To William S. Rosecrans1Jump to section
War Department,
Major General Rosecrans Washington, D.C.,
St. Louis, Mo. July 9 1864.
When did the Sec. of War telegraph you to release Dr. Barrett? If it is an old thing, let it stand till you hear further.
A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS, DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams, I, 91. Dr. James A. Barrett was one of several purported leaders of the Order of American Knights, the copperhead secret society, at St. Louis. On June 25, 1864, General Grant telegraphed Stanton, ``I will feel obliged to you if you will order General Rosecrans to release Dr. J. A. Barrett, a citizen prisoner, lately confined in St. Louis. . . . The Doctor is a copperhead, but I have no idea that he has done anything more than that class of people are constantly doing, and not so much. He was a neighbor of mine, a clever man, and has a practice in the neighborhood which it will be very inconvenient to other people than himself to have interrupted.'' (OR, II, VII, 411). On June 26, James A. Hardie telegraphed Rosecrans: ``You will release Dr. J. A. Barrett upon his parole on his bond for $2,000, conditioned on his refraining from any act of hostility to the United States or from giving aid and comfort to the enemy after his release. . . .'' (Ibid., p. 417). On July 8, Rosecrans telegraphed Lincoln: ``A telegram from the Secretary of War says you direct the release of Doctor Barrett. . . . His release would endanger the public peace and defeat the ends of justice, and I respectfully request a reversion of the order. . . .'' (Ibid., p. 477). No further order has been located.