New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-02-05

War, until knew from the President himself that
they were his orders. ! have the honor to be-
very respectfully, your obedient servant,
us. GRANT, General.
The following is the Endorsement on the above
note:
"As requested IN this communication, Gen. OranV
is instructed in writing not to obey any order Io
the War Department assumed TO be issued by the Ill
recton of the President unless such order Is known
by the General commanding the armies OF INC
United States to have been authorized by the Execu
tive. ANDREW JoiNsoN'
Jarudry>29 1863
HrADouARrrRs Army OF THE UNITED SLATER
WASHINGTON, Jan. 80, 1865
His Ezcelleney ANDREW JOHNSON, Ifes'ae"% "e o'"'"
States.
SIR: have the honor to acknowledge the return
of nv note of the oath inst with your lndorsenenl
thereon That am not TO obey any ORDER from the
War Department assumed to be Issued 10y the dlrec-
ton of the President unless such order is known by
me to have been authorized by the Executive and
in reply thereto to say that j am informed by the
Secretary of War that he has not received from the
Executive any order OF instructions limiting OF i'm
pairing his authority to issue orders to the Army
has heretofore been his practice under the law and
customs of the Department. While his authority to
the War Department is not countermanded it will he
satisfactory evidence to me that any orders issued
FROM the War Department, by direction of the Presi-
dent. are authorized by the Executive. l have the
honor to be- very respectfully, your obedent servant,
L. s. GRANT, General
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Jan. 81, 1865.
GENERAL: have received your communication of
the 18th inst renewing your request of the 2ith that
i should repeat in written form my verbal instruc-
tons of the 18th ins viz. That you obey no order
from the Hon. Edwin NJ. Stanton. as Secretary of
War unless you have information that it was issued
by the Presidents direction" In submitting this re-
quest, with which complied the 29th inst, you
take occasion to aude TO recent publications III ref
erence to the circumstances connected with the va
cation by yourself of the office of Secretary of War
ad interim and with the view of correcting the state
ments which you term gross Misrepresentation
and give at length your own recollection OF the facts
under which, without the sanction of the President,
from whom you had received and accepted the ap
pontment, you yielded the Department of War TO
the present incumbent. As stated IN your communi-
cation some time after you had assumed the duties
as Secretary of War Gd interim. we interchanged
views respecting the course that should be pursued
in the event of the inconvenience by the Senate in
the suspension of Mr. Stanton. sought that inter
view calling myself at the War Department. My sole
object in then bringing the subject to your attention
was to ascertain definitely what would be yoor own
action should such an attempt be made, for his re-
storation 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 party TO the contTo-
versy or should conclude that il would be your duty
to surrender the Department to Mr.. Stanton upon
action in his favor by the Senate, you to return
the Office to me prior to decision by the Senate, in
order that if desired TO do so, might designate
some one to succeed you. 1t must have been appa-
rent to you that had not this understanding been
reached, it was my purpose to relieve you from the
further discharge of duties Secretary of War al
interim and TO appoint some other person In that
capacity. Other conversations upon the subject
ensued all OF them having my part, the same
object, and leading to the same conclusion as the
first II is not necessary, however to refer TO any of
them, excepting that of Saturday, the 18th inst,
mentioned in your communication as it was then
known that the Senate had proceeded in the case
of Mr.. Stanton. / anxious 10 learn your
determination. After q protracted interview,
during which the provisions of the Tenure-of-Oftco
bill were fully discussed, you said that as it had
been agreed upon in our first conference you would
either return the Office to my possession III time 10
enable me to appoint successor before final action
by the Senate upon Mr.. stanton's suspension, OF
would remain at its head awaiting decision of the
question by judicial proceedings II was then under
stood that there would be further conference
Monday by which time / supposed you would DO
prepared to inform Inc of your final decision. You
failed. however TO fulfill the engagement, and
Tuesdey notified me, in writing of the receipt OF your
official notification of the action of the Senate in the
case of Mr.. Stanton, and ut the same time informed
me that according to the act regulating the tenure OF
certain civil officers, your functions Secretary OF
War; dd interim, ceased from the moment at receipt
of notice. You thus in disregard OF the understand
ing between us, vacated the Office without having
given me notice of your intention to do 50. 1t
is but just, however to say that, III your
communication you claim that you did inform me of
your purpose and thus fulfilled the promise made in
our last preceding conversation on the 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 DESTROYS of keeping Mr.. Stanton out Of office,
whether sustained in the suspension not You
knew what reasons had induced the President to ask
from you a promise. You also knew that, In case
your views Of duty did not accord with his own
yctions il was his purpose to fill your place by
other appointment, even ignoring the existence OF
positive understanding between us. The conclusions
were plainly deduceable from our various CONVERSE
TONS 1t is certain. however, that even underhese
circumstances you did not offer to return the place
to my possession, but, according to your own state
ment, placed yourself in position where, could i
have anticipated your action, i would have been
compelled to ask of you was compelled to ask of
your predecessor in the War Department letter of
resignation or else to resort to the more dsageeabe
expedient of suspending you by the appointment of
a successor AS stated m your letter. the nomination
of Gov Cox of Ohio for the Office of Secretary of War
was suggested to me. This appointment as
Mr.. Stantons successor was urged in your
"a .o;1 +1,o%