Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-02-13


of my statement / said, alluding to our frs
conversation on the subject, that the Pres
ident might have understood me the wa,
he said, namely that / had promised &
resign If / did not resist the reinstatement
made no such statement.
/ have the honor 10 be, very respectfully
your obedient servant.
o. S. GRANT, General.
THE SAME TO THE SAME.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF UNITED STATES
WAsHISToN, Jan. "a, 1868.
His Excellency Andrew johnson, Presiden
Of The United States:
SIR: have the honor very respectfully
TO request to have in writing the orde
which The President gave me verbally OF
Sunday, the 10Th instant, to disregard The
orders OF the Hon. E. NJ. Stanton as Secre
tary of War, until know from the Presi
dent himself that they were his orders.
have the honor to be, very respectfully
your obedient servant,
U. s. GRANT, General.
JOHNSON TO GRANT.
The following is the endorsement on the
above note:
As requested In this communication
General Grant is instructed in writing not
to obey any order from the War Depart
ment assumed to be issued by direction oi
the President unless such order is known
by the General commanding the armies OF
the United States to have been authorized
by the Executive. ANDREW JOHNSON.
January %. 1865.
GRANT TO JOHNSON.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF UNITED STATES,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. 80, 1868.
His Exeellency Andrew Johnson, President
of the United States:
SIR: have the honor to acknowledge
the return of my note of the 24th instant,
with your endorsement thereon that am
not to obey any order from the War De-
partment, assumed TO be issued by order oi
the President, unless such order is known
by me to be authorized by the Executive.
In reply thereto, am informed by the
Secretary of War that he has not received
from the Executive any order or instruc-
lions limiting his authority to issue orders
to the army as heretofore, under the law
and customs of the department. While
bis authority to administer the War De-
partment is not countermanded, it will be
evidence that any orders issued
from the War Department, "By direction
of the President" are authorized by the
Executive.
/ have the honor to be, very respectfully,
your obedient servant, U. s. GRANT.
JOHNSON TO GRANT.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, January 81, 1868.
General-I have received your COM
Of the 2Sth instant, renewing
your request of the 2iih, that / should re-
peat in a written form my verbal instruc
tions of the 18th instant, viz: that you
obey no order from the Hon. f. NJ. Stan
ton, as Secretary of War unless you have
Information that il was issued by the
Presidents direction. In submitting this
request, with which complied on the 29th
instant, you take occasion to allude 10 the
recent publication in reference to circum-
stances connected with the vacation by
yourself Of the office Of Secretary Of War
dd interim, and with a view of correcting
statements which you term gross misrep-
reservations, ] give at length your own
recollection Of facts, under which, without
the sais1..oa of the President from whom
you had received and accepted the Office,
you yielded the department of war to the
present incumbent. AS stated in your
communication some time after you had
assumed the duties of Secretary of War
we interchanged views respecting the
course that should be pursued in the event
of the enon-concurrence by the Senatei the
suspension of Mr.. Stanton. sought tha,
interview, calling myself at the War De-
partmcnt. My object in then bringing the
subject to your attention was to ascertain
what would be your action should such an
attempt be made for his restoration TO the
War Department. That object was &C
for the interview terminated
with the distinct understanding that if,
upon reflection, you should prefer not to
become a party to the controversy, or
should consider il 10 be your duty to sur
render the War Department 10 Mr.. Stanton
upon action in his favor by the Senate, you
were to return the office to me prior to q
decision, in order, if desired so to do,
might designate some one to succeed you.
1t was apparent to you that had not this
understanding been reached, it was my
purpose to relieve you from the farther
discharge of the duties as Secretary Of War
dd interim, and to appoint some other
person In that capacity. Other converse
tions upon the subject ensued, ali having
been, on my part, on the same subject,
leading to the same conclusion as the first.
1t is not necessary to refer to any OF them,
except that on the ! 1th instant, mentioned
Ia your letter. As it was then known that
the Senate had proceeded in the case of
Mr.. Stanton, was anxious to learn your
determination. After protracted inter
view, during which the provisions of the
Tenure of Office bill were fully discussed,
you said, as 1t had been agreed upon in
our first conference, you would either re-
turn the Office to my possession in time 10
enable me 10 appoint successor before
final action by the Senate upon Mr.. STAN
tons suspension, or would remain at lis
head awaiting decision by judicia! pro-
ceedings. It was then understood that
there would be a further conference on
Monday, by which time l supposed you
would be prepared to inform me Of your
decision. You failed to fulfil the engage
ment, and on Tuesday notified me IN wri-
ting Of the receipt of your official notice oi
the action of the Senate in referencct to Mr..
Stanton, and at the Same time informed
me that, according to the act regulating
the tenure of certain civil offices, your
function as Secretary of War dd interim
ceased from the moment Of the receipt oi
the Lotice. You thus, IN disregard of the
understanding between us, vacated the
Office without having given notice Of your
intent to do 90. 1t is but just to say that
In your communication you claim you did
inform me Of your purpose, and thus full
filed the promise made in our last precee-
ding conversation on the subject The
fact that such promise existed Is evidence
of an arrangement Of fhe kind / have men
toned. You had found in our first confer
encc that ''the President was desirous OF
keeping Mr.. Stanton out of Office, whether
In the suspension or not" You
knew what reasons had induced the
President to ask from you promise.
You also knew, in case your views of duty
did not accord with bis own convictions,
that It was LIS purpose to fill your place
by another appointment. Even ignoring
the existence of a positive understanding
between us. the conclusions were plainly
deducible from our various conversations
It is certain, however, that even under
these circumstances you did not offer to
return the place to my possession, but, ac-
cordfng to your own statement, placed
Yourself in A position where. could have