John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

Early in December Dana went to Washington on business, but before going wrote to me that the volunteers having all been discharged, the regular army would be increased to perhaps fifty thousand men, to be made up by retaining a sufficient number of the colored troops, and that the feeling was at that time against Washburne's bill to revive the grade of general, mainly because it was supposed that men who did not know General Grant as we did would think that the general himself was at the bottom of it. In the same letter he expressed his hearty approval of retaining such officers as Sickles, Robinson, T. W. Sherman, and McIntosh in the service till some other provision could be made for them, because each had lost a leg in battle.

Shortly after his return to Chicago, he acknowledged the receipt of a letter from me written at Richmond, intimating that while in Washington a few days before I had discovered signs of a change of feeling towards him at General Grant's headquarters. This appeared to give him great concern, as it made him think there might be much less sense there than he would like to believe. He added:

... As for my being unfriendly to the general, that is too absurd to be thought by any but a fool. About Lee's surrender I had my own judgment, and when it was necessary for me I expressed it. So of the bill to make Grant a general. That bill is a dreadful mistake. It exhibits a desire for rank and money that detracts from the general's greatness in a fatal way. I have never been more afflicted by any public measure than by that bill. But I refrained from saying anything against it until I was compelled to. And I tell you that it would be much better for the general's future that it should not pass. I dare say it may be got partly through Congress, owing to the cowardice and weakness of the members; possibly it may be got quite through; but there are few sensible men who approve it in their hearts.