militia from Hood's command. Was there something afoot that
has never quite revealed itself on the broad pages of
history? As ordinarily told, the story is simply that
certain desperate Georgians asked Stephens to be their
ambassador to Sherman to discuss terms; that Sherman had
given them encouragement; but that Stephens avoided the
trap, and so nothing came of it. The recently published
correspondence of Toombs, Stephens, and Cobb, however,
contains one passage that has rather a startling sound.
Brown, writing to Stephens regarding his letter refusing to
meet Sherman, says, "It keeps the door open and I think this
is wise." At the same time he made a public statement that
"Georgia has power to act independently but her faith is
pledged by implication to her Southern sisters... will
triumph with her Southern sisters or sink with them in
common ruin." It is still to be discovered what "door"
Stephens was supposed to have kept open. Peace talk was now
in the air, and especially was there chatter about
reconstruction. The illusionists seemed unable to perceive
that the reelection of Lincoln had robbed them of their last
card. These dreamers did not even pause to wonder why after
the terrible successes of the Federal army in Georgia,
Lincoln should be expected to reverse his policy and restore
the Union with the Southern States on the old footing. The
peace mania also invaded South Carolina and was espoused by
one of its Congressmen, Mr. Boyce, but he made few converts
among his own people. The Mercury scouted the idea; clear-
sighted and disillusioned, it saw the only alternatives to
be victory or subjugation. Boyce's argument was that the
South had already succumbed to military despotism and would
have to endure it forever unless it accepted the terms of
the invaders. News of Boyce's attitude called forth vigorous
protest from the army before Petersburg, and even went so
far afield as New York, where it was discussed in the
columns of the Herald.

In the midst of the Northern elections, when Davis was hoping great
things from the anti-Lincoln men, Stephens had said in print that
he believed Davis really wished the Northern peace party defeated,
whereupon Davis had written to him demanding reasons for this astounding
charge. To the letter, whic