New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-02-05
VOL. XXVH.....NO' 1869.
THE WAR DEPARTMENTAL
coppvspoynPNcE BETWEEN GEN. GRANT AND
''""r''' PRESIDENT JOHNSON.

c,or laid before the House communlca-
a. trom the War Department, inclosing the 1ol-
lowing uoo" WAR DEPARTMENT, Feb. 4, 1868.
em Tn answer to the resolution OF the House OF
psnrasentatiyes of the sth transmit herewith cop
les furnished me by Gen. Grant of the correspondence
hstyVeen him and the President relating to the Sec
,eav Of War and which he reports to be all the cor
yespondence he had with the President ON the sub
;sct Ihave had no correspondence with the Presi-
dent since the 18th Of August last After the action
,f the Senate on his alleged for my suspension
frou the Office of Secretary Of War, / resumed the
duties of that Office as required by the act OF Con-
sress and have continued to discharge them without
any personal or written communication WIN INC
President No orders have been issued nom TINS De-
paYtment in the name of the President, with my
knowledge and have received no orders from hlih'
The correspondence sent herewith embraces al INC
correspondence known to me on the subject reIeIreu
10 in the resolution Of the House of Representatives
have the honor to be, SIR, win great respect 9o
ebedient servant,
EDWIN NJ STANTON, Secretary Of War.
Hon Schuyler Colfax, Speaker of the House OF Rep
resentatives.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES,
WASHINGTON, d. C., Jan. 70, 1865.
lis Erceleneu ANDREW JOHNSON. President Of he United
States
SIR: On the olth inst requested you to give me IN
writing the instructions which you had previously
given me verbally not to obey any order from the
Hon Il. NJ. Stanton Secretary of War, unless knew
that il came from yourself To this written request
received message that has left doubt in my mind
of your Intentions to prevent any possible misunder
standing. therefore, renew the request that you
will give me written Instructions and until they
received will suspend action your verbal ones.
am compelled TO ask these instructions in writing in
consequence Of the many gross Misrepresentation
affecting my personal honor, circulated through the
press for the last fortnight purporng to come from
the President, of conversations which occurred
either with the president previously in his Office, or
IN Cabinet meeting. What is written admits of no
misunderstanding. In view of the misrepresenta-
tons referred to will be well TO state the facts in
cases
Some time after / assumed the duties Of Secretary
of War ad interim, the President asked my views as
to the course Mr. Stanton would have to pursue, i'll
case the Senate should not in his suspension,
TO obtain possession OF his Office. My reply was, in
substance that Mr. Stanton would have to appeal to
the Courts to reinstate him. illustrating my position
by citing the grounds had taken in the case of the
Baltimore Police Commissioners. In that case l did
not doubt the technical right of Gov. Swami TO
remove the old Commissioners and to appoint their
successors as the old Commissioners refused to give
up. However, commended that resource was left
but to appeal to the Courts. Finding that the Presi
dent was DESTROYS of keeping Mr.. Stanton out of
Office whether sustained in the suspension or not,
stated that had not looked particularly into the
ure-ofOffce bill, but that what had stated was
q general principle, and if l should change
nv mind in this particular case, l would
inform him of the fact. Subsequently, on
reading the Tenure-ofO Office bill closely found that
could not without violation of the law, refuse to
vacate the Office of Secretary Of War the moment
Mr.. Stanton was lreinStated BY the Senate, even
though the President ordered me to retain, which
he never did. Taking this view of the subject and
learning on Saturday, the 18th inst, that the Senate
had taken up the subject of Stantons suspension,
after some conversation with Leutenant-Gen. Sher-
man, and some members of my staff in which /
stated that the law left me no discretion to my
action should Mr.. Stanton be reinstated and that
intended to inform the President. / went to the
President for the sole purpose of making this de-
csiOn known, and did so make it known. In doing
this fulfilled the promise made in our last preced-
ing conversation on the subject The President
however, instead of accepting my view OF the re-
quirements of the TenuTe-Of-O Office BILL contended
that he had suspended Mr. Stanton under the author
ity given by the Constitution, and that the same
authority did not preclude him from reporting, an
act of courtesy his for the suspension to the
Senate That having been appointed under the
authority given by the Constitution, and not
under any Act of Congress, l could not be gov
erned by the act l stated that the law was
binding on me, constitutional or not, unth
set aside by the proper tribunal. An hour or more
was consumed. each reiterating his views on this
subject until getting late. the President said he
wond see me again. did not agree to call again on
Monday nor at any other definite time nor was |
cent for by the President until the following Tues
day. From the 18th, to the Cabinet meeting on the
l4th inst, doubt never entered my mind about the
Presidents fully understanding my position namely
That if the Senate refused to in the suspen
sion of Mr.. Stanton my powers Secretary of War
ed interim would cease, and Mr.. StantOn's right to
at once tthe functions of his Office, would,
under the law be indlsputable, and acted accord
ingly. With Mr.. Stanton had communication,
direct indirect the subject of his reinstatement
during his suspension. ] knew it had been recon-
mended to the President to send in the of Gov
Cox of Ohio for Secretary of War; and thus save all
the embarrassment, proposition that L sincerely
hoped he would entertain favorably Gen. Sher-
man seeing the President at my particular
request to urge this the 18th inst. On
Tuesday, the day Mr. Stanton reentered the
Office of the Secretary of War; Gen. Comstock
who had carried my official letter, announcing that
with Mr. Stantons reinstatement by the Senate had
ceased TO be Secretary of War 0d interim, and who
the President open and read the communication,
brought back to me, from the President, message
that he wanted to see me that day at the Cabinet
meeting. after had made known the fact that was
no longer Secretary Of War dd interim At this
meeting, after opening il though were a member
of his Cabinet when reminded of the notification
already given him. that no longer Secretary of
War ad interim, the President gave a version of the