Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-24

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Senator Marcy, Washsagfon, u. o.:
Dear Sirs---l feel constrained TO adj
dress yon this letter. expressive Of my
thanks for your position and remarks
IN the Senate upon the bill to place
General Grant on the retired list Of the
army. was ,part;cularly struck with
vour sascihlc presentation of the fact
that rhcu the supreme hour came to
Inc southern States and they had to
Weld up their most cherished
homes and abandon their struggle,
no man ever acted with more magma
nimity and generous scnsibility than
General Grant. At, that time. immedi-
stclv followinv the death Of Mr.. Lin
coin. General Grant Was the most con-
sr;c,,ous man in the country. His
word was more weiehty than that of
any one. not executing the President.
I have often thought of the debt of
gratitude the country owes to General
Grant that he was lust the man he was
AZ that honr.-clear-sighted. resoIute,
and.imbued with the sentiments exactly
adapted To the emergency.
Twas at that time. as you know, in
the Cabinet of President johnson, and
In INV capacity as Attorney-G General q
case came before me very soon after the
surrender nj Appomattox which will
relate. General Bradley T. johnson,
Of the Confederate army, was at that
surrender. and received there military
parole. With that in his possession, he
was arrested and imprisoned at Balti-
more, he being under an indictment for
treason. He addressed letter to Gen.
eral Grant from prison, inclosing his
parole. Upon receipt of 1t General Grant
ct once wrote to the President most
positive and emphatic letter, demand
ing the discharge and release OF General
johnson. The letter, while respectful,
was most determined. Ii took the
ground, afterward fully established,
that the military paroles were not to be
violated by civil arrests.
President johnson, however, was mol
disposed 10 acquiesce' lie is'G inc
matter before me Tor an opinion. 81"
the difficulty presented by the legal as
pect Of the case, and proposed that
would avoid 1t II possible by conslita-
ton with General urant. iouhu "eh-
eral Grant IN his once anu spoke oi
the legal diiilculties, ana suggested ina,
ne withdraw the letter ne hau auureoSeu
to the PRESIDENT ana asked that par
don be issued 10 "eneral Johnson
when woulo soi'e 'he uiihcuity' ihiS
he positively refused TO 90, IL IL IN any
way yielded the position taken oy MN
that his paroles were 10 DC re-
speeted. lie expressed MS uh-
alterable determination that '1ey
should not be violated. oa'u nc;
That is the way 'eneral Lee ana l
understood 1t at the time, and VIII be
drawn and quartered before they shall
be violated" lie added that he would
take the same stand in every case that
might arise. lie agreed to write the
letter proposed asking the pardon. !
said l would send Tor 1t. lie SAID,
mo; VIII write II now. turning
to the table, he wrote the letter with his
own hand IN very lew moments IL
was model IN It's clear statements III
expressed his fixed determination to
have his paroles observed, and from that
time the law was settled that they were
to be respected. had the pardon pre-
pared at once and signed by the Presl-
dent, and General johnson was DIS
charged.
Thus the southern people through
their military leaders IN the late war,
have cause to entertain the kindly feel
ing for General Grant which you so adj
mirably express in your speech IN the
Senate. And not only IN the particu-