Afterwards, and with the view that it should be shown to Mr. Davis, I wrote and delivered to Mr. Blair a letter, as follows, to wit: 

  WASHINGTON, January 18, 1865.

  F.P.  BLAIR, Esq.

SIR:  Your having shown me Mr. Davis’s letter to you of the 12th instant, you may say to him that I have constantly been, am now, and shall continue ready to receive any agent whom he or any other influential person now resisting the national authority may informally send to me with the view of securing peace to the people of our one common country.

  Yours, etc.,
  A. LINCOLN.

Afterwards Mr. Blair dictated for and authorized me to make an entry on the back of my retained copy of the letter last above recited, which entry is as follows: 

  JANUARY 28, 1865.

Today Mr. Blair tells me that on the 21st instant he delivered to Mr. Davis the original of which the within is a copy, and left it with him; that at the time of delivering it Mr. Davis read it over twice in Mr. Blair’s presence, at the close of which he (Mr. Blair) remarked that the part about “our one common country” related to the part of Mr. Davis’s letter about “the two countries,” to which Mr. Davis replied that he so understood it.

  A. LINCOLN.

Afterwards the Secretary of War placed in my hands the following telegram, indorsed by him, as appears: 

  OFFICE UNITED STATES MILITARY TELEGRAPH,
    War Department.

  The following telegram received at Washington January 29, 1865, from
  headquarters Army of James, 6.30 p.m., January 29, 1865: 

  “Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON,
    “Secretary of War: 

  “The following dispatch just received from Major-General Parke, who
  refers it to me for my action.  I refer it to you in Lieutenant-General
  Grant’s absence.

  “E.O.C.  ORD, Major-General, Commanding."

  ’HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF POTOMAC,
     ’January 29, 1865-4 p.m.

  ’Major-General E.O.C.  ORD,
    ’Headquarters Army of James: 

’The following dispatch is forwarded to you for your action.  Since I have no knowledge of General Grant’s having had any understanding of this kind, I refer the matter to you as the ranking officer present in the two armies.

  ’JNO.  G. PARKE, Major-General, Commanding.’

  ’FROM HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS, 29th.

  ’Major-General JNO.  G. PARKE,
    ’Headquarters Army of Potomac: 

’Alexander H. Stephens, R.M.T.  Hunter, and J.A.  Campbell desire to cross my lines, in accordance with an understanding claimed to exist with lieutenant-General Grant, on their way to Washington as peace commissioners.  Shall they be admitted?  They desire an early answer, to come through immediately.  Would like to reach City Point tonight if they can.  If they can not do this, they would like to come through at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.

  ’O.B.  WILCOX,
  ‘Major-General, Commanding Ninth Corps.’