History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, by the House of Representatives, and his trial by the Senate for high crimes and misdemeanors in office, 1868Ross, Edmund G. (Edmund Gibson)
History
History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, by the House of Representatives, and his trial by the Senate for high crimes and misdemeanors in office, 1868
Ross, Edmund G. (Edmund Gibson)
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875 -- Impeachment
The Ninth Article of the Impeachment was based upon alleged military
changes in the City of Washington whereby the number of troops on duty
there was rumored to have been largely increased, with a view to their
use in the controversy between the President and Congress, and more
especially for the expulsion of Mr. Stanton from the War Office in case
of his resistance to the order of the President for his retirement. The
wildest rumors of that character prevailed--that Mr. Johnson proposed
to throw off all disguise and assume direct military control and the
establishment of practically a military dictatorship. Congress had some
months previously enacted that all military orders from the President
should be issued through the General of the Army--the Congress thereby
assuming to practically abrogate a constitutional function of the Chief
Executive.
There was considerable confidence among the supporters of the
impeachment that they would be able to prove these allegations by
General Emory, then in local command of the troops and Department
of Washington. General Emory was called by the prosecution, and the
following was his testimony.
Examined by Mr. Butler:
Question: Will you have the kindness to state, as nearly as you can what
took place then? (Referring to an interview with the President at the
Executive Mansion.)
Answer: I will try and state the substance of it, but the words I can
not undertake to state exactly. The President asked me if I recollected
a conversation he had had with me when I first took command of the
department. I told him that I recollected the facts of the conversation
distinctly. He then asked me what changes had been made. I told him no
material changes, but such as had been made I could state at once. I
went on to state that in the fall six companies of the 29th infantry
had been brought to this City to winter; but as an offset to that, four
companies of the 12th infantry had been detached to South Carolina on
the request of the Commander of that District; that two companies of
artillery had been detached by my predecessor, one of them for the
purpose of siding in putting down the Fenian difficulties, had been
returned to the command, that although the number of companies head been
increased, the numerical strength of the command was very much the same,
growing out of an order reducing the artillery and infantry companies
from the maximum of the war establishment to the minimum of the peace
establishment. The President said: "I do not refer to those changes." I
replied that if he would state what changes he referred to, or who made
the report of the changes, perhaps I could be more, explicit. He said,
"I refer to recent changes within a day or two," or something to that
effect. I told him I thought I could assure him that no changes had been
made; that under a recent order issued for the government of the armies
of the United States, founded upon a law of Congress, all orders had to
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