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

To Horatio Seymour1Jump to section

His Excellency Executive Mansion
Horatio Seymour Washington
Governor of New-York. August 11 1863

Yours of the 8th. with Judge Advocate General Waterbury's report, was received to-day. Asking you to remember that I consider time as being very important, both to the general cause of the country, and to the soldiers already in the field, I beg to remind you that I waited, at your request, from the 1st till the 6th. Inst. to receive your communication dated the 3rd. In view of it's great length, and the known time, and apparant care, taken in it's preparation, I did not doubt that it contained your full case as you desired to present it. It contained figures for twelve Districts, omitting the other nineteen, as I supposed, because you found nothing to complain of, as to them. I answered accordingly. In doing so, I laid down the principle to which I purpose adhering---which is, to proceed with the draft, at the same time employing infallible means to avoid any great wrongs. With the communication received to-day, you send figures for twenty eight Districts, including

the twelve sent before, and still omitting three, from which I suppose the enrolments are not yet received. In looking over this fuller list of twenty eight Districts, I find that the quotas for sixteen of them are above 2000 and below 2700, while, of the rest, six are above 2700 and six are below 2000. Applying the principle to these new facts, the 5th. and 7th. Districts must be added to the four in which the quotas have already been reduced to 2200 for the first draft; and, with these, four others must be added to those to be re-enrolled.

The corrected case will then stand:

The quotas of the 2nd. 4th. 5th. 6th. 7th. & 8th. Districts fixed at 2200. for the first draft.

The Provost-Marshal-General informs me that the drawing is already completed in 16th. 17th. 18th. 22nd. 24th. 26th. 27th. 28th. 29th. & 30th. Districts.

In the others, except the three outstanding, the drawing will be made upon the quotas as now fixed.

After the first draft, the 2nd. 4th. 5th. 6th. 7th. 8th. 16th. 17th. 21st. 25th. 29th & 31st. Districts2Jump to section will be re-enrolled for the purpose, and in the manner stated in my letter of the 7th. Inst. The same principle will be applied to the now outstanding Districts when they shall come in. No part of my former letter is repudiated, by reason of not being restated in this, or for any other cause. Your Obt. Servt. A. LINCOLN

Annotation

[1]   ADfS, DLC-RTL; LS, RPB. On August 8, Governor Seymour replied to Lincoln's communication of August 7, supra: `` . . . I regret your refusal to comply with my request to have the draft in this State suspended until it can be ascertained if the enrollments are made in accordance with the laws. . . . I now send you a full report, made to me by Judge-Advocate-General [Nelson J.] Waterbury. . . . You will see by the report . . . that there is no theory which can explain or justify the enrollments in this State. . . .'' (OR, III, III, 639-40). Waterbury's report may be found in the same source, pp. 640-51.

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[2]   ``Districts'' inserted by John Hay.

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