William W . Belknap William Worth Belknap ( September 22 , 1829 – October 12 , 1890 ) was a United States Army Major General , government administrator in Iowa , and United States Secretary of War . Although Belknap served with distinction in the Civil War , his tenure as President Grant ' s Secretary of War was controversial , for having indirectly sold weapons to France and for accepting illicit kickbacks in exchange for making a tradership appointment . The latter led to his resignation , impeachment by the House , and trial in the Senate during the summer of 1876 . Sec . Belknap requisitioned portrait paintings by various artists for previous Secretaries of War to be displayed in honor of the United States Centennial . Sec . Belknap aided Chicago Fire victims in 1871 and pardoned James Webster Smith , America ' s first African American cadet at West Point . During the Reconstruction Era , Belknap ' s War Department and the U . S . military worked under supervision of President Ulysses S . Grant and the U . S . Attorney General ' s office to vigorously enforce the mandates of this policy upon the defeated South . Southern Reconstruction , according to most historians , ultimately ended in failure for both blacks and whites alike . Belknap , a native of New York , graduated from Princeton college in 1848 , studied law at Georgetown University , and passed the bar in 1851 . Belknap moved to Iowa and started a law practice and partnership . Belknap entered politics as a Democrat and was elected Representative in Iowa legislature in 1857 . When the Civil War broke out in spring 1861 , Belknap joined Union Army and was eventually promoted Brevet Maj . General in 1865 for his gallantry during Maj . Gen . Sherman ' s Atlanta Campaign earlier in 1864 . In hand to hand combat at Atlanta , Belknap crossed an entrenchment , captured the Confederate commander , and physically dragged him over to the Union side . Belknap was appointed Iowa Collector of Internal Revenue by President Andrew Johnson and served four years . In 1869 , President Grant appointed Belknap Secretary of War . Belknap was the only former Cabinet secretary ever to have been impeached by the House of Representatives . A Congressional investigation in 1876 revealed that Belknap had received kickback payments in return for a lucrative contract . Starting in 1870 , Belknap and two successive wives had taken quarterly payments for the award of a Fort Sill " tradership " position , immediately after Belknap had been given sole authority to appoint post - traderships by Congress . Belknap resigned his position as Secretary of War shortly before being impeached by the House . President Grant had accepted his resignation before the House voted on Belknap ' s impeachment , later that same day . Belknap was tried in the Senate , but was acquitted when the vote for conviction failed to achieve the required two - thirds majority . A significant number of Senators believed that the Senate did not have jurisdiction to put a private citizen on trial . Belknap , with his reputation damaged , returned to his law practice until his death in 1890 . Historians have debated how much Belknap ' s second and third wives influenced Belknap into accepting Fort Sill profit money from appointed sutler Caleb P . Marsh . Early life and career . Belknap was born on September 22 , 1829 in Newburgh , New York to career soldier William G . Belknap , who had fought with distinction in the War of 1812 and the Mexican American War . His mother was Anne Clark Belknap . In 1848 , Belknap graduated from Princeton University . After graduation Belknap studied law at Georgetown University . In 1851 , he was admitted to the bar , moved to Keokuk , Iowa , and entered into a law partnership with Ralph B . Low . He served in the Iowa House of Representatives as a Democrat for a single term from 1857 to 1858 . Marriage and family . Belknap was married three times . The first was in 1854 to Cora LeRoy who died in 1862 . Belknap remarried to Carita S . Tomlinson from Kentucky in January , 1869 . Carita , however , died of tuberculosis shortly after childbirth in December , 1870 . Belknap remarried a third and final time on December 11 , 1873 to Amanda Tomlinson Bower , widow of John Bower and Carita ' s sister . Belknap was the father of Hugh R . Belknap , U . S . Representative from Illinois . American Civil War . When the American Civil War started , Belknap , a loyal Democrat , joined the Union Army in the Autumn of 1861 and was commissioned Major in charge recruiting the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry on December 7 . Belknap , a tall and handsome man , was naturally suited to the rigors of being a soldier and he taught new enlistment companies coming into Iowa . Shiloh , Corinth , and Vicksburg . In March 1862 , Maj . Belknap and the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry were finally mustered into military action . Traveling by steamer from St . Louis , Maj . Belknap was sent to the front at the Battle of Shiloh ; arriving at Pittsburgh Landing on April 6 serving under the Army of the Tennessee . Maj . Belknap was ordered to the front to serve under Maj . Gen Prentiss at the Hornet ' s Nest . Maj . Belknap and his raw 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry troops were forced to fight like regular army veterans on Maj . Gen . Prentiss depleted line . Maj . Belknap fought bravely , was slightly wounded , and his horse was shot and killed from under him . After Shiloh , Maj . Belknap served as " acting " commander of the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Corinth . Col . Hugh T . Reid , commander of the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry , had been severely injured in the neck at Shiloh and removed from active duty . Col . Reid stated that at Shiloh Maj . Belknap , " was always in the right place at the right time , directing and encouraging officers and men as coolly as a veteran " At Corinth , Major Belknap was noted for his " conspicuous gallantry " . After Corinth , Major Belknap and the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry for a time served on guard duty . Maj . Belknap was formerly promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on August 20 , 1862 . Lt . Col . Belknap was promoted to Colonel of the Iowa 15th Volunteer Infantry on June 3 , 1863 . Col . Belknap ' s primary military operation took place at the Siege of Vicksburg until July 4 , 1863 . On December 24 , 1863 Col . Belknap was in command of the 11th Iowa Volunteer Infantry and the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry reinforcing Redbone , Mississippi , south of Vicksburg . On February 26 , 1864 Col . Belknap served as Provost Marshall of Post in Canton , Mississippi . Atlanta and March to the Sea . On June 8 , 1864 Col . Belknap and the veteran 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry were transferred to the 4th Division , XVII Corps at Ackworth , Georgia . On July 22 , 1864 at the Battle of Atlanta , Belknap served with distinction , having broken through Confederate breastworks . Vigorously fighting in hand to hand combat , Col . Belknap crossed the breastworks , physically captured Confederate Col . Harris D . Lampley , 45th Alabama Infantry , dragged him over to the Union line , and took him as prisoner . On July 28 , 1864 Col . Belknap was in charge of the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry and the 32nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry having reinforced Maj . Gen . R . L . Smith ' s XV Corps . On July 30 , Belknap was promoted to Brigadier General and given command of the 4th Division , XVII Corps , and participated in Major Gen . Sherman ' s operations in Georgia and the Carolinas . After Atlanta was taken by the Union Army , Belknap accompanied Maj . Gen . Sherman on his March to the Sea . Belknap was promoted Brevet Major General on March 13 , 1865 as a reward for his bravery in the Atlanta Campaign . On August 24 , 1865 , Brevet Maj . Gen Belknap was mustered out of the U . S . Army . Iowa Collector of Internal Revenue . In 1865 , after the American Civil War had ended , President Andrew Johnson appointed Belknap , now retired from military service , to the post of Iowa Collector of Internal Revenue . In that position , Belknap was responsible for collecting millions of dollars in federal taxes . Belknap served in that position for four years , until he was appointed Secretary of War by President Ulysses S . Grant in 1869 . During his term as Collector , Belknap associated himself with the Republican Party in the period of Reconstruction . Secretary of War . On the advice of General of the Army William T . Sherman , President Ulysses S . Grant appointed Belknap to Secretary of War on October 25 , 1869 , to take the place of Sec . John A . Rawlins who had died in office earlier of tuberculosis . Belknap at that time was a protégé of Sherman ' s , having fought in the Atlanta Campaign and accompanied him on Sherman ' s March to the Sea . President Grant believed Belknap had served capably during the American Civil War and deserved to head the War Department . After his appointment , Sec . Belknap imposed or recommended several positive initiatives . He recommended that Congress act to fix the date of May 1 as the start of the fiscal year . He inaugurated the preparation of historical reports by post commanders , and proposed actions to preserve Yellowstone National Park . Not all of Sec . Belknap ' s actions were well received , however . He initiated a protocol that bypassed and weakened the authority of General of the Army Sherman . Subsequently , in 1874 , Sherman left Washington D . C . and moved his headquarters to St . Louis . Major General Oliver O . Howard was also ostracized by Sec . Belknap . While stationed in Oregon , in 1874 , Major General Howard candidly expressed his opinion of Sec . Belknap . Howard stated that Belknap was deceptive to " General Grant " , that Belknap was not a true Republican , and that he associated nightly with " foul - mouthed " Democratic Kentucky associates . Howard also opined that Belknap was " not in favor " of the President ' s Indian Peace policy . That statement is likely related to a conflict , during Sec . Belknap ' s tenure , between the U . S . War Department and the U . S . Department of Interior as to which Department would control the destiny of American Indians . In the context of this era , Belknap ' s actions may not be seen as overtly aggressive or overreaching . In terms of Reconstruction , historian Jean Edward Smith , notes that Grant , former General of the Army , supervised the use of the U . S . military and that Belknap " had less freedom of action then other cabinet members . " War Department portrait gallery ( 1869 ) . Upon assuming office in 1869 , Sec . Belknap conceived an idea to make a series of portraits of previous civilian heads of the War Department in honor of the then upcoming 1876 U . S . Centennial . Sec . Belknap hired renowned artists Daniel Huntington , Robert Weir , and Henry Ulke and had them paint portraits of the long list of his predecessors in the War Department . Sec . Belknap ' s own portrait was painted by Daniel Huntington in 1874 . The Secretary of War portraits were then assembled into a distinct collection to be viewed by the public . The portrait painting of the Secretary of War was continued by Sec . Belknap ' s successors . In addition to secretaries , portraits were made of other persons notable for their war conduct distinction . Sec . Belknap has been given " unqualified credit " for his creation of the War Department gallery in Washington D . C . Trader post monopolies ( 1870 ) . In 1870 , Sec . Belknap lobbied Congress , and on July 15 was granted the sole power to appoint and license sutlers with ownership rights to highly lucrative " traderships " at U . S . military forts in the Western frontier . The power to appoint traderships by the Commanding General of the Army , at that time being William T . Sherman , was repealed . Having been granted the sole power to appoint traderships , Sec . Belknap further empowered those traderships with a virtual monopoly . Soldiers stationed at forts with Belknap appointed sutlers could only buy supplies through the authorized tradership . These monopoly traderships were considered good investments during the Gilded Age . Soldiers on the Western frontier , who were thus forced to buy supplies at higher than market prices , were left destitute as a result . Hostile American Indians bought supplies at these traderships including high quality breech loaders and repeating rifles . Soldiers , however , were requisitioned by Sec . Belknap ' s War Department inferior breach loaders that jammed on the third round . The policy affected the fire power of the U . S . troops and may have contributed to the defeat of Col . Custer and the 7th Cavalry at Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876 . Custer , however , had refused for unclear reasons to bring Gatling guns with the ability to shoot 150 rounds per minute , that would have strongly increased his regimental fire power . Fort Sill contract . In 1870 , Sec . Belknap ' s second wife , Carita , successfully lobbied her husband to appoint a New York contractor ( Caleb P . Marsh ) to a trader post at Fort Sill located in the Indian Territory . John S . Evans , however , had already been appointed to that position . To settle the question of ownership , regarding the tradership , an illicit partnership contract , authorized by Sec . Belknap , was drawn . The contract allowed Evans to keep the tradership at Fort Sill , provided that he pay $ 12 , 000 of the annual profits to Marsh . Evans would be allowed to keep the remaining profits . Marsh , in turn , was required to split half of his receipts from the contract , $ 6 , 000 per year , with Carita . However , Carita only received one payment before her death ( tuberculosis after childbirth ) in 1870 . After Carita ' s death , Marsh continued to pay Sec . Belknap Carita ' s share of the profits , for the benefit of her child . Although the child died in 1871 , Sec . Belknap continued to accept quarterly kickback payments from Marsh . When Sec . Belknap remarried , to Carita ' s sister , Amanda , both Sec . Belknap and Amanda continued to accept the quarterly payments from Marsh . French arms sales ( 1870 ) . During the Franco - Prussian War that lasted from 1870 to 1871 , the United States declared neutrality . Sec . Belknap had been criticized and accused by Grant Administration critics , Charles Sumner and Carl Schurz , for violating neutrality and selling arms to French agents . Sec . Belknap sold obsolete U . S . War Department firearms to a neighbor of the Remington family . Samuel Remington , as arms - selling agent to the French Government , subsequently arranged the sale of those firearms to France . Sec . Belknap subsequently sold 54 , 000 , 000 cartridges to the French Army that would specifically fit the firearms he had previously sold to the Remington neighbor . A Congressional investigation which took place in 1872 exonerated Sec . Belknap , and no criminal charges for impeachment were initiated . Pardoned Cadet Smith ( 1871 ) . During the Reconstruction Era , in 1870 , former slave James Webster Smith , through private sponsorship , became the first African American cadet to enroll at West Point . Smith , however , was immediately and severely hazed by white cadets . It is believed that the Academy ' s military establishment was determined to force Smith out . One of Sec . Belknap ' s nephews , a cadet at the Academy , had been reprimanded ( but not otherwise punished ) for hazing Smith . In one instance , Smith was arrested and taken to a military court for fighting a white cadet . However , Major General Oliver O . Howard , an advocate for African American civil rights and in charge of the trial , acquitted Smith of all charges and gave him a light punishment for unruly conduct . This outraged the Academy ' s " Bureau of Military Justice " , who made a formal protest to Belknap on November 20 , 1870 . In a second instance in January 1871 , Smith was arrested again for not holding his head up when marching , after being severely harassed by white cadets . This time Smith was convicted and his case was appealed to Belknap . Smith was pardoned by Belknap and allowed to return to West Point as a plebe . In 1874 , Smith continued at West Point , until , Prof . Peter S . Michie , a white supremacist , gave Smith a private test , in defiance of traditional West Point practice . Smith was forced out of West Point after having failed the test and was denied a retest by Michie . Ironically , Belknap believed Smith had been shown more favor than white cadets at West Point . Major General Thomas H . Ruger , appointed Superintendent of West Point in 1871 , reduced the amount of hazing of cadets by 1873 and made strong efforts to eradicate the " discreditable " practice . Belknap admired Ruger ' s performance as West Point Superintendent and stated , " I am pretty satisfied with the success of your management , and private conversations with officers of all grades , & with civilians too , who have been there since your accession . . . " Other African Americans followed Smith ' s entrance into West Point and Henry O . Flipper became the first to graduate from the Academy in 1877 . Smith was finally commissioned an officer by West Point in 1997 , one hundred and twenty three years later . Aided Chicago fire victims ( 1871 ) . From October 8 , 1871 to October 10 a devastating fire burned and destroyed much of Chicago . The fire killed hundreds of people and caused $ 200 , 000 , 000 in damages . Over 100 , 000 citizens were left destitute and homeless . Sec . Belknap , concerned for the victims , promptly took action on October 9 and sent food rations from St . Louis , tents from Jeffersonville for the many homeless persons , and two company troops from the Omaha infantry to keep peace and order . On October 10 , Sec . Belknap in writing a dispatch to Lt . General Philip Sheridan stated that the fire was " . . . a national calamity . The sufferers have the sincere sympathy of the nation . " Sec . Belknap ordered military officers around the nation to send supplies to Chicago " liberally and promptly " . New Orleans riot ( 1872 ) . Louisiana during Reconstruction was one of the most politically turbulent and disputed states . Rival political factions fought for power in the state government , requiring the deployment of federal troops to keep peace . During January 1872 , the War Department was kept on high alert , concerned with the potential for violent confrontation , in New Orleans , between Gov . Henry Clay Warmoth ' s faction and former speaker of the Louisiana House , George W . Carter ' s faction . To prevent disorder Major General William H . Emory , Lousiville District Commander , in charge of New Orleans , decided that federal troops were needed to prevent violence . Belknap at the War Department informed General in Chief William T . Sherman and supported Emory ' s request for the use of federal troops . On January 5 , federal troops were deployed in New Orlean to prevent violence until the 11th . Sec . Belknap advised President Grant that Emory was the best man on the scene to make the decision to use military force . On the 9th a riot broke out after a Gov . Warmoth supporter was assassinated ; Gov . Warmoth ' s state police retaliated by attacking and dispersing Carter ' s faction at the Gem Saloon ; Emory deployed reinforcement troops on the 10th to restore order . On January 12 , Grant , wanting to stay out of state politics , told the mayor of New Orleans through the War Department that martial law would not be declared in Louisiana . An angry mob of thousands of Carter ' s men took to the streets . Emory deployed troops equipped with Gatling guns . Carter ' s men dispersed knowing Emory would use U . S . military force to keep the peace . On January 15 , Grant wrote to Belknap that he desired to prevent the " danger of bloodshed " without having to take sides with any two factions . On January 16 , Att . Gen . George H . Williams told Gov . Warmoth , that Grant would only take sides if there was a " clear case of legal right and overruling necessity . " On January 22 , as both Gov . Warmoth and Carter formed rival militias and the two were ready for war , President Grant issued orders through the War Department for Emory to use troops if necessary . When Emory communicated Grant ' s message to both Gov . Warmoth and Carter , the two rival factions dispersed and a 10 month peace was kept . Eads steel bridge commission ( 1873 ) . In 1873 , the construction of the America ' s first steel arched bridge , named after James B . Eads , was nearing completion in St . Louis . Sec . Belknap , under influence from the Keokuk Packet steamliner company , was opposed to its completion . He desired the bridge torn down , so steamers would not have to lower their smoke stacks to go under the bridge . Sec . Belknap created a commission to either destroy the bridge , or to build a canal around the bridge for steamers to pass . Eads , who was friends with Grant , visited Washington D . C . in November 1873 before Belknap submitted the report to Congress , and asked that Grant rescue the bridge from destruction . Belknap stated he had the authority to keep the rivers from being obstructed according to federal law . President Grant reminded Belknap that Congress had authorized the construction of the bridge . President Grant was convinced that Congress would not authorize money to tear the bridge down , overruled Belknap ' s decision , and told Belknap in person " You certainly cannot destroy this structure on your own authority . . . General , you had better drop this case . " Belknap was embarrassed , stood up blushing , bowed to President Grant , and left the meeting . The Eads Bridge was completed in 1874 and is still in active use today . Yellowstone expedition ( 1875 ) . During the summer of 1875 , Sec . Belknap decided to explore Yellowstone the nation ' s first national park , signed into law by President Grant on March 2 , 1872 . Accompanying Sec . Belknap were Col . Randolph B . Marcy , Lt . Col . James W . Forsyth , and Chicago businessman William E . Strong . Leading the expedition was Lt . Gustavus C . Doane , who had led the Washburn - Langford - Doane Expedition in 1870 , the first extensive federal survey of the Yellowstone territory , that was responsible in part for the formation of Yosemite National Park . Lt . Doane left Fort Ellis , where he was stationed , and made preparations for Sec . Belknap ' s party arrival at Mammoth Hot Springs . On July 26 , Sec . Belknap ' s party reached Fort Ellis and proceeded to meet Lt . Doane at Mammoth Hot Springs . Led by Lt . Doane , Belknap ' s party attempted to retrace the original 1870 Expedition in addition to hunting for any big game found on the journey . Sec . Belknap ' s party included 24 soldiers and two ambulances . The two - week expedition proved to be troublesome as Lt . Doane was unable to find big game to hunt and after briefly viewing the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Sec . Belknap ' s party had to wait several hours before Lt . Doane finally found the trail . House investigation and resignation ( 1876 ) . On February 29 , 1876 upon rumors that Sec . Belknap was receiving profits from traderships , Rep . Hiester Clymer launched an investigation into the War Department . Although Clymer and Belknap were friends , Clymer was an extreme partisan Democrat who strongly opposed Republican Reconstruction . Caleb P . Marsh testified that Sec . Belknap had personally taken Fort Sill tradership profit payments in exchange for a tradership partnership agreement between Marsh and Fort Sill sutler John S . Evans . On March 1 , Sec . Belknap and his counsel went before Clymer ' s committee , however , Sec . Belknap withdrew from testimony . In a White House meeting on March 2 , Sec . Belknap appeared before President Grant , who asked for Belknap ' s resignation . Earlier that morning , Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow told President Grant of Sec . Belknap ' s impending impeachment . President Grant accepted Sec . Belknap ' s resignation at 10 : 20 A . M . Clymer ' s committee was informed of Belknap ' s resignation at 11 : 00 A . M . Although Belknap ' s resignation caused great commotion among House members , it did not forestall action by the Clymer committee . The committee unanimously passed resolutions to impeach Belknap and drew up five articles of impeachment to be sent to the Senate . Belknap , now a private citizen but on the very day of his resignation from the War Department , was impeached by a unanimous vote of the House of Representatives . Speaker of the House Michael C . Kerr wrote to the Senate that Belknap resigned " with intent to evade the proceedings of impeachment against him . " Belknap ' s case was constitutionally unprecedented and would serve as reference for nine other civilian officials resignations before trial , including President Richard Nixon . Senate trial and acquittal . Belknap was tried by the Senate , which ruled by a vote of 37 - 29 that it had jurisdiction despite the resignation . However , Belknap was subsequently acquitted of the charges when the vote for conviction fell short of the required two - thirds majority . Twenty - three of the senators who voted for Belknap ' s acquittal believed that the Senate did not have jurisdiction . Grant ' s speedy acceptance of Belknap ' s resignation undoutedly saved Belknap from conviction . Grant replaced Belknap with Alphonso Taft as Secretary of War . Washington D . C . indictment . After his Senate acquittal on August 1 , 1876 , Belknap indicted by a grand jury , and set for trial in the Washington D . C . District Court . However , the district courts were unlikely to convict for any crimes that involved less than $ 47 , 000 . Washington D . C . District Attorney H . H . Wells , who was in charge of the Belknap case , was advised by Attorney General Alphonso Taft , upon President Ulysses S . Grant ' s instructions , that the evidence against Belknap would not sustain a conviction in court and that Belknap had suffered enough during the Senate trial . On February 8 , 1877 , Belknap ' s case , indictment No . 11 , 262 , was dismissed by Justice McArthur . Later career . Belknap moved to Philadelphia , after resigning as Secretary of War , then returned to Washington to resume the practice of law . Belknap , his reputation damaged by the Senate trial , never returned to hold political office . In 1887 , Belknap coauthored the book " History of the Fifteenth Regiment , Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry " . Death , burial , and memorial . Belknap died suddenly from a massive heart attack in Washington , D . C . on Sunday October 12 , 1890 . The New York Times stated his death occurred on Sunday between 1 : 00 A . M and 9 : 00 A . M . , having died alone , at his residence in the Evans building on New York Avenue . Prior to his death , Belknap had played cards with his friends on Saturday night , then retired to his rooms for the evening . Belknap ' s wife , Amanda , was in New York City at the time . At 8 : 30 A . M . on Monday morning , Belknap ' s business associate , John W . Cameron , picked up Belknap ' s mail on the first floor of Belknap ' s home and business residence and proceeded to the second floor where Belknap lived . Cameron and a maid found that all the rooms had been locked . A janitor was summoned to open the doors , and a step ladder was used to peer into Belknap ' s bedroom . Belknap had placed his hat and coat on a chair and his lifeless body was found on his bed . Belknap ' s left arm had been raised toward his head with his left hand tightly clenched . Belknap ' s bed clothes were disheveled and he appeared to have struggled for breath . The physician who initially examined Belknap ' s body stated Belknap had died of apoplexy , however , an autopsy by the coroner revealed that Belknap had suffered heart disease . The War Department was notified and received with " genuine sorrow " Belknap ' s death , since Belknap had been a popular Secretary of War . Belknap was buried in Section 1 at Arlington National Cemetery on October 16 , 1890 . The ceremony was conducted by St . John ' s Episcopal Church . The site features a granite gravestone with a bronze relief memorial designed by sculptor Carl Rohl - Smith . The bronze relief ( 2 ft . x 2 ft . ) bust shows Belknap wearing a dress uniform with his hair parted on the proper right side as well as a long , full beard . The relief is placed on the front of a granite base ( 6 ft . x 5 ft . x 5 ft . ) . This piece was surveyed by the Smithsonian ' s Save Outdoor Sculpture ! survey in 1995 and its condition was described as treatment being needed . The relief is signed by the artist : C . R . 1897 . A plaque on the front of the granite base is inscribed : WILLIAM WORTH BELKNAP