The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-07

new regulations to be laid before congress
the next session the functions and duties OF
commander chief VIII be so clearly
marked out and defined that they may be
understood by himself and by the army at
large. am with great respect, your obedi-
ent servant, w. L. SHERMAN.
General.
The following is the letter of General
Grant on the division OF authority which is
| referred to in General Sherman's letter:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 1866.
The Hon. T. II. Stanton. Secretary Of Var:
From the period of the difficulty between
| Major General, now Lieutenant General
Scott with Secretary Marcy during the adj
minstration of President Polk, the COM
mand of the army virtually passed into the
hands of the secretary Of war. From that
day to the breaking out of the rebellion the
| generaI-in-chief never kept his headquarters
! in Washington, and could not, consequently,
with prOpriety, resume his proper functions
to administer the affairs of the army prop
erly Headquarters and the adiutant gen
erals Office must De in the same place. Inr-
ing the war, while in the field my fuRe-
tions as commander of all the armies were
never impaired, but were facilitated in all
essential matters, by the administration and
by the war department. Now, however,
that the war is over, and I have brought
my headquarters TO this ethyl find NY
present position embarrassing, and, think,
out of place; / have been intending, or did
intend, to make the beginning of me new
year the time 10 bring this mater before
you, with the view of askiAgto have the
old condition of affairs restored, but from
diffideaee about mentioning the matter have
postponed it until now. In few words l
VIII state what conceive to be my duties
and NY place. and ask respectfully TO be
restored to them and it. The entire adiu-
tant generals Office should be under the en-
tire control of the generalin-chief of the
army. No orders should go 70 the army or
the adiutant general except through the
general-in-chief; such as require
VIE ACTION oB THE PRESIDENT
would be laid before the secretary of war,
whose actions would be regarded as those of
the president. In short, in ray opinion, the
general in-chief stands. between the presi-
dent and the army in all official matters,
and the secretary of war Is between the
army, through the general-in- chief, and the
president. / can very we'll conceive that a
rule so long disregarded could not, or would
not be restored without the subject being
presented and / now do so, respectfully, for
your consideration.
U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant General.
Official:
GEORGE K LRET, a. A. General
Aferward General Sherman, thinking IL
of espeat importance that decision on the
question should be- reached, wrote President
for California on his trip West. The follow
ing is the letter of General Sherman to-
President Grant:
OAAHA, September 2, 1870.
General U. s. Grosat, Wdshissgtoaa, ID. c.:
DEAR GENERAL:-I have received yoCs
most acceptable letter of August Is, and as
sure you that am perfectly willing to abide
by any decision you may make. We ha6-a
most enthusiastic meeting at Des Moinss,
and General Belknap gave Us a fine, finished
address. have concluded TO go over to
San Francisco to attend the annual celeera-
ton OF the pioneers, to be held on the 9Th
inst. From there / will make a short sour,
aiming to get back to ST. Louis, via Denver,
by the first of October, and so en- to
Washington without unnecessary delay.
Conscious OF the heavy burden already on
you, l should refrain from adding one
ounce to your already load of care, but it
seems to me that now is the time to fix
| clearly and plainly the field of duty of the
secretary OF war and the commanding gen.
eral OF the army, so that we may escape the
| unpleasant Controversy that gave so much
scsndalin General SCOTS time, and leave to
our successors a clear field. No matter what
the result, promise to submit to whatever
decision that you may make. I also feel
certain hat General Belknap thinks he is
simply executing the law as 1t now stands,
but an convinced that he does not inter-
and that liking the peace establishment"
OF 1868, ast construe them. For instance,
am supposed to control the
! DISCIPLIiE OF THE MILITARY ACADEMY
as part of tae army. whereas General Bel
KNAPP ordered court of inquiry in the case
of the colored cadet, made detail. reviewed
the proceedings, and made his order with
out my knowing a word of Il. except
through the newspapers; and more RECENTLY.
when L went t. Chicago to attend to some
division business, 1 found the inspector
} general, Hardie under orders from the So
cretary of war to go to Montana ON some
claim business. All / ask is, that such
, orders should 90 to the parties through me.
If all the staff officers are subject to receive
orders direct from the secretary of war it
will surely clash with the orders which they
may be in the act of executing from ME, or
t from their immediate commander. 1 ask
, that General Bslknap draw up some clear,
well defined rules tor my action, that he
: show them to me before publication, that
t make then myremarks, and then that you
make a final decision. L promise faithfully
to abide by it. or give up my commission;
Please show this to General Belknap, and 1
will be back early in October. with great
. respect your obedent servant,
W.T.. SHERMAN, General.
No action having been taken on this sub
iect, and the question still being matter OF
decided to act upon desire he had long ago
expressed to the president, and remove his
family to ST. Louis, where he has home,
and where in his judgment, he could more
accordingly was informed by the president
that no objection would now be made to his
removal, and he therefore addressed the
secretary of war the following official re-
quest:
i HEADQUARTERS OF HE ARMY,
WASHINGTON ID. c., May s, 1874.
General ". ". BeIknap, Secretary of Var:
GENERAL: Inow have the honor most,re-
spectfully to request that may be permitted
to remove my headquarters to st. Louis,
| Mo-, in the month of October next, in the
same manner and to thesame extent granted
to my predecessor, General Scott, shortly
i of or thn Mnxinan war