I find myself unable
to get Stanton and McCulloch to the sticking-point on the subject of opening
our ports to coast trade. This and Reconstruction were the last subjects before
President Lincoln at the Cabinet-meeting on the day before his death.
The course and
position were discussed to-day in Cabinet with some earnestness. Speed came
strongly charged, and had little doubt that Sherman was designing to put
himself at the head of the army. Thought he had been seduced by Breckinridge,
and was flattering himself that he would be able to control and direct public
affairs. Governor Dennison, while censuring Sherman, would not condemn him
unheard; he may have some reasons that we know not of, may have been short of
ammunition or supplies.
I suggested that it
might be vanity, eccentricity, an error of judgment, the man may have thought
himself to be what he is not, – that I had no fears of his misleading the army
or seducing them to promote any personal schemes of ambition, if he had such.
Every regiment, and probably every company, in that army had intelligent men,
fit to be legislators; they were of us and a part of us, would no more tolerate
usurpation on the part of Sherman than we would.
“Suppose,” said
Speed, "he should arrest Grant when Grant arrived at Raleigh,” etc., etc.
Men will have strange phantoms. I was surprised at Speed, but he has,
evidently, conversed on this subject before with some one or more, who has
similar opinions. This apprehension which I have sometimes heard intimated has
never made a serious impression on me, for I have confidence in our people, and
so I have in Sherman, who believed himself to be carrying out the wishes of Mr.
Lincoln and the policy of the Administration. It is the result of the
conference at City Point, and intended to be in furtherance of the proclamation
of Weitzel, the revocation of which he has not seen.
In reflecting on
this subject, I think we have permitted ourselves amid great excitement and
stirring events to be hurried into unjust and ungenerous suspicions by the
erroneous statements of the Secretary of War. Speed adopts and echoes the
jealousies and wild vagaries of Stanton, who seems to have a mortal fear of the
generals and the armies, although courting and flattering them. He went to
Savannah to pay court to Sherman when that officer was the favored general and
supposed to have eclipsed Grant, but, the latter having gained the ascendant by
the fall of Richmond and the capture of Lee, Stanton would now reinstate
himself with Grant by prostrating Sherman.
Had conversation
with President Johnson in regard to a proclamation that we would no longer
forbear proceeding against those who might be taken plundering our commerce as
pirates. He concurred with me most fully, after discussing the question, and
desired me to bring him the form of proclamation or have it prepared for the
next Cabinet day. As the subject of preparing these papers belonged properly to
the State Department, I felt it would be improper to slight Mr. Hunter, who is
Acting Secretary. I therefore called upon him, and fortunately met Senator
Sumner, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, who entered heartily
into the measure and said he had some days since alluded to it as a step that
should be taken.
When brought before
the Cabinet, Stanton objected to it because the declaration had been made April
19, 1861, and though we had forborne for four years, no new enunciation should
be made, but every man we now had or whom we should hereafter capture, should
be hung. Speed took much the same ground, though more narrow and technical.
President Johnson was very explicit in expressing his opinions, but as the
subject was new and there were these differences of opinion it was postponed
for consideration.
