Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-02-05
The Grant-stanton Affair

the President, which was communicated 20 the
House Of Representatives on yesterday, IN an
swpr TO its resolution, has been published.
Reading this correspondence IN order ot~dafes'
NE; we ind that onths 24th ult. Gea.,{ Grant 5ap7
.pliedrtot the President for written INSTRUCTIONS
relativestobis obedience Of Mr.. Stanton,s Or
der. He did not like, in a matter OF SO much
consequences, to follow merely verbal directions.
On the 2Stth ,ult. Gen Grant addressed a fresh
letter to the President, renewing his request
for written instructions in respect to MIR. Stan
ton. +,
Oot he. 2otb ult. the President took up Gen.
Ora MIS- first note, and endorsed thereon his
nossitiveaoIde to Gen. Grant mot to otey any
order from the War Department, assumed to
to b, issued by direction of the President, un-
less such order is known BY the Genera! com
manding the armies of the United States 10
have been authorized by the Executive.
But, now, GsD.z Grant has an aiterthought'
He,sees MIR. Stanton, and upon q tcommunica,
tom whether written or verbal matters not
from that person, proceedsto Inform the Pres
dent that he~fGen. Grant, means to b'lleVe
Ithat orders from the War Department, preten-
aed 70 Be issued on authority from the Prcsl-
dent. are so authorized, and that he will act
on .snch belief, al hough the President has ex'
I~snress!y informed him in writing that such ;Spul
| rious orders are not, and will not be, issued by
| his authority. % This aeytraord mary ommunl
I@catiop.. the first of its kind, and the most dI!
ccrrenditable,s perhaps, ever penned ny asuooFo''
nate, sbears date the 0 ult. -
Gen. Grant seems, on the 2Sth ultlmo, to
have felt that the, prudent Silence ne had
hitherto pursued onithe subject might as well
be exchanged for some sort OF v!ndlcatlon'
Ibis he essayed to do, making an issue with
the President of fact, to wit: that on the oat,
urday preceding his surrender ne had not
promised to see the President on Monday, ana
INFORM him what course he meant to pursue;
futher. that on Tuesday, in the presence or the
Cabinet, he had not admitted this agreement
and his fragrant breach of it: ~
To this defence the President replied on the
3lst ult,.,, calmly and patiently recltlng the
facts avoided or. ~rcpudiated by Gen: Grant s
Letter. which have, heretofore been fully stated,
and finally clinching the nail by stating that
the four gentlemen of the Cabinet present at
the interview sustained the President in his
version, and contradicted that OF Gen. Grant.
Following this is a letter Of Gen. Grant,
Idated ,onsthe Sd inst, containing nothing specl-
| allv new, and rather aiming to show what-Gen.
Grant could, might, or should have done, than
proving that he had actually done what his
honor as a soldier and duty as a gentleman I'M
peratively required. :.
s This last leter. was delivered, we learn, as late
as two O'Clock P. M, on the Sd inst at the
Executive Mansion. At halt past one OF
thereabouts, Of the same day, a resolution had
been offered in Congress calling upon the Sec
retary Of Wa for copies Of this correspondence,
It will be, seen, therefore, that the last letter Q!
Gen. Grant, and the resolution were nearly
simultaneous the object evidently being to
| close the correspondence with the last word Tor
Gen. Grant, and rush the papers already copied
into Congress, so as to ~fUrcclose all opportunity
for reply by the President. Mat INT. a."
A dispatch from Washington dated yester
day says: II ...gaa-
"President Johnsonis busily engaged tonight
in preparing a crushing reply to Grants Ill
tempered note Of yesterday. The President
has the facts to support him and thinks the
effort to cut off his reply by rushing the CORES,
pondence into Congress to-day, was a small
trick by a SMALL trickster.' 'a 3..s -''
In the late letter Of Gen. Grant, to President
johnson, in the published corr spon1ence,
Gen. Graz says: .
'On the 18th tult. in the presence of Gen.
Sherlnan, [ stated to you that thought Mr..
Stanton would resign. but did not say that |
would advise him to do So. On the 18th | did
agree with Gen. Sherman to 60 and advise
him to til at course, and on the 10Th L had an
interview alone with Mr.. Stanton, which led
me to the conclusion that any advice to him of
this kind would be useless, and go informed
Gen. Sherman. Before [ consented to advise
Mr.. Stanton to resign, | understood from him
in a communication on the subject immediate
ly after his reinstatement, that it was his opln-
ion that the act of Congress, entitled IAN act
temporarily to supply vacancies in the Esecu
tive Department in certain cases. approved
February 20, 1863, was repealed by b~se4ucnt
legislation,gw which materially influenced my &C
ton. Previous to this time [ had no doubt
that the law of 1863 was still in force, and,
notwithstanding my action, a fuller examina-
ton ofthe law leaves a question in my mind
whether it is or is not repealed. This being
the case, / could not now advise his res!gna-
|tion, lest the same danger | apprehen1el from
his first removal might follow. "ratt .
The ALBEMARLE GHosT.-The Scottsville
Register Of the lst says:
Sometime back we gave a detailed account
iurthe Register Of what the Ghost had been
| doing up to a certain date. Some of our eX-
changes and some of our readers look upon the
whole affair as a miserable hoax" but we can
assure them they. are mistaken. We have
taken particular, pains to give an unyarnlshcd