The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-02-06

read to four of the FIVE members of tn,
Cabinet who were present at our conference
on the l4th, and they concurred in the
general accuracy of its Statements re
specting our conversation upon that occa
sion.
! In reply to your communication I have
deemed it proper, In order to prevent fur
ther Misunderstanding, to make this sim
pie recital of facts.
Very respectfully, yours,
ANDREW JOHNSON.
General Q. s. Grant, commanding United
States armies.
HDoRs. ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES
| WAsHISaToS, d. c., February 8, 1868.
His ErceAency A. johnson,
President of the United States
Sir,-1 have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your communication of the
| 3lst ultimo, in answer to mine of the 2Sth
ultimo. After careful reading and CON-
parison of it with the article in the Ma
tional Lltelligencer Of the 18th ultimo, the
article over the initials 81. B. ST." in the
New York World of the 9th ultimo, pur-
porting to be based upon your statement
and that of members of the Cabinet there
in named, I find it only to be but reite-
ration-only somewhat more in detail-of
the many and gross Misrepresentation !"
contained in these articles, and which my
statement of the facts, set forth in my
letter of the 18th ultimo, was intended to
correct; and here reassert the correctness
of my statements in that letter, anything
in yours in reply to it to the contrary not
wjthstandiDg.
confess my surprise that the Cabinet
officers referred to should so greatly mis-
apprehend the facts in the matter of
admissions alleged to have been made by
me at the Cabinet meeting of the l4th
ultimo as to suffer their names to be made
the basis of the charges in the newspaper
articles referred to, or agree to the accu-
racy, as you affirm they do, of your account
of what occurred at the meeting.
You know that we parted on Saturday
the 1lth ultimo without any promise on
my part, either expressed or implied, to
the effect that I would hold on to the
office of Secretary of War ad interim
against the action of the Senate: or, de-
clining to do so myself, would surrender it
to you before such action was had; or that
would see you again at any fixed time on
the subject.
The performance of the promises al
legged by you to have been made by me
would have involved resistance of the
law and an inconsistency with the whole
history of my connection with the suspen-
sion Of Mr.. Stanton. From our converse
ton and my written protest Of August lst,
1867, against the removal of Mr. Stanton
YOU must have known that my greatest
objection to his removal or suspension was
the fear that some one would be appointed
in his stead who would, by opposition to
the laws relating to the restoration of the
southern States to their proper relation to
the Government, embarrass the army in
the performance of the duties especially
imposed upon it by the laws, and that it
was to prevent such an appointment that |
accepted the appointment of Secretary of
War ad interim, and not for the purpose of
enabling you to get rid of Mr.. Stanton by
my withholding it from him in opposition
to the law, or, not doing so myself, surren-
der it to one who would, as the statement
and assumptions in your communication
plainly indicate was sought.
And it was to avoid this danger, as well
as to relieve you from the personal embar-
rassment in which Mr.. Stanton's reInstate-
-ment would place you, that ! urged the
appointment Of Governor Cox, believing
that it would be agreeable to you and
also to Mr.. Stanton, satisfied as was that
it was the good Of the country, and not the
office, the latter desired.
On the 18th ultimo, in the presence OF
General Sherman, / stated to you that l
thought Mr.. Stanton would resign, but did
not say that l would advise him to do so.
On the 18th l did agree with General
Sherman to 60 and advise him to that
course, and on the 10Th had an interview
alone with Mr.. Stanton, which led me to
the conclusion that any advice to him
of this kind would be useless, and SO
informed General Sherman. Before l
consented to advise Mr.. Stanton to resign
I understood from him, in communica-
ton on the subject Immediately after his
reinstatement, that it was his opinion that
the act of Congress entitled San act tenn
porarily to supply vacancies in the Execu-
tive Department in certain cases." ap-
proved February 20, 1863, was repealed by
subsequent legislation, which materially
influenced my action. Previous to this
time had no doubt that the law of 1863
was still in force; and, Notwithstanding
nv action, q fuller examination of the
law leaves question in my mind whether
it is or is not repealed. This being the
case, could not now advise his resigna-
tion lest the same danger apprehended
from his first removal might follow.
The course you would have it under
stood I agreed to pursue was in violation
of law and without orders from you
while the course / did pursue, and which
I never doubted you fully understood, was
in accordance with lew, and not IN dis
obedience to any orders of my superior.
And now, Mr.. President, when my honor
as soldier and integrity as man have
been so violently assailed, pardon me for
saying that l can but regard this whole
matter, from beginning to end, as an at.
tempt to involve me in the resistance OF
law, for which you hesitated to assume re-
sponsibility in orders, and thus to destroy
nv character before the country. am,
in measure, confirmed in this conclu-
sion by your recent orders directing me to
disobey orders from the Secretary OF ar
my superior and your subordinate. " tn
out having countermanded his authority
I am to disobey.
With assurance, Mr.. President, that
nothing less than vindication of my per-
sonal honor and character could have IN.
duced this correspondence on my part,
have the honor to be, very respectfully
your obedient servant,
q. S. GRANT, General.
YHT w, WELLS g. Co.