Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-02-05
JOHNSON VS.. GRANT.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT IMBROGL,o.
Highly Important Correspondence Be.ween
General Grant and the Presideat.

Highly Important Correspondence Be.wee1
General Grant and the Presideat.
The following is the correspondence referred
to in yesterdays STAR, which was laid by the
Speaker before the House of Representatives:
KepIy Of the Secretary o. War 70 Resolution Of
the House.
WAR DEPARTMENT., February I, 1s6S.-SIR !:
In answer TO the resolution of the House
OF Representatives of the Sth ult, i transmit
herewith copies furnished me by General q ran 4.
OF correspondence between hun and the Presi-
dent relating to the Secretary of War al
which he reports TO be all the correspondence
ne has had with the President on the subject.
have had no correspondence with the Pres
ldent since the 18th OF August last. After the
action of the Senate on his alleged reason for
mysuspension from the Office of acretary of
War, resumed the duties of that Office as re-
quired by the act of Congress, and have con-
tnued to discharge them without any personal
or written communication with the President.
No orders have been issued from this Depart
ment in the name of the President with my
knowledge, and have received no orders from
him.
The correspondence sent herewith embraces
all the correspondence known to me on the
subject referred to in the resolution of the House
of Representatives.
i have the honor to be, sir, with great respect.
your obedient servant,
EDWIN NJ. STANTON, Secretary of War.
Hon. ScHUYLER CoLFAx, Speaker of the House
of Representative.
General Grant to President Johnson-NO.1.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED
STATES, WASHINGTON. ID. c., Jan p, le6c.-
Has EacetisRcJ A. johnson, President Of t.e Uns-
ted States-SIR On the oath instant requested
you to give me in writing the instructions
which you had previou ly given me verbally
not TO obey any order from Hon. f. III. Stan
ton, Secretary of War, unless ! knew that il
came from yourself. To this written request /
received message that has left doubt in my
mind of your intentions. To prevent anv pos
sible misunderstanding, therefore, renew the
request that you will give me written instruc-
tons, and till they are received will suspend
action on your verbal ones.
am compelled to ask these instructions in
writing in consequence of the many gross mis-
representations affecting my personal honor.
circulated through the press for the last fort
night, purporting TO come from the President
of conversations which occurred either with
the President privately in his office or in Cabi-
net meeting. What is written admits of no mis-
understanding.
In view of tie misrepresen tations referred to-
it will be well to state the facts in the case.
Some time 2 ter assumed the duties of Sec
retary OF War Gd interim the President a. ked
my views as to the course Mr.. Stanton would
have TO pursue, in case the Senate should not
concur In his suspension, to obtain possession
OF his office. My reply was, in sub;tance, that
Mr.. Stanton would have to appeal To the courts
TO reinstate him, illustrating my position by
citing the ground had taken in the case OF the
Baltimore police commissioners. In that case
did not doubt the technical right of Governor
Swami to remove the old commissioners, and
TO appoint their successors. As the old CON-
missioners refused to give up, howev r, L con-
tended that no resource was left but TO appeal
10 the courts.
Finding that the President was desrous of
keeping Mr.. Stanton out of office, whether sus-
tanned IN the suspension or not. / stated that /
had not looked particularly into the sstenure-
of-offiCe biil'' but that what had stated was
general principle. and if should change my
mind IN this particular case, 1 would inform
him of the fact.
Subsequently, on reading the sstenure-of-of-
flee bill' closely. i found that l could not,
without violation of the law, reiuse 10 vacdte
the office of Secretary of War the moment Mr..
Stanton was rcInstated by the Senate, even
though the President should order me 10 retain
it, which he never did. Taking this view of
the subject, and learning Saturday, the
eleventh instant, that the Senate had taken up
the subject OF Dir. Stanton's suspension. after
some conversation with Lieutenant General
sherman and some members Of my staff. in
which stated that the law left no discretion
as TO my action, should Mr.. Stanton be REIN
stated and that intended to inform the Pres
ident, went 10 the President for the sole pur-
pose OF making this decision known, and did so
make ii known
In doing this fulfilled the promise made in
our last preceding conversation on the subject.
The President, however, instead of accepting
my view OF The requirements of the .stenure-of-
office bill,i commended that he had suspended
Mr.. Stanton under the authority given by the
Constitution, and that the same authority did
not preclude him from reporting, as act of
courtesy, his reasons for the suspension to the
Senate. That having appointed me under the
authority given by the Constitution and not
under any act OF Congress, 1 could not be gov
erned by the act. i stated that the law was
binding on me, constitutional or not, until set
aside by the proper tribunal. An hour or more
was cons umed, each reiterating his views on
this subject, until, getting late, the President
said he would see me again.
did not agree 10 call again on Monday, nor
at any other definite time, nor was l sent for
by the President until the following Monday.
From the 11th TO the Cabinet meeting on the
1ith instant a doubt never entered my mind
about the Presidents fully understanding my
position-nameiy, that if the Senate refused to
concur in the suspension of Mr.. Stanton nv
powers as Secretary Of War od interim would
cease, and Mr.. Stanton's right 10 resume at
once the functions of his Office would, under the
law, be indisputable; and acted accordingly.
With Mr.. Stanton L had no communication,
direct or indirect, on the subject OF his rein
statement, during his suspension.
knew ithad been recommended to the Pres i.
dent to send in the name of Governor Cox. of
Ohio, for Secretary of War. and thus save all
embarrassment-a proposition that / sincerely
hoped he would entertain favorably, General
Sherman seeing the President at my partic ular
request to urge this on the 18th instant.
On Tuesday the day Mr.. Stanton re-entered
the office of the Secretary Of War; General
Comstock. who had carried my Official letter,
announcing that with Mr.. Stanton's reinstate-
ment by the Senate had ceased TO be Secretary
OF War dd iHterim, and who saw the President
open and read the communication, brought
back TO me from the President a message that
he wanted TO see me that day at the Cabinef
meeting, after had made known the fact that
was no longer Secretary of War ad interim.
AT this meeting, after opening il as though
Were a member of his Cabinet, when reminded
of the notification had already given him that
l was no longer Secretary of War dd iatevfm,
the President gave version of the converse.
ton alluded to already. In this statement il
was asserted that in both con yersations 1 had
agreed to hold on to the Office of Secretary of
War until displaced by the courts, or TO resign
so as to place the President where he would
have been had never accepted the Office After
hearing the President through, stated our con-
versatlon substantially as given in this letter
will add that my conversation before the Cabi.
net embraced other matter not pertinent here
and is therefore left out.
in no wise admitted the correctness of the
Presidents statement of our conversations,
though to soften the evident contradiction my
statement gave, said (alluding to our first
con versation the subiect) the President
might have understood me the way he said
namely, that had promised to resign, il 1 did
not resist the reinstatement made no such
promise. '---~'
have the honor to be, very respectfully, your
obedient servant, u. S. GRANT, General
General Grcnt 10 Prssidemt Josnson-No. q.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNrEp
STATES, WARRINGTON, January "a, is66s--Ms
Ezeeltncy A. Johnson, President Qf tAe Untfed
Stofes-SiR have the honor, very respect
fully, to request to have in writing the order
day, the 18th instant, to disregard the orders of
the Hon. E. NJ. Stanton, rs Secretary of War
until knew from the President himself that
thew were his orders