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of the order of July 7, and directed that the Eighteenth Army Corps should remain under my command, and that another army corps, the Nineteenth, should be added to my department.
I heard nothing more of
Smith and thought nothing more about him or his purposes, and did not again see
General Grant on this subject.
Again
Smith, in his letter, says:--
On my return from a short leave of absence on the 19th of July, General Grant sent for me to report to him, and then told me that he “could not relieve General Butler,” and that as I had so severely criticised General Meade he had determined to relieve me from the command of the Eighteenth Corps and order me to New York City to await orders.
The next morning the General gave some other reason, such as an article in the Tribune reflecting on General Hancock, which I had nothing in the world to do with.
The
Tribune article stated that
Hancock did not come up until midnight after the negro troops had captured the works around
Petersburg, and that after his arrival he refused the use of his troops to co-operate with
Smith,--thus throwing the blame for not taking that city upon
Hancock.
Smith says that he knew nothing about the article in which
Hancock was slandered in the New York
Tribune, but he doesn't say that he told
Grant so, because he says that
General Grant assigned his connection with that letter as a reason for his removal.
And why?
Before the 2d of July a complaint was made by
General Hancock of this article, asking that the author, who was a reporter at the Headquarters of the Eighteenth Corps, might be dealt with.
On the 2d of July
Grant sent me the following order:--
A correspondent,
Mr.----, understood to be with your command, has published in the N. Y.
Tribune of 27th an article false and slanderous upon a portion of the army now in the field.
You will please direct his arrest and have him sent here.
General Grant obtained an interview with
Mr.----, and upon an examination sent him from the army, being satisfied that he wrote the article with the knowledge of
Smith, and knowing that when
Hancock came up he made the generous offer to surrender his command
