The President
submitted two long telegrams, one from himself to General Sheridan inquiring as
to the difficulties at New Orleans and Sheridan's reply, which was no answer.
Seward and Stanbery
had much to say. The latter was very earnest to have the President send
immediately to Sheridan, telling him the police must be dismissed. There was,
he said, great excitement in the country and the President must at once
respond.
I inquired to what
he was to respond. On Friday he had directed Sheridan to keep the peace and
pursue his investigations. Since that inquiries had been made which had
procured a feeble and confused response, concluding with a request or
suggestion that the Governor of the State and the Mayor of New Orleans be
displaced. Sheridan might be told that the President had no authority to
displace these officers; but I expressed a hope that he would not at this
distance undertake to give detailed instructions to his generals or agents.
I asked who General
Baird was that he should be charged with this responsibility, and how it came
about that such a man as was now described happened to be at such a place at
this juncture. As for Sheridan, I considered him an honest, bold, impulsive
officer, without much knowledge of civil government or administrative ability,
who obeyed orders, but I apprehended him badly prompted after his first
telegram, and regretted that we had not men of different calibre there at this
time.
Seward said my
estimate of Sheridan he thought correct. As for Baird, he knew nothing of him.
The President expressed dissatisfaction with what he heard of Baird. Stanton
kept silent.
Stanbery was
persistent that the President should instruct Sheridan in regard to the police
of the city.
Stanton said
application had been made to him for bunting for the building at Philadelphia
where the convention was to meet, but he had none for them, and said, with a
sneer, he would turn them over to the Navy. I told him that my bunting had
always been promptly shown and it would be well were he now to let us have a
sight of his.
Stanton, who has
skulked, was taken aback, colored, and remarked he had no bunting for them.
"Oh," said I, "show your flag."
"You mean the
convention," said he. "I am against it." "I am sorry to
hear, but glad to know, your opinion," said I.
"Yes, I am
opposed to the convention," he continued. "I didn't know it. You did
not answer the inquiry like the rest of us."
"No," said
he; "I did not choose to have Doolittle or any other little fellow draw an
answer from me."
The conversation
amused the others, as it did me. Seward looked troubled. Whether he knew
Stanton's position, I am in doubt. It is, I am satisfied, very recent that he
has concluded to avow himself, although I have never doubted that he was as
much opposed as any Radical to the Union movement. I think he would rather have
the Government overthrown than that the real Unionists should come in power. He
seems to have personal apprehensions.
I called on the
President this evening to advise caution in his communications with New
Orleans. Expressed my regret that he had not better officers for the business
required at this time in that quarter. He concurred with me and said Baird, so
far as he could learn, had caused the trouble or might have prevented it.
"Who,"
inquired I, "placed Baird there? Was it not part of the Radical
scheme to bring this difficulty upon us? It certainly is unfortunate that we
have these men there." He said he believed Baird was attached to the
Freedmen's Bureau. I said this might have been ordered otherwise and should
have been; that the Administration could not get along intelligently and well
without faithful and reliable agents. I inquired if he noticed the remarks of
Stanton to-day respecting the convention, "though probably you knew his
opinions previously." The President said he had not known them before,
that it was the first intimation he had received, and he noticed the remark.
"This is wrong," said I; "we cannot get along in this way."
"No," replied he, "it will be pretty difficult."
SOURCE: Gideon
Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and
Johnson, Vol. 2: April 1, 1864 — December 31, 1866, pp. 572-4
No comments:
Post a Comment