To William S. Rosecrans1Jump to section
Murfreesboro, Tenn. Washington, Jan. 5. 186[3]
Your despatch announcing retreat of enemy has just reached here. God bless you, and all with you! Please tender to all, and accept for yourself, the Nation's gratitude for yours, and their, skill, endurance, and dantless courage. A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS, RPB. Lincoln's erroneous date ``1862'' has been corrected on the manuscript in a different handwriting. Rosecrans' dispatch to Halleck on January 5, 1863, reported the Union victory in the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as follows: ``We have fought one of the greatest battles of the war, and are victorious. Our entire success on the 31st was prevented by a surprise of the right flank; but have, nevertheless, beaten the enemy, after a three-days' battle. They fled with great precipitancy on Saturday night. The last of their columns of cavalry left this morning. Their loss has been very heavy. Generals [James E.] Rains and [Roger W.] Hanson killed. [James R.] Chalmers, [Daniel W.] Adams, and [John C.] Breckinridge are wounded.'' (OR, I, XX, I, 186).
[2] ``W. S. Rosecrans'' is not in Lincoln's handwriting.