Year: 1868




Sir,-The meeting to which you refer in
your letter was regular Cabinet meeting.
While the members were assembling, and
before the President had entered the
council chamber, General Grant, on
coming in, said to me that he was in at
tendance there not as member of the
Cabinet, but upon invitation; and re-
piled by the inquiry whether there was q
change in the War Department. After
the President had taken his seat, business
went on in the usual way of hearing mat
ters submitted by the several Secretaries.
When the time came for the Secre-
tary of War, General Grant said
that he was now there not as Secre-
tary of War, but upon the Presidents
invitation that he had retired from the
War Department. A slight difference
then appeared about the supposed invita-
ton, General Grant saying that the officer
who had borne his letter to the President
that morning announcing his retirement
from the War Department had told him
that the President desired to see him at the
Cabinet meeting to which the President
answered that when General Grants COM
munication was delivered to him the Pre-
sident simply replied that he supposed
General Grant would be very soon
at the Cabinet meeting. I regarded
the conversation thus began as an
incidental one. It went on quite in
formally, and consisted of statement
on your part Of your views in regard to
the understanding of the tenure upon
which General Grant had assented to hold
the War Department ad interim, and of his
replies by way of answer and explanation.
1t was respectful and courteous on both
sides. Being in this conversational form, its
details could only have been preserved by
verbatim report. So far as I know, no
such report was made at the time. can
give only the general effect of the CONVEX
sation. Certainly you stated that although
you had reported the reasons for Mr..
Stanton's suspension to the Senate you
nevertheless held that he would not
be entitled to resume the office
of Secretary of War even if the Sc
nate should disapprove of his suspension,
and that you had proposed to have the
question tested by judicial process, to be
applied to the person who should be the
incumbent of the Department, under your
designation of Secretary of War ad interim,
in the place of Mr.. Stanton. You con-
! tended that this was well understood be-
tween yourself and General Grant that
when he entered the War Department as
| Secretary aid interim he expressed his con-
currence in belief that the question OF
Mr.. Stanton's restoration would be ques-
tion for the courts; that in subsequent
conversation with General Grant you
had adverted to the understanding thus
had, and that General Grant expressed
his concurrence in it: that at some conyer-
sations which had been previously held
General Grant said he still adhered to the
same construction of the law, but SAID II
he should change his opinion he would give
you seasonable notice of it, so that you
should, in any case, be placed in the same
position in regard to the War Department
that you were while General Grant held
it ad interim. l did not understand Gene
raj Grant as denying nor as explicitly
admitting these statements in the form
and full extent to which you made
them. His admission Of them was
rather indirect and circumstantlai
though / did not understand it to be al
evasiye one. He said that, reasoning
from what occurred in the case OF the po.
lice in Maryland, which he regarded as
parallel one, he was of opinion, and SO as


sured you, thatit would be his right and
duty, under your instructions, to hold the
/ War Office after the Senate should dlsap


prove of Mr.. Stanton's suspension until
the question should be decided upon D!
the court; that he remained until YER!
4 recently of that opinion, and that on TIT
| Saturday before the Cabinet meeting
conversation was had between yoursel
and him, in which the subject was general!
4 discussed. General Grants statemen
4 was that in that conversation ne had state'
] to you the legal difficulties whloh Nigh