Year: 1878

George Alfred Townsend gives as Judge
Hilton version OF the above affair, which has
never yet been satisfactorily explained:


81 went 10 Washington and in the course of
general conversation with Grant and his wife
touched Oh the incident of Stanton reSuming
the war office and said If there was an eNpla-
nation OF IL no time ought TO be lost in having
1t published. lt was one of those things i'm
pugning the personal honor OF General Grant
which was doing him harm in lofty minds.


" His wife, who was one OF the trueSt women
and wives in the world, woman all oversize
had more influence with that man than all the
statesmen in the country-Said TO me:


"'You are right, Judge Hilton. Ii ought TO
be published. But General Grant will not
allow word TO be said about il. Now waEG
10 tell you, before him, the circumstances of
that taking back of the War by Mr.. Stanton


Grant sat perfectly immovable while Mrs.
Grant told the story. Grant had only taken
the ar Office to keep peace in the country
and had promised Johnson not 10 give il TO
another without telling him. Grant was a
strong friend of Stanton and went 10 Stanton
ana told him he had thought it right and a
duty to take the War office. Said Stanton:
General Grant, there is not a living man |
would give ii up 10 but yOu,' and he did give it
up. Tine passed on and the radical senate
reSolVeSt to put Stanton back. One evening
General Grant was about to go out of his house
with some ladies' 10 spend the evening when
messenger met him in the hallway. Grant had
ms nat and coat on the ladies were behind
him and the ca riage ready. The messenger
said: Here is something for General Grant
Grant took the parcel. He was then recev-
81
and be merely saw that it bore the Inscription:
senate OF the United States He thought il
matter to be looked into next day and went
out with lis ladies. Next day he arose and
eakfaSted and along toward official hours
look up the papers a. his dwelling. He found
Inc thlng he had laid down the night before
was resolution of the Senate non -coucurring
IN Stanton's displacement. This was equIya-
lent TO Stanton being the lawful Secretary of
war Grant walked right UP to the War Of
nee, where he found that Stanton, from an
early hour OF the morning, had strongly i'm
stalled himself and was prepared for a fight
He had in fact taken advantage of Grants
late knowledge of the subject and took the
ofEce by stratagem near daylight Grant had
no alternative but TO go away. Mrs Grant.
hnShlng this story, said:


Judge Hilton, there sits that man (Grant)
who knows that story to be true, and he will
notl II be told to acquit him of any dupIicity
with President Johnson


Grant sat immOvable and did not wag his
head either way. Mr.. Stanton told Judge Hill
ton that such were the facts Anticipating
some point of honor on Grants part, Stanton
had seized his own while the Secretary dd in
tertm slept. But" said Hilton, Grant never
was cordial with Stanton after that and al.
ways looked at him aSkant. He nominated
stanton, as dying man, to the Supreme
bench, but never took him into his counSes or
confidence" What must be the mental dis
cipine of man who will let SANDER easily
corrected, 90 rioting for years, preferring to
trust to time to lay ii bare?