Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-02-05

4
been authorized by the Exc ,utiye; aud in reply
thereto 20 say that am informed by the Secre.
| tary of War that he has not received from IN,
Executive any order OF INSTRUCTIONS limiting o.
| impair.ng his authority % issue orders to IN.
army, as has heretofore been his pr-t .tice nnde,
the law and the customs Il the dcnsrtmant
While this authority TO the War Department Is
not countermand'd. II VIII be satisfactory eNi-
dence to me that any orders issued from tn War
Department by dire csion OF tn President are
authorized by the Executive. 1 have the hoaor
10 be, very respectfully, yoJr obedIrnt servant,
L. =. GkANT, General.
President johnson % Cs .ral Grqa.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, January 81, 1862
GESERAL Il have received voUr Communica-
tion of the 2sth instant, renewing your request
of the 24th, that / should ~ No 4 in a written
form my verbal instructions OF the 18Th instant,
viz: that you obey no order from the Hon
Edw in NJ Stanton, as Secretary of War. unless
you have in formation that il was issued by the
Presidents direction.
In submitting this request. with which
complied on the 18th instantly YOU take occa :
sion TO allude to recent publications in refer
ence 10 the circumstances connected with the
vacation, by yourself, Of the Office OF Secretary
of War, al dtRieriss, and, with the view o. cor
recting statements which you term ssgross mis-
representations" give at length Your own
recollection of the facts under which. without
the sanction OF the President, from whom Won
had received and accepted the appOintms nt.
you yielded the Department of War 10 the
present incumbent.
As stated IN your communication some time
after You had assumed the duties of Secretary
OF " ar dd iate RIM, interchanged views re-
specting the course that should be pursued in
the event of fnon-concurrence by the Senate in
the suspension from office of Mr.. Stanton. 1
sought that interview, calling myself AT the
War Department. My sole object in then bring
ing the subject TO yoSr attention was to ascer-
tam definitely what would be your own action
should such an attempt be made for his restor-
alton TO the War Department That object was
accomplished, for the interview terminated
with the distinct understanding that if, upon
reflection. you should prefer not to become a
party TO the controversy, or should conclude
that IL would be your duty to surrender the de-
partment to Mr.. Stanton upon action i'm mis-
favor by the Senate, you were to return the or
flee 10 me prior to decision by the Senate. IN
order lat, if desired 10 do so. 1 might desie-
nate some one TO succeed You. II must be- ap-
parent TO you that, had not this understanding
been reached, II was nay purpose to relieve You
from the further discharge Of the duties of Sec
retiry OF War dd iHteriR and 10 appoint some
other person IN that capacity.
Other versations upon the subject ensued
all OF Them having, on my part, the same OBJ
lect, and leading To the same conclusion the
first. Ii rs not necessary, however, TO report
any of them, excepting that of Saturday, the
11th instant, mentioned in your communica-
ton. As 1T was then known that the Senate
had proceeded TO consider the case OF Mr.. STAN
ton, was anxious to learn your determi nation
After a protrf cted interview, during which
the provisions Of the tenure-of-office bill Were
fully discussed, you said that, as had been
agreed upon in our first conference, Won would
either return the Office 10 my possession in
time 10 enable me TO appoint a successor
before final action by the Senate upon Mr.
Stanton's suspension. or would remain as
It's head, awaiting a decision of the question
by Jndlclal proceedings. IL was then under
stood that there would be a further confer
ence on Monday, by which time l supposed
you would be prepared TO inform me Of your
final decision. You failed, however. to fulfil
the engagement, and on Tuesday notified me
IN writing Of the receipt OF your Official notifi-
cation OF the action of the Senate the case
Of Mr.. Stanton, and at the same time informed
me that, according TO the act regulating the
tenure of certain civil offices, your functions as
Secretary Of War Gd interim ceased from the
moment OF the receipt Of the notice. You thus,
in disregard of the understanding between us,
yacatsd d the office without having given me no.
uce OF your intention to do so. Ii rs but lust
however, TO say, that in your communication
you claim that you did inform me of your pur-
pose,and thus 'fulflled the promise made in our
last preceding conversation on this subject
The Iact that such promise existed. is evidence
OF an arrangement OF the kind have mentioned
You had found, in our first conference, ..that
the President was desirous of Keeping Mr.
Stanton out of Office, whether sustained an the
suspension or not" You knew what reasons
had induced the President 10 ask from you a
promise. You also knew that, i'm case your
views of duty did moi accord with his own con-
victions, il was his purpose to fill your place
by another appointment. Even ignoring the
existence OF positive understanding between
us, these conclusions Were plainly deducible
from our various conversations. 1t is certain.
however, that, even under these circumstances
you did not ofier 10 return the place TO nv pos-
session. but, according TO your own statement.
placed yourself in a position when, could I
have anticipated your action, / would have
been compelled TO ask of You, as / was COM
PEELED TO ask OF your predecessor IN the War
Department letter of resignation, or else 10
resort to the more disagreeable expedient of
suspendlng you by a successor.
As stated IN your letter, the nomination of
Gov. Cox, of Ohio, for the Office of secretary of
War, was suggested TO me. HIS appointment
a. Mr.. Stanton's successor was urged in your
name, and il was said that his selection would
save further embarrassment i did not think
that in the selection OF Cabinet off Ger should
be trammelled by such considerations. l was
prepared to take the responsibility of deciding
ihe question in accordance with NV ideas of
constitutional duty, and, having determined
upon a course which i deemed right and
proper, was anxious to learn the steps Won
would take, should the possession of the War
Department be demanded by Mr. stanton Had
your action been in conformity with the un-
derstandlng between US, do not believe that
the embarrassment would have attained its
present proportions, or that the probability OF
Its repetition would have been so great
i know that, with a view TO an early terrni-
nation ola state of affairs so detrimental to the
public interests, you voluntarily offered. both
on Monday. the 18th instant, and on the sue.
ceeding Sunday. u call upon Mr.. Stanton. and
urge upon him that the good of the service re-
quired his resignation. 1 confess that L con-
Tor the failure on your part 10 act in accord
ance with an understanding more than once
repeated, which thought had received YOUR
full assent, and under which Won could have
retired from the office which had conferred
upon you, thIs saving yourself from embar-
rissment and leaving the responsibility where
II properly belonged-with the President who
rs accountable for the faithful execution of the
law.
have not yet been informed by you whether.
as twice proposed by yourself, you had called
m mad m off, ~ s,.a
MIN voluntarily TO resign from the War De-
partment. You conclude your communication
with reference 10 our conversation at the
meeting Of the Cabinet held on Tuesday the
lath instant In your account of what then oc
CURED you say that after the President had
given his version of our previous conyersa
uons, you stated them substantially as given i'm
your letter, that you in no wise admitted the
correctness OF his statement Of them. ssthoush
to soften the evident contradiction nv statement
gave, said. (alluding TO our first communica-
ton on the subject) the President might ha We
understood in the way he SAID, namely, that
had promised TO resign if 1 did not resist the
reinstatement. i made no such promise ~
My recollection of what then lrauspired in
diametrically the reverse Of your marathon In
the presence Of the Cabinet asked won :
First II IN conversation which took place
snortiy AFTER your appointment Secretary of
War I'D tstsrim you did not agree either to re-
main at the head Of the War Department ana
abide any judicial proceedings that might fol-
low the non-concurrence by the Senate in Mr.
stanton suspension: or, should you wish not
to become involved IN such a controversy. TO
ONCE as l occupied previous to your appoint
meut Ov return tD me in f,vna N