Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 5 [Oct. 24, 1861-Dec. 12, 1862].

About this Item

Title: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 5 [Oct. 24, 1861-Dec. 12, 1862].
Author: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.
Publication: New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press; 1953.
Rights/Permissions: The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes, with permission from their copyright holder. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission.
Link to this Item: http://name.umdl.umich.edu/lincoln5
Cite this Item: "Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 5 [Oct. 24, 1861-Dec. 12, 1862]." In the digital collection Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/lincoln5. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 3, 2024.

Pages

To Union Governors1Jump to section

Gov. E. D. Morgan Washington,
My dear Sir--- July 3. 1862. [10:30 A.M.]

I should not want the half of three hundred thousand new troops, if I could have them now. If I had fifty thousand additional troops here now, I believe I could substantially close the war in two weeks. But time is every-thing; and if I get fifty thousand new men in a month, I shall have lost twenty thousand, old ones during the same month, having gained only thirty thousand, with the difference between old and new troops still against me. The quicker you send, the fewer you will have to send. Time is everything. Please act in view of this. The enemy having given up Corinth, it is not wonderful that he is thereby enabled to check us for a time at Richmond. A. LINCOLN.

Annotation

[1] ALS, RPB. Stanton wrote ``Private and Confidential'' on the top of the manuscript, crossed out ``Gov. E.D. Morgan,'' and inserted ``Yours truly'' before Lincoln's signature. This letter seems to have been written primarily to Governor Morgan, but was telegraphed to the other governors also, in view of their common problem. Replies from the several governors (OR, III, II, 201-06) indicate difficulties in meeting the call but promise prompt action.

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