The Last Ninety Days of the War in North-CarolinaSpencer, Cornelia Phillips
History
The Last Ninety Days of the War in North-Carolina
Spencer, Cornelia Phillips
North Carolina -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns
A resolution of submission was passed at the second convention, and
a committee of two, one of whom, Findley, was a member of Congress,
appointed to convey it to the President at Carlisle. The President
received this committee courteously, but the march of the troops was
not arrested. A third convention being held, and resolutions to pay
all excise duties and recommending the surrender of all delinquents
having passed, General Lee issued a proclamation granting an amnesty
to all who had submitted, and calling on the people to take the oath
of allegiance to the United States. Orders were issued and executed
to seize those offenders who had not submitted, and send them to
Philadelphia. Of those who were tried before the Circuit Court, only
two were found guilty of capital offenses, one of arson and the
other of robbing the mail; and both were ultimately pardoned by the
President. In less than four months from the burning of the first
house, the insurrection was completely defeated, and entire order
restored. A force of twenty-five hundred militia was retained in
the disaffected district during the ensuing winter, under command of
General Morgan. Provision was made to indemnify those whose property
had been destroyed, and an appropriation of more than a million of
dollars was made by Congress to defray the expenses incurred. Albert
Gallatin, who was then a hardly naturalized foreigner, notwithstanding
the part he had taken in the earlier stages of the rebellion, by
his subsequent moderate counsels had regained the confidence of the
Government, and being the choice of the people of that district, was
elected to the next Congress, taking his seat without any opposition
or word of rebuke. His subsequent brilliant career is now part of our
national history. Findley, who was a member of Congress at the time of
the outbreak, and was at one time prominent among the sympathizers,
though he acted at no time with decision, did not forfeit his seat by
his participation in the revolt. He appeared in his place in Congress
the ensuing November. He afterward wrote an elaborate history of the
insurrection and a vindication of himself and his friends. According
to him the troops sent to quell the rebellion would have left more
emphatic tokens of their desire for vengeance on the rebels, "if it had
not been for the moderation of Washington and his resistless weight of
character in the execution of his purposes."[8]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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