Part 30 (1/2)
In General Sherman's absence, General Alfred H. Terry was chosen to succeed me. He came to West Point, August 14, for the purpose of learning from me in person the truth as to the a.s.sertion made to him that the proposition to relieve me from duty at West Point was in accord with my own wishes. When informed, as he had suspected, that I could not possibly have expressed any such wish under the circ.u.mstances then existing, he positively refused, like the honorable man that he was, to be made a party to any such act of wrong. There was not the slightest foundation in fact for the a.s.sumption that my relief from command could be based upon my own request, and no such reason could have been given in an order relieving me. That a.s.sumption could have had no other apparent motive than to induce my warm friend General Terry to accept the appointment. As soon as he learned the truth from me, General Terry went to Was.h.i.+ngton and exposed the falsehood of which he and I together were the intended victims. This action of a true friend, and the correspondence which had pa.s.sed between General Sherman and me, sufficed to prevent the consummation of the wrong which had been contemplated.
After the presidential election was over, and partizan pa.s.sion had subsided, I made a formal application, November 12, 1880, to be relieved from duty at West Point on or before the first of May following, and to be permitted to await orders until an appropriate command became vacant. I repeatedly expressed my desire that none of my brother officers should be disturbed in their commands on my account, and that no new command should be created for me. I was entirely content to await the ordinary course of events, in view of pending legislation relative to retirements for age, and of retirements which might be made under the laws then existing.
My relief from West Point was effected earlier than General Sherman or I had antic.i.p.ated. Before the end of 1880 the following correspondence pa.s.sed between me and the general of the army:
”(Confidential.) ”Headquarters, Army of the United States, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., December 13, 1880.
”General J. M. Schofield, West Point, New York.
”Dear General: General Drum has just shown me the memorandum for orders. The President has worked out this scheme himself, without asking my help, and I am glad of it, for I would not like to burden my conscience with such a bungle.
”He creates a new department out of Louisiana, Arkansas, and the Indian Territory, to be commanded by the senior officer present... .
”You are to command the Department of Texas and this new department, called a division, of what name I don't know.
”Howard is to replace you at West Point. I suppose the order will issue at once.
”Yours truly, ”W. T. Sherman.”
”West Point, N. Y., December 14, 1880.
”General Sherman, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C.
”My dear General: I have received your confidential letter of yesterday, informing me of the bungling scheme which has been worked out without your help. I presume it would be fruitless to attempt any opposition to the species of mania which manifests itself in such action. It may be best to let it run its course during the short time which must yet elapse until a reign of reason is again inaugurated with the incoming administration. But it occurs to me that you may be able to save the useless expense to the government and the great inconvenience and expense to staff officers which would necessarily result from the organization of a division which could only last for a few months. To me personally it is a matter of little moment; but not so with the staff officers and the military appropriations. I am not willing to have such a thing done, even apparently, on my account. Please advise what official action, if any, should be taken by me in this matter. Personally I am perfectly ready to obey the President's order, without a word of protest; but I am not willing to be the occasion of manifest injury to the public service, and of useless inconvenience and expense to the officers of the general staff who must be a.s.signed to the headquarters of the new division.
”Very truly yours, ”J. M. Schofield.”
A MUDDLE OF NEW COMMANDS
But the public interests, and my desire to make my own entirely subservient thereto, were alike disregarded. A new division was carved out of three old ones, in violation of the plainest dictates of military principles. The government was subjected to a worse than useless expense of many thousands of dollars, and a number of staff officers to like useless expense and trouble. For all this there was no other apparent motive but to make it appear that there were appropriate commands for all the major-generals then in active service, and hence no reason for placing any one of them on the retired list. As a part of that scheme, one of the most active brigadier-generals, younger than one of the major-generals, was selected instead of the latter to make way for an aspirant having greater ”influence.” The correspondence of that period shows the indignation felt in the army at such disregard of the just claims of officers and of the interests of the military service. Neither General Sherman nor any of the several higher officers at that time could hope to derive any advantage from the pa.s.sage of the act of Congress, then pending, to retire all officers at a fixed age. On the contrary, such a law would most probably cut them off when in the full prime of activity and usefulness. But all were more than willing to accept that rather than still be in a position to be arbitrarily cut off to make place for some over-ambitious aspirant possessed of greater influence, of whatever kind. I know perfectly well that General Sherman was governed by a generous desire to give General Sheridan command of the army for a number of years, while the latter was still in the prime of life. But that he could have done, and had announced his intention to do, by requesting to be relieved from the command and permitted to await the President's orders, performing such duties, from time to time, as the President might desire of him. Such a status of high officers of great experience, whose inspections, observations, and advice might be of great value to the President and to the War Department, would manifestly have been far better for the country than that of total retirement, which deprives the President of any right to call upon them for any service whatever, even in an emergency. This was one of the subjects of correspondence between General Sherman and me while I was in Europe in 1881-2. But it was finally agreed by all concerned that it would be best to favor the uniform application of the rule of retirement for age, so that all might be a.s.sured, as far as possible, of a time, to which they might look forward with certainty, when they would be relieved from further apprehension of treatment which no soldier can justly characterize without apparent disrespect to his official superior.
Such treatment is indeed uncommon. The conduct of the commander- in-chief of the army toward his subordinates has been generally kind and considerate in this country. But the few opposite examples have been quite enough to cloud the life of every officer of high rank with the constant apprehension of an insult which he could neither submit to nor resent.
Soon after the inauguration of President Garfield, the ”Division of the Gulf” was broken up, and I was permitted to visit Europe, as I had requested in the preceding November, until the President should be pleased to a.s.sign me to a command according to my rank.
”(Telegram.) ”Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., May 3, 1861.
”General J. M. Schofield, Commanding Division, New Orleans, La.: ”In case the President will repeal the orders creating the new division and department, and agree to give you the Division of the Pacific in a year, will you be willing to take your leave to go abroad meantime? Telegraph me fully and frankly for use.
”W. T. Sherman, General.”
WAITING ORDERS, AND A VISIT TO EUROPE
”Headqrs. Mil. Div. Gulf, ”New Orleans, La., May 3, 1881.
”General W. T. Sherman, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C.: ”Your telegram of this date just received. I am debarred, by a promise made to General McDowell about two years and a half ago, from making any condition affecting his command of the Division of the Pacific. If I am to displace him, it must be without regard to any wish of mine. If it is the purpose of the President to a.s.sign me to that command in a year, I would like to go abroad in the meantime, as it would not be convenient to go afterward, though I would prefer to go next year rather than this. But I cannot afford to go on leave with reduced pay. If it is not found practicable to give me a command according to my rank, and so organized as to benefit rather than injure the military service, I am willing to await orders for a year without reduction of pay.
”This is substantially the proposition I made in my application to be relieved from duty at West Point; and I am still willing to abide by it, although my wishes were then disregarded, if it will relieve the present administration from embarra.s.sment. But I would much prefer to have a proper command... .
”J. M. Schofield, Maj.-Gen.”
”(Telegram.) ”Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., May 5, 1881.
”General J. M. Schofield, Commanding Division, New Orleans, La.: ”Your despatch of the third was duly received, and a copy thereof laid before the Secretary of War, who has received the orders of the President to repeal all parts of General Orders, No. 84, of December 18, 1880, which refer to the Division of the Gulf and Department of Arkansas, restoring the status quo before that order was made. You will be placed on waiting orders, with full pay, till further orders of the President. You may take action accordingly.