Governor Rutherford B. Hayes to Brevet Major General Benjamin W. Brice, December 20, 1869

COLUMBUS, December 20, 1869.

DEAR GENERAL:—A scoundrel in Wisconsin is trying to blackmail me. He claims that on the morning of Sheridan's victory of Winchester, October 19, 1864, his son deposited with me from eight hundred to one thousand dollars, money lately received for pay and veteran bounty. The boy was killed in the battle. It is all false, and I now desire to get the amounts paid to the boy between January 1, 1864, and October 19, 1864. I will pay any clerk you may set at the job of digging it up for his trouble and be greatly obliged for a statement or certificate that I can show if necessary. The boy's name was Nelson J. Leroy, private Company I, Twenty-third Regiment O. V. I.

Sincerely,

R. B. HAYES.

GENERAL B. W. BRICE,
        Washington, D. C.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 3, p. 78

Confirmations

WASHINGTON, April 10. – The Senate in Executive Session to-day confirmed the nomination of Col. G. M. Dodge of Iowa, Col. R. S. Canby of the 19th Infantry, and Paymaster Benjamin Brice to the Brigadier Generalship of Volunteers.

Bayard Taylor of New York, Secretary of Legation to St. Petersburgh.

Green Clay of Kentucky, Secretary of Legation at Turin.

John Mallen of Illinois, Register of the Land office at Vermillion, Dacotah territory.

William Burnett of Oregon, to be Marshal of that State.

William Gallop, Postmaster of Tiffin, O.

Lieuts. Prince and Haggerty, J. R. M. Matoney, C. Marie, O. P. Rogers, to be commanders in the Navy.

The Washington and Alexandria Railroad was sold to-day at Alexandria, and purchased by Alexander Hay of Philadelphia.  He is the owner and attorney for claims for more than $200,000.

– Published in the Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 12, 1862, p. 3