Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

Grant never forgave Halleck for his treatment of him to the day of his death. By reading Halleck's fawning despatches to Grant during the campaigns of 1864 another illustration of his character will be observed.

Let us see how he treated General Sherman, with whom he had been apparently on kindly relations. When at Raleigh, North Carolina, in April, 1865, Sherman entered into a negotiation with Johnston for the surrender of his army, and according to military usage he agreed with Johnston on a truce and the cessation of all hostilities between the United States forces and Johnston's army until the negotiation should be finished. The two generals met and entered into a convention under which Johnston should surrender his army. It was agreed to by Johnston and signed provisionally by Sherman and forwarded to Washington for acceptance.

The wisdom of that convention is a matter not here and now to be discussed; but President Johnson strongly objected to it and it was returned to Sherman through General Grant with instructions that Johnston should be held to surrender on the same terms as Lee had done, which he afterwards did.

Before Grant went down to Raleigh with those instructions, he had ordered Meade to march the armies of the Potomac and James to Burksville, a convenient point from which those armies could move on Johnston and join Sherman in case the negotiations failed.

Meanwhile Halleck had got himself appointed to the command of the armies of the Potomac and James, apparently without Grant's knowledge. He immediately went into Virginia, and ordered Meade's armies to move on Johnston, notwithstanding the existence of the truce. Sherman was exceedingly indignant, as he well might have been, and reported to Grant that he would, with his army, maintain the truce he had agreed to at all hazards of loss of life, and that while he would obey his orders and the orders of the President, he would not obey any order from Halleck. Grant advised Sherman to withdraw his report and amend it. Sherman said he would not amend it, but would let the record stand as it was written. Thereupon Halleck, being in Virginia, issued an order to Sherman's troops not to obey him, and published the order. Afterwards finding that Johnston's army had been surrendered, and being about to march his troops into Virginia, Halleck invited Sherman to Richmond to become his guest. Sherman declined, writing back that he had seen his order and was going to