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was able he devoted the resources of the State wholly to the use
of its own citizens。 The food and the manufactures of North
Carolina were to be used solely by its own troops； not by troops
of the Confederacy raised in other States。 And yet； subsequent to
his reelection； he was not a figure in the movement to negotiate
peace。
Meanwhile in Georgia； where secession had met with powerful
opposition； the policies of the Government had produced
discontent not only with the management of the war but with the
war itself。 And now Alexander H。 Stephens becomes； for a season；
very nearly the central figure of Confederate history。 Early in
1864 the new act suspending the writ of habeas corpus had aroused
the wrath of Georgia； and Stephens had become the mouthpiece of
the opposition。 In an address to the Legislature； he condemned in
most exaggerated language not only the Habeas Corpus Act but also
the new Conscription Act。 Soon afterward he wrote a long letter
to Herschel V。 Johnson； who； like himself； had been an enemy of
secession in 1861。 He said that if Johnson doubted that the
Habeas Corpus Act was a blow struck at the very 〃vitals of
liberty；〃 then he 〃would not believe though one were to rise from
the dead。〃 In this extraordinary letter Stephens went on 〃most
confidentially〃 to state his attitude toward Davis thus 〃While I
do not and never have regarded him as a great man or statesman on
a large scale； or a man of any marked genius； yet I have regarded
him as a man of good intentions； weak and vacillating； timid；
petulant； peevish； obstinate； but not firm。 Am now beginning to
doubt his good intentions。。。。 His whole policy on the
organization and discipline of the army is perfectly consistent
with the hypothesis that he is aiming at absolute power。〃
That a man of Stephens's ability should have dealt in fustian
like this in the most dreadful moment of Confederate history is a
psychological problem that is not easily solved。 To be sure；
Stephens was an extreme instance of the martinet of
constitutionalism。 He reminds us of those old…fashioned generals
of whom Macaulay said that they preferred to lose a battle
according to rule than win it by an exception。 Such men find it
easy to transform into a bugaboo any one who appears to them to
be acting irregularly。 Stephens in his own mind had so
transformed the President。 The enormous difficulties and the
wholly abnormal circumstances which surrounded Davis counted
with Stephens for nothing at all； and he reasoned about the
Administration as if it were operating in a vacuum。 Having come
to this extraordinary position； Stephens passed easily into a
role that verged upon treason。*
* There can be no question that Stephens never did anything which
in his own mind was in the least disloyal。 And yet it was
Stephens who； in the autumn of 1864； was singled out by artful
men as a possible figurehead in the conduct of a separate peace
negotiation with Sherman。 A critic very hostile to Stephens and
his faction might here raise the question as to what was at
bottom the motive of Governor Brown； in the autumn of 1864； in
withdrawing the Georgia 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； which had
missed Stephens at his home and had followed him late in the year
to Richmond； Stephens wrote in the middle of December a long
reply which is one of the most curious documents in American
history。 He justified himself upon two grounds。 One was a
statement which Davis had made in a speech at Columbia； in
October； indicating that he was averse to the scheme of certain
Northern peace men for a convention of all the States。 Stephens
insisted that such a convention would have ended the war and
secured the independence of the South。 Davis cleared himself on
this charge by saying that the speech at Columbia 〃was delivered
after the publication of McClellan's letter avowing his purpose
to force reunion by war if we declined reconstruction when
offered； and therefore warned the people against delusive hopes
of peace from any other influence than that to be exerted by the
manifestation of an unconquerable spirit。〃
As Stephens professed to have independence and not reconstruction
for his aim； he had missed his mark with this first shot。 He
fared still worse with the second。 During the previous spring a
Northern soldier captured in the southeast had appealed for
parole on the ground that he was a secret emissary to the
President from the peace men of the North。 Davis； who did not
take him seriously； gave orders to have the case investigated；
but Stephens； whose mentality in this period is so curiously
overcast； swallowed the prisoner's story without hesitation。 He
and Davis had a considerable amount of correspondence on the
subject。 In the fierce tension of the summer of 1864 the War
Department went so far as to have the man's character
investigated； but the report was unsatisfactory。 He was not
paroled and died