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Can we not renew the effort to organize a force to go to Western Texas? Please consult with the General-in-Chief on the subject. If the Governor of New-Jersey shall furnish any new regiments,
might not they be put into such an expedition. Please think of it. I believe no local object is now more desirable. Yours truly
A. LINCOLN
[1] ALS-P, ISLA; copy, DNA RG 108, HQA, Letters Received, Box 63, No. 705. The occasion for this note is indicated by the entry in Welles' Diary on July 31, 1863: ``Seward wished me to meet him and the President . . . to consider the subject of the immediate occupation of some portion of Texas. . . . The European combination, or concerted understanding, against us begins to be developed and appreciated. The use of the Rio Grande to evade the blockade, and the establishment of regular lines of steamers to Matamoros did not disturb some of our people, but certain movements and recent givings-out of the French have alarmed Seward, who says Louis Napoleon is making an effort to get Texas. . . .''