William W. Belknap

Battle of Shiloh

In March 1862, Maj. Belknap and the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry were mustered into military action.[17] Traveling by steamer from St. Louis, Belknap was sent to the front at the Battle of Shiloh; arriving at Pittsburgh Landing on April 6 joining the Army of the Tennessee, under the authority of Union General Ulysses S. Grant.[17] Belknap and his men were ordered to the front to serve under Maj. Gen Benjamin M. Prentiss at the Hornet's Nest.[17] Belknap and his raw 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry troops were forced to fight like regular army veterans on Prentiss's depleted line.[17] Belknap fought bravely, he was slightly wounded, and his horse was shot and killed from under him.[17] Reinforced, the Union Army under General Grant, forced the Confederates to retreat back to Corinth, and Shiloh was considered a Union victory.[18]

Charge of the Federals
Battle of Corinth (1862)

After Shiloh, Belknap served as acting commander of the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Corinth.[17] Col. Hugh T. Reid, commander of the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, had been severely injured in the neck at Shiloh and removed from active duty.[19] Col. Reid stated that at Shiloh Belknap, "was always in the right place at the right time, directing and encouraging officers and men as coolly as a veteran"[1] At Corinth, Belknap was noted for his "conspicuous gallantry".[1] After Corinth, Belknap and the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry for a time served on guard duty.[17][19] Belknap was formally promoted from major to lieutenant colonel on August 20, 1862. Belknap was promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel of the Iowa 15th Volunteer Infantry on June 3, 1863.[17]

Siege of Vicksburg

The Union capture of Vicksburg, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi, was vital and would split the Confederacy in two.[20] Belknap's primary military operation took place at the Siege of Vicksburg until Confederate General John C. Pemberton surrendered to Union General Grant on July 4, 1863.[2][17] Colonel Belknap, Fifteenth Iowa, was part of the Third Brigade of the Sixth Division serving under Major General John McArthur.[21]

On December 24, 1863, Belknap was in command of the 11th Iowa Volunteer Infantry and the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry reinforcing Redbone, Mississippi, south of Vicksburg.[19] On February 26, 1864, Belknap served as provost marshal of post in Canton, Mississippi.[19]

Battle of Atlanta

On June 8, 1864, Col. Belknap and the veteran 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry were transferred to the 4th Division, XVII Corps at Ackworth, Georgia.[17] On July 22, 1864, at the Battle of Atlanta, Belknap served with distinction, fighting against the 45th Alabama Infantry.[2][22] Belknap and his Iowa troops dug in and set up earthworks and a parapet around Bald Hill.[22] The 45th Alabama infantry led by Confederate Col. Harris D. Lampley, assaulted the entrenched Union line two times but were repelled by massive Union gun power.[22] On the second attempt, Lampley and his remaining men crossed over to the Union line for hand-to-hand combat. Lampley, who had been shot, cursed his men who had fallen or were retreating.[22] In the midst of the fierce fighting the burly Belknap grabbed the wounded Lampley by the collar, spun him around to face the Confederate lines, and shouted, "Look at your men! They are dead! What are you cursing them for!?"[23] Belknap took the wounded Lampley prisoner; he was held until his death on August 24.[22]

William H. Chamberlain of the 81st Ohio Infantry Regiment later wrote: "The next day [July 23, 1864] I remember seeing Colonel Wm. W. Belknap of the 15th Iowa (afterward Brigadier-General and Secretary of War). He was a brawny, red-bearded giant in appearance, and it was told of him that he had captured a number of prisoners by pulling them over the breastworks by main force, so closely were the lines engaged."[24]

On July 28, 1864, at the Battle of Ezra Church, Belknap was in charge of the 15th Iowa Volunteer Infantry and the 32nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which reinforced Maj. Gen. Morgan Lewis Smith's XV Corps.[19][25] On July 30, Belknap was promoted to brigadier general as commander of the 4th Division, XVII Corps, and participated in Major Gen. Sherman's operations in Georgia and the Carolinas.[2][19] After Atlanta was taken by the Union Army, Belknap accompanied Maj. Gen. Sherman on his March to the Sea.[2] Belknap was promoted to Brevet Major General on March 13, 1865, as a reward for his bravery in the Atlanta Campaign.[2] Having declined a regular Army commission, on August 24, 1865, Belknap was mustered out of the U.S. Army.[2]

Upon assuming office in 1869, Belknap conceived the idea of creating portraits of previous civilian heads of the War Department in honor of the upcoming 1876 U.S. Centennial,[35] and hired renowned artists Daniel Huntington, Robert Weir, and Henry Ulke.[35] Belknap's portrait was painted by Huntington in 1874.[35] The portraits were assembled into a distinct collection to be viewed by the public.[35] The portrait initiative was continued by Belknap's successors;[35] in addition to secretaries, the collection came to include others notable for their military distinction.[35] This effort at historic preservation was considered a success, and Belknap received "unqualified credit" for his creation of the War Department portrait gallery.[35]

Fort Sill
Oklahoma Indian Territory

During the summer of 1870, Belknap successfully lobbied Congress to grant him the sole power to appoint and license agents, known as sutlers, with ownership rights to highly lucrative "traderships" at U.S. military forts in the Western frontier.[27][36] These monopoly traderships were considered good investments during the Gilded Age and were highly sought after.[37][38] On July 15, the Commanding General of the Army's power to appoint traderships was repealed, empowering Belknap while further eroding Sherman's authority.[36] To ensure maximum profits, Belknap ordered soldiers stationed at forts having Belknap-approved sutlers to buy supplies only through the authorized traderships.[27] Soldiers on the Western frontier, who were thus forced to buy goods at exorbitant prices that far exceeded the usual rate, were left in debt or destitute as a result.[39] One 7th Cavalry Sergeant noted that a shot of whiskey "mostly glass" cost 25 cents (.25¢ 1871 = $5.40 2019) glass, at a time when soldiers were paid a few dollars ($1.00 1871 = $21.60 2019) a month.[40]

Hostile American Indians bought supplies at these traderships, including high-quality single-shot breech-loaders and repeating rifles.[41] At the same time, Army requisitions for rifles were filled by Belknap's War Department with inferior single-shot breech-loaders that jammed frequently, and were no match for superior breech-loaders and repeating rifles.[41] The policy had a negative effect on the firepower of the U.S. troops and may have contributed to the defeat of George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry at Battle of the Little Big Horn in June 1876, several months after Belknap was out of office.[41] (However, Custer had also decided against bringing Gatling guns; these would have increased Custer's firepower, even if his troops had been armed with inferior rifles.)[42]

Belknap's second wife, Carita, was socially ambitious and unwilling to live in Washington, D.C., on Belknap's $8,000 annual salary (about $157,000 in 2018).[38] When the couple arrived in Washington from Keokuk, Iowa in 1869, Belknap rented a large house recently vacated by Secretary of State William H. Seward.[43] In hosting large parties, a typical social requirement for cabinet members, the Belknaps overextended their invitations; one of their events had 1,200 guests, including many young army officers; the resulting raucous behavior led to extensive damage and vandalism, including destruction of curtains, couches, and other furniture.[43] The Belknaps could not afford to pay for the damages, and were faced with leaving Washington society and reducing expenses by living in a boarding house, or finding a way to increase their income.[43] They decided to look for additional income, and Carita engineered a plan to obtain a lucrative "cash cow" Indian tradership position at the recently built Fort Sill, located in the Oklahoma Indian Territory.[38][43] Carita lobbied her husband to appoint a New York contractor, Caleb P. Marsh, to the Fort Sill tradership; John S. Evans, an experienced sutler, had already been appointed and did not want to give it up.[44][38] To settle the question, Marsh drew up an illicit partnership contract that allowed Evans to keep the tradership at Fort Sill, provided that he pay Marsh $12,000 per year in quarterly installments (approximately $236,000 in 2018).[45] Marsh, in turn, was required to give half of his $12,000 to Carita, also in quarterly installments.[45] All the parties agreed to the arrangement; however, Carita received only one payment before her death from tuberculosis after childbirth in December 1870.[45]

After Carita's death, Marsh continued to pay the quarterly share of the profits to Carita's younger sister Amanda, known as "Puss",[46] who had moved in with the Belknaps, ostensibly to hold as a trust fund for the benefit of Carita's child.[44][45] This profiteering arrangement between Amanda and Marsh was all done with Belknap's full knowledge and consent.[45] After Carita's child died in June 1871, Amanda left to tour Europe, and Belknap continued to take the quarterly bribery payments until December 1873, when Amanda returned and became Belknap's third wife.[44] Amanda was a beautiful young socialite; intending to keep the modest fortune she inherited from her family while also attaining a high position in Washington society, she required Belknap to sign a prenuptial agreement.[47] Belknap rented a large new house on G Street, which had been built by Orville Babcock, President Grant's personal secretary.[4] From that time onward, Belknap and Amanda continued to accept Marsh's quarterly payments.[44][45] Amanda was considered to be more self-indulgent than her sister Carita, donning gorgeous gowns, jewelry and other accessories for parties and other events, and called the "spendthrift belle" by Washington society.[45][48] The Belknaps' extravagant lifestyle entertaining Washington society, holding lavish parties, and wearing elegant clothes, created envy among both Democratic political figures and permanent residents of Washington.[3][46][47][48] However, that the Belknaps were receiving kickbacks was not publicly known until February 1876, when the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives launched an investigation,[44][46] which discovered that Belknap and his wives had received about $20,000 (approximately $394,000 in 2018) in bribes from Marsh.[48]

During the Franco-Prussian War from 1870 to 1871, the United States declared neutrality.[49] Belknap had been accused by Grant administration critics, including Senators Charles Sumner and Carl Schurz, of violating neutrality and selling arms to French agents.[49] In fact, Belknap had sold obsolete U.S. War Department firearms to a neighbor of the Remington family, which owned the E. Remington and Sons firearms and ammunition company.[49] Samuel Remington, as an arms-selling agent to the French Government, then arranged the sale of those firearms to France.[49][50] Belknap subsequently sold 54,000,000 cartridges to the French Army – cartridges that would specifically fit the firearms he had previously sold to the Remington neighbor.[49] A Congressional investigation that took place in 1872 exonerated Belknap.[49]

During the Reconstruction Era, former slave James Webster Smith became the first African American cadet to enroll at West Point.[51] After starting classes in 1870, Smith was immediately and severely hazed by white cadets. One of Belknap's nephews, a cadet at the academy, had been reprimanded (but not otherwise punished) for hazing Smith.[52] In another instance, Smith was arrested and taken to a military court for fighting a white cadet, though Smith said he had merely defended himself. Major General Oliver O. Howard, an advocate for African-American civil rights and in charge of the trial, acquitted Smith and gave him a light punishment for unruly conduct.[53] This outraged the academy's Bureau of Military Justice, who made a formal protest to Belknap on November 20, 1870.[54] In another hazing incident, in January 1871, Smith was arrested for supposedly not holding his head up when marching, again after being severely harassed by white cadets.[54]

With Howard now reassigned to the western United States, the academy's administration determined to force Smith out.[55] This time he was convicted; his case was then appealed to Belknap.[54] Smith had been recommended for expulsion, but Belknap intervened with President Grant, who changed the sentence to setting Smith back academically, which caused him to repeat his Plebe year.[54] Smith continued at West Point until 1874, when Professor Peter S. Michie, a white supremacist, gave Smith a private test, in defiance of traditional West Point practice, and claimed that Smith had failed.[56] Smith was then denied a chance to retest and was forced out of West Point.[56] Belknap concurred when Major General Thomas H. Ruger, appointed superintendent of West Point in 1871, reduced the hazing of cadets by 1873 and made strong efforts to eradicate the "discreditable" practice.[57] Belknap admired Ruger's performance as West Point Superintendent and stated, "I am pretty satisfied with the success of your management, and private conversations with officers of all grades, & with civilians too, who have been there since your accession..."[58][59] Other African Americans followed Smith's entrance into West Point and Henry O. Flipper became the first to graduate from the academy in 1877.[60] In 1997, President Bill Clinton attempted to acknowledge and right the wrong done to Smith by awarding him a posthumous commission as a second lieutenant.[61]

Belknap aided victims of the devastating 1871 Chicago fire.

From October 8 to October 10, 1871, a devastating fire burned and destroyed much of Chicago, killing hundreds of people and causing $200,000,000 (nearly $4 billion in 2018) in damages. Over 100,000 citizens were left destitute and homeless.[62] Belknap took prompt action on October 9, ordering food sent from St. Louis, tents from Jefferson Barracks, and two companies of troops from Fort Omaha to help keep peace and order.[62] On October 10, Belknap in writing a dispatch to Lt. General Philip Sheridan stated that the fire was "...a national calamity. The sufferers have the sincere sympathy of the nation."[62] Belknap ordered military officers around the nation to send supplies to Chicago "liberally and promptly".[62] In his Annual Report to President Grant in December 1871, Belknap praised the War Department for the efficiency of operations in aiding the homeless and destitute of the Chicago Fire within hours of notification, while the fire was still in progress.[63] Belknap also praised Sheridan and the several companies of troops under his command for keeping law and order in the ruined city.[63]

In the summer of 1871, a U.S. Board of military officers visited the Quebec, Canada military prison run by the British Army.[63] The board recommended that British methods be adopted in the U.S. Army, including a system of rewards for good behavior, and difficult physical exercise and taxing military drill and ceremony as punishments, with the goals of returning prisoners to military duty at the end of their sentences and preventing re-offenses.[63] Belknap approved the board's recommendations and requested Congress incorporate the British system into the U.S. military,[63] and also requested that funding for the new program be paid for by having soldiers forfeit their pay during the time of their incarceration.[63]

During Reconstruction Grant enforced civil and voting rights for African Americans in the South, using the army and newly created Justice Department to destroy the Ku Klux Klan in 1871, under the Enforcement Acts. Louisiana during Reconstruction was one of the most politically turbulent, violent, and disputed states. Rival political factions fought for power in the state government, and white insurgents frequently attacked freedmen and their sympathizers, requiring the deployment of federal troops to keep peace.[64]

During January 1872, the War Department was kept on high alert, concerned with the potential for violent confrontation in New Orleans between Gov. Henry Clay Warmoth's faction and that of George W. Carter, former speaker of the Louisiana House.[65] Warmoth supported social equality and voting rights for African Americans, but southern conservatives considered him a corrupt northern carpetbagger.[66] To prevent disorder Major General William H. Emory, Louisville District Commander, in charge of New Orleans, decided that federal troops were needed to prevent violence.[67] Belknap informed General-in-Chief William T. Sherman, supporting Emory's request.[67] On January 5, federal troops were deployed in New Orleans to prevent violence, and were intended to occupy the area until January 11.[68] Sec. Belknap advised President Grant that Emory was the best to make the decision about use of the forces.[68]

On January 9, a street riot broke out after a Gov. Warmoth supporter was assassinated; Gov. Warmoth's state police retaliated by attacking and dispersing Carter's faction at the Gem Saloon. Emory deployed reinforcement troops on January 10 to restore order.[69] On January 12, Grant, wanting to stay out of state politics, told the mayor of New Orleans through the War Department that he would not declare martial law in Louisiana.[69] An angry mob of thousands of Carter's men took to the streets. Emory deployed troops equipped with Gatling guns.[70] Carter's men dispersed, believing that Emory would use U.S. military force to keep the peace.[70]

On January 15, Grant wrote to Belknap that he desired to prevent the "danger of bloodshed" without having to take sides with either faction.[71] On January 16, Att. Gen. George H. Williams told Gov. Warmoth that Grant would take sides only if there was a "clear case of legal right and overruling necessity."[71] On January 22, learning that Gov. Warmoth and Carter had formed rival militias and were preparing for violence, President Grant issued orders through the War Department for Emory to use troops if necessary.[72] When Emory communicated Grant's message to both Gov. Warmoth and Carter, they dispersed their factions and kept peace for 10 months.[72]

Eads Bridge

In 1873, the construction of the Americas' first steel arched bridge, named after James B. Eads, was nearing completion in St. Louis.[73] Belknap, under influence from the Keokuk Packet steamliner company, was opposed to its completion. He desired that the bridge be torn down, so steamers would not have to lower their smokestacks to sail under it.[73] Belknap created a commission to make recommendations on either destroying the bridge and rebuilding it with a design that allowed steamers to pass or building a canal around the bridge so that they could pass.[73] Eads, who was friends with Grant, visited Washington, D.C., in November 1873 before Belknap submitted the report to Congress, and asked that Grant rescue the bridge from destruction.[74] Belknap argued that according to federal law, the Secretary of War had the authority to prevent obstruction of the Mississippi River.[74]

In response, Grant reminded Belknap that Congress had authorized the construction of the bridge,[74] and that Congress would probably not authorize money to tear it down. He overruled Belknap's decision, and told Belknap in person, "You certainly cannot destroy this structure on your own authority...General, you had better drop this case."[75] Belknap was embarrassed, stood up blushing, bowed to President Grant, and left the meeting.[75] The Eads Bridge was completed in 1874 and is still in active use today.[76]

In 1872, photographer Mathew Brady went bankrupt; his possessions, including photographs and negatives, were sold to satisfy creditors.[77] In 1874, the owner of a warehouse in New York City offered a set of over 2,000 Brady negatives for sale; Belknap authorized their purchase for $2,500.[78] The negatives were not packed or transported with care, and by the time the War Department took possession, about one-third of them were damaged or destroyed.[78]

Brady subsequently complained to Belknap that none of the $2,500 had gone to him or any of his creditors.[78] During the discussion, Brady offered to sell a second set of negatives; Congress appropriated up to $25,000 for the purchase, and after reviewing the materials and obtaining advice from a War Department attorney as to their value, Belknap authorized payment in full.[78]

As a result of Belknap's initiative, the War Department acquired over 6,000 images of the Civil War era, including photos of prominent military and government officials, battlefields, and defensive works.[79] This collection was subsequently combined with other collections of Brady photos which were purchased by the federal government; they were later catalogued, and are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress.[80]

During the summer of 1875, Belknap decided to explore Yellowstone the nation's first national park, created as the result of a law signed by President Grant on March 2, 1872.[81] Accompanying Belknap were Colonel Randolph B. Marcy, Lieutenant Colonel James W. Forsyth, and Chicago businessman William E. Strong.[81] Leading the expedition was Lieutenant Gustavus C. Doane, who had led the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition in 1870, the first extensive federal survey of the Yellowstone territory, that was responsible in part for the formation of the park.[81][82] Doane left Fort Ellis, where he was stationed, and made preparations for Belknap's party's arrival at Mammoth Hot Springs.[83] On July 26, Belknap's party reached Fort Ellis and proceeded to meet Doane.[83] Led by Doane, Belknap's party attempted to retrace the original 1870 Expedition in addition to hunting for any big game found on the journey.[84] Belknap's party included 24 soldiers and two ambulances.[85] The two-week expedition proved to be troublesome as Doane was unable to find big game to hunt and after briefly viewing the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Belknap's party had to wait several hours before Doane finally found the trail.[84][86]

In late July 1874, a U.S. Army expedition under Col. George A. Custer discovered gold in the Black Hills.[87] Soon many gold miners were trespassing on land granted to the Indians under the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. In June 1875, President Grant attempted to resolve the problem by offering Indians $100,000 per year to lease their land or $6,000,000 for the Black Hills.[87] The Lakota Sioux under Chief Red Cloud refused since the offer would require the Sioux to be moved to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma. On November 3, 1875, as the crisis escalated, President Grant held a secret meeting at the White House including Belknap, Secretary of Interior Zachariah Chandler and general Philip Sheridan. Sheridan told Grant that the U.S. Army was undermanned and the territory involved was vast, requiring great numbers of soldiers to enforce the treaty.[88] Grant, Belknap, and Chandler agreed to a plan that would withdraw U.S. troops from the Black Hills, allowing miners to mine on Indian Territory.[87] According to historian Jeffrey Ostler, the purpose of the troop withdrawal was to start an Indian War.[87]

On December 3, 1875, Chandler ordered all Indians to return to their respected reservations, however, militant Indians under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse refused to return. By January 1876, 4,000 miners illegally occupied Indian land.[87] When hostile Indians refused to leave their hunting grounds by the January 31 deadline, Chandler turned the Indians over to Belknap's War Department stating "the said Indians are hereby turned over to the War Department for such action on the part of the Army as you [Belknap] may deem proper under the circumstances."[89] On February 8, 1876, Generals Crook and Terry were ordered to start winter military campaigns against hostile Indians and the Great Sioux War commenced.[90] On March 1, 1876, Crook, in freezing weather, marched north from Fort Fetterman near Douglas, Wyoming to attack Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse and their Indian followers on the Powder River.[91] The following day, March 2, Belknap abruptly resigned office over the Fort Sill trader post-scandal. From March 3 to March 7 the War Department was run ad interim under Secretary of Navy George M. Robeson. On March 8, 1876 Alphonso Taft was appointed by Grant Secretary of War. The Great Sioux War ended in April 1877 under President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Democratic Congressman Hiester Clymer investigated Belknap's War Department

Congressman Clymer reads to the House a report recommending impeachment and an resolution resolution

On February 29, 1876, rumors that Belknap was receiving profits from traderships reached Representative Hiester Clymer, chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War. In response, Clymer launched an investigation into the War Department. Although Clymer and Belknap were friends and had been college roommates, Clymer was a racist against black Americans who strongly opposed Republican Reconstruction. During Belknap's tenure, the Army was used in combination with the Justice Department to prosecute the Ku Klux Klan, a policy opposed by most Democrats. Caleb P. Marsh testified to the Clymer Committee that Belknap had personally taken Fort Sill tradership profit payments as part of the partnership agreement between Marsh and John S. Evans. On February 29, 1876, Belknap and his counsel went before Clymer's committee, but Belknap declined to testify.[92] On the morning of March 2, Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow told President Grant of Belknap's impending impeachment. After Grant finished breakfast, Secretary Belknap and Secretary Chandler arrived at the White House. Belknap was extremely anxious, openly wept and confessed to Grant. Belknap handed Grant a one-sentence resignation letter. Grant personally wrote a letter accepting Belknap's resignation, which he placed on a White House mantel at 10:20 a.m.[92]

Clymer's committee was informed at 11:00 a.m. of Belknap's resignation.[93] Although Belknap's resignation initially caused commotion among House members, it did not prevent action by the Clymer committee. The chairman of the House Managers cited authority that as a rule, the law does not recognize fractions of a day and the House saw no cause to make an exception in this case.[94]^: 43 The committee unanimously passed resolutions to impeach Belknap and drew up five articles of impeachment to be sent to the Senate; thus Belknap had both resigned and would be impeached at "the same time" on March 2, 1876, by a unanimous vote of the House of Representatives.[95] Speaker of the House Michael C. Kerr wrote to the Senate that Belknap resigned "with intent to evade the proceedings of impeachment against him,"[95] although within a few years of the 1797 impeachment of Senator Blount a number of officers including several judges had been threatened with impeachment and resigned to avoid it, after which the proceedings against them were abandoned.[94]^: 39

On March 29 and April 4, 1876, George Armstrong Custer testified before the Clymer Committee, which continued to gather evidence for the Senate trial. Custer's testimony was a national media sensation because he accused both Grant's brother and the Secretary of War of corruption. Although Belknap had resigned, he had many political allies in Washington, D.C., including Grant. Custer had previously arrested Grant's son Fred, an Army officer, on the charge of drunkenness. As the result of that incident and his testimony to the Clymer Committee, Custer incurred Grant's displeasure. It took more than a month for Custer to resolve the situation and obtain Grant's permission to return to duty, leading his regiment in the expedition that would culminate with Custer's death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Upon Belknap's sudden resignation in March, Grant had to hastily ask his secretary of navy George M. Robeson to run the War Department ad interim, which lasted a week. Grant then appointed Alphonso Taft Secretary of War; Taft was an attorney and former judge; unfamiliar with military matters, he reluctantly agreed to serve in order to stabilize the War Department, and Grant promised to nominate him later for another, more suitable position. In May, Grant kept his word when he created a vacancy in the attorney general's post by naming the incumbent, Edwards Pierrepont, to serve as Minister to England; he then appointed Taft to serve as attorney general, and J. Donald Cameron to succeed Taft as secretary of war.

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