Hon. James Conkling. (Private.) WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON CITY, D. C., August 17, 1863. MY DEAR CONKLING: I cannot leave here now. Herewith is a letter instead. You are one of the best public readers. I have but one suggestion-read it very slowly. And now God bless you, and all good Union men. Yours as ever, A. LINCOLN. (From Herndon's "Life of Lincoln." Permission of Jesse Weik.) (Cypher) WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 20, 1863. HON. JAMES C. CONKLING, Springfield, Ill.: Your letter of the 14th is received. I think I will go or send a letter, probably the latter. (Cypher) A. LINCOLN. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 20, 1863. GENERAL A. J. HAMILTON, (of Texas) New York: Telegraph me the name of a boy or young man who you would like to have appointed to West Point. A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, August 21, 1863. MAJOR-GENERAL MEADE, Warrenton, Va.: At this late moment I am appealed to in behalf of William Thompson of Company K, Third Maryland Volunteers, in Twelfth Army Corps, said to be at Kelly's Ford, under sentence to be shot to-day as a deserter. He is represented to me to be very young, with symptoms of insanity. Please postpone the execution till further order. A. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON, D. C., August 22, 1863. GENERAL SCHOFIELD, Saint Louis, Mo.: Please send me if you can a transcript of the record in the case of McQuin and Bell, convicted of murder by a military commission. I telegraphed General Strong for it, but he does not answer. A. LINCOLN. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 24, 1863. MRS. ELIZABETH J. GRIMSLEY, Springfield, Ill.: I mail the papers to you to-day appointing Johnny to the Naval school. A. LINCOLN. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 28, 1863. MAJOR-GENERAL FOSTER, Fort Monroe, Va.: Please notify, if you can, Senator_Bowden, Mr. Segar, and Mr. Chandler, all, or any of them, that I now have the record in Dr. Wright's case and am ready to hear them. When you shall have got the notice to them please let me know. A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 28, 1863. GENERAL CRAWFORD, Rappahannock Station, Va.: I regret that I cannot be present to witness the presentation of a sword by the gallant Pennsylvania Reserve Corps to one so worthy to receive it as General Meade. A. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON, D. C., August 29, 1863. HON. L. SWETT, San Francisco, Cal.: If the Government's rights are reserved, the Government will be satisfied, and at all events it will consider. A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, August 29, 1863. BEN. FIELD, Esq., Syracuse, N. Y.: I send you by mail to-day a copy of the Springfield letter. A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 29, 1863. MRS. A. LINCOLN, Manchester, N. H.: All quite well. Fort Sumter is certainly battered down and utterly useless to the enemy, and it is believed here, but not entirely certain that both Sumter and Fort Wagner are occupied by our forces. It is also certain that General Gilmore has thrown some shot into the city of Charleston. A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, August 31, 1863. HON. JAMES C. CONKLING, Springfield, Ill.: In my letter of the 26th insert between the sentence ending "since the issue of the emancipation proclamation as before" and the next commencing "You say you will not fight, &c.," what follows below my signature hereto. A. LINCOLN. "I know as fully as one can know the opinions of others, that some of the commanders of our armies in the field, who have given us our most important successes, believe the emancipation policy, and the use of colored troops, constitute the heaviest blow yet dealt to the rebellion, and that at least one of those important successes, could not have been achieved when it was, but for the aid of black soldiers. Among the commanders holding these views are some who have never had any affinity with what is called abolitionism, or with Republican party politics, but who hold them purely as military opinions. I submit these opinions as being entitled to some weight against the objections, often urged, that emancipation, and arming the blacks, are unwise as military measures, and were not adopted as such in good faith." WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 31, 1863. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL LAUCK, Munfordsville, Ky.: Let the execution of Thomas E. Coleman and Charles Johns, be suspended until further order from here. Acknowledge receipt of this. A. LINCOLN. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., August 31, 1863. COL. A. G. HOBSON, Bowling Green, Ky.: I have telegraphed Lieutenant-Colonel Lauck, at Munfordsville, to suspend the execution of Coleman and Johns until further order from here. A. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON, D. C., August 31, 1863. H. B. WILSON AND OTHERS, Camden N. J.: A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, September 3, 1863. HON. JAMES C. CONKLING, Springfield, Ill.: I am mortified this morning to find the letter to you botched up in the Eastern papers, telegraphed from Chicago. How did this happen? A. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 3, 1863. MRS. A. LINCOLN, Manchester, Vt.: The Secretary of War tells me he has telegraphed General Doubleday to await further orders. We are all well and have nothing new. A. LINCOLN. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., September 5, 1863. HON. JOSEPH SEGAR, Fort Monroe, Va.: I have just seen your dispatch to the Secretary of War, who is absent. I also send a dispatch from Major Hayner of the 3d showing that he had notice of my order, and stating that the people were jubilant over it, as a victory over the Government extorted by fear, and that he had already collected about 4,000 of the money. If he has proceeded since I shall hold him accountable for his contumacy. On the contrary no dollar shall be refunded by my order until it shall appear that my act in the case has been accepted in the right spirit. A. LINCOLN. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., September 6, 1863. MAJOR-GENERAL SCHENCK, Baltimore: The Secretary of War is absent. Please direct or order that the collection of the light house be suspended, and that the money, already collected be held, both till further order. A. LINCOLN. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., September 6, 1863. MRS. A. LINCOLN, Manchester, Vt.: All well and no news except that General Burnside has Knoxville, Tenn. A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, September 9, 1863. MAJOR-GENERAL MEADE, Warrenton, Va.: It would be a generous thing to give General Wheaton a leave of absence for ten or fifteen days, and if you can do so without injury to the service, please do it. A. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 10, 1863. GENERAL WHEATON, Army of Potomac: Yesterday at the instance of Mr. Blair, senator, I telegraphed General Meade asking him to grant you a leave of absence, to which he replied that you had not applied for such leave, and that you can have it when you do apply. I suppose it is proper for you to know this. A. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 11, 1863. VICE PRESIDENT HAMLIN, Bangor, Me.: Your letter of August 22, to be presented by your son Cyrus is on my table, but I have not seen him, or know of his being here recently. A. LINCOLN. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, September 11, 1863. MAJOR-GENERAL MEADE, Warrenton, Va.: It is represented to me that Thomas Edds, in your army, is under sentence of death for desertion, to be executed next Monday. It is also said his supposed desertion is comprised in an absence commencing with his falling behind last winter, being captured and paroled by the enemy, and then going home. If this be near the truth, please suspend the execution till further order and send me the record of the trial. A. LINCOLN. GENERAL GEARY, Kelly's Ford: EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, September 12, 1863. Please tell me what you know or believe as to the conduct and disposition of E. Jacquelin Smith, residing near Salem on the Manassas Gap Railroad. A. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 12, 1863. MAJOR-GENERAL MEADE, Warrenton, Va.: The name is "Thomas Edds" not "Eddies" as in your dispatch. The papers left with me do not designate the regiment to which he belongs. The man who gave me the papers, I do not know how to find again. He only told me that Edds is in the Army of the Potomac, and that he fell out of the ranks during Burnsides' mud march last winter. If I get further information I will telegraph again. A. LINCOLN. (Cypher) EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, September 13, 1863. HON. J. K. DUBOIS, HON. O. M. HATCH: What nation do you desire General Allen to be made quartermaster-general of? This nation already has a quartermastergeneral. A. LINCOLN. |