The Forrest City times., 1892-03-18
GEN. ALGER'S ANSWER
HIS PERSONAL STATEMENr
 PUBLISHED.
The Charge of Desertion Depied-ut. Resignation Had Been Accepted by fin. President Before Custer Wrote m. Letter.

DETROIT. MICH, Marcn lh.-Ihe De- troit Tribune yesterday printed two pages of Gen. Alger's reply to the critics of his war record. His renl, takes the form of the publication of the record itself and purports to give all the papers now on file in the War Department relative to the absences. promotions and final discharge of the general It includes favora bic indors.. ments from time to time. The portion that answers the charges made by the New York Sun is the most interesting The report and recommendations of Gen. Custer are given in full, with in. dorsements. They are as follows.
 HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE. FlRsr DIVISION CAvALRY. MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION, SEPT. l6. 1861. CAPTAIN A. F.. DANA. A. A. G., FIRST DIvIsIoN CAV ALRY:-In compliance with the instruc- tions of the general commanding the division, l have the honor to submit the following report in the case of Colonel R. A. Alger, Fifth Michigan Cavalry. stating the time at which he left the command, for what purpose. by what authority, and his present whereabouts. Colonel Alger left this command the morning of Aug. 2s. as it marched through Harper's Ferry To reioin the division near Halltown: he has been absent since that date was not aware of his absence until this brigade halted to feed near Halltown. when Assistant Surgeon St, Clair, of the First Michigan Cavalry, informed me that Col Alger, owing to some in- disposition, had remained at house in Harper's Ferry. At the same time Assistant Surgeon St. Clair pre- seuted for my approval an application from Col Alger for leave of absence for twenty days. As Col. Alger had, two or three times previous to this, applied for similar leave of absence when in my opinion he was fit for duty, and which opinion subsequently, proved to be correct, as it has in the case now re- ferred to. l returned Col. Alger's ap- plication without my approval He failed to join his command. l first heard of him again as stopping at the Entaw house in Baltimore. I now have authentic and relia ble information that he is staying at one of the hotels in l Washington. D. C., and that he has been placed in duty in the latter city as a member of a general court mar tial How he came 10 be detailed | cannot say. He left this command without authority and after having been refused leave of absence from these headquarters. And l have directed that he be reported absent without leave on the muster rolls of his regiment. Respectfully submitted. G. 4. CUSTER,
 Brig. Gen. Commanding Brig. HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION, SEPT. IS. ls64.-Respectfully forwarded. understand that Col Al ger is on some duty at Washington. | but it is evident he has left his com mand without authority, and if ap- pears he has done so before. l have always considered Col Alger good officer, but cannot excuse his conduct or withhold my approval of the recom- mendation of his immediate com manders.
 r. II. SHERIDAN, Major General.
 General Alger's reply is to this effect. | On August 6, 1864, month and ten l days before General Clusters report, Colonel Alger wrote a letter to Secre- tary stanton rendering his resignation. In that letter he said
 l. l have been in the military sery- 1 =. .I. years, having enlisted in August, 1861. and have been off duty but eight days except on account of wounds six of those eight days being on account of sickness.
 ?. My 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.
 President Lincoln indorsed this letter AS follows:
 Let this resignation be accepted | Aug. s, 1864. A. LINCOLN. ! It will be seen that this acceptance Sy the President was dated a month and eight days earlier than the date of Gen. Busters letter regard ing Alger. After leaving the | President, with his accepted resignation in his possession, Col Alger learned that there was prospect of an active campaign Tn the Shenandoah Valley He did not present his resigna- | hon at the War Department, but hastily rearranged his business as well as pos 1 sible and started for the scene of opera tions, arriving, on account of misin- formation as the time of the de- parture of the train, one day late The papers which accompany General | Alger's record include a letter from ! General Custer to the Secretary of War, dated Oct IS. 1863, in which Gus ter recommends him for brigadier generalship.
 This application was renewed by Gus ter under date of June %, 1864; in dorsed by Gen. Sheridan June 2P, for warded without comment by Gen.
 Meade July ,, sent by Gen. Sheridan to the adjutant-general of the Army oi the Potomac on July T, and approved
 by Meade July 70, 1864. On the same day Gen. Grant wrote a letter approV-
 ing all the recommendations in the lis' in which Alger's name appeared. letter from Gen. Sheridan to F. w. hel-
 logg. member of Congress from Mlchi-
 gan, under date of July IS, ls64, says;
 When recommended Col. Alger'
 Fifth Michigan cavalry, for promotion | il was with the expectation that he