New-York tribune., 1868-06-26
GRANT ON RECONSTRUCTION

The following testimony of Gen. Grant beforo IN,
House Judiciary Committee last SUNNI or is especal,
interesting and important at the present moment
since 1t shows how thoroughly the General is in ba
mony with the policy of the Republican party in Pa
spect to the treatment Of the Southern States ana
demonstrates what we have many times SAID tina,
President johnson has been for the last three yeaD
the worst enemy of our conquered brethren.
CEN. GRANTS TESTIMONY.
have seen the PRESIDENT very frequently in refer
Gnce to the condition OF affairs IN the Rebel States
When was asked to be at Cabinet meeting IL wa.
because some question was mp IN which, as General
OF the Army, was Interested j am not aware Of
have occssonally recommended a person Tor fy, a.,
nesty. thought myself at that time that there wa.
reason why because person had risen to the ranL
OF a General he should be excluded from amnesty
any moro than one who had failed TO reach thai
rank. spoke on that point did not see much
reason for the $4,000 clause These are the onlv tw
points that / remember to have spoken of N ar
time IafteTwaTd, however, told him that / thon0hs
he was much nearer right on the $4,000 clause t6an
/ was. was present when the proclamation was
read in Cabinet but my views were not asked I
never gave any opinion TO the President that it would
be better at that time to issue proclamation Of gen
Questionable You ever give your opinion to the
President that his Proclamation nterfered with the
stpulations between yourself and Gen. Lees
4nswer-No Sir; frequently had to intercede for
Gen. Lee and other parOed officers, on the ground
that their parole so long as they 0beycd the laws OF
the Jnlte0 states. protected lncn nom arrest and
trial. The President at that time occupied exactly
the same grounds, viz: That they should be tried
and punished He wanted to know when the TINA
would come that they should be punished. | told
him not so long as they obeyed the laws and com.
piled with the stipulation. That was the ground
took
O. Did you not also insist that that applied as well
to the common soldier! A. OF course; it applied 70
every one who took the parole but that matter was
not canvassed except in the case of OF the lead.
ers; claimed that in surrenderng their armies and
arms they had done what they could not all Of them
have been compelled to do, as a portion Of them
could have escaped; but they surrcndered in consid
Grafton of the fact that they were 10 be exempt from
trial so long as they conformed TO the obliga-
tiOns they had taken; and they were entitled to
that
O. You looked on that in the nature Of parole land
hold that they could only be tried when they violated
that parole A. Yes; that was the view took OF ths
question. -
@. Did you understand that to apply to Gen. Leoi
A. Certainly.
O. That was your understanding of the arrange
ment which yOu made with Gen. Lcef A. That was
my understanding of an arrangement which gave
voluntarily. Gen. Lees army was the first 10 sur.
render and believed that with such terms all ths
Rebel armies would surrender, and that we would
thus avoid bushwhacking and continuation of the
war in n way that we would make very little progress
with having no organized armies to meet.
O. You considered that like terms were given by
Gen. sherman to the armies which surrendered ia
him A. Yes, Sir; and to all the armies that sur
o. And YOU held that so long as they kept then
parole of honor and Obeyed the laws, they were NOT
subject to be tried by courtsf ~ That IS my opinion.
will state here that am not quite certain whethes
7 am being tried or who is being tried by the ques.
tOns asked.
M. EIdridge-I am not trying anybody am In
quiring TO the Presidents proclamation and TO the
views he entertained. Did you give these views to
Gn. Grant-I have stated those views to the
President frequently ant. as / have said, he dis
agreed with me in those views. He insisted on il
that the leaders must be punished, and wanted to
know when the time would come that those persons
could be tried. told him when they violated their
O. Did you consider that that applied TO JED
Dayisl A. No, Sir. he did not take any parole.
O. lie did not surrender A. No. Sir. Ii applied
to no person who was captured. only TO those VIII,
O. Did the President insist that Gen. Lee should k
tried for treason. A. He cOntcnded for 1t.
O. And YOU claimed TO him that the parole which
Gen. Lee had given wOuld be violated IN such tran
A. l did. insisted on it that Gen. Lee would NOT
have surrendered his army and given up all thef
arms if he supposed that after surenderng he Wa
going to be tried for treason and hanged. L thougm
we got very good equivalent for the lives OF lew
leaders in getting all their arms and getting them
selves under control. bound by their oaths to OBEY
the laws. That was the consideration which In
sisted upon we had received.
A. There was not much argument about it, IL wa
merely assertion.
O. After Won had expressed your opinion about ID
did he coincide with you A. No, Sir, not then lie
afterwaTd cot to agreeing with me on that subject
never claimed that the parole gave these prisoners
any political right whatever. / thought that that
was a matter entirely with Congress. over which
had no control; that, simply as General-in-Chief,
commanding the army. had right to stipulate iof
the surrender terms which protected their lives
That is all claimed. The parole gave them protec
tion and exemption from punishment for all oienss
not in violation of the rul les OF civilized warfare, 50
long rs their parole was kept.
q. Do YOU recOect at what time you had these
conversations Can you state any particular time
or mp TO any particular time when they were nm
ished 2 A. The conversations were frequent after
the inauguration Of Mr.. johnson. cannot give tho
time. He seemed to be anxious TO get at the leaders
TO punish them. He would say that the Leaders on
the Rebellion must be punished, and that treason
must be made OdOus He cared nothing Tor tue mea
in the ranks the common men; he would let thein
20. for they were led into it by the leaders.
.. Was that prior or subsequent 10 MS proclams
tion A. It was subsequent. think.
q. Do You recollect at any time urging the freSi,
dent to go further in granting amnesty tban nc nsa
could not see any reason why the fact OF NOiur
teer rising to the rank of General should exclude
him any more than any other grades. ,Sn hian teion
ence to the 10000 clause thought that mans sue
cess in the world was no reason Tor nus being er
cluded from amnesty; but recollect afterward say
ing to the President that Thought he was iisn'"
that particular aud was wrong
q. Was that said 10 you III conversation a. 4.
have heard him say 1t number OF times nc s'!u & -
To me. and he said 1t In my presence az t u9 tbs
that delegations were coming up TO MN Holn '"'
South. .
Q. What persons do you recolect as being presen,,
at these conversational mean, what southern hen.
A. did not know them at all recollectthat on one
occasion ne talked to a delegation from Richmond n
that way / do not know of any other; neStv nes%
changed my views if he was gong 10 give aulnesy
10 soldier at ALI did not see why the fact OF
mans having risen to the rank of General Shoui'
be a reason for excluding him. ,,,
O. Did you not advise the President tthat IL We nS
proper and right he should grant amnestyf ~"
not think said anything that subject oi5 i
looked on the proclamation one which he Hs 1 u"
termlned to issue, and as thing suscepioi0 "
amendment or improvement. nh. am.
O. Did You not give your opinion AT an lna. x am
nesty ought to be granted to those people 10 auS
tentf A. know that was i'm favor of some ia
,nntinn ~ liz and nerhnns may have sllu sVt