Page 482
To Andrew G. Curtin1Jump to section
Harrisburg. Washington, Oct. 30, 1862.
By some means I have not seen your despatch of the 27th. about order No. 154, till this moment. I now learn, what I knew nothing of before, that the history of the order is as follows, towit. Gen. McClellan telegraphed asking Gen. Halleck to have the order made. Gen. Halleck went to the Sec. of War with it, stating his approval of the plan, the Secretary assented, and Gen. Halleck wrote the order. It was a military question which the Secretary supposed the Generals understood better than he. I wish I could see Gov. Curtin A LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS, RPB. On October 27, 1862, Governor Curtin telegraphed Lincoln his protest against AGO General Orders No. 154, October 9, 1862, ``as unjust to the people of the States, and calculated to demoralize and destroy volunteer organizations. . . .'' (OR, I, XIX, II, 500). Order No. 154, issued on McClellan's recommendation, instructed that, ``The commanding officer of each regiment, battalion, and battery of the Regular Army in the field, will appoint one or more recruiting officers, who are hereby authorized to enlist, with their own consent, the requisite number of efficient volunteers to fill the ranks of their command to the legal standard. . . .'' Lincoln referred Curtin's telegram to the Secretary of War, and Stanton returned it on October 30 with his endorsement, ``Order No 154 referred to within was made at the special request of Major General McClellan approved by General Halleck. . . . The protest of Governor Curtin is ill advised, revolutionary and tends to excite discontent and mutiny in the army and in my judgment should be severely rebuked by the President.'' (DLC-RTL). On October 31, Halleck authorized McClellan, ``if you deem best, to revoke all enlistments from the volunteer artillery under your command, and to return them to their batteries.'' (OR, I, XIX, II, 516).