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

Annotation

[1]   ALS, DLC; LS copy, DLC-RTL. The original autograph letter has Milroy's endorsement at the end of the letter as follows: ``Old Abe is mistaken.

Schenck never gave me Hallocks said order. But mearly ordered me to send off (back) all surpluss stores &c. but in the mean time to hold my position till further orders. I sent off all surpluss stores held my position, but got no further orders because I was surrounded & telegraf wires cut.''

On June 28 Milroy wrote John P. Usher, from Baltimore, ``I ask you as a friend in Gods name, to go with it [enclosed letter] to the President at once, & try to procure my release from the grasp of an incompetent unprincipled tyrant.'' The letter to Lincoln is in part as follows: ``I had no orders to evacuate Winchester, I was told to get ready. . . . Myself and brother officers felt sure that Hooker would occupy the whole of Lee's army, & I felt entirely able for all the Rebel forces in the Valley. . . . And the salvation of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail road depending wholly upon our holding . . . and mistaking the advance of Lee's Army by way of Front Royal, for a feint by a few hundred cavalry . . . I held on at Winchester until I was surrounded by a force of about 60,000. . . .

``I love my country & the Union dearer than life, and God knows that every faculty of my soul & body has been devoted to its salvation. . . . I have never asked a leave of absence & have not been absent from my command a single day or night . . . until two days ago, I was suspended from command and day or night . . . until two days ago, I was suspended from command and placed in arrest by order of General Halleck, like a common fellon.

``I may have erred in judgment in remaining too long at Winchester . . . but without disobeying any orders or being guilty of any crime, I am deprived of command & made a prisoner. . . . Halleck hates me without cause . . . with the blind unreasoning hatred of an Indian & I can ask or expect nothing but injustice from him, and I respectfully ask you sir, as a friend of our country, to suspend my arrest if only temporarily, during the present terrible crisis, and give me something to do, if it is only the command of a company in active service. If permitted I would freely resign my present commission, & take any command, or go into the ranks as a private, rather than remain idle at this critical period.

``After the crisis is passed, & my country is saved, Halleck may have me tried to his hearts content and hang me if he can.'' (DLC-RTL).

The records show that on June 11, Schenck relayed to Lieutenant Colonel Donn Piatt from Martinsburg, Halleck's instructions to withdraw to Harper's Ferry, and that Piatt's telegram relaying the order was received by Milroy at midnight on the same day. Milroy thereupon telegraphed Schenck that he had the place well protected and hated to give it up, and Schenck replied at 1 A.M. on June 12, ``Lieutenant-Colonel Piatt . . . misunderstood me, and somewhat exceeded his instructions. You will make all the required preparations for withdrawing, but hold your position in the meantime. Be ready for movement, but await further orders. . . .'' (OR, I, XXVII, II, 49-50).

On the night of June 12, Milroy telegraphed Schenck of the approach of the enemy and asked whether to abandon his position or not. Schenck's reply ordering Milroy to fall back to Harper's Ferry was not received because the wires had been cut by the enemy. (Ibid., 50-52).

[2]   In John Hay's autograph on the original.

[3]   The autograph letter has ``Blair'' corrected to ``Usher'' by Milroy.