Lieutenant-General William T. Sherman to Senator John Sherman, August 3, 1867

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI,        

MADISON, WIS., Aug. 3, 1867.

Dear Brother:

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

As I expected, I am on the detail,¹ and have official notice that I shall be required in St. Louis, Tuesday, August 6th.

I got your message from Napoleon. He sent me a similar message by Schofield, but I would hardly venture to France as the representative of our military system, as it would subject me to heavy expense and much trouble.

Grant told me he would not accept a nomination for President, and if he departs from this, his natural conclusion, it will be by side influence, and because no good candidate has thus far been brought forward by the ruling party. I don't think he has clearly defined political opinions, but would let Congress and the departments work out the problem of the future, which is probably better than to form a theory and force matters to conform to it.

Yours affectionately,

W. T. SHERMAN.

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¹ The Indian Commission.

SOURCE: Rachel Sherman Thorndike, Editor, The Sherman Letters: Correspondence Between General and Senator Sherman from 1837 to 1891, p. 292