The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-08-05
GENERAL HANCOCK.
The Famous Letter 70 General
sherman given TO the Public.
Position of Gen. Hancock in
the Critical Times of 1876.

/
the situation, received from Gen.
Sherman
Carondalt p. o.; St. Louis, No
Dec. %, 1876.-My Dear General :
Your favor OF the 4th inst. reached
me in New York the day before / left
for the West. ! intended to reply to
it before leaving, but the cares Incl
dent to the departure interfered; then
again; since my arrival here | have
been so occupied with personal affairs
of business nature that | have de-
ferred writing from day to day until
this morning, and now | find myself
indebted to you for writing another.
In acknowledgement of four favor of
the 18th, received few days since, /
haze concluded toI'eave here the 29th,
| (to>morrow afternOon)so that | may
be expected in New York on ohe 3lst.
1t has been cold and dreary since my
arrival here. | have worked like a
Turk-I presume that means hard
wOrk-in the country, in making
| fences, cutting down trees repairing
buildings, etc., and am at least able
so say that st. Louis is the coolest
place in the winter, and the hottest in
the summer of any that | have en-
countered in a temperate zone. have
known st. LoGis in December to have
genial weather throughout the month.
This December has been frigid, and
and the river has been frozen more
solid than | have ever known it.
When | heard the rumOr that | was
ordered to the Pacific coast, | thought
it probably true. Considering the
past discussion OF that subject, the
possibilities seemed to me to point that
way. Had it been true, | should, of
course, hare presented no complaint,
nor made resistance of any kind. |
would have gone quickly, if not pre-
pared to 60 promptly. l certainly
would have been relieved from the
responsibilities and anxieties concern
Ing Presidential matters, which may
fall to those near the throne or in
authOrity;within the,next fot T months,
as well as from other incidents or
matters which would decentralization
concerning which might approve. |
was not exactly prepare | to 90 to the
Pacific, however, and | therefore felt
relieved when | received your note
! informing me that there was 10 truth
in the rumors. Then l did not wish
to appear to be escaping from respon-
sibilities and possible dangers which
now cluster around the military COM
manders in the East, especially iii the
critical period fast approaching. 'All's
well that ends WE'LL The whole
matter of the Presidency seems to me
to be simple-to admit of a peaceful
solution. The machinery for such Il
contingency as threatens to present
itself has been all carefully prepared.
1t only requires fabrication, owing 10
disuse. The army should have moth,
ing to do with the election or inaugu-
ration of Presidents. The people
elect the President, the Congress in a
joint session declares who he is, and
we of the army have only to obey his
mandates, and we are protected in SO
doing only so far as they may be
lawful. Our commissions express
that. | like Jetfersons way of ill.,
auguration. 1t suits our system. He
rode alone on horseback to the Capt.
toll fear it was the old Capitol
tied his horse to a rail fence, entered
and was duly sworn; then rode to the
executive mansion and took possession.
He inaugul ated himself simply toy
taking the oath of office. There
is no other legal Inauguration in our
system. The people or politicians
may institute parodieS in honor of the
event, and public officials may add to
the pageant, assembling troops and
banners, but all that comes properly
after the inauguration-not before
and it is not a part'of it. Our system
does not provide that one President
should inaugurate another. There
might be danger in that, and it was
studiously left out Of the charter; but
you are placed in an exceptionally
important position, in connection with
coming events. The capitol is in my
jurisdiction also, but l am a subordi>
nate, and not on the spot, and If |
were so, you also would be my supe>
rior in authority, for there is the
station of the General-in-Chief. On
the principle that regularly elected
Presidents term of Office expires with
the Sd of March, of which | have not
the slightest doubt, and which the
laws bearing on the subject uniformly
recognize and in consideration of the
possibility that the lawfully elected
President may not appear until March
9th, a great deal of responsibility may
necessarily fall upon you. You hold
over. You have power and prestige
to support you. The Secreeaty of
War, too, probably holds over, but if
no President appears, he may not he
able to exercise the functions in the
name of a President, for his proper
acts are those of a known superior, a
lawful President. You act on your
own responsibility, and by virtue Of
commission only restricted by the
law of the land. The Secretary of
War is the month.piece of the Presi>
dent. You are not. If neither cam
didate has a constitutional majority of