Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1868-02-13

inst, and on the succeeding Sunday
to call upon Mr.. Stanton, and urge
upon him that the good of the service
required his resignation.
i confess considered your propo-
sitisn as sort of reparaiion for the
failure, on your part, to act in ae-
cordance with an understanding,
more than once repeated, which I
thought received your full assent,
and nnder which you could have re-
turned to me the office which l had
conferred upon you, thus saving
yourself from emharrassments, leav-
ing the responsibility where it prop
erly belonged, with the President,
who is accountable for the faithful
execution of the laws. l have not
yet been informed by you whether,
as twice proposed by yourself, you
had called upon Mr.. Stanton and
made an effort to induce him volunta-
rily to resign from the War Depart
meut.
You conclude your communication
with reference to our conversation
at the meeting of the Cabinet, held
on the l4th inst. In your account of
what there occurred, you say that
after the President had given his
version of our previous conversation,
you stated that substantially as given
in your letter, and that you in no
wise admitted the correctness of his
statement, though to soften the evi-
dent contradiction of my statement
made, 81 said, alluding to our first
conversation, on the subject the
President might have understood it
in the way he said, viz: That 1
had promised to resign if 1 did not
resist the reinstatement. l made no
such promise"
My recollection of what then trans
pired is diame:rically the reverse of
your narration. In the presence of
the Cabinet, asked you.
| First. If in conversation which
took place shortly after. your ap-
! pointment as Secretery of War ad
interim, you did agree to remain at
the head of the War Department and
abide any judicial proceedings that
might follow the non concurrence OF
the Senate IN Mr.. Stanton's suspen-
sion, or, should you not wish to be-
come involved in such controversy,
put me in the same position withre:-
erence to the office as previous to
your appointment, by returning it to
me in time to anticipate such action
by the Senate This you admitted.
Second. | then asked you if at
the time of the conference on the
preceding Saturday, 1 had not, to
avoid misunderstanding, requested
you to state what you inten led to do,
and further, if in reply to that inqui-
~, you had not referred to my
former cosversat;ons, saying Gs.>t
from them ! understood your posi-
tion, and that your action would be
consistent with the understanding
which had been reached. To these
questions you had also replied in the
affirmative,
Third. 1 next asked if, at the
conclusion of cur interview on Satur-
day, it was understood that we were
to have another conference on Mon
day, before fiual action by the Senate
on the case of Mr.. Stanton You re-
piled that such was the understand
ing, but that you did not suppose
the Senate would act so soon; that
on Monday you had been engaged in
o conference with Gen. Sherman,
and were occupied with many little
matters, and asked if Gen. Sherman
had not called on me that day
What relevancy Gen. Sherman's VS.
it to me on Monday had with the
purpose for which you were to have
called, am at at loss to perceive,
as he certainly did not inform me
whether you had determined to re-
tain the office or to afford me oppor-
tunity to appoint successor in adj
vance of any attempted reinstate-
ment of Mr.. Stanton.
This account of what passed be-
tween US at the cabinet meeting on
the 18th inst, widely differs from
that contained in your communica-
,tion, for it shows that instead Of hav-
ing stated our conversations as Civ
en- in the letter which has made this
reply necessary, you admitted that
my recital of them was entirely ac-
curate.
Sincerely anxious, however, to be
correct in my statements, have to-
day read this narration of what oc-
Cured on the 14th instant, to the
members of the Cabinet who were
then present. They without excep-
ten agree in its accuracy.
1t is only necessary to add that on
Wednesday morning the 18th, you
called on me, in company with Lieut..
Gen. Sherman. After seme prelim-
mary conversation you remarked that
an article in the National lntelli-
gencer, of that date, did you much
injustice. / replied / had not read
the Intelligencer of that merning.-
You first told me 1t was your inten-
ton to urge Mr. Stanton to resign
his office after you had Withdrawn
Icarefully read the article of which
you spoke, and found its statement
of the understanding between US was
substantially correct. On the Ista
caused it to be read to four Oh tne
five members of the Cabinet VINO
were present at our conference on
the l4th, and they eoncurred IN the
General accuracy of the statements
respecting our conversation on that
occasion.
In reply to your communication L
have deemed it proper, to prevent
further misunderstanding, to make
this simple recital of facts.
Very respectfully, yours,
ANDREW JOHNSON.
Gen. o. S. GRANT, Com'dg o. 5. A.
GRANT TO PRESIDENT JOHN
SON.