A Picture of the Desolated States, and the Work of Restoration. 1865-1868

by J. T. Trowbridge

The Judiciary Committee, on the 3d of March, reported that it had not concluded its investigation, but that, in the opinion of the majority, eight to one, “sufficient testimony had been brought to the notice of the Committee to justify and demand a further prosecution of the investigation.” The Judiciary Committee of the XLth Congress was empowered to continue the investigation, by action had on the 7th of March.

The Judiciary Committee reported November 25th, 1867. The majority, consisting of Messrs. George S. Boutwell, Francis Thomas, Thomas Williams, William Lawrence, and John C. Churchill, favored impeachment. Messrs. James F. Wilson and Frederick E. Woodbridge united in a report opposed thereto, and Marshall and Eldridge signed another minority report. Debate on these reports began in the House December 5th, and closed the 7th. The impeachment resolution was then lost, 57 to 108. The affirmative were all Republicans. In the negative were 67 Republicans and 41 Democrats; there were 20 absentees, 16 Republicans and 4 Democrats. The following is the vote in detail:

Yeas.—Anderson, of Missouri; Arnell, of Tenn.; Ashley, of Ohio; Boutwell, of Mass; Bromwell, of Illinois; Broomall, of Penn; Butler, of Mass; Churchill of N. Y.; Clarke, of Ohio; Clarke, of Kansas; Cobb, of Wisconsin; Coburn, of Indiana; Covode, of Penn.; Collum, of Illinois; Donnelly, of Minn.; Eckley, of Ohio; Ela, of New Hampshire; Farnsworth, of Illinois; Gravelly, of Missouri; Harding, of Illinois; Higby, of California; Hopkins, of Wisconsin; Hunter, of Indiana; Judd, of Illinois; Julian, of Indiana; Kelley, of Penn.; Kelsey, of New York; Lawrence of Ohio; Loan, of Missouri; Logan, of Illinois; Lynch, of Maine; Maynard, of Tenn.; McClurg, of Missouri; Mercer, of Penn.; Mullins, of Tenn.; Myers, of Penn.; Newcomb, of Missouri; Nunn, of Tenn.; O’Neil, of Penn; Orth, of Indiana; Paine, of Wisconsin; Pile, of Missouri; Price, of Iowa; Schenck, of Ohio; Shanks, of Indiana; Stevens, of New Hampshire; Stevens, of Penn.; Stokes, of Tenn.; Thomas, of Maryland; Trimble, of Tenn.; Trowbridge, of Michigan; Van Horn, of Missouri; Ward, of New York; Williams, of Penn.; Williams, of Indiana; Wilson, of Pennsylvania.—57.

Nays.—Republicans in Roman, Democrats in italic.

Adams, of Kentucky; Allison, of Iowa; Ames, of Mass.; Archer, of Maryland; Ashley, of Nevada; Axtell, of California; Bailey, of New York; Baker, of Illinois; Baldwin, of Mass; Banks, of Mass; Barnum of Conn.; Beaman, of Michigan; Beck, of Kentucky; Benjamin, of Missouri; Benton, of N. H.; Bingham, of Ohio; Blaine, of Maine; Boyer, of Penn.; Brooks, of New York; Buckland, of Ohio; Burr, of Illinois; Carey, of Ohio; Chanler, of New York; Cook, of Illinois; Dawes, of Mass; Dixon, of R. I.; Dodge, of Iowa; Driggs, of Michigan; Eggleston, of Ohio; Eldridge, of Wisconsin; Eliot, of Mass; Ferris, of New York; Ferry, of Michigan; Fields, of New York; Garfield, of Ohio; Getz, of Penn.; Glossbrenner, of Penn.; Golladay, of Kentucky; Griswold, of New York; Grover, of Kentucky; Haight, of New Jersey; Halsey, of New Jersey; Hamilton, of Ohio; Hawkins, of Tenn.; Hill, of New Jersey; Holman, of Indiana; Hooper, of Mass; Hotchkiss, of Conn; Hubbard, of Iowa; Hubbard, of West Va.; Hubbard, of Conn; Hubbard, of New York; Humphrey, of New York; Ingersoll, of Illinois; Johnson, of Cal.; Jones, of Kentucky; Kerr, of Indiana; Ketchum, of New York; Knott, of Kentucky; Koontz, of Penn.; Laflin, of New York; Lawrence, of Penn.; Lincoln, of New York; Marshall, of Illinois; Marvin, of New York; McCarty, of New York; McCullough, of Maryland; Miller, of Penn.; Morehead, of Penn.; Morgan, of Ohio; Mungen, of Ohio; Niblack, of Indiana; Nicholson, of Delaware; Perham, of Maine; Peters, of Maine; Phelps, of Maryland; Pike, of Maine; Plants, of Ohio; Poland, of Vermont; Polsley, of West Va.; Pruyn, of New York; Randall, of Penn.; Robertson, of New York; Robinson, of New York; Ross, of Illinois; Sawyer, of Wisconsin; Sitgreaves, of New Jersey; Smith, of Vermont; Spalding, of Ohio; Starkweather, of Conn.; Stewart, of New York; Stone, of Maryland; Taber, of New York; Taylor, of Penn.; Upson, of Michigan; Van Aernam, of New York; Van Auken, of Penn.; Van Trump, of Ohio; Van Wyck, of New York; Washburne, of Wisconsin; Washburne, of Indiana; Washburne, of Illinois; Washburn, of Mass.; Welker, of Ohio; Wilson, of Iowa; Wilson, of Ohio; Woodbridge, of Vermont; Woodward, of Pennsylvania.—108.

Absentees.—Messrs. Blair, Michigan; Cornell, New York; Finney, Penn.; Jenckes, Rhode Island; Kitchen, West Va.; Mallory, Oregon; Morrell, Penn.; Pomeroy, New York; Raum, Illinois; Selye, New York; Scofield, Penn.; Shellabarger, Ohio; Taffe, Neb.; Twitchell, Mass; Van Horn, New York; Windom, Minn.; all Republicans: and Barnes, Fox, and Morrissey, all of New York, and Democrats.

It was conceded on all hands that this was the end of impeachment for that time at least, and it was thought that, the President, feeling that his conduct had brought down upon him the censure of a large body of the Members of Congress, who though they were not willing to proceed to extremities, still disapproved of his course, would, for the future, act more wisely, and refrain from those overt acts which might bring him into further collision with Congress.

But those who reasoned thus with regard to Andrew Johnson, knew nothing of his character. Elated with his victory, he could not conceal his disposition to show his defiance to Congress by further and more considerable acts of aggression. He interfered in several of the desolated states which were about voting upon the question of calling a convention, and electing delegates to prepare a new constitution, suggesting to them ways and means of thwarting the reconstruction measures; continued so far as possible his systematic removals of loyal and incorruptible officers, and nominated to their places corrupt men, whom the Senate could not confirm without becoming partners in corruption; and in every way possible made known his determination to defy Congress, which he believed he could now do, with impunity.

On the 13th of January, 1868, Congress having decided that his suspension of Secretary Stanton was illegal, and that he must be reinstated, General Grant, who had been Secretary ad interim, quietly relinquished the War Office to Secretary Stanton, and notified the President that he had done so.

A very bitter correspondence ensued between the President and General Grant, (the General, however, keeping his temper), in which the President charged Grant with duplicity, treachery and inveracity because he had not given him previous notice of his intention of surrendering the office to Secretary Stanton, so that he (Johnson) might have put some one in possession who would have prevented Secretary Stanton’s reinstatement. The whole issue between the President and the General was, in fact, that the President had intended to violate the Tenure of Office Act and defy the Senate, and General Grant by his judicious course, had prevented him from doing so.