GRANT'S HEADQUARTERS,

City Point, July 19, 1864-10 a. m.

(Received 8. 30 p. m.)

His Excellency A. LINCOLN,

President of the United States:

In my opinion there ought to be an immediate call for, say, 300,000 men to be put in the field in the shortest possible time. The presence of this number of re-enforcements would save the annoyance of raids, and would enable us to drive the enemy from his present front, particularly from Richmond, without attacking fortifications. The enemy now have their last men in the field. Every depletion of their army is an irreparable loss. Desertions from it are now rapid. With the prospect of large additions to our force these desertions would increase. The greater number of men we have the shorter and less sanguinary will be the war. I give this entirely as my views and not in any spirit of dictation, always holding myself in readiness to use the material given me to the best advantage I know how.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

WASHINGTON, July 19, 1864-4 p. m.

Lieutenant-General GRANT, City Point, Va.:

I am of the opinion that another regiment of heavy artillery, in addition to those with General Wright should be sent here as soon as you spare it. I have written to-day at length.

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

WASHINGTON, July 19, 1864.

Lieutenant-General GRANT, City Point:

GENERAL: The recent raid into Maryland seems to have established several things, which it would be well for us to keep in mind:

First. It has proved that while your army is south of the James River and Lee's between you and Washington, he can make a pretty large detachment unknown to us for a week or ten days and sent it against Washington, or into West Virginia, or Pennsylvania, or Maryland.

Second. General Hunter's army, which comprises all troops north of Richmond that can go into the field, is entirely too weak to hold West Virginia and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and at the same time to resist any considerable rebel raid north of the Potomac.

Third. We cannot rely upon aid from the military of the Northern States. They will not come out at all, or will come too late, or in so small a force as to be useless.

Fourth. The garrisons of Washington and Baltimore are made up of troops entirely unfit for the field and wholly inadequate for the defense of these places. Had it not been for the opportune arrival of the veterans of the Sixth Corps both cities would have been in great danger. So long as you were operating between Washington and the enemy your army covered Maryland and Pennsylvania and I sent you all the troops from here and the North which could take