The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-02-08
WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS


"As requested in this communication, Gen
eral Grant is instructed, in writing not 10 obey
any order from the War Department. assumed
to be issued by the direction Of the Presldeht,
r1nless such order is known BY the general COM
mandinr the armies OF the United States TO
have been authorized by th,, EXecut1ye; Wso~n
The next day, January 80, General Grant, in
q letter to the President, acknowledges the
return CT the above note, witl the endorse
ment thereon, in which he says:
lam Informed by the secretary OF War that
he has not received from the Executive any
order or Instructions limiting or iinpairlnS BIS
authority to issue orders to the army, as mas
heretofore been his practice under the law ana
the customs OF the Department.. While ILLS
authority to the War Department Is not coun-
fernandez, it will be satisfactory eVldence 10
me that any orders issued from the war De-
partment by direction OF the Pcesldene are au-
thorized by the Executive .
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT JOHNSON.
A lengthy letter from the President to Gene
raj Grant, dated Executive Mansion, January
S1st. 1858, is the next document given, as fol-
lows:
General: I have received your communi-
cat;on of the 28th Instant, renewing your re-
nnest of the 2ith that should repeat IN q
written form my verbal instructions of the l9th
instant. viz That you obey no order from u the
Hon. Edwin NJ. Stanton as Secretary OF war
unless you have information tnat 1t was issued
by the Presidents direction.
Iu submitting this request with which L
complied on the 29;h lnstant), you take occa-
SION to allude to recent publications IN REFER
ence to the CT cumstances connected with the
lfyacation BY Yourself OF the office OF Secretary
of War, ad aate,ana, and with the view Of cor
rectinc statements which you term gross
Observation-Disclosures" give at length your owu
recollection of the facts under which, Without
the sanction of the PRESIDENT, from wnom you
had received aud accepted the appointment
YOU yielded the Department OF War 10 the
present incumbent.
AS stated in your communication, some time
after you had assumed the dules OF Secretary
oil War, ad interim, We lntercnangeu views re-
specting The cour o that should be pursued IN
the event of nJn-concurrence by the Senate IN
tho suspension fropi Office Of Mr. stanton. l
sought that interview, calling myself at the
War Department. My so.e object IN then
bringing the subject to your attention was to
ascerta n definitely what would your own
action should such an attempt be made Tor Ills
restoration to the War Depal tnent.
That object was accomplished, for the inter-
view termina, ed with the distinct understand
ing that it, upon reflection, you SHOULD prefer
moi to become party to -he controversy, or
should conclude that It would be YOUR duty TO
surrender %, Department to Air. Stanton upon
acuon in his favor by tho Senate, lou were to
return the Office 10 me prior to decision ol
the Senate in order that il desired to do 30. /
mlgat de lgnate some one 20 succeed you; IL
must have been apparent TO {! !ou that had not
this uuderstaudn, been reached, 1t was my
purpose to relieve you from the further dis
ch irsc OF the duties Of Secretary OF +, "a
,nterin, and 10 appoint somo other person IN
that capacity.
Otter conversations upon the subject en-
sued, ail OF them having, OH my part. the same
ooec and leading to the same CONCLUSION as
the first. 1t is not necoJs ry, however To
re.er to any OF thom excepting that OF Saturday,
the 11th instant, n,tntioned i'll your commuul-
cation, AS it was then known that tue Senate
mad proc :eded to Consider tue casa OF MIR
Stanton 7 was ANXIOUS to learn your determi-
nation. After o protrac.es interview, dLrlnS
which the provisions OF ,ho Tcnurc-of-othce
bill we're fully discussed, You 81 Id that, as had
been agreed upon in our tlrst conference, you
would either return t.ie Office to my possession
in time to enable me to appoint successor
before final action BY the senate uIon Mr.
Stantou's uspon-iOD, or would remain as It's
head awaiting decision of the question BY
judicial proceedings.
II was then understood that thoro would be
a further conference on Monday, by which time
T supposed you would be prepared to inform
me Of your final decision. You tailed, however,
to fulfil tue engagement, and on Tuesuay no
tilted me in writing of the receipt o. your Off
cial notification VI the action Of the Senate III
the case of Mr.. Stanton, and at the Same time
informed NE thGt. according to the act reSulat-
ing the tenure OF certain ci1l officers. your func-
tions as Secre tary OF War, al anterim, ceased
from the moment Of the receipt OF the notice.
You tnus, in disregard OF the understanding
between us, vacated the Office without having
given me notice Of your intention to do 80. 1t
is but Just, however, to Say that IN your COM
municati IN you clam that you did inform me
of YOUR purpose, aud thus fulfilled the pro-
mise made in our lust preceding conversation
on this subject" The fact 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 dosirous of keeping Mr.
stanton out cf Office, whether sustained in the
suspension or not" You knew what reasons
had induced the President to ask from you
promise. You also knew that in case your
views Of duty did no accord with his own )n-
victions, it was his purpose to fill y!ur place by
another appointment. Even ignoring tho ex-
is ence Of positive understanding between Us,
these conclusions were plainly deduclble from
our various conversations. II ls certain, now
ever, that even under these circumstances, you
did not offer to return the place to my possess
sion, but, according to Your own statements,
placed yourself in position when, could l
lave anticipat your action, would have been
compelled to ask OF you, as was compelled 10
ask c. your predecessor III the War Department,
a letter Of resignation, or else 10 resort to the
more dissgreeable expecient OF suspcnding you
by o successor
As stated in your letter, tho nomination OF
Governor Cox, OF OHIO, for the Office OF Secre-
tary OF War, was suggested to me. His ap-
pointment Us MIR. Stanton's successor was urg-
ed IN your name, and 1t was said that his
selection would save further embarrassment.
I id not think that in the selection OF cabinet
officer I snould be trammeled by such con-
siderations was prepared to take the re-
sponsibihty Of deciding the question in accord
ance with my ideas of constitutional duty, and
having determined upon course Which l
deemed right and proper, Vas anxious to learn
the steps you would take should the possession
Of the War Department be demanded by MIR.
Stanton. Had your action been in confor NIFTY
with the understanding between US, do not
believe that tho embarrassment would have
attained its present proportions, or that the
probability of its repetition would have been so
great.
know that with view to an early termina-
tion of a state of affairs SO detrimental 10 the
pubic interests you voluntarily offered, both
ing Sunday, to call upon Mr.. Stanton and .e
upon HIM that the g0Ud OF the service rcquir-
ed his resignation. I Confess that cons, ,dered
YOUR proposal as a sprt OF reparation for the
failure, on your part TO act in accordance with
an understanding moro than once repeated
which thought had received your full assent,
and under which you could have returned to