HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES,
Washington, January 24, 1868.
His Excellency A. JOHNSON,
President of the United States.
SIR: I have the honor very respectfully to request to have in writing the order which the President gave me verbally on Sunday, the 19th instant, to disregard the orders of the Hon. E.M. Stanton as Secretary of War until I knew from the President himself that they were his orders.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
U.S. GRANT, General.
General Grant to the President.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES,
Washington, D.C., January 28, 1868.
His Excellency A. JOHNSON,
President of the United States.
SIR: On the 24th instant I requested you to give me in writing the instructions which you had previously given me verbally not to obey any order from Hon. E.M. Stanton, Secretary of War, unless I knew that it came from yourself. To this written request I received a message that has left doubt in my mind of your intentions. To prevent any possible misunderstanding, therefore, I renew the request that you will give me written instructions, and till they are received will suspend action on your verbal ones.
I am compelled to ask these instructions in writing in consequence of the many and gross misrepresentations affecting my personal honor circulated through the press for the last fortnight, purporting to come from the President, of conversations which occurred either with the President privately in his office or in Cabinet meeting. What is written admits of no misunderstanding.