The Hampton Roads Conference was an attempt to bring the Civil War to a negotiate end, and was arranged by Lincoln‘s adviser Francis P Blair Sr. President Abraham Lincoln with his Secretary of State William H Seward met near Fort Monroe, Virginia with Confederate representatives Vice President Alexander Hamilton Stephens, Assistant Secretary of War John A Campbell and Senator Robert M T Hunter. They used the ship the USS River Queen a Union transport ship on February 3rd 1865 for the meeting.
After four hours, there were no agreements. President Lincoln dominated the meeting. He demanded an immediate end to fighting, with the disbandment of the Confederate military, southern recognition of emancipation, and all Confederate States returned to the Union. Lincoln was willing to consider compensation for slave owners, and good treatment for Confederate officials. The men representing the Confederacy were not authorized to accept anything short of independence. At the conclusion of the conference the Confederate Representatives returned to Richmond, Virginia, and the war went on.
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ReplyDeleteI learned something new, again, enjoy your blog.
Jennifer