Letter

GRANT, Lieutenant General to Edwin M. Stanton, March 25, 1865

Author

GRANT, Lieutenant General

Recipient

Edwin M. Stanton

Date

March 25, 1865

Type

Letter

Language

English

General Grant to Mr. Stanton

Headquarters Armies of the United States, City Point, Va., March 25, 1865.

Sir: I have the honor to forward herewith a communication of General R. E. Lee, “commanding armies Confederate States,” of date 23d instant, with enclosures.

Very respectfully your obedient servant,

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant General.

Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington City.

R. E. Lee to General Grant

Headquarters C. S. Armies, March 23, 1865.

General: In pursuance of instructions from the government of the Confederate States, transmitted to me through the Secretary of War, the documents recently forwarded by you are respectfully returned.

I am directed to say “that the government of the Confederate States cannot recognize as authentic a paper which is neither an original nor attested as a copy; nor could they under any circumstances, consent to hold intercourse with a neutral nation through the medium of open despatches sent through hostile lines after being read and approved by the enemies of the confederacy.”

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. E. LEE, General,

Lieutenant General U. S. Grant, Commanding United States Armies,

Topics

19th Century Diplomacy Reconstruction

Sources

FRUS u2014 Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-ninth C View original source ↗

U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-ninth C.