UNITED >T.\ 



711 



was dissatisfied with him. This has emboldened tho 



iu'!v*s it hiu liia com- 



niati'l !o oj.poso liim in every way in tlu-ir 

 .ary measures which 



'.,-\cr have in TII neOMI 



ion, allow :i 

 peace ami 411111, tin- welfare ,,f \ 



is in my oii'mion muni than the 

 ]o\al lu-ojili ntry I mean t ho.so who MIJ>- 



mcnt durin,' tli. H'n-11 



will quietly submit. to, to see the . of all 



whom the\ ha\e expressed their oonfldaooi in, 

 removed 



..Id not liavo taken tho liberty of addressing 

 the I'niti'd Si.iti-.- tims but for the 

 :i on the subject alluded to in tliis letter, 

 an.l from a sense of duty, telling me that 1 know I 

 am r'urht in this matter. 

 With great respect, your obedient servant, 



U. 8. GBANT, General. 



, on August 17th, the President 

 Grant as follows: 



\vroU' t 



EXBCUTIVK MANSION, [ 

 WASHINGTON, D. C., August 17, 1867. ) 

 DEAR SIR : Before you issue instructions to carry 

 'Vet the enclosed order, I would be pleased to 

 hear any suggestions you may deem necessary re- 

 . iisf the assignments to wnich the order refers. 



ly yours, ANDREW JOHNSON. 

 General U. S. GRANT, Sec'y of War ad interim. 



EXECUTIVE MANSION, I 

 WA8n!N<:T..s, D. ('., Augwt 17, 1-07. t' 

 Major-General George H. Thomas is hereby as- 

 1 to the command of the Fifth Military District, 

 I by the Act of Congress passed on the second 

 : March, 1867. 



fiCajor-Genenl P. II. Sheridan is hereby assigned 

 command of the Department of the Missouri. 

 Major-General Winfleld S. Hancock is hereby as- 

 ; to the command of the Department ot the 

 Cumberland. 



The Secretary of War ad interim will give the ne- 

 cessary instructions to carry this order into effect. 

 ANDREW JOHNSON. 



General Grant, on the same day. replied as 

 follows : 



HBADQUABTEES ARMIES OF TUB UNITED STATES, ) 

 WASHINGTON, D. C., August 17, 1867. t 



His Excellency Andrew Johnson, President of the 

 United States : 



SIR : I am in receipt of your order of this date, di- 

 recting tho assignment of General G. II. Thomas to 

 the command ofthe Fifth Military District, General 

 Sheridan to the Department of tho Missouri, and 

 General Hancock to the Department of the Cnm- 

 herland ; also your note of this date (enclosing these 

 instructions), saying, "Before you issue instruc- 

 tions to carry into eit'cct the enclosed order, I would 

 be pleased to hear anv suggestions you may deem 

 necessary respecting tho assignments to which the 

 above order r 



I am pleased to avail myself of this invitation to 

 urge, earnestly urge urge in the name of a patriotic 

 people who have sacrificed hundreds of thousands 

 of loyal lives and thousands of millions of treasure 

 to preserve the integrity and union of this country 

 that this order bo not insisted on. It is unmistaka- 

 bly tke expressed wish of the country that General 

 Sheridan should not be removed from his present 

 command. This is a republic where the will of tho 

 people is the law of the land. I beg that their voice 

 may be hoard. 



General Sheridan has performed his civil duties 

 faithfully and intelligently. His removal will only 

 bo regarded as an effort to defeat tho laws of Con- 

 gress. It will be interpreted by the unreconstructed 

 element in the South' those who did all they could 

 to break up this Government by arms, and now wish 



to be the only element consulted as to the method of 

 rder an a triumph, i t>olden 



them ' . to tli, will of the loyal 



masses, believing iii.it thej harei * 



them. 



services of General Thomas in battling for 

 tho Union entitle him -to some ooniderati<<! 

 has r. atered his protest against being 



r of the live military districts. an3 

 .' assigned to relieve General 

 ilan. 



(le'ninil Hancock ought not to be removed from 

 he is. Hi* department is a complicated one, 

 which will take a new commander some time to be- 

 come acquainted with. 



There are military reasons, pecuniary reasons, and. 

 above all, patriotic reasons, why this order should 

 not bo insisted on. 



I he_' to refer to a letter, marked private, which I 

 wrote to the President when tir^t consulted on the 

 subject of the change in the War Department. It 

 bears upon the subject of this remo\ al, and I hoped 

 would have prevented it. 



I have the honor to be, with great respect, your 

 obedient servant, 



U. S. GRANT, General, United States Army^ 

 and Secretary of War ad interim. 



Two days later, tho President made the fol- 

 lowing reply : 



President Johnson to General Grant. 



EXECUTIVE MANSION, I 

 WASHINGTON, D. C., August 19, 1867. ( 



GENERAL : I have received your communication of 

 the 17th instant, and thank you for the prom) 

 with which you have submitted your views respect- 

 ing the assignments directed in my order of that 

 date. When I stated, in my unofficial note of the 

 17th, that I would be pleased to hear any suggestions 

 you might deem necessary upon the subject, it was 

 not my intention to ask from you a formal report, 

 but rather to invite a verbal statement of any reasons 

 affecting the public interests which, in your opinion, 

 would render tho order inexpedient. Inasmuch, 

 however, as you have embodied your suggestions in 

 a written communication, it is proper that I should 

 make some reply. 



You earnestly urge that the order be not insisted 

 on, remarking that " it is unmistakably tho ex- 

 pressed wish of the country that General Sheridan 

 should not be removed from his present command." 

 While I am cognizant of the efforts that have been 

 made to retain General Sheridan in command of the 

 Fifth Military District > I am not aware that the ques- 

 tion has ever been submitted to the people them- 

 selves for determination. It certainly would be un- 

 just to tho Army to assume that, in the opinion of 

 the nation, he alone is capable of commanding the 

 States of Louisiana and Texas, and that, were he for 

 any cause removed, no other general in the military 

 service of the United States would be competent to 

 fill his place. General Thomas, whom I have desig- 

 u his successor, is well known to the country. 

 Having won high and honorable distinction ' in the 

 field, lie has since, in the execution of tho responsi- 

 ble duties of a department commander, exhibited 

 great ability, sound oiscretion, and sterling patriotism. 

 Ho has not failed, under the most trying circum- 

 stances, to enforce the laws, to preserve the peace 

 :ind order, to encourage the restoration of civil 

 authority, and to promote, as far as possible, a spirit 

 of reconciliation. His administration of the Depart- 

 ment ofthe Cumberland will certainly com pun 

 favorably with that of General Sheridan in the Fifth 

 Military 'District. There affairs appear t-> h 

 disturbed condition, and a bitter spirit of anta_- 



resulted from General Sheridan's 

 management. lie has rendered himself < 

 obnoxious by tho manner in which he has exercised 

 even the powers conferred by Congress, and still 



