The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-24
RESIGNATION ERoa TIE SERVICE
Reasons for which AI-er Resigned and
Official Record In that Connection.

/ IseHso''s for which Ai-er Resigned and
Official Record In that Connection.
! Colonel Alger had intended to resign from
the army more than month previous to the
time when he actually did do So and he
found good reason to do so in the following
| described condition of military operations rs
affecting his command. Referring to this
period, General Alger says: "At the time
the cavalry moved from City Point in front
of Petersburg to the Shenandoah Valiey, it
was generally believed by many of the officers
and men of the command that they we're GO
ing to the Shenandoah Valley to watch raid
ers, that being a convenient way to come
down the valley to invade Pennsylvania and
Maryland, and it was also known to be an ex-
ceIlent place to procure forage for the horses;
the operations about Petersburg having be-
come a state Of siege rather than the scene
of active operations. My private business at
that time was such that when in Washington
decided to retire from the service and at
tend to my business affairs as what little I
had was in danger of being swept from me-
1 therefore, being simply temporarily re-
1ieved from detached service, sent through
my member of Congress, Honorable z. w.
Kellogg, to the President, my resignation"
General Alger has placed this document in
the hands of THE TRIBUNE, and it reads as
follows:
HEADQUARTERS 9TH MICHIGAN CAVALRY,
WASHINGTON,
Aug. 1864.
Hon E. M Stanton,
Secretary of War.
have the honor herewith to tender my
resig2atio as Colonel of this regiment.
My reasons are:
1. have been in the military service of the
u. ). nearly three years, having enlisted i'll
August, 1861, and have been off drty but
eight days except on account of wounds. six
of those eight days being on account of sick
ness.
H. Nv private business at home has become
such and in such condition that my presence
there to attend to it is necessary in order to
enable me to save anything from it. / have
the honor to be,
Very respectfully,
Your obi. servt.
(Signed) r. a. ALGER
Col Comdg.
President Lincoln endorsed this paper as
follows
Let this resignation be accepted.
(Signed) A. LINCOLN. Aug. s, 1864.
1t Will be noticed that the date of this ac-
ceptance is a month and eight days earlier
than the date of his final resignation, which
was rendered upon September 16.
The Endorsement just quoted is In President
LinColn's own handwriting and the original
document is, as before stated, in THE TRIB-
UNE's possession. Colonel AIger put this ac-
copied resignation in his pocket intending to
present it to the Secretary of War and go
home to attend to his business affairs But
learning after leaving the President that
there was prospect of an active campaign in
the Valley, ne did not present the resisna-
ton at the War Department, but hastily ar
ranging his business as we'll as was possible
started for the scene of operations arriving
on account of his misinformatton as to the
time of the departure of the train, one day
late 1t will be seen that with an accepted
resignation In his pocket he need not have re-
ported to his brigade commander at all If he
had desired to leave the service at that time
He had only to present the resignation to the
Secretary of War to be relieved entirely of
further service and to procure his honorable
discharge. The cruelty and injustice of the
report OF General Custer and of the re-
Communications of both Custer and
Merritt under these circumstances will
be at once apparent to everybody There
dence that Alger acted from motives of the
highest patriotism and with the courage that
characterized his whole military career. is
simply irrefutabie.
The Final Resignation,
Colonel Alger did not resign in August.
therefore IS he had intended, but went to the
front. Nearly six weeks later he rendered