Sherman describing his march to the sea to President Lincoln, General Grant and Admiral Porter Painting by G. P. A. Healy

into irremediable ruin. No work would be done, nothing would be cultivated, and both blacks and whites would starve!"

Said the president: "I waited for Seward to answer that argument, but as he was silent, I at length said: 'Mr. Hunter, you ought to know a great deal better about this argument than I, for you have always lived under the slave system. I can only say, in reply to your statement of the case, that it reminds me of a man out in Illinois, by the name of Case, who undertook, a few years ago, to raise a very large herd of hogs. It was a great trouble to feed them, and how to get around this was a puzzle to him. At length he hit on the plan of planting an immense field of potatoes, and, when they were sufficiently grown, he turned the whole herd into the field, and let them have full swing, thus saving not only the labor of feeding the hogs, but also that of digging the potatoes. Charmed with his sagacity, he stood one day leaning against the fence, counting his hogs, when a neighbor came along.

"""Well, well," said he, "Mr. Case, this is all very fine. Your hogs are doing very well just now, but you know out here in Illinois the frost comes early, and the ground freezes for a foot deep. Then what you going to do?"

""This was a view of the matter which Mr. Case had not taken into account. Butchering time for hogs was 'way on in December or January! He scratched his head, and at length stammered: "Well, it may come pretty hard on their snouts, but I don't see but that it will be root, hog, or die."'"

It was this story which made the phrase "Root, hog, or die" so widely current at the close of the Civil War.

The Hampton Roads Conference failed entirely in its attempt to establish peace by any other means than a complete surrender of the Confederate Army, and the overthrow of the rebellion. It probably had its value in convincing the Confederate leaders that no compromise at that time was possible. Sherman had captured Savannah, and presented it to the Nation as a Christmas gift. Lincoln, who had never been quite sure of Sherman's wisdom of his march to the sea, acknowledged Sherman's suc

cess in a characteristic letter, and the armies settled down to their final struggle. The letter of Lincoln is as follows:

EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, December 26, 1864.

My Dear General Sherman:

Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift, the capture of Savannah.

When you were about leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic coast, I was anxious, if not fearful; but feeling that you were the better judge, and remembering that "nothing risked, nothing gained,” I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor is all yours; for I believe none of us went further than to acquiesce.

And taking the work of General Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a great success. Not only does it afford the obvious and military advantages; but in showing to the world that your army could be divided, putting the stronger part to an important new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the old opposing force of the whole,-Hood's army,—it brings those who sat in darkness to see a great light. But what next?

I suppose it will be safe if I leave General Grant and yourself to decide.

Please make my grateful acknowledgments to your whole army -officers and men.

Yours very truly,

A. Lincoln.

As the spring of 1865 opened, Lincoln left the White House for a little time, and for about ten days he and Mrs. Lincoln lived on the steamer River Queen at City Point near the headquarters of General Grant. There General Sherman came from his headquarters at Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Lincoln conferred with the two generals as to the fighting that still needed to be done. Lincoln desired that the end might come as speedily as possible, but with as little bloodshed as could possibly be.

On March thirty-first Grant began his forward movement. Lincoln remained at City Point and eagerly heard the news. On

April first, Sheridan won a brilliant victory at Five Forks. On April second, Petersburg and Richmond were evacuated by the Confederates. On April fourth, Lincoln started up the river and visited Richmond, where he spent two days. There he received an ovation from the liberated slaves, and when he returned to City Point he was cheered by a crowd of Confederate prisoners. This gratified Lincoln even more than the rejoicing of the freedmen. It assured him that those men would never again take up arms against the national government.

Lincoln returned to Washington soon after his visit to Richmond. Almost immediately after reaching the city the good news came for which so long he had waited. Lee sent a flag of truce to Grant, asking for a suspension of hostilities pending a conference with reference to the surrender of Lee's army. The conference was held at Appomattox, Virginia, on Palm Sunday morning, April 9, 1865. The generous terms offered by General Grant were promptly accepted; the army of General Lee was surrendered; his soldiers were permitted to retain their horses for use in the tilling of their farms, and the Civil War was virtually at an end.