to return. You are aware that existing orders permit discharged
soldiers to retain their arms and accoutrements at low rates, fixed
in orders.

"Very respectfully, your obt. svt.,
"U. S. Grant, Lt.-Gen."

In effect this order required General Sheridan to turn over to me
all of his volunteer troops who might wish to take part in the
Mexican enterprise, with their arms and equipments, and all
"surrendered ordnance and ordnance stores," etc., thus making it
easy for me to arm and equip at small cost the ex-Confederates and
others who would join my standard. Soon after the date of General
Grant's order to General Sheridan, and at the request of Secretary
Seward, conveyed to me by Mr. Stanton, I met Mr. Seward at Cape
May. He then proposed to me to go to France, under authority of
the State Department, to see if the French emperor could not be
made to understand the necessity of withdrawing his army from Mexico,
and thus save us the necessity of expelling it by force. Mr. Seward
expressed the belief that if Napoleon could be made to understand that
the people of the United States would never, under any circumstances,
consent to the existence in Mexico of a government established and
sustained by foreign power, he would withdraw his army from that
country. If this were done, the friendly relations between the
people of France and the United States would not be disturbed,
while the expulsion of a French army from Mexico by American
volunteers would engender great bitterness of feeling among the
French people, even if it did not lead to war between France and
the United States.

SECRETARY SEWARD ADVOCATES MORAL SUASION

This proposition from Mr. Seward seemed to put upon me the
responsibility of deciding the momentous question of future friendship
or enmity between my own country and our ancient ally and friend.
I had, on the one hand, full authority from the War Department and
the general-in-chief of the army, given with the knowledge and
consent of the President of the United States, to organize and
equip an army for the purpose of driving the French out of Mexico,
and on the other hand a request from the State Department to go to
France and try by peaceful means to accomplish the same end.

As the negotiation of the Mexican loan had not made great progress,
the funds were not yet available for the support of an army. It
was expected that the actual beginning of operations