Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-02-19
GRANT To JOHNSON

GRANT TO JOHNSON.
HEADQUARTERS, Army OF THE UsrrKrl
STATES, "AS!tNGFoS, d. c.,
February 5. 1868
lis Ercellency Andre,g Johnson. prer.
sIR:-I have the honor to acknowI.
edge the receipt of your communica.
tlon Of the 3lst ultimo in answer to
mine of the 2sth ultimU.
After careful reading and compar.
lson of the 18th ultimo article. over
the initials j. b. S. in the New
ork World of the 27th uItimo, pur.
porting to be based on your statement
and seven members of the Cabinet
therein named, find it only to be a
relteratlOn, only somewhat more in
detail, OF the many and gross misrep.
resentatlons contained in these arti-
cles, and which my statement Of facts.
set forth IN my letter of the 24th nj,
! tlmo. was intended to correct: and
! herein / reassert the correctness of nv
| statements IN that letter, ANYTHING in
yours to the contrary Notwithstanding.
l confess my surprise that the Cabi.
! net officers referred to should so great.
/ ly Inexperienced the facts in the
matter OF the admissions alleged to
! have been made by me at the Cabinet
meeting of the Ifth ultimo. as to sniff.
! er their names TO be made the hsses
OF charges IN the newspaper article
referred to, or agree to the accuracy,
as YOU affirm they do, of your account
! OF that meeting.
7
1ou know we parted on the nth
| ultmo without any promise on nv
/ part, expressed or implied to the ef.
/ feet that / would hold the Office Of
/ Secretary of War od interim against
I the the action Of the Senate, or. de.
/ cIlnmg to do so, would surrender it 70
/ you before such action was had. or
/ tl' tIdlv on 'CIU suuleCL. Inc PERFORM
I ance Of the promises alleged to have
/ been made by me would have involved
a resistance of law and an inconsisten.
/ cv with the whole history Of nv con.
nectIon with the susp~ nsion Of Mr..
Stanton. From our conversation and
my written protest Of August /, 1867,
/ against the removal of Mr.. Stanton,
/ You must have known my greatest oh.
/ lection to his removal 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
1 relations TO the Government. ernb barass
! the army IN the performance of the
/ duties especially imposed upon it by
/ the laws. and that It was to prevent
such appointment that ! accepted the
appointment Of Secretary Of War al
/ iutcyrD1, and not for the purpose of en-.
/ abling YOU to get rid of Mr.. Stanton,
/ by withholding from him, in opposi-
! ton to law, or, not doing so myself,
/ to surrender to one who, as the state.
( mcnts and assumptions in your letter
/ plainly Indicate, sought to avoid this
/ danger. 1t was TO relieve YOU from
! the personal embarrassment in which
/ Mr.. Stantons reinstatement would
/ place YOU, that | urged the appoint.
/ mcnt Of Governor Cox, believing it.
would he agreeable to.you, and also to
/ Mr.. Stanton, satisfied as ! was that
the good Of the country, not the Office,
! the latter desired
On the 18th ultimo, in the presence
( Of General Sherman, stated to YOU
that | thought Mr.. Stanton would re.
sign, but did not say ] would advise
1 him to do so. On the 18th ] did
/ agree with General Sherman TO 90 and
advise him TO that course: and on the
/ 18th ! had an interview alone with
Mr.. Stanton, which led me to the be.
lief that nv advise would be useless,
and so informed General Sherman be.
fore j consented to advise Mr. g. to
resign. ! understood from him. in
conversation on the subject immedi-
atelv on his reinstatement. that IL
was bis opinion that the act Of Con-
gress entitled An Act to tenn porarily
supply vacancies in the Executive De-
partment IN certain cases" approved
+ February %. 1S63, was repealed by
subsequent legislation, which materi-
ally Influenced nv action. Previous
TO this time ! had no doubt that the
law Of 1868 was still in force and.
notwithstanding my action. fuller
examination Of the law leaves a ques.
ton in my mind whether t is not re-
. pea!ed. This being the case, could
not now advise his resignation for fear
that the same danger ! apprehended
on the first removal might follow.
( The course Won have understood I
agreed to pursue was IN violation of
law. aud orders from vou; while the
course ! did pursue, and which / never
doubted YOU knew. was in accordance
with law, and not in disobedience OF
any orders Of nv superior.
And now, Mr.. President. when nv
honor as a soldier and integrity as a
man has been go violently assailed.
} pardon me for saving ] can bat regard