you stand in the way of a thousand purposes which he and those around him have in view. Your presence as general-in-chief is a constant reproach and mortification to him. Already the journals and people in his interest are representing that he is really commander, whilst you are but a tool in his hands. Such an opinion is entertained even by members of the Cabinet, and that has occurred since the 1st of September gives color to such belief. For your own sake as well as for that of the country do not permit yourself to be placed in such a position. Do not let he military clique of the Army of the Potomac remove from that army the prominent officers who are hostile to them. If you do, you will soon see how much control you have over that army.

I write you this letter with mixed feelings. Personal friendship and interest in your welfare, I think, predominate. I am not so blinded as not to know that it gave you pain to allow such scandal against me sand to take such action as you thought the peculiar circumstances require. Much as I defer with you on that subject, I am not yet ready to blame your or to feel bitterly. Those circumstances no longer exist, and you can now at least do me justice and relieve me from the bitter mortification I have felt without reopening old sores. I am very sure you will do it, but whether you do or not I impress upon you the necessity for your own sake of considering carefully the suggestions I have presented.

I shall not again address you a letter on such a subject.

Very respectfully,

JNO. POPE.

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
Washington, October 10, 1862.

Major General JOHN POPE,

Commanding, &c., Saint Paul:

GENERAL: Your letter of the 30th ultimo is just received. I very much regret the spirit manifested in it and the threatening tone assumed in it toward me. In this letter you have assumed facts and drawn your conclusions from such assumptions.

Your premises are not true, and your conclusions are unjust. On no occasion have I acted unfriendly to you. On the contrary, I have done everything for you that I could have done for a brother; but you have wished me to do for you impossibilities. You have asked me to do for you what my superiors and yours would not authorize me to do. Moreover you charge me with acts injurious to you which were neither my acts nor acts of my advising. For example, you charge me with exiling you to your present department. I did not send you there nor did I advise it. On the contrary, I advised against it . You complain that I acted unfriendly to you in giving the command to General McClellan. The facts do not sustain your assertion. As General McClellan's army arrived here by detachments, every man I could move was, against his protest, sent to your command. He claimed that when the two armies began to unite, he as ranking officer, and a right to command both. His claim was not admitted, and he remained in command only of the defenses of Washington. But when your forces fell back within the line of these defense he clearly became entitled to the command. You complain more particularly of his commanding the army sent into Maryland. That army was composed mostly of his old