The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-12-09
AS before stated, have not examined the
recent law.
YCnrs truly, q. s. GRANT.
To which | replied:
OMAHA. NEB. Sent. 9. 1870

OMAHA, NEB., Sept 2, 1870.
Gen. q. S. GRANT, Washington d. c.
DEAR GENERAL: / have received your
most acceptable letter of Aug. Is, and assure
you that | am perfectly willing to abide by
any decision you may make. We had most
enthusiastic meeting at Des Mones, and Gen.
Belknap gave us q fine, finished address. /
have concluded to go over to San Francisco to
attend the annual celebration of the Pioneers,
to be held on the 9th instant; from there |
Will make short tour, aiming to get back to
st. Louis by the fst of October. and 50 on to
Washington without unnecessary delay
Conscious of the heavy burdens already on
you, | should refrain from adding one ounce
10 your load of care, but ii seems to me now
is the time to fix clearly and plainly the field
of duty for the Secretary of War and the
Commanding General of the Army, SO that
we may escape the unpleasant controversy
that gave SO much scandal in Gen. Scotts
time, and leave to our successors clear field
No matter what the result, l promise to
submit to whatever decision you may make.
| also feel certain that Gen. Belknap thinks
he is simply executing the law as it now
stands but | am equally certain that he does
not interpret the law reviving the grade of
General, and that fixing the peace establish
mento of 1868 as | construe them.
For instance, | am supposed to control the
discipline of the Military Academy as part
of the Army, whereas Gen. Belknap ordered
a court Of inquiry in the case of the colored
cadet, made the detail, reviewed the proceed
ings, and made his order, without my know
ing a word of it, except through the news
papers and more recently, when l went to
Chicago to attend to some division business,
found the InspectorGeneral (Hardie) under
orders from the Secretary of War to go to
Montana on some claim business
All | ask is that such orders should go
through me. If all the staff-officers are sub
iect to receive orders direct from the Secre-
tary of War it will surely clash with the
orders they may be in the act of executing
from me, OF from their immediate COM
manders.
/ ask that Gen. Belknap draw up some
clear, well-defined rules for my action, that
he show them to me before publication, that
l make on them my remarks, and then that
you make a final decision. l promise faith
fully to abide by it, Or give up my commits
sion.
Please show this to Gen. Belknap, and I
respect, your friend, w. Z. SHERMAN.
AN EUROPEAN TRIP.
/ did return about Oct. 10, saw Presi-
dent Grant, who said nothing had been
done in the premises, but that he would
bring Gen. Belknap and me together
and settle this matter Matters went
along pretty much as usual till the
month of August, 1871, when l dined
at the Arlington with Admiral Alden
and Gen. Belknap.
The former said he had been promoted
to RearAdmiral and appointed to COM
mand the European squadron, then at
Villa Franco, near Nice, and that he
was going out in the frigate Wabash,
inviting me to 90 along.
had never been to Europe, and the
opportunity was too tempting to refuse.
After some preliminaries | agreed to 90
along, taking with me as Aids-de-C Camp
Col. Audenried and Lieut.. Fred Grant.
The Wabash was being overhauled at
the Navy-yard at Boston, and was not
ready to sail till November, when she
came to New York, where we all en-
barked Saturday, Nov. 1.
! have very full notes of the whole
trip, and here need only state that we
went out to the Island of Madeira, and
thence to Cadiz and Gibraltar Here
my party landed, and the Wabash went
on to Villa Franca.
From Gibraltar we made the general
tour of Spain to Bordeaux, through the
south of France to Marseilles, Toulon,
ETC., to Nice, from which place we re.
Joined the Wabash and brought ashore
our baggage.
From Nice we went to Genoa, Turin
the Mont Gents Tunnel, Milan, Venice
ETC., to Rome Thence to Naples
Messina, and Syracuse, where we took 8
steamer to Malta From Malta to
Egypt and Constantinople, to Sebastopol
Poti, and Tifis. At Constantinople and
Sebastopol my party was increased by
Governor Curtin, his son, and Mr.. Nc
Gahan.
1t was my purpose to have reached
the Caspian, and taken boats to the
Volga, and up that river as far a. navi
CATION would permit, but We were
dissuaded by the Grand-Duke Michael
Governor. General Of the Caucasus, and
took carriages 600 miles to Taganrog
on the Sea Of Azof, to which point the
railroad system of Russia was completed
From Taganrog we took cars to Moscow
and st. Petersburg.
Here Mr.. Curtin and party remained
he being our Minister at that court; alst
Fred Grant left us to visit his aunt a
Copenhagen. Col. Audenried and
then completed the tour of interior
Europe. taking in Warsaw, Berlin
Vienna, Switzerland, France, England
Scotland, and Ireland, embarking fo
home in the good steamer Baltic, Satur
day. Sept Z, 1872. reaching Washing
ton, d. c., Sept. %. / refrain from
dwelling on this trip, because it woule
swell this chapter beyond ny purpose.