The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-12-07
" A R. [ o U S.

81 J5JiV IA IL i " u Is. #ii-TUt
General Grant before the Impeachment
,t. 6 !5a Committee. gir
| We publish below all the material portions
5ofiGencral Grants testimony given in July
last, before the Impeachment Committee.
GENERAL GRANTS TEsfIMoNY.
have seen the President very frequently in
reference to the condition of affairs in the rebel
States. When was asked to be at n Cabinet
meeting, it was because some question was up
in which, as G eneral of the army, Il wasiintcr-
csted.i Fam not aware of any interview with
the President on amnesty. / have occasionally
recommended person for amnesty. Thought
myself atthat timo, that there was no reason
why;bccausc person; had risen to the rank of
General he shouldibe excluded from amnesty
sny more than one who had failed to roach
that rank L spoke on that point. I did not
see much reason for the 10000 clause These
are, the only two points that l remember to
have spoken Of Mt the time. I aftcrwar,l how
ever, told him that d though. he was much
nearer right OH the $40 600 clause than / was
IVES present when the proclamation was read
lntbc Cabinet, butfmy views were not asked
it'pyos, gaye any opinion to tho President that
'.sSas,. s. nttesaat 77s7:v 10 s~s4 ,a,..,
~iunlatich Of general asncsty..a .s5i asI si,tl
Question Did yon ever give ycuri opinions.o-
the President that his proclamation intcrfercd
with the stipulations between yourself an!
General Lee ,l. Ky
.An:wcr. No, I frequently had to inter
ocde Tor General Lee and other paroled Off
GERS, on the ground that their parole, so long
as they oboycd the laws Of the United States.
prot -ctcd them from arrest md trial The
President, at that time, occupied exactly the
same ground, viz That they should be tried
and punish lie wanted to know when the
time would como that they should be punished.
/ .teldl him not so lonslas they ebeycd the laws
and complied with the stipulation. That was
the ground | took. ,s r-,..,tf.;.-
Q, Did you not also insist that that applied
as we'll to the common soldier?
A. Of course; it applied to ovcry one who
vassed except in case of some of the leaders.
claimed that in surrcndering their armies
and arms they had done what they could not,
all of them, have been compelled to do, as n
PORTION lofo them, could have escaped, but they
in consideration Of, the fact that
they were to be exempt from trial so long as
they ,conformed to tho obligations they had
taken; and they were sotitlct 70 that. VI
O. You looked on that in t,,::ec nature of a
parole, and held that they could only Ds tried
when they violated that parole?
A. Yes that was the view I took of the
question.
G.. That is your view still?
A. Yes, sir. unquestionably.
Q. You consider that the like terms were
given by General Sherman to the armies which
surrendered to him? afe iaa
q A. Yes sir; and to all the armies that sur
rendered after that lfa a
@. And you held that so long as they kept
their parole of honor, and obeycd the laws,
they were not subject to be tried by courts
A. That is my opinion. I will state here
that am not quite certain whether am being
Fsricd, or who is being tried, by the question
asked
O. Did you consider that that applied to
jeff. Davis
A. No, sir; he did not take any parole.
O. He did not surrender?
a. No, sir. Itapplicd to no person who
was captured; only to those who were parolod.
Q. Did tho Pre=:aclS insist that General
Ice should be tried for treason?
A. Ho contcndcd for it.
Q. And you claimed to him That the parole
which General Ice had given would be viola
ted in such n trial A''s
a. did. I insisted on it that General
Ice would not have surrendered his army and
given up all their arms if he supposed that
after sitrrcndcring he was gorg to to be tried
for treason and hanged I thought VIC got a