Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-21
WAS HE BANIsHEDs
Gen. sherman's Removal 10 >.
Louis-Its Supposed Political signin-

moyed to st. Louis, and that Gen. Sher-
man and his staff will remove to that
city about the LIST of June. 1t is furth-
er stated that Gen. Sherman has, for
long time, desired this change. The
reasons given by the telegraph, however,
are very far from being the true reas-
ons which have induced Gen. Sherman
and his staff to consent TO this change.
It is important to the public that these
reasons should be fully understood for:
if we are not mistaken IN the signs OF
the times, this change is big with the
downfall net only Of Gen. Grant, but
OF the Republican party.
When Gen. Grant was elected to the
Presidency and Gen. Sherman was pro-
NOTED to fill the position at the head
of the army, he suggested various
changes in the organization which he
thought not only desirable, but of the
utmost Importance to the efficiency OF
the military arm of the Government.
The extended experience Of Gen.
Sherman, his acknowledged abil-
ity, standing even head and
shoulders above Gen. Grant as COM
mander during the war, gave to his sug.
gestions and bis wishes 30 much weight
that Gen. Grant as President at once
gave his consent to the changes sug-
gested. Almost the first order ISSUED
by Gen. Sherman was one to carry into
effect the changes desired by him, and
making the various sub-departments re-
port to him through the Adjutant Gen.
eral. This was fully explained by him
in his first annual report as General of
The Army, dated at Washington. Nov.
%, 1859. In speaking of the staff he
says: "This term staff of the army
applies to those officers and men who
administer to the wants of every mill
tary establishment, and are IN our SER
vice classified rs Adjutant General, In
spector General, Bureau of Military
Justice. Quartermasters, Commissions,
Surgeons, Paymaster's and Ordnance
Departments, Corps of Engineers,
Chief Signal Officer, and Post Chap
lains. The names imply their respect
i've duties, and the organic law of 1866
limits and prescribes the number. The
heads of these departments reside in
Washington, and submit annually
written report of their operations for
the past year. 1t so happened that /
was Secretary of War during themonth
of October, 1869, when by law these
reports were made In order to reach
the Public Printer by the LIST of No
vember, and l required all the an:
nual reports to be addressed, like all
other military reports, to the Adjutant
General for the perusal of the General
of the Army, who could make use of
such information as they contained, and
then lay them before the Secretary Of
War. This Is, in mig Judgment, the
course that should dllcdys be pursued,
though a different one has heretofore pre-
rallied, for OtherIoise ice Icottld hare the
G6surdity of General commanding the
army NTH his ehief staff officers report
ing TO somebody else
This change, 80 desirable, thus in
augurated by Gen. Sherman, we have
good reason to know was expressly
sanctioned by the President, and con-
tinued some time after Mr.. Belknap
was appointed, by some extraordinary
freak Of the President, as Secretary of
War; when after a brief period the
Secretary of War expressly ordered that
these reports should go directly to the
Secretary's Office, instead of TO the Gen.
eral of the Army. 1t was not surpris-
ing that Gen. Sherman should take
offense at this change when it was
made by man of the calibre of Gen.
Belknap. The one had performed most
eminent services in the field, was justly
considered by many the ablest General
of the war, the one who had shown
more genius than any other; the other
had secured the worthless honor of
a Brigadier Generals commission
through favoritism and not merit.
So little were Mr.. Belknap's SER
vices considered worth that he was
not able to secure the position of First
Lieutenant In an infantry regiment
when the army was reorganized after
the close of the war. To have his Or
ders revoked by such a man, and be
compelled to wait in the ante-room of
such Secretary of War for permission
to look at the military reports of those
officers who constituted his staff, was
exceedingly CALLING to such a gallant,
high-spirited officer as Sherman; it was
indeed most humiliating. But this in
dignity thus cast upon him was in
creased thousand fold by the rehec-
ton that Gen. Grant. who had cordial
" sanctioned the change when first
made, had turned his back upon Gen.
Sherman, and now permitted an insig-
nifcant and incompetent Secretary of
War to treat him with such marked
disrespect and contempt.
This will explain the extraordinary
telegram from Washington that the
President has consented to have the
headquarters of the army removed to
st. Louis, and that Gen. Sherman and
his staff will soon follow. Since the
day that Gen. Grant and the Admins
tration turned their backs upon Gen.
Sherman, the feeling of arrangement
has widened until now Gen. Sherman
is almost spit upon by the sycophants
of the President and Secretary of War
The recital of the thousandth part of
the annoyances thrust by the Secretary
of War in the path of duty imposed
upon Gen. Sherman by law would as
tonish the nation.
The question naturally arises, Why
this change in the President? why
should he permit an officer who distin-
guished himself with such marked abl-
ity to be thus annoyed and degraded?
Is it jealousy? Does Gen. Grant fear
the popularity of Gen. Sherman? Does
he want third term of the Presidency?
This is the only plausible explanation
of the extraordinary course pursued
towards him. But we mistake much
the temper of the times if the removal
of Gen. Sherman to st. Louis viii re-
move him beyond the reach of The peo-
pie to make him President of the
United States, if they desire it. Moth
ing will so powerfully tend to such a
result as to let the truth be known,
that this removal of the headquarters
of the army to st. Louis, instead of
being In accordance with the Judgment
of Gen. Sherman, Is merely the con-