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

To Mrs. Abraham H. Hoge1Jump to section

Mrs. A. H. Hoge Executive Mansion,
Chicago, Illinois. Washington, January 6. 1863.

I am sorry I failed in my former note to make myself understood by you. You send me a commission, which is good as far as it goes; but it fills only one of the three conditions which I stated to you as being indispensable. The remaining conditions are that a Major General must be found who has not already the full complement of Staff-officers, which the law allows to a Major-General, and who is willing to take your son as one of them. Without these I should violate both law, and an indispensable courtesy, to thrust your son, or any one else, upon any Major General's staff. As to Brigadier-Generals, they are not allowed any staff officers with as

high rank as Major. If I were to undertake it, I probably could not, in less than a month, nor without a laborious correspondence, find the General entitled by law to have an additional staff officer with the rank of Major, and who is willing [to] take your son as the man. This your son must do this [sic] for himself. I hope I now make myself understood Yours very truly A. LINCOLN

Annotation

[1]   ALS, ICHi. See Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Hoge, November 25, 1862, supra. Mrs. Hoge's letter is not in the Lincoln Papers.

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