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done, will with intense satisfaction leave to the civil authorities the execution of the task of which they seem so jealous.
But, as an honest man and a soldier, I invite them to go back to
Nashville, for they will see some things and hear some things that may disturb their philosophy.
With sincere respect,
P. S. As
Mr. Stanton's most singular paper has been published, I demand that this also be made public, though I am in no manner responsible to the press, but to the law and my proper superiors.
W. T. S., Major-General.
The letters of
General Sherman of May 10 and 28, 1865, given below, were opened by me in my capacity of
Military Secretary, and after
General Grant had read them, he directed me to seal them up, and allow them to be seen by no human being without his orders.
They remained sealed until 1877, when, with
General Grant's sanction, I applied to
General Sherman for permission to use them in this work, and received the following reply:
dear
Badeau: Yours of February 28th is received; but I think you intended to enclose a copy of a letter from me to
General Grant of May 10, 1864. . . . I kept no copy; indeed I wrote hundreds of letters familiarly and privately, just as I do this, without thinking of their ever turning up. The one of May 28, 1864, was official, and is copied in my letter-book.
Now I freely concede to you the right to use anything I ever wrote, private or public, to give the world a picture of the feelings, even passions, of the time.
I did contend then, it may be savagely and unwisely, that no man in authority could be justified in stamping the act of a general at the head of an army in the field in the manner that
Stanton did me. I give to
Stanton every possible credit for his patriotism, for his talents—yea, genius; but he sometimes forgot that other men had strong natures and feelings that could be wounded to
