his army of tennis c at nashville in december 1860 or, there is no confederate general left a battle sherman, except for joseph e johnston. So johnston takes over what is left of the Confederate Army in the carolinas. And he gives sherman, as we heard, a momentary scare at bentonville. Then he had to fall back before the surging yankees. Well, sherman felt that he had done the right thing. He believed that his destructive war was a more direct way to get to the desired end of ending this civil war, defeating the confederacy, restoring the union. He certainly did not want to get back into the meat grinder of war. The whats going to happen now . Hes in carolina. Joe johnston is back again. Us. , craigs already told sherman receives a letter from Joe Johnston Rick busting a meeting between the two of them. Just before he leaves for that, getting ready to leave for that sherman, a subordinate hands him a telegraph that is just arrived from washington. And of act one. [laughter] craig act two. The two men arrived at the designated meeting place. They dismounted. Shook hands. And leaving their respective entourages outside, they went together into the bennett small farmhouse. And theikely and grant mclean house, we saw several images. Thatave all seen images of , noere were no andriy anza staff members. Just the two of them together in the small, rustic cabin. Inside, sherman took out of his pocket the telegram that he had handed just as he was leaving for the meeting and showed it to joe johnston. So far he had shown it to no one else. It stated two days before Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated in washington, d. C. Johnston looked up at sherman with horror and declared it was the greatest possible calamity for the south. He said he hoped that sherman did not think the south had an act. To do with such sherman replied he was confident that the rebel army had nothing to do with it, that he would not say the same about Jefferson Davis and his government. To which johnson made no reply. With that cloud hanging over to business. T down sherman offered johnston and the same terms they grant had offered to lee at appomattox. Johnston acknowledged that the terms were, in fact im a generous. But he suggested that perhaps they could go further and arrange the terms of a permanent peace. Byrman replied to that asking if johnston had the authority to make such an such an agreement. To make such an agreement. It was a good question. Davis had told johnston that he could enter into discussions to permit the civil authorities to enter into the needful arrangements to terminate the. Isting war in fact, davis had dictated that phrase himself, but what davis had meant, and johnson knew this, was that johnston had permission to convince the union to agree to southern independence. Which was why he had express so little optimism about the outcome. What johnston now tried to do instead was concluded peace that would reunite the country. Of course, as a general commanding an army in the field, johnston did not and could not represent the civil authorities. Sherman pointed that out to him. But johnston noted that John C Breckenridge was scheduled to recordthat afternoon and ridge was both a former Vice President of the United States and currently the secretary of war in the confederate government and he, johnston said, could represent the civil authorities. I had to put this up because of the mustache. [laughter] that posed a problem for sherman because he was prescribed from negotiation with a representative of what lincoln was always careful to describe as the socalled confederate government. Andointed out to Johnston Johnston replied, well, yes, ists true, but breckenridge also a Major General in the Confederate Army, as we see him here in his debtor in uniform. With himn would treat in that capacity. If breckenridge was merely a general in the Confederate Army, it was not fair how he was of host to represent the civil authorities. Anxious for the bloodletting to stop, sherman agreed to meet with both men the next day. Its hard to tell who was being more duplicitous year, johnston for implying that the confederate government was willing to end the war, when he knew that davis wanted to fight on to the bitter end, or sherman for using the figure lee the breckenridges commission as a Major General to enter into negotiations with a member of the better a government. The both men wanted peace. And they calculated that stretching the letter of their instructions was worth it. So there so the three men now met in the Bennett House the next day. April 18. And it started out splendidly. Sherman had brought