Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 7 [Nov. 5, 1863-Sept. 12, 1864].

To William S. Rosecrans1Jump to section

Executive Mansion, Washington,
Major-General Rosecrans June 10, 1864.

Major John Hay, the bearer, is one of my Private Secretaries, to whom please communicate, in writing, or verbally, anything you would think proper to say to me. Yours truly A. LINCOLN.

Annotation

[1]   ALS (copy?), DLC-RTL. See Lincoln's telegrams to Rosecrans, June 7 and 8, supra. On June 9, Richard Yates telegraphed Lincoln, ``I have recd from Genl Rosecrans information of most vital importance to the Govt which cannot be conveyed to you in its full import by mail or by express I think it very important that you summon Genl Rosecrans or Col J P Sanderson his Provost Marshal to Washn immediately.'' (DLC-RTL).

John Hay's Diary gives an account of his trip to St. Louis (Tyler Dennett, ed., op. cit., pp. 187-94) to receive Rosecrans' report of a conspiracy by the Order of American Knights, reputedly led by Clement L. Vallandigham, and by Charles Hunt, Belgian consul at St. Louis. A portion of the account is as follows:

``Thursday night, June 9, the President came into my room just before bedtime and said that Rosecrans had been sending despatches requesting that an officer of his staff might be sent to Washington to lay before the Prest. matters of great importance in regard to a conspiracy to overthrow the government. He asked for this permission on account of the outrage committed upon Major Bond of his Staff who was some time ago court martialed for coming to Washington

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under General Rosecrans' orders. Recently Gov. Yates has joined in Rosecrans' request, asking that Sanderson shall be sent for. `If it is a matter of such overwhelming importance,' said the President, `I don't think Sanderson is the proper person to whom to entrust it. I am inclined to think that the object of the General is to force me into a conflict with the Secretary of War and to make me overrule him in this matter. This at present I am not inclined to do. I have concluded to send you out there to talk it over with Rosecrans and to ascertain just what he has. I would like you to start tomorrow.'

``He gave me, in the morning before I was out of bed, this note [supra] to deliver to Rosecrans.''

On June 13 Secretary Stanton telegraphed Rosecrans, ``The President directs that the archives and papers of the Belgian consulate, alleged to have been taken from the possession of Mr. Hunt, late Belgian consul, by your provostmarshal, be returned to him, and that no proceedings be had against him without orders from this department; that you release him if he be imprisoned, and that you report by telegraph what proceedings, if any, have been had by your provost-marshal, or any other officer under your command, in reference to Mr. Hunt, or the papers and archives of his consulate, and the grounds or causes of such proceedings.'' (OR, I, XXXIV, IV, 337).

On June 14, Rosecrans wrote Lincoln:

``Major Hay has received such full details of the character of the conspiracy alluded to in my dispatches as will suffice to show you what important national interests are involved in the proper understanding and handling of the matter, and satisfy you that the whole should be laid immediately before you by an officer capable of giving such details as will enable you to adopt a policy the execution of which will give adequate security to the public interests.

``I beg leave therefore to call your attention to a few points in connexion with the information he will give you.

``1. The organization not only threatens great danger in case our military operations are unsuccessful or indecisive in their results but is now working great general mischief by spreading discontent among the people, circulating false reports injurious to the Government, creating doubt and discouragement, aiding spies suppliers of arms and other contraband and giving aid comfort and encouragement to the rebellion.

``2. These conspirators are ready to do anything in their power such as assisting guerillas and, whenever opportunity offers, joining them in destroying R.R. bridges, capturing our outposts threatening our depots and aiding in the work of plunder and murder and devastation. The present raid in Kentucky was invited and as you will observe unquestionably received aid from this organization bridges having been destroyed and other mischief done at distances of thirty or forty miles from the rebel raiders.

``I knew that this raid was contemplated and my men warned the Natl authorities authorities [sic] of it some weeks ago. Of course too much is involved to permit me to send manuscript communications to you either by mail or express. My duty to you the country and to the persons whose lives would be endangered by want of prompt and proper action all forbid such a course

``3. I take this opportunity to call your attention to the fact that my application for a remittance from the contingent fund to defray the expenses involved in this and other investigations demanded by the interests of the service in this Department have been refused by the Secretary of War. That refusal has been most injurious to the public interests and unwarranted by the condition of affairs here as well as by the customs of the service.

``4 The obstacles interposed to my communication with you, this refusal of necessary means to conduct the secret service so important in this Department convince me that your interposition is needed to prevent the interests of the people and the good name of your administration from being seriously injured.

``5. As the 4th of July is generally understood to be the chosen time for the

conspirators to begin their work of mischief prompt action will be necessary. No interference should be permitted with the arrests which have or may be made of parties involved such as Hunt and others whose friends will undoubtedly appeal to you.'' (DLC-RTL).