I called at the Executive Mansion at precisely
ten this A.M. The President was not in. Mr. Attorney-General Speed came in soon
after, and, while waiting for the President I stated to him the case. He said
he had heard something from Mr. Seward concerning it last evening. On the
question of giving exemplified copies of public records and trial by court
martial he was partly decided that copies should be furnished. The President
came in while we were discussing the subject, and said he had not fully
determined, but his opinion from the consideration he had given it coincided
with that of Mr. Speed, but he proposed to send for Mr. Seward, who shortly
came. On hearing that the President had hesitated in signing the paper prepared
by him and doubted its correctness, he was very much surprised, not to say
chagrined; but when Speed joined in those doubts, Seward was annoyed, indeed
quite angry. He denied that the public papers of any Department were to be
subjected to private examination, and most emphatically denounced any idea of
furnishing copies on the claim or demand of any State court or any court in a
private suit. If it was conceded in a single instance, it must be in all.
“And,” said he, pointing to the private shelves of the President, which he
keeps locked, “they will demand those papers.” “But those,” said the President,
“are private and confidential, a very different affair.'' “Call them,” said
Seward, “what you please, you cannot retain them from Congress or the court if
you concede the principle in this case. You cannot discriminate on their call;
they will not admit the rectitude of your judgment and discrimination, if you
give up to them the right of the demand now made on the Secretary of the Navy.
He must not furnish them copies nor must he testify."
Without being convinced, the President was an attentive
listener, and I think his faith was somewhat shaken. “We will look at this
matter fully and carefully,” said he. “If the Secretary of State is right, we
shall all of us be of his opinion, for this is a big thing, and this question
must have been up and passed upon before this day.”
He then decided he would have a legal opinion from the
Attorney-General, and framed questions for him to answer. Some modifications
were suggested, and the matter closed for the present by the President
instructing me not to give my evidence or copies till this question was
decided.
Lieutenants-Commander) Preston arrived this P.M. with
dispatches from Rear-Admiral Porter off Wilmington. The expedition has proved a
failure. The powder-ship was a mere puff of smoke, doing no damage so far as is
known. In this I am not disappointed. The Navy silenced the batteries and did,
so far as I can learn, all that we had a right to expect. From
Lieutenants-Commander] Preston's oral account, as well as from the dispatches,
the troops appear to have behaved well. It was a mistake that General Butler, a
civilian without military knowledge or experience in matters of this kind,
should have been selected for this command. He is not an engineer, or an
artillerist. He did not land. General Weitzel is wholly under his influence,
and the two did nothing. Had the military been well commanded the results
would, in some respects, have been different, and, I think, a success. General
Butler has won laurels under the smoke and fire and fight of the Navy, — as at
Hatteras or at New Orleans, — and he flattered himself that he should in like
manner be favored at Wilmington.
General Grant ought never to have given him this command. It
is unfortunate that Butler is associated with Grant, for he has great mental
power which gives him undue ascendancy over his official superior. Certainly
General Grant must have known that Butler was not the proper officer for such
an expedition. Why did he give B. this command?
Fox says Grant occasionally gets drunk. I have never
mentioned the fact to any one, not even to my wife, who can be trusted with a
secret. There were such rumors of him when in the West.
Went with Fox to the President with Admiral Porter's
dispatches. He read them carefully through, and after a very brief conversation
I asked what was now to be done. The President said he must refer me to General
Grant so far as the military part was concerned. He did not know that we wanted
any advice on naval matters.
I said we had a large squadron there which we could not
retain on that station unless something was to be effected, for it was wasting
our naval strength. He said he hoped we had at this time enough vessels to
close the ports to blockade-runners, and again said, “I must refer you to
General Grant."
We left the President about 3.30 P.M. I had then much of my
mail to get off. Did not leave the Department until ten. After dinner, took my
usual walk. Fox called at my house, and a dispatch was framed to Grant as the
President had directed. I said to Fox that it ought to go through Stanton, or
that he should see it. When he was leaving and after he had got the door open,
Fox said Stanton might not be at the Department, and would be likely to oppose
if he was, and he doubted if it was best to say anything to him.
Inconsiderately I assented, or rather did not dissent.
SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles,
Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 2: April 1, 1864 —
December 31, 1866, p. 212-4