To John M. Schofield1Jump to section
Gen. J. M. Schofield Washington, May 27. 1863.
My dear Sir: Having relieved Gen. Curtis and assigned you to the command of the Department of the Missouri---I think it may be of some advantage for me to state to you why I did it. I did not relieve Gen. Curtis because of any full conviction that he had done wrong by commission or omission. I did it because of a conviction in my mind that the Union men of Missouri, constituting, when united, a vast majority of the whole people, have entered into a pestilent factional quarrel among themselves, Gen. Curtis, perhaps not of choice, being the head of one faction, and Gov. Gamble that of the other. After months of labor to reconcile the difficulty, it seemed to grow worse and worse until I felt it my duty to break it up some how; and as I could not remove Gov. Gamble, I had to remove Gen. Curtis. Now that you are in the position, I wish you to undo nothing merely because Gen. Curtis or Gov. Gamble did it; but to exercise your own judgment, and do right for the public interest. Let your military measures be strong enough to repel the invader and keep the peace, and not so strong as to unnecessarily harrass and persecute the people. It is a difficult role, and so much greater will be the honor if you perform it well. If both factions, or neither, shall abuse you, you will probably be about right. Beware of being assailed by one, and praised by the other. Yours truly
A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ADfS, DLC-RTL. The envelope in which the draft was filed bears Lincoln's endorsement ``To Gen Schofield---May 27. 1863. & to Gen Curtis June 8. 1863.'' Schofield replied on June 1, ``I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter . . . explaining the reasons which induced you to make a change in the command of this department, and your wish as to the principle which shall guide me. . . . I shall not fail to carry out your wishes to the fullest extent in my power, and shall be thankful for such instructions and advice as you may at any time be pleased to give me. The most serious difficulty I shall have to overcome will arise from the differences to which you allude between the factions into which the Union people are unfortunately divided. It shall be my highest aim, while keeping aloof from either faction, to reconcile their differences so far as my influence should extend, or at least to so conduct my administration as to give neither any just cause of complaint. . . .'' (OR, I, XXII, II, 301).
See further Lincoln to Curtis, June 8, infra.