The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1868-02-15

direction of the President, a7less aeil.csder
vas known by the General c5Inmanding the
armies Of the United States to haze been
authorizes by tie Executive There are
some orders whiea a Secretary &c Wax nav
issue without the authority Of the ProsI-
dent; there are others which he issues simply
as tae agent Of the President, and which
-purpOrt to be by direction of the President b
and for such orders the President is respon
sible and he should therefore know and I'M F
derstand What they are belare giving such
directions. vi Stanton, in his letter Of the i
9TH inst, which accompanied the published
correspondence win the President since the +
18th Of August, says that since he resumed .
tie duties Of the Office be has continued to
discharge them without any personal or /
written communication with the President 1
He farther adds: +" No orders have been IS |
sued from this department IN the name Of I
the President, with my knowledge, and 1 /
have received no orders from him. 1t thus /
Sc sms that Mr. Stanton neW discharges the /
duties Of the War Department without any
reference to The PresidenS and without
using his name The order Rad reference /
only to the orders assumed to be issuel by
/ the President. 1t would seem from Mr..
Stanton's letter that you had received no
such orders from him, though IN your note
/ to the President on the 9th ult, IN which
! you acknowledged theFeeeption of the writ
/ ten orders Of January 29th. you say you
| haze been informed by Mr.. Stanton that he
! has not received any order limiting his au-
/ thority to Issue orders to the army in ac.I
cordance with the practice of the Depart
ment, and you state that while this authority
/ of the War Department is net counter
manded 1t viii be satisfactory evidence to me
i (You) that any orders issued from the 81 ar
department by direction Of the President,
| are authorized by the Executive. The
President issues ansorder to yOu. to obey no
orders from the War Department purport-
ing to be made by his direction, until you
have referred it to him for approval You
reply that sou have received athe Presidents
order and Will not obey it, but Will obey an
order rurporting to be given BY his diTee-
ton, if it come from the War Department.
You VIII ebey no direct order from the
president, but viii obey his indireet order.
If, as You saY,it has been the practice IN the
War Department to issue orders in the
name Of the President, without his direc-
ton, does not the precise order you have re-
qaested and have received change the prac-
tee as to the General Of the Army2 Could
not the President countermand any such
order Issued IN the name of the President,
to dO-a special act, aud an order from the
President himself not to dO,the act +; IN this
case IS there a doubt as to which you are to
obey You answer the question when you
, say to the President IN your letter of the Sd
inst, 1.-The Secretary of War Is my superior
and your subordinate and yet you refuse
obedience to the superior and act in deter
enee to the subordinate. Without further
comment on the insUbordinate attitude
which you hare assumed, | am at q loss to
know how you can relieve yourself from the
orders Of the President, Who is made by the
Constitution Commander-in Chief of the
Army and Navy, and therefore your superior
as General of the Army as well as Secretary
Of War. Respectfully yours,
ANDREw JOHNSON.
Gen. Z. S Grant, Commanding Armies United States
P. S.-The accompanying letter from Gen.
Grant was received since the transmission
to the House Of my communication of this
date, and IS submitted to the House as part
of the correspondence referred to in the
resolution Of the 10th.
(Signnd) ANDREW JOHNSON.
-wAsu1xorox. February 10, 1865.
! States:
; Sir: have the honor to acknowledge the
, receipt of your communication of the 10th
: inst, accompanied by statements of five oil
!, the Cabinet ministers Of their recollection
of what occurred in the Cabinet meeting on
g the 18th Of January. Without admitting
= anything contained 10 these statements
Q where they differ from anything heretofore
4 stated by me, L proposesto notice only that
+ portion of your COMMUNICATION wherein
: am charged with characterization. think
!, it will be plain to the reader that, IN my
r letter Of the Both of January, l did not pro
q pose to disobey any legal order of the Presi
: dent distinctly given but only to give the in
c depreciation " what would be regarded as
4 satisfactory evidence of the Presidents
q sanction to orders communicated by the
+ Secretary of War" | will say here, thai
5 your letter Of the 10th inst. contains The
T first Indication I have had that you did no
j. accept that Interpretation; for the reason
4 for giving that Interpretation was clear Il
0 me before my letter of January Both was
? written. The Secretary Of War had called
q upon me to make orders requested, or tC
z give information desired, and where his au
D thority to do so, | derived In my view al
J. agent of the President With an order 81
q clearly ambiguous as that of the President
G here referred to- it was my duty to inform
It the President of my Interpretation of it
e and abide by that Interpretation until l lie
; ceived other orders Disclaiming any In
). ten.ion now or hereafter Of disobeying am
y legal order Of the President distinctly com
J municated, | remain. very respectfully, yOu
n obedient servant U. S. GRANT, General.
It The letter Of the President is accompanied
2 By letters from the Secretaries of the Navy
I Treasury, Interior and State, and the Post
r master 0enerdl supporting MS POSITION.
e The Supreme Court has not yet pre-
e nOuneed It's opinion on the motion to dismiss
?, the McCardle case for want OF jurisdiction
d Yesterday, after the Georgia and Mis-
d sissippi cases we're disposed of, Judge Blacl
/ fled new bill in behalf of the State 0
e Georgia against Gers Grant, Meade am
q Ruger. 1t IS understood this bin seeks t
4 .ayoid al difficulties encountered IN th
n former argument, and raises distinctly tai
1t question Of property, to wit Treasury 0
# the State Of Georgia to protect" This i
: rrayed for. Time of hearing argument i
, non determined upon.