Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 6 [Dec. 13, 1862-Nov. 3, 1863].

To William S. Rosecrans1Jump to section

Major General Rosecrans Executive Mansion, Washington,
Nashville, Tenn. May 20, 1863. [9:50 A.M.]

Yours of yesterday in relation to Col. Haggard is received. I am anxious that you shall not misunderstand me. In no case have I intended to censure you, or to question your ability. In Col. Haggard's case I meant no more than to suggest that possibly you might have been mistaken, in a point that could be corrected. I frequently make mistakes myself, in the many things I am compelled to do hastily. A. LINCOLN

Annotation

[1]   ALS, RPB. Rosecrans' telegram of May 19 is as follows: ``The autograph letter of your Excellency dated May first . . . respecting the case of Col. David R. Haggard has just been handed me by the colonel. It seems to me . . . that my action . . . is not properly understood. My duty as comdr of troops is to see that they are kept at their maximum of efficiency . . . officers exist only to effect this . . . this duty is just recognized . . . by Genl Order Number one hundred war Dept. of 1862 which requires . . . commanders to report all officers who by reason of ill health or other cause have been absent from duty over sixty days. This was Col. Haggard's case when I assumed the command of this Dept. but he was in ill health when I saw him. He continued in ill health & absent . . . more than sixty days & I reported the facts to the War Dept. . . . the War Dept. dismissed him instead of mustering him out . . . now the Col. appears here & has not a doubt of his health & physical ability to command his Regiment. . . . His former place has not as yet been filled. . . . I have no objection whatever to the revocation of the order whereby

keyboard_returnReturn

he was mustered out. . . . I have thought it proper & due to you as well as to my official action to say this much in this case because the note of your Excellency seemed to imply that his being mustered out of the service was an official mistake of the Comdr. of this Dept. . . .'' (DLC-RTL).

No further reference has been found to the case of Colonel David R. Haggard of the Fifth Kentucky Cavalry, and Lincoln's letter to Rosecrans of May 1 has not been located. See further Lincoln to Haggard, May 25, infra.