ical
purposes.

* The first five generals appointed were Schofield, Sickles.
Pope, Ord, and Sheridan. None of these remained in his
district until reconstruction was completed. To Schofield's
command in the first district succeeded in turn Stoneman,
Webb, and Canby; Sickles gave way to Canby, and Pope to
Meade; Ord in the fourth district was followed by Gillem,
McDowell, and Ames; Sheridan, in the fifth, was succeeded by
Griffen, Mower, Hancock, Buchanan, Reynolds, and Canby. Some
of the generals were radical; others, moderate and tactful.
The most extreme were Sheridan, Pope, and Sickles. Those
most acceptable to the whites were Hancock, Schofield, and
Meade. General Grant himself became more radical in his
actions as he became involved in the fight between Congress
and the President.

Military rule was established in the South with slight friction, but it
was soon found that the reconstruction laws were not sufficiently clear
on two points: first, whether there was any limit to the authority
of the five generals over the local and state governments and, if so,
whether the limiting authority was in the President; and second, whether
the disfranchising provisions in the laws were punitive and hence to
be construed strictly. Attorney-General Stanbery, in May and June
1867, drew up opinions in which he maintained that the laws were to
be considered punitive and therefore to be construed strictly. After
discussions in cabinet meetings, these opinions received the approval of
all except Stanton, Secretary of War, who had already joined the radical
camp. The Attorney-General's opinion was sent out to the district
commanders for their information and guidance. But Congress did not
intend to permit the President or his Cabinet to direct the process
of reconstruction, and in the Act of July 19, 1867, it gave a radical
interpretation to the reconstruction legislation, declared itself in
control, gave full power to General Grant and to the district commanders
subject only to Grant, directed the removal of all local officials who
opposed the reconstruction policies, and warned the civil and military
officers of the United States that none of them should "be bound in his
action by any opinion of any civil officer of the United States." This
interpretive legislation gave a broad basis for the military government
and resulted in a severe application of the dis