Joseph A. Gilmore, Gov. N.H. Washington Aug. 7, 1863.
My dear Governor Gilmore: I thank you very heartily for your kind invitation to visit Concord, and especially for the exceedingly cordial terms in which you have conveyed it. I very much regret that I cannot at present accept it. I am by no means certain that I can leave Washington at all this summer. The exacting nature of my official duties renders it exceedingly improbable. I assure you however that I am none the less sincerely grateful for your kind intentions and for the expressions of personal good will contained in your letter. I am very truly yours, A. LINCOLN.