o　Grande　frontier。　　On　Sunday；　December　9th；　we　were　all　at　Matamoras；　Mexico；　where　we　met　General　Escobedo；　one　of　Juarez's　trusty　lieutenants；　who　developed　to　us　the　general　plan　agreed　on　for　the　overthrow　of　the　empire；　and　the　reestablishment　of　the　republican　government　of　Mexico。　　He　asked　of　us　no　assistance；　except　the　loan　of　some　arms；　ammunition；　clothing；　and　camp…equipage。　　It　was　agreed　that　Mr。　Campbell　should；　as　soon　as　he　could　get　his　baggage　off　the　Susquehanna；　return　to　Matamoras；　and　thence　proceed　to　Monterey；　to　be　received　by　Juarez　in　person　as；　the　accredited　Minister　of　the　United　States　to　the　Republic　of　Mexico。　　Meantime　the　weather　off　the　coast　was　stormy；　and　the　Susquehanna　parted　a　cable；　so　that　we　were　delayed　some　days　at　Brazos；　but　in　due　time　Mr。　Campbell　got　his　baggage；　and　we　regained　the　deck　of　the　Susquehanna；　which　got　up　steam　and　started　for　New　Orleans。　　We　reached　New　Orleans　December　20th；　whence　I　reported　fully　everything　to　General　Grant；　and　on　the　21st　received　the　following　dispatch：
  WASHINGTON；　December　21；1866。　Lieutenant…General　SHERMAN；　New　Orleans。
  Your　telegram　of　yesterday　has　been　submitted　to　the　President。　You　are　authorized　to　proceed　to　St。　Louis　at　your　convenience。　Your　proceedings　in　the　special　and　delicate　duties　assigned　you　are　cordially　approved　by　the　President　and　Cabinet　and　this　department。　EDWIN　M。　STANTON。
  And　on　the　same　day　I　received　this　dispatch
  GALVESTON；　December　21；　1866。　To　General　SHERMAN；　or　General　SHERIDAN。
  Will　be　in　New　Orleans　to…morrow。　　Wish　to　see　you　both　on　arrival；　on　matters　of　importance。　LEWIS　D。　CAMPBELL；　Minister　to　Mexico。
  Mr。　Campbell　aarived　on　the　22d；　but　had　nothing　to　tell　of　the　least　importance；　save　that　he　was　generally　disgusted　with　the　whole　thing；　and　had　not　found　Juarez　at　all。　　I　am　sure　this　whole　movement　was　got　up　for　the　purpose　of　getting　General　Grant　away　from　Washington；　on　the　pretext　of　his　known　antagonism　to　the　French　occupation　of　Mexico；　because　he　was　looming　up　as　a　candidate　for　President；　and　nobody　understood　the　animus　and　purpose　better　than　did　Mr。　Stanton。　　He　himself　was　not　then　on　good　terms　with　President　Johnson；　and　with　several　of　his　associates　in　the　Cabinet。　　By　Christmas　I　was　back　in　St。　Louis。
  By　this　time　the　conflict　between　President　Johnson　and　Congress　had　become　open　and　unconcealed。　　Congress　passed　the　bill　known　as　the　〃Tenure　of　Civil　Office〃　on　the　2d　of　March；　1867　（over　the　President's　veto）；　the　first　clause　of　which；　now　section　1767　of　the　Revised　Statutes；　reads　thus：　〃Every　person　who　holds　any　civil　office　to　which　he　has　been　or　hereafter　may　be　appointed；　by　and　with　the　advice　and　consent　of　the　Senate；　and　who　shall　have　become　duly　qualified　to　act　therein；　shall　be　entitled　to　hold　such　office　during　the　term　for　which　he　was　appointed；　unless　sooner　removed　by　and　with　the　advice　and　consent　of　the　Senate；　or　by　the　appointment　with　the　like　advice　and　consent　of　a　successor　in　his　place；　except　as　herein　otherwise　provided。〃
  General　E。　D。　Townsend；　in　his　〃Anecdotes　of　the　Civil　War；〃　states　tersely　and　correctly　the　preliminary　circumstances　of　which　I　must　treat。　　He　says：　〃On　Monday　morning；　August　5；　1867；　President　Johnson　invited　Mr。　Stanton　to　resign　as　Secretary　of　War。　　Under　the　tenure…ofcivil…office　law；　Mr。　Stanton　declined。　　The　President　a　week　after　suspended　him；　and　appointed　General　Grant；　General…　in…Chief　of　the　Army；　to　exercise　the　functions。　　This　continued　until　January　13；　1868；　when　according　to　the　law　the　Senate　passed　a　resolution　not　sustaining　the　President's　action。　　The　next　morning　General　Grant　came　to　my　office　and　handed　me　the　key　of　the　Secretary's　room；　saying：　‘I　am　to　be　found　over　at　my　office　at　army　headquarters。　　I　was　served　with　a　copy　of　the　Senate　resolution　last　evening。　　I　then　went　up…stairs　and　delivered　the　key　of　his　room　to　Mr。　Stanton。〃
  The　mode　and　manner　of　Mr。　Stanton's　regaing　his　office；　and　of　General　Grant's　surrendering　it；　were　at　the　time　subjects　of　bitter　controversy。　　Unhappily　I　was　involved；　and　must　bear　testimony。　　In　all　January；　1868；　I　was　a　member　of　a　board　ordered　to　compile　a　code　of　articles　of　war　and　army　regulations；　of　which　Major…General　Sheridan　and　Brigadier…General　C。　C。　Augur　were　associate　members。　　Our　place　of　meeting　was　in　the　room　of　the　old　War　Department；　second　floor；　next　to　the　corner　room　occupied　by　the　Secretary　of　War；　with　a　door　of　communication。　　While　we　were　at　work　it　was　common　for　General　Grant　and；　afterward；　for　Mr。　Stanton　to　drop　in　and　chat　with　us　on　the　social　gossip　of　the　time。
  On　Saturday；　January　11th；　General　Grant　said　that　he　had　more　carefully　read　the　law　（tenure　of　civil　office）；　and　it　was　different　from　what　he　had　supposed；　that　in　case　the　Senate　did　not　consent　to　the　removal　of　Secretary　of　War　Stanton；　and　he　（Grant）　should　hold　on；　he　should　incur　a　liability　of　ten　thousand　dollars　and　five　years'　imprisonment。　　We　all　expected　the　resolution　of　Senator　Howard；　of　Michigan；　virtually　restoring　Mr。　Stanton　to　his　office；　would　pass　the　Senate；　and　knowing　that　the　President　expected　General　Grant　to　hold　on；　I　inquired　if　he　had　given　notice　of　his　change　of　purpose；　he　answered　that　there　was　no　hurry；　because　he　supposed　Mr。　Stanton　would　pursue　toward　him　（Grant）　the　same　course　which　he　（Stanton）　had　required　of　him　the　preceding　August；　viz。；　would　address　him　a　letter　claiming　the　office；　and　allow　him　a　couple　of　days　for　the　change。　　Still；　he　said　he　would　go　to　the　White　House　the　same　day　and　notify　the　President　of　his　intended　action。
  That　afternoon　I　went　over　to　the　White　House　to　present　General　Pope；　who　was　on　a；　visit　to　Washington；　and　we　found　the　President　and　General　Grant　together。　　We　made　our　visit　and　withdrew；　leaving　them　still　together；　and　I　always　supposed　the　subject　of　this　conference　was　the　expected　decision　of　the　Senate；　which　would　in　effect　restore　Mr。　Stanton　to　his　civil　office　of　Secretary　of　War。　　That　evening　I　dined　with　the　Hon。　Reverdy　Johnson；　Senator　from　Maryland；　and　suggested　to　him　that　the　best　way　to　escape　a　conflict　was　for　the　President　to　nominate　some　good　man　as　Secretary　of　War　whose　confirmation　by　the　Senate　would　fall　within　the　provisions　of　the　law；　and　named　General　J。　D。　Cox；　then　Governor　of　Ohio；　whose　term　of　office　was　drawing　to　a　close；　who　would；　I　knew；　be　acceptable　to　General　Grant　and　the　army　generally。　　Mr。　Johnson　was　most　favorably　impressed　with　this　suggestion；　and　promised　to　call　on　the　President　the　next　day　（Sunday）；　which　he　did；　but　President　Johnson　had　made　up　his　mind　to　meet　the　conflict　boldly。　　I　saw　General　Grant　that　afternoon　at　his　house　on　I　Street；　and　told　him　what　I　had　done；　and　so　anxious　was　he　about　it　that　he　came　to　our　room　at　the　War　Department　the　next　morning　（Monday）；　the　13th；　and　asked　me　to　go　in　person　to　the　White　House　to　urge　the　President　to　send　in　the　name　of　General　Cox。　　I　did　so；　saw　the　President；　and　inquired　if　he　had　seen　Mr。　Reverdy　Johnson　the　day　before　about　General　Cox。　　He　answered　that　he　had；　and　thought　well　of　General　Cox；　but　would　say　no　further。
  Tuesday；　January　14；　1868；　came；　and　with　it　Mr。　Stanton。　　He　resumed　possession　of　his　former　office；　came　into　that　where　General　Sheridan；　General　Augur；　and　I　were　at　work；　and　greeted　us　very　cordially。　　He　said　he　wanted　to　see　me　when　at　leisure；　and　at　half…past　10　A。M。　　I　went　into　his　office　and　found　him　and　General　Grant　together。　　Supposing　they　had　some　special　matters　of　business；　I　withdrew；　with　the　remark　that　I　was　close　at　hand；　and　could　come　in　at　any　moment。　　In　the　afternoon　I　went　again　into　Mr。　Stanton's　office；　and　we　had　a　long　and　most　friendly　conversation；　but　not　one　word　was　spoken　about　the　〃tenure…of…office〃　matter。　　I　then　crossed　over　Seventeenth　Street　to　the　headquarters　of　the　army；　where　I　found　General　Grant；　who　expressed　himself　as　by　no　means　pleased　with　the　manner　in　which　Mr。　Stanton　had　regained　his　office；　saying　that　he　had　sent　a　messenger　for　him　that　morning　as　of　old；　with　word　that　〃he　wanted　to　see　him。〃　　We　then　arranged　to　meet　at　his　office　the　next　morning　at　halfpast　nine；　and　go　together　to　see　the　President。
  That　morning　the　National　Intelligencer　published　an　article　accusing　General　Grant　of　acting　in　bad　faith　to　the　President；　and　of　having　prevaricated　in　making　his　personal　explanation　to　the　Cabinet；　so　that　General　Grant　at　first　felt　unwilling　to　go；　but　we　went。　　The　President　received　us　promptly　and　kindly。　　Being　seated；　General　Grant　said；　〃Mr。　President；　whoever　gave　the　facts　for　the　article　of　the　Intelligencer　of　this　morning　has　made　some　serious　mistakes。〃　　The　President：　〃General　Grant；　let　me　interrupt　you　just　there。　　I　have　not　seen　the　Intelligencer　of　this　morning；　and　have　no　knowledge　of　the　contents　of　any　article　therein〃　General　Grant　then　went　on：　〃Well；　the　idea　is　given　there　that　I　have　not　kept　faith　with　you。　　Now；　Mr。　President；　I　remember；　when　you　spoke　to　me　on　this　subject　last　summer；　I　did　say　that；　like　the　case　of　the　Baltimore　police　commissioners；　I　did　suppose　Mr。　Sta