"U. S. Grant's Failed Presidency" by Phil Leigh

jgoodguy

Webmaster
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
7,116
Reaction score
4,148
Chapter 2: https://civilwarchat.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/u-s-grants-failed-presidency-chapter-2-the-new-normal/ The following seems to be overly broad, seemly to brand Grant with letting all the CSA soldiers go..

Johnson realized he could not successfully override the wishes of the popular Grant no matter how clever were Butler’s contrary legal arguments. As a result, the federal government made no further efforts to charge Confederate soldiers with treason, although former Confederate government officials remained vulnerable. Among them was President Jefferson Davis who was indicted for treason several times, lastly in May 1866. A year later federal prosecutors said they were unprepared to try Davis’s case. He was, therefore, released on bond. He never asked for a pardon because he wanted to prove his innocence in court, but never got the chance.
Here an example of the detail omitted.

There are many events along the winding path that prevented Davis’s trial from taking place. Prime among them is the fact his legal team did all it could to prevent a trial. Another prime factor is the care taken by the United States legal team to ensure any prosecution would be so totally above-board no one could ever accuse the United States of railroading Davis. In a nutshell, “The government and the other actors in Davis’s case operated against a backdrop of intense public scrutiny. Because of the high profile of the case, the United States government proceeded cautiously, wanting to ensure that the verdict would be seen as a legitimate legal pronouncement on treason and the right of secession. Over the angry objections of many in Congress, the Johnson administration–on the advice of Attorney General James Speed–refused to relax any of the procedural rules governing the conduct of federal criminal trials. Speed worried about the disruptive effect of the war and would not tinker with the rule of law. In his opinion, altering the legal system during this vulnerable period merely to ensure the proper outcome in the Davis case would unmoor the United States from its foundations. For this reason, Speed rejected the possibility of conducting Davis’s trial before a military commission and instead determined to hold trial before a federal jury in the pace where Davis had committed his crimes: the former Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

Davis’s attorneys were equally hesitant about forcing the case to come to trial, knowing that not only the principle of secession but also their client’s life was at stake.​

With all parties equally determined not to proceed to trial, the case dragged on without resolution for almost four years, until Davis’s attorneys moved to quash the indictment in December 1868 on the grounds that the newly ratified Fourteenth Amendment barred the prosecution of Confederate officials for treason. When the two judges split on the merits of the defense’s argument, the question was certified to the Supreme Court for resolution. Later that month, however, President Andrew Johnson issued a universal amnesty proclamation, relieving all former Confederates from prosecution​
 

jgoodguy

Webmaster
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
7,116
Reaction score
4,148
Chapter 2: https://civilwarchat.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/u-s-grants-failed-presidency-chapter-2-the-new-normal/ The following seems to be overly broad, seemly to brand Grant with letting all the CSA soldiers go..

Phil seems upset that a grateful nation presented the Grants with money. Perhaps Phil wishes the man who defeated the CSA end his days in poverty(actually Grant died penniless writing his memoirs in great pain until his last breath to provide for his wife after his death. What next? Phil gets jealsous that Grant has a fancy tomb.

The couple no longer depended upon Jesse’s charity for a home. Grant’s military rank paid enough salary to enable an independent and comfortable living. He and Julia would strive ever after to sustain, or improve, the family’s economic and social status as their “new normal.” Public adulation soon resulted in gifts that only intensified the couple’s appetite for more possessions and honorariums.

A month following Lincoln’s assassination, wealthy Philadelphians gave Grant’s family a grand home at 2009 Chestnut Street. It included closets full of snowy linen and dining tables set with fine silver. Grant planned to commute to Washington, but the five-hour train ride quickly rendered the plan impracticable. As a result, he temporarily accepted an offer from Henry Halleck, who was his predecessor as Army General-in-Chief, to use Halleck’s Georgetown Heights home. Still wanting a Washington residence of his own, in October he purchased a four-story structure for $30,000. A future brother-in-law, Abel Corbin, actually bought the home and gave Grant title in exchange for a note to pay Corbin $30,000 over ten years

Four months later former Major General Daniel Butterfield led a subscription for Grant among rich New Yorkers that resulted in a purse of $105,000, which was equivalent to about $1.7 million in 2018. Grant first used the money to repay his debt to Corbin. He then invested $55,000 in government bonds and took the last $20,000 in cash. Bostonians similarly gave him a personal library valued at $75,000. While living in Halleck’s home during the summer of 1865 he also accepted a $16,000 gift home back in Galena, Illinois. Four years later Butterfield and Corbin would teach Grant that there is no such thing as a free home.

Early in 1866 Horace Greeley’sNew York Tribune humorously wrote, “Since Richmond’s capitulation the stern soldier [Grant] spent his days . . . in conjugating the transitive verb to receive, in all its moods and tenses, but always in the first person singular . . . ” Soon thereafter the Georgetown Courier continued in form by adding that Grant had conjugated the verb for a total of $175,000, which biographer Hesseltine concluded was “obviously too low.”
Indeed $175,000 for saving the nation is cheap. Except for fro lost causers.

 

O' Be Joyful

ohio hillbilly
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
3,491
Reaction score
3,136
There are many events along the winding path that prevented Davis’s trial from taking place. "Prime among them is the fact his legal team did all it could to prevent a trial." Another prime factor is the care taken by the United States legal team to ensure any prosecution would be so totally above-board no one could ever accuse the United States of railroading Davis. In a nutshell, “The government and the other actors in Davis’s case operated against a backdrop of intense public scrutiny. Because of the high profile of the case, the United States government proceeded cautiously, wanting to ensure that the verdict would be seen as a legitimate legal pronouncement on treason and the right of secession. Over the angry objections of many in Congress, the Johnson administration–on the advice of Attorney General James Speed–refused to relax any of the procedural rules governing the conduct of federal criminal trials. Speed worried about the disruptive effect of the war and would not tinker with the rule of law. In his opinion, altering the legal system during this vulnerable period merely to ensure the proper outcome in the Davis case would unmoor the United States from its foundations. For this reason, Speed rejected the possibility of conducting Davis’s trial before a military commission and instead determined to hold trial before a federal jury in the pace where Davis had committed his crimes: the former Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

Davis’s attorneys were equally hesitant about forcing the case to come to trial, knowing that not only the principle of secession but also their client’s life was at stake.
With all parties equally determined not to proceed to trial, the case dragged on without resolution for almost four years, until Davis’s attorneys moved to quash the indictment in December 1868 on the grounds that the newly ratified Fourteenth Amendment barred the prosecution of Confederate officials for treason. When the two judges split on the merits of the defense’s argument, the question was certified to the Supreme Court for resolution. Later that month, however, President Andrew Johnson issued a universal amnesty proclamation, relieving all former Confederates from prosecution
;) ;)

unmoor the United States from its foundations. For this reason, Speed rejected the possibility of conducting Davis’s trial before a military commission and instead determined to hold trial before a federal jury in the pace where Davis had committed his crimes: the former Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.



 

Viper21

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 13, 2019
Messages
639
Reaction score
600
Phil seems... Perhaps Phil ....Phil gets jealsous .....

Indeed $175,000 for saving the nation is cheap. Except for fro lost causers.
All I read here are your subjective personal opinions that, interpret how the author supposedly feels. Really..?!

Do you have any proof of facts he got wrong, or something substantial, other than your obviously biased interpretations, & dislike of the author..?
 
Last edited:

Viper21

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 13, 2019
Messages
639
Reaction score
600
;) ;)

unmoor the United States from its foundations. For this reason, Speed rejected the possibility of conducting Davis’s trial before a military commission and instead determined to hold trial before a federal jury in the pace where Davis had committed his crimes: the former Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.​
Davis wasn't tried because, he wouldn't have been convicted. They didn't want that egg on their face.
 

O' Be Joyful

ohio hillbilly
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
3,491
Reaction score
3,136
Except for lost causers.
I regret and despise the above term. Some are, but the majority are not.

Most are respectful of their kin as I am whenever I revisit Eastern Ky, there were boys on both sides and many feuds--and not just that famous one ;)-- after that awful mess.

"Let There Be Peace"

But always place me on the side of "Union Forever"

obi

descendant of my g-grandpa a member of the 40th Mounted Kentucky.
 

jgoodguy

Webmaster
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
7,116
Reaction score
4,148
;) ;)

unmoor the United States from its foundations. For this reason, Speed rejected the possibility of conducting Davis’s trial before a military commission and instead determined to hold trial before a federal jury in the pace where Davis had committed his crimes: the former Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
That pretty much sunk it, but Johnson pardoned the lot before the matter was settled.
 

jgoodguy

Webmaster
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
7,116
Reaction score
4,148
I regret and despise the above term. Some are, but the majority are not.

Most are respectful of their kin as I am whenever I revisit Eastern Ky, there were boys on both sides and many feuds--and not just that famous one ;)-- after that awful mess.

"Let There Be Peace"

But always place me on the side of "Union Forever"

obi

descendant of my g-grandpa a member of the 40th Mounted Kentucky.
All mine first served in the CSA, then hid out in the piney woods when things went south so speak. Family tradition says they were wounded and invalided out, but the conscription squads came looking anyway.
 

jgoodguy

Webmaster
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
7,116
Reaction score
4,148
How else do you evaluate a book? It costs you no money to read a sample chapter, but until then, your opinion of the book isn't worth all that much.
One way I judge a book is to see if the folks that claim to have read it, can quote from it. I remember a book by Baptist regarding slavery and capitalism where no one could quote it but everyone said read it. In fact, no one could answer the simplist questions about it. If the book is so crappy that its advocates hide it, I fail to see why I should buy it.
 

O' Be Joyful

ohio hillbilly
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
3,491
Reaction score
3,136
I remember that thread. ;) But, you had and caught 'em.
To add: I was a "bee"-keeper in my youth and my mentor upon the wisdom of the hive would "cash" in during the fall.

I last visited Ralph about 8 years ago next to the Tennessee/Kentucky line , but I still have my pith helmet and bonnet/net. Caught a swarm all by myself once thanks to what he taught me, spread the sheet, had a hive ready and they fell to the "matt" and then crawled in following the Queen
.
 

Andersonh1

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 13, 2019
Messages
580
Reaction score
742
The book uses footnotes. Chapter 2 cites a number of past and present histories, including:

- Grant, by William McFeely
- American Ulysses, by Ronald C. White
- Ulysses Grant, Politician, by William Hesseltine
- Ulysses Grant, Triumph and Adversity, by Brooks Simpson
- The Era of Reconstruction, by Kenneth Stampp
- Grant's memoirs
- The Presidency of Andrew Johnson, by Albert Castel
- Reconstruction, by Avery Craven

And others, but that's a sampling from the first few pages of the chapter.
 

jgoodguy

Webmaster
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
7,116
Reaction score
4,148
The book uses footnotes. Chapter 2 cites a number of past and present histories, including:

- Grant, by William McFeely
- American Ulysses, by Ronald C. White
- Ulysses Grant, Politician, by William Hesseltine
- Ulysses Grant, Triumph and Adversity, by Brooks Simpson
- The Era of Reconstruction, by Kenneth Stampp
- Grant's memoirs
- The Presidency of Andrew Johnson, by Albert Castel
- Reconstruction, by Avery Craven

And others, but that's a sampling from the first few pages of the chapter.
Nice. Unfortunately, you provide no info on what entries are footnoted with which footnote.
 

O' Be Joyful

ohio hillbilly
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
3,491
Reaction score
3,136
Grant replied, “Never, unless they violate their paroles. If I had told [Lee] and his army . . . they would be open to arrest, trial, and execution for treason, Lee would never have surrendered, and we should have lost many lives in destroying him.” After returning to his office Grant told his staff, “I will not stay in the army if they break the pledges that I made. I will keep my word.”

Johnson realized he could not successfully override the wishes of the popular Grant no matter how clever were Butler’s contrary legal arguments. As a result, the federal government made no further efforts to charge Confederate soldiers with treason, although former Confederate government officials remained vulnerable. Among them was President Jefferson Davis who was indicted for treason several times, lastly in May 1866. A year later federal prosecutors said they were unprepared to try Davis’s case. He was, therefore, released on bond. He never asked for a pardon because he wanted to prove his innocence in court, but never got the chance.

https://civilwarchat.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/u-s-grants-failed-presidency-chapter-2-the-new-normal/



https://books.google.com/books?id=o...HIEHbWoBv4Q6AEwAHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
 

jgoodguy

Webmaster
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
7,116
Reaction score
4,148
Grant replied, “Never, unless they violate their paroles. If I had told [Lee] and his army . . . they would be open to arrest, trial, and execution for treason, Lee would never have surrendered, and we should have lost many lives in destroying him.” After returning to his office Grant told his staff, “I will not stay in the army if they break the pledges that I made. I will keep my word.”

Johnson realized he could not successfully override the wishes of the popular Grant no matter how clever were Butler’s contrary legal arguments. As a result, the federal government made no further efforts to charge Confederate soldiers with treason, although former Confederate government officials remained vulnerable. Among them was President Jefferson Davis who was indicted for treason several times, lastly in May 1866. A year later federal prosecutors said they were unprepared to try Davis’s case. He was, therefore, released on bond. He never asked for a pardon because he wanted to prove his innocence in court, but never got the chance.

https://civilwarchat.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/u-s-grants-failed-presidency-chapter-2-the-new-normal/



https://books.google.com/books?id=otkrDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA418&lpg=PA418&dq=When+can+these+men+[former+Rebel+soldiers]+be+tried,+asked+Johnson?Grant+replied,+Never,+unless+they+violate+their+paroles.+If+I+had+told+[Lee]+and+his+army+.+.+.+they+would+be+open+to+arrest,+trial,+and+execution+for+treason,+Lee+would+never+have+surrendered,+and+we+should+have+lost+many+lives+in+destroying+him.+After+returning+to+his+office+Grant+told+his+staff,+I+will+not+stay+in+the+army+if+they+break+the+pledges+that+I+made.+I+will+keep+my+word.&source=bl&ots=HXK8nHb1OS&sig=ACfU3U3trqbTB3e2hG16lF8LR-hoFsbl2g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDub20jLHnAhWamHIEHbWoBv4Q6AEwAHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Nice footnote
 
Top