The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-02-13
,-,,,er Letter from General Grant.

,,other Letter rom SeneFaa Grant.
The following letter from General Grant
sent to the House Of Representatives
r,,saay By the President:
=, he House Of Representatives.
The accompanying letter from Genera,
cant. received since the transmission tn
ne House of Representatives of nv com.
mrnication Of this date, is submitted to the
House as a part Of the correspondence re.
erred to in the revolution of the 10th
Instant: ANDREW JOHNSON.
Edshi,,. etoa, D. C., February IL, 1868.
T.apSeaxrEss ARMY OF UNITED STATES,
ARLINGTON, D. G., February II, 1865.
gS ErteRcncy, A. johnson, President Of
DE United Sales:
SRI have the honor to acknowledge
ne receipt Of your communication of the
nh instant, accompanied by the state.
nents OF five Cabinet ministers of their
collection Of what occurred in Cabinet
meeting on the l4th of January.
Without admitting anything in these
where they differ from anything heretofore
stated by me-, | propose to notice only that
roriion OF your communication wherein I
sa charged with INSTRUMENTATION. I think
will be plain to the reader of my letter
Of the 30th of January that l did not pro.
pxc to diSobey any legal order of the Pre-.
,ient distinctly given, but only gave an
interpretation of what would be regarded
satisfactory evidence Of the Presidents
A1ctioa to orders communicated by the
Secretary Of War. I will say hero that
yoG1 letter OF the 10th instant contains,the
5:N intimation that l have had that you
lid not accept that Interpretation.
Now for rcasonsfo for giving that interpre-
A;'on: 1t Was clear 20 me before my letter
d January 3oth Vas written that I, the
person having aore public business to
;an>act with ,.he Secretary of War than
say other OF tho Presidents Subordinates,
HsS me onsy one who had been instructed
10 NlNF gard the authority of Mr.. Stanton
EHe.:o his authority was denied as agent of
* president,
On the 9th Of January I received a
letter from the Secretary of War, (copy
aeTewith,} directing me to furnish escort
10 public treasure from the Rio Grande to
New Orleans, ETC., at the request Of the
Secretary of the Treasury to him. I also
send two other enclosures showing recog-
altion of Mr. Stanton as Secretary of War
by both the Secretary of the Treasury and
Postmaster-Genera in all Of which cases
the Secretary Of War had to call upon me
70 make the orders requested or give the
Information desired, and where his au-
ihority 10 do so is derived, in my view, as
agent Of the President.
With an order SO clearly ambiguous Us
that Of the President here referred to, it
was my duty to inform the President of
ny Interpretation of it, and to abide by that
:2tcgpretation until / received other or
deFS. Disclaiming any intention now or
heretofore Of disobeying any legal order of
The President distinctly communicated, l
remain, very respectfully, your obedient
servant. u. S. GRANT, General,
The letters accompanyin ing are from the
Post office Department, asking for informa-
ton with respect TO q change of military
posts, in order to the protection of the
mails. The next is a letter from the Tren-
sGry Department., asking a militeTy escort
,F the transitu of public moneys, to pre-
vent them from falling into the hands OF
robterS. On the 9th of January Secre-
i4ry Stanton writes a letter, addressed to
G:aeral Grant, asking him todetail a force
10 protect public moneys in Texas.