naissance that the battery at Jamestown has been abandoned, and he
again requests that gunboats may be sent up the James River.

If you have tolerable confidence that you can successfully contend with
the Merrimac without the help of the Galena and two accompanying gunboats,
send the Galena and two gunboats up the James River at once. Please report
your action on this to me at once. I shall be found either at General
Wool's headquarters or on board the Miami.

Your obedient servant,

A. LINCOLN.

FURTHER REPRIMAND OF McCLELLAN

TO GENERAL G. B. McCLELLAN.

FORT MONROE, VIRGINIA, May 9, 1862

MAJOR-GENERAL McCLELLAN:

MY DEAR SIR:--I have just assisted the Secretary of War in framing part of
a despatch to you relating to army corps, which despatch, of course, will
have reached you long before this will. I wish to say a few words to you
privately on this subject. I ordered the army corps organization not only
on the unanimous opinion of the twelve generals whom you had selected and
assigned as generals of divisions, but also on the unanimous opinion of
every military man I could get an opinion from, and every modern military
book, yourself only excepted. Of course, I did not on my own judgment
pretend to understand the subject. I now think it indispensable for you to
know how your struggle against it is received in quarters which we cannot
entirely disregard. It is looked upon as merely an effort to pamper one or
two pets, and to persecute and degrade their supposed rivals. I have had
no word from Sumner, Heintzleman, or Keyes the commanders of these corps
are, of course, the three highest officers with you; but I am constantly
told that you have no consultation or communication with them; that you
consult and communicate with nobody but General Fitz John Porter, and
perhaps General Franklin. I do not say these complaints are true or just;
but at all events, it is proper you should know of their existence. Do the
commanders of corps disobey your orders in anything?

When you relieved General Hamilton of his command the other day, you
thereby lost the confidence of at least one of your best friends in the
Senate. And here let me say, not as applicable to you personally, that
Senators and Representatives speak of me in their places without question,
and that officers of the army must cease addressing insulting letters to
them for taking no greater liberty with them.

But to return. Are you strong enough--