Annotation
[1] AES, owned by Richard Lufkin, West Medford, Massachusetts. Lincoln's endorsement is preserved on the back of a fragment of the last page of a letter, the only remaining portion of which gives no clue to the author or the substance. An endorsement by Stanton immediately following that of Lincoln suggests the possibility that the letter concerned the advisability of evacuating the Capitol, which had been requisitioned by the War Department. Stanton's endorsement is as follows: ``The Secretary of War respectfully reports etc. that the great number of wounded soldiers in the battles on the Rappahannock[,] Manassas & Centreville made the occupation of the Capitol an absolute necessity and it was taken on the requisition of the Surgeon General for temporary purposes. Orders have been given to the Surgeon General to evacuate the Capitol as speedily as possible. [See Lincoln's order of October 14, infra.]
``2. Directions were given about two months ago to remove the bakeries which has been partially accomplished. The sudden increase of troops has occasioned delay in removing all the ovens but it is in process of execution.''