Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 8 [ Sept. 12, 1864-Apr. 14, 1865, undated, appendices].

About this Item

Title: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 8 [ Sept. 12, 1864-Apr. 14, 1865, undated, appendices].
Author: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.
Publication: New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press; 1953.
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Link to this Item: http://name.umdl.umich.edu/lincoln8
Cite this Item: "Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 8 [ Sept. 12, 1864-Apr. 14, 1865, undated, appendices]." In the digital collection Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/lincoln8. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 20, 2025.

Pages

Executive Mansion, Washington,
Hon. Secretary of War. Dec. 31, 1864.

You may remember that some time in June last (I think) an Assistant Inspector General on Col. Speer's2Open page staff, in Gen. Butler's army, by name Andrew J. Smith, was convicted of a rape upon a colored girl. Gen. Butler, Mr. Holt, and yourself, each in turn, on examination of the evidence, thought there was no doubt of his guilt, while I thought there was some slight room for doubt on the question of personal identification [sic]. I concluded however, to let him suffer a while, and then discharge him. Twice within two or three weeks I made a short order for his pardon for the unexecuted part of the sentence, which, however it seems has not yet been done. Let it be done now. Yours truly A. LINCOLN