The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-23
MONDAY, MAY %, 1870
PRESIDENT GRANT AND GENERAL
HANCOCK


HANCOCK.
A FEW days ago the New York World pub
lisbed a garbled extract from letter from
General Sherman to General Hancock, which,
with the explanatory comments of the World
attached, represented the President as bitterly
hostile to thelast-named officer on account of
political differences of opinion, and as dis
posed to injure him so far as lay in his power
as Commander-in-C Chief of the Army and
Navy. Presuming the version of the World
to be correct, it was at once insulting to
General Hancock and in the highest degree
discreditable to Grant. The World of
course, made great deal of capital out
of the Presidents supposed animosity
to a distinguished general who happened to
hold different political views from himself,
and it offered various explanations of per-
sonal nature to show why Grant acted as he
did, which we're undoubtedly very accept
able to the rank and file of the Democracy.
The entire correspondence between Gene
rails Sherman and Hancock has been pub
lished, and, as might have been expected, it
puts very different coloring on the affair,
while the explanation of Grants unwilling
ness to do Hancock favor places the latter
in anything but a creditable position. In
April last General Hancock telegraphed to
headquarters that if his rank did not entitle
him to a division, and if the changes in the
departments, owing to the death of General
Thomas, made it practicable, he would prefer
the st. Louis station. General Sherman, by
the Presidents direction, wrote to Hancock
that his wishes and claims for the succession
to the command held by General Thomas had
been fairly considered, and also his preference
for the Department of Missouri in case of
change of commanders, but that the
President had ordered otherwise, and then he
continues as follows:-"The President autho-
rizes me to say to you that it belongs to his
Office to select the commanding generals of
divisions and departments, and that the rela-
tions you chose to assume towards him, Off
cially and privately, absolve him from re-
garding your personal preferences" Gene
raj Hancock, in reply to this, writes letter
which is certainly not marked by that respect
for his superior officers that should have
characterized such communication, and
which, if the President were inclined to push
the matter to the disadvantage of General
I1auoocK, would DE more Jnan reasonable
excuse for his SO doing.
The difficulty between Grant and Hancock
grew entirely cut of the offensive and un-
called-for behavior of the latter When
General Hancock was in command in Loui-
siana, Grant, as General-in-Ch had occa-
sion to revoke one of his orders. This Han
cook chose to consider personal affront, and
when shortly after he was assigned to another
command and visited Washington, he went to
Grants headquarters, and instead of calling
upon him personally merely registered his
name-a proceeding which was at least dis
courteous, according to army usages A few
days after the two Generals met on the street,
and on Grant accosting him in friendly
manner Hancock made no reply, but merely
touched his hat as etiquette obliged him to
do to his superior officer. Similar discourte-
sizes were repeated on several occasions, and
Grant was informed that Hancock boasted of
them. In addition to these causes of
offense, it is charged that in the cores
pondence which took place between the
two Generals relative to Hancock's removal
of certain officials at New Orleans, he used
disrespeotful and insubordinate language, and
his whole conduct was certainly not of
character to inspire Grant with any warm
feelings of regard for him, and it clearly
justifes the cutting remark in Shermans
letter, which was undoubtedly dictated by the
President himself General Hancock had no
right to the position he desired unless the
President chose to give it to him, and as the
matter was one that the President had right
to either grant or refuse, as he thought fit,
the political friends of General Hancock will
be able to make very little capital for him out
of this incident.