To John M. Schofield1Jump to section
St. Louis, Mo. Aug. 22. 1863
Please send me, if you can, a transcript of the record in the case of McGuire & Bell, convicted of Murder by a Military Commission. I telegraphed Gen. Strong for it, but he does not answer.
A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS, RPB. See Lincoln to Stanton, August 16, and to Strong, August 17, supra. General Schofield replied on August 25, ``The records in the cases of McGuire & Bell were sent to the Judge Advocate General Washn on the 17th of June'' (DLC-RTL).
The records in the case have not been found. On August 31, Colonel John F. Philips of the Seventh Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, wrote Lincoln about the case. David Bell, a sergeant in Company B of Philips' regiment, and one McGuire, were convicted of the murder of William Major, a citizen of Pettis County, Missouri. On furlough at the time, Bell was drunk and blamed the murder on McGuire (DLC-RTL).