hofield；　Secretary　of　War；　General　H。　W。　Slocum；　and　nearly　every　general　officer　of　note　was　present　except　General　Sheridan；　who　at　the　moment　was　fighting　the　Cheyennes　in　Southern　Kansas　and　the　Indian　country。
  At　that　time　we　discussed　the　army　changes　which　would　necessarily　occur　in　the　following　March；　and　it　was　generally　understood　that　I　was　to　succeed　General　Grant　as　general…in…chief；　but　as　to　my　successor；　Meade；　Thomas；　and　Sheridan　were　candidates。　　And　here　I　will　remark　that　General　Grant；　afterward　famous　as　the　〃silent　man；〃　used　to　be　very　gossipy；　and　no　one　was　ever　more　fond　than　he　of　telling　anecdotes　of　our　West　Point　and　early　army　life。　　At　the　Chicago　reunion　he　told　me　that　I　would　have　to　come　to　Washington；　that　he　wanted　me　to　effect　a　change　as　to　the　general　staff；　which　he　had　long　contemplated；　and　which　was　outlined　in　his　letter　to　Mr。　Stanton　of　January　29；1866；　given　hereafter；　which　had　been　repeatedly　published；　and　was　well　known　to　the　military　world；　that　on　being　inaugurated　President　on　the　4th　of　March　he　would　retain　General　Schofield　as　his　Secretary　of　War　until　the　change　had　become　habitual；　that　the　modern　custom　of　the　Secretary　of　War　giving　military　orders　to　the　adjutant…general　and　other　staff　officers　was　positively　wrong　and　should　be　stopped。　Speaking　of　General　Grant's　personal　characteristics　at　that　period　of　his　life；　I　recall　a　conversation　in　his　carriage；　when；　riding　down　Pennsylvania　Avenue；　he；　inquired　of　me　in　a　humorous　way；　〃Sherman；　what　special　hobby　do　you　intend　to　adopt？〃　　I　inquired　what　he　meant；　and　he　explained　that　all　men　had　their　special　weakness　or　vanity；　and　that　it　was　wiser　to　choose　one's　own　than　to　leave　the　newspapers　to　affix　one　less　acceptable；　and　that　for　his　part　he　had　chosen　the〃horse；〃　so　that　when　anyoue　tried　to　pump　him　he　would　turn　the　conversation　to　his　〃horse。〃　　I　answered　that　I　would　stick　to　the　〃theatre　and　balls；〃　for　I　was　always　fond　of　seeing　young　people　happy；　and　did　actually　acquire　a　reputation　for　〃dancing；〃　though　I　had　not　attempted　the　waltz；　or　anything　more　than　the　ordinary　cotillon；　since　the　war。
  On　the　24th　of　February；　1869；　I　was　summoned　to　Washington；　arriving　on　the　26th；　taking　along　my　aides；　Lieutenant…Colonels　Dayton　and　Audenried。
  On　the　4th　of　March　General　Grant　was　duly　inaugurated　President　of　the　United　States；　and　I　was　nominated　and　confirmed　as　General　of　the　Army。
  Major…General　P。　H。　Sheridan　was　at　the　name　time　nominated　and　confirmed　as　lieutenant…general；　with　orders　to　command　the　Military　Division　of　the　Missouri；　which　he　did；　moving　the　headquarters　from　St。　Louis　to　Chicago；　and　General　Meade　was　assigned　to　command　the　Military　Division　of　the　Atlantic；　with　headquarters　at　Philadelphia。
  At　that　moment　General　Meade　was　in　Atlanta；　Georgia；　commanding　the　Third　Military　District　under　the　〃Reconstruction　Act；〃　and　General　Thomas；　whose　post　was　in　Nashville；　was　in　Washington　on　a　court　of　inquiry　investigating　certain　allegations　against　General　A。　B。　Dyer；　Chief　of　Ordnance。　　He　occupied　the　room　of　the　second　floor　in　the　building　on　the　corner　of　H　and　Fifteenth　Streets；　since　become　Wormley's　Hotel。　　I　at　the　time　was　staying　with　my　brother；　Senator　Sherman；　at　his　residence；　1321　K　Street；　and　it　was　my　habit　each　morning　to　stop　at　Thomas's　room　on　my　way　to　the　office　in　the　War　Department　to　tell　him　the　military　news；　and　to　talk　over　matters　of　common　interest。　　We　had　been　intimately　associated　as　〃man　and　boy〃　for　thirty…odd　years；　and　I　profess　to　have　had　better　opportunities　to　know　him　than　any　man　then　living。　His　fame　as　the　〃Rock　of　Chickamauga〃　was　perfect；　and　by　the　world　at　large　he　was　considered　an　the　embodiment　of　strength；　calmness；　and　imperturbability。　　Yet　of　all　my　acquaintances　Thomas　worried　and　fretted　over　what　he　construed　neglects　or　acts　of　favoritism　more　than　any　other。
  At　that　time　he　was　much　worried　by　what　he　supposed　was　injustice　in　the　promotion　of　General　Sheridan；　and　still　more　that　General　Meade　should　have　an　Eastern　station；　which　compelled　him　to　remain　at　Nashville　or　go　to　the　Pacific。　　General　Thomas　claimed　that　all　his　life　he　had　been　stationed　in　the　South　or　remote　West；　and　had　not　had　a　fair　share　of　Eastern　posts；　whereas　that　General　Meade　had　always　been　there。　　I　tried　to　get　him　to　go　with　me　to　see　President　Grant　and　talk　the　matter　over　frankly；　but　he　would　not；　and　I　had　to　act　as　a　friendly　mediator。　　General　Grant　assured　me　at　the　time　that　he　not　only　admired　and　respected　General　Thomas；　but　actually　loved　him　as　a　man；　and　he　authorized　me　in　making　up　commands　for　the　general　officers　to　do　anything　and　everything　to　favor　him；　only　he　could　not　recede　from　his　former　action　in　respect　to　Generals　Sheridan　and　Meade。
  Prior　to　General　Grant's　inauguration　the　army　register　showed　as　major…generals　Halleck；　Meade；　Sheridan；　Thomas；　and　Hancock。　Therefore；　the　promotion　of　General　Sheridan　to　be　lieutenant…　general　did　not　〃overslaugh〃　Thomas；　but　it　did　Meade　and　Halleck。　The　latter　did　not　expect　promotion；　General　Meade　did；　but　was　partially；　not　wholly；　reconciled　by　being　stationed　at　Philadelphia；　the　home　of　his　family；　and　President　Grant　assured　me　that　he　knew　of　his　own　knowledge　that　General　Sheridan　had　been　nominated　major…general　before　General　Meade；　but　had　waived　dates　out　of　respect　for　his　age　and　longer　service；　and　that　he　had　nominated　him　as　lieutenant…general　by　reason　of　his　special　fitness　to　command　the　Military　Division　of　the　Missouri；　embracing　all　the　wild　Indians；　at　that　very　moment　in　a　state　of　hostility。　I　gave　General　Thomas　the　choice　of　every　other　command　in　the　army；　and　of　his　own　choice　he　went　to　San　Francisco；　California；　where　he　died；　March　28；　1870。　　The　truth　is；　Congress　should　have　provided　by　law　for　three　lieutenant…generals　for　these　three　pre…eminent　soldiers；　and　should　have　dated　their　commissions　with　〃Gettysburg；〃　〃Winchester；〃　and　〃Nashville。〃　　It　would　have　been　a　graceful　act；　and　might　have　prolonged　the　lives　of　two　most　popular　officers；　who　died　soon　after；　feeling　that　they　had　experienced　ingratitude　and　neglect。
  Soon　after　General　Grant's　inauguration　as　President；　and；　as　I　supposed；　in　fulfilment　of　his　plan　divulged　in　Chicago　the　previous　December；　were　made　the　following：
  HEADQUARTERS　OF　THE　ARMY；　WASHINGTON；　March　8；　1869。
  General　Orders　No。　11：
  The　following　orders　of　the　President　of　the　United　States　are　published　for　the　information　and　government　of　all　concerned
  WAR　DEPARTMENT；　WASHINGTON　CITY；　March　5；　1869。
  By　direction　of　the　President；　General　William　T。　Sherman　will　assume　command　of　the　Army　of　the　United　States。
  The　chiefs　of　staff　corps；　departments；　and　bureaus　will　report　to　and　act　under　the　immediate　orders　of　the　general　commanding　the　army。
  Any　official　business　which　by　law　or　regulation　requires　the　action　of　the　President　or　Secretary　of　War　will　be　submitted　by　the　General　of　the　Army　to　the　Secretary　of　War；　and　in　general　all　orders　from　the　President　or　Secretary　of　War　to　any　portion　of　the　army；　line　or　staff；　will　be　transmitted　through　the　General　of　the　Army。
  J。　M。　SCHOFIELD；　Secretary　of　War。
  By　command　of　the　General　of　the　Army。
  E。　　D。　　TOWNSEND；　Assistant　Adjutant…General。
  On　the　same　day　I　issued　my　General　Orders　No。　12；　assuming　command　and　naming　all　the　heads　of　staff　departments　and　bureaus　as　members　of　my　staff；　adding　to　my　then　three　aides；　Colonels　McCoy；　Dayton；　and　Audenried；　the　names　of　Colonels　Comstock；　Horace　Porter；　and　Dent；　agreeing　with　President　Grant　that　the　two　latter　could　remain　with　him　till　I　should　need　their　personal　services　or　ask　their　resignations。
  I　was　soon　made　aware　that　the　heads　of　several　of　the　staff　corps　were　restive　under　this　new　order　of　things；　for　by　long　usage　they　had　grown　to　believe　themselves　not　officers　of　the　army　in　a　technical　sense；　but　a　part　of　the　War　Department；　the　civil　branch　of　the　Government　which　connects　the　army　with　the　President　and　Congress。
  In　a　short　time　General　John　A。　Rawlins；　General　Grant's　former　chief　of　staff；　was　nominated　and　confirmed　as　Secretary　of　War；　and　soon　appeared　this　order：
  HEADQUARTERS　OF　THE　ARMY；
  ADJUTANT…GENERAL'S　OFFICE；　WASHINGTON；　March　27；　1869。
  General　Orders　No。　　28：
  The　following　orders　received　for　the　War　Department　are　published　for　the　government　of　all　concerned：
  WAR　DEPARTMENT；
  WASHINGTON　CITY；　March　26；　1869。
  By　direction　of　the　President；　the　order　of　the　Secretary　of　War；　dated　War　Department；　March　5；　1869；　and　published　in　General　Orders　No。　11；　headquarters　of　the　army；　Adjutant…General's　Office；　dated　March　8；　1869；　except　so　much　as　directs　General　W。　T。　Sherman　to　assume　command　of　the　Army　of　the　United　States；　is　hereby　rescinded。
  All　official　business　which　by　law　or　regulations　requires　the　action　of　the　President　or　Secretary　of　War　will　be　submitted　by　the　chiefs　of　staff　corps；　departments；　and　bureaus　to　the　Secretary　of　War。
  All　orders　and　instructions　relating　to　military　operations　issued　by　the　President　or　Secretary　of　War　will　be　issued　through　the　Ge