The President came into my room just before bed-time, and
said that Rosecrans had been sending despatches requesting that an officer of
his staff might be sent to Washington to lay before the President 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
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 to-morrow.” He gave me in
the morning, before I was out of bed, this note to deliver to Rosecrans:—
Executive Mansion.
Washington
June 10, 1864
MAJOR-GENERAL ROSECRANS
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.
Yrs truly,
A. LINCOLN.
SOURCES: Clara B. Hay, Letters of John Hay and
Extracts from Diary, Volume 1, p. 199-200; This diary entry was clearly
written after June 9. See Michael Burlingame & John R. Turner Ettlinger,
Editors, Inside Lincoln’s White House:
The Complete War Diary of John Hay, p. 202-3 for the full diary entry which
they date June 17.
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