...his worst fear, which he repeatedly expressed, was that once the confederate armies were defeated southern soldiers 'would not return to their homes to accept citizenship under a hated rule; and with nothing but desolation and want through the south, the disbanded confederate soldiers would be tempted to lawlessness and anarchy'. consequently his objective was to secure not merely peace but reconciliation. bringing grant, sherman, and admiral david d. porter together for a conference aboard the river queen on march 28, l discussed the approaching end of the war and talked of offering the most generous terms in order to 'get the deluded men of the rebel men of the rebel armies disarmed and back to their homes'. 'let them once surrender and reach their homes, he said, (and) they won't take up arms again. let them all go, officers and all, i want submission, and no more bloodshed...i want no one punished; treat them liberally all round. we want those people to return to their allegiance to the union and submit to the laws'.
...he contemplated giving a limited recognition to interim governments for the specific purpose of withdrawing troops from the confederate armies. he had returned from city point with a new sense of urgency about reconstruction. he now had firsthand knowledge of the devastation wrought by the war and a fuller understanding of the suffering it had cause soldiers and civilians in the south. more strongly than ever he felt that immediate action must be taken to restore stability in the conquered region. 'civil government must be established...as soon as possible, he told welles; there must be courts and law and order or society would be broken up, the disbanded armies would turn into robber bands and guerrillas, which we must strive to prevent'.
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