To Edwin M. Stanton1Jump to section
Sir I fear---in fact, believe---the despatch you mentioned is utter humbuggery. I have tracked it up & found that it came from Cairo last-night to the New-York-Mercury, was printed in that paper of this morning, which came by mail to Philadelphia & is thence telegraphed to Capt. Fox2Jump to section Now, is it not past belief that such news would be at Cairo that length of time, and not be sent directly to us---especially as Pennock3Jump to section is under strict orders to send every thing promptly. Besides there are no six-iron-clads, nor 15000 men at Vicksburg to pass through the canal, even if the Mississippi river had risen fifteen feet in as many minutes. Yours truly A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS-P, ISLA. On Sunday, March 29, the New York Mercury printed a dispatch dated Cairo, March 28, 8 P.M., announcing the successful use of one of the canals which Grant's army was engaged in digging to by-pass the Vicksburg fortifications. A telegram from M. J. Roberts, manager of the New York telegraph office to Thomas T. Eckert, March 30, 12:10 P.M., verified that the purported dispatch was a hoax, ``No dispatch for the `Mercury' appears on the . . . Line Books Saturday.'' (DLC-RTL).
[2] Gustavus V. Fox.
[3] Captain Alexander M. Pennock, commanding the Naval Station at Cairo, Illinois.