* * * * * * * * * * * * *
I will state briefly as possible my connection with the
Confederate Treasury, and run hastily over the route from
Richmond, Va., to
Washington, Ga.
I left
Richmond, Va., the night of the evacuation with all the papers of the Executive office, on the special train containing the
President, his staff, his Cabinet (excepting the
Secretary of War,
General John C. Breckinridge,) and many other government officials, being at the time the chief and confidential clerk of the Executive office.
The party reached
Danville, Va., next day (
General Breckinridge arriving a few days afterwards) where the government officers were partially reorganized and opened, remaining there until the 10th of April, when the news of
General R. E. Lee's surrender was received.
The next move was to
Greensboro, N. C., the headquarters of
General G. T. Beauregard's little army.
A stay of some days was made there, during which
General J. E. Johnston reported for a conference as to the general situation.
When the
President's party prepared to leave, as the railroads were cut at several points south of us by the
Federal cavalry under
General Stoneman, who were still raiding to the southwest of our line of travel, by orders of
Colonels William Preston Johnston and
John Taylor Wood (of the
President's staff,) I applied to
General Beauregard for the necessary facilities for the journey, who directed
Colonel A. R. Chisolm, of his staff, to give me
carte blanche orders upon his
Chief Quartermaster,
Major Chisman, and his Commissary Department for what I needed, from which departments I made up a full train of
