cannot be present to witness the presentation of a sword
by the gallant Pennsylvania Reserve Corps to one so worthy to receive it
as General Meade.

A. LINCOLN.

TELEGRAM TO L. SWETT.

WASHINGTON, D. C., August 29, 1863.

HON. L. SWETT, San Francisco, Cal.: If the Government's rights are
reserved, the Government will be satisfied, and at all events it will
consider.

A. LINCOLN.

TELEGRAM TO MRS. LINCOLN.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, D. C. August 29, 1863.

MRS. A. LINCOLN, Manchester, N. H.:

All quite well. Fort Sumter is certainly battered down and utterly useless
to the enemy, and it is believed here, but not entirely certain, that both
Sumter and Fort Wagner are occupied by our forces. It is also certain that
General Gilmore has thrown some shot into the city of Charleston.

A. LINCOLN.

TELEGRAM TO J. C. CONKLING.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON,

August 31, 1863.

HON. JAMES C. CONKLING, Springfield, Ill.:

In my letter of the 26th insert between the sentence ending "since the
issue of the Emancipation Proclamation as before" and the next, commencing
"You say you will not fight, etc.," what follows below my signature
hereto.

A. LINCOLN.

"I know as fully as one can know the opinions of others that some of
the commanders of our armies in the field, who have given us our most
important successes, believe the emancipation policy and the use of
colored troops constitute the heaviest blow yet dealt to the rebellion,
and that at least one of those important successes could not have been
achieved when it was, but for the aid of black soldiers. Among the
commanders holding these views are some who have never had any affinity
with what is called abolitionism, or with Republican party politics, but
who hold them purely as military opinions. I submit these opinions as
being entitled to some weight against the objections, often urged, that
emancipation and arming the blacks are unwise as military measures and
were not adopted as such in good faith."

TO GENERAL W. S. ROSECRANS.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, August 31, 1863.

MY DEAR GENERAL ROSECRANS:

Yours of the 22d was received yesterday. When I wrote you before, I did
not intend, nor do I now, to engage in an argument with you on military
questions. You had informed me you were impressed through General Halleck
that I was dissatisfied with you, and I could not bluntly deny that I was
without unjustly im