The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-02-13

hmibhB VI ihp"IIiuS ulb uutuOTlty
to issue orders TO the army, as has
heretofore been his practice under
the law and customs Of the depart.
mcnt. While this authority to the
War Department is not couutermand
ed, it will be satisfactory evidence tC
me that any orders issued from
the War Department by direction
ofthe President. are authorized BY
the Executive. l have the honor
to be, very respectfully. your obe-
dent servant, U. s. GRANT.
General"
THE PRESIDENTS RESPONSE.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Jan. 81, '6S
"GENERAL-1 have received youl
communication of the 28ih instant
renewing your request of the 24th,
that l should repeat in u written
form my ver bal instructions of the
10Th inst, viz: that you obey nc
order from the Hon. Il. NJ Stanton
as Secretary of War, unless you
have information that it was issued
by the Presidents direction. In
submitting this request, with which
complied on the 29th instant, you
take occasion 10 aIlude to recent
publications in reference TO cir.
cumstances connected with the va
cation by yourself of the Office oil
Secretary of War ad interim. With
a view to correcting the state.
ments, which you term gross mis-.
representations. you give at length
your own recollection of the facts
under which, without the sanction
of the President, from whom you
had received and accepted the ap.
pointmont, you yielded the De
partment of War to the present in.
cumbcnt. AS stated in your com
munication, some time after you
had assumed the duties of Secre
tary OF War dd interim, we inter.
changed views respecting the
course that should be pursued in
tho event Of non concurrence, by
the Senate, in the suspension of Mr..
Stanton. sought that interview,
calling myself at the War Depart
mcnt. My sole object in then
bringing the subject 10 your az
tention was, to ascertain what
would be your own action should
such an attempt be made for his
restoration to the War Department,
That objec! was accomplished, for
the interview terminated with the
distinct understanding that if up
on reflection, you should prefer no;
to become party 10 tho contro:
yersy, or should conclude It would
be your duty to surrender tho De-
partment to Mr.. Stanton, upon ac-
ton in his favor by tho Senate,
you were TO return the Office to me
prior to decision by the Senate,
in order that, if / desired to do so,
might designate some one TO sue.
ceed you, 1t must have been ap-
parent to you that had not this un.
derstanding been reached, it was
my purpose to relieve you from
further discharge OF duties as Sec
rotary Of War dd interim, and to
appoint some other person in that
capacity.
"Other conversations upon the
subject ensued, all having, on my
part, the same object, and leading
to the same conclusion as the first
1t is not necessary, however, to re-
fer to any of them excepting that
Of the llth inst, mentioned in
your communication. AS IL was
then known the Senate had pro.
cecded in the case of Mr.. Stanton,
| was ANXIOUS to learn your deter
mination. After a protracted in.
terview, during which the provis-
ions of the Tenure. .ot. t.ofice Bill
were fully discussed, you said that
as it had been agreed upon in our
first conference, you would either
return the Office TO my possession,
in time to enable mo 10 appoint
succcssori before final action by the
Senate upon Mr.. Stantons suspcn.
sion, or would remain at it's head,
awaiting a decision by judicial
proceedings.
at was then understood there
would be a further conference ON
Monday, by which time l suppos.
cd you would be prepared to in.
form mo of your final decision
You failed, however, to fulfill tho
engagement, and, on Tuesday, no.
titled me, in writing, of the receipt
of an official notification of the ac-
ton of the Senate in reference to
Mr.. Stanton, and, at tho samo
time, informed me that, according
to the act regulating the tenure Of
certain civil Offices, your functions
of Secretary Of War ad interim
ceased from the moment of the re,
ceipt of the notice.
"You thus, in disregard of the
understanding between US, vacated
the Office, without having given
notice ofyour intent to dc SO. 1t
is but just to say, however, that in
your communication you claim you
did inform me Of your purpose, and
thus fulfilled the promise madc in
our last preceding conversation on
the subject. Tho fact that such
promise existed is evidence OF an
arrangement Of tho kind | have
mentioned. You had found, in our
first conference, that the President
was desirous OF keeping Mr.. Stan.
ton out Of Office, whether sustained
in the suspension or not. You
knew what reasons had induced
tho President to ask from you q
promise. You also knew, that, in
case your views of duty did not ac-