will let us have Richmond and retake Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, &c. What should be done is to hold what we have in the West, open the Mississippi, and take Chattanooga and East Tennessee without more. A reasonable force should in every event be kept about Washington for this protection. Then let the country give us 100,000 new troops in the shortest possible time, which,added to McClellan, directly or indirectly, will take Richmond without endangering any other place which we now hold and will substantially end the war. I expect to maintain this contest until successful, or till I die, or am conquered, or my term expires, or Congress or the country forsake me; and I would publicly appeal to the country for this new force were it not that I fear a general panic and stampede would follow, so hard is it to have a thing understood as it really is. I think the new force should be all, or nearly all, infantry, principally because such can be raised most cheaply and quickly.

Yours, very truly,

A. LINCOLN.

JUNE 28, 1862.

The PRESIDENT:

The undersigned, Governors of State of the Union, impressed with the belief that the citizens of the States which they respectively represent are of one accord in the hearty desire that the recent successes of the Federal arms may be followed up by measures which must insure the speedy restoration of the Union; and believing that in view of the present state of the important military movements now in progress and the reduced condition of our effective forces in the field, resulting from the usual and unavoidable casualties of the service, that the time has arrived for prompt and vigorous measures to be adopted by the people in support of the great interests committed by your charge we respectfully request, if it meets with entire approval, that you at once call upon the several States for such number of men as may be required to fill up all military organizations now in the field, and add to the armies heretofore organized such additional number of men as may in your judgment be necessary to garrison and hold all of the numerous cities and military positions that have been captured by our armies, and to speedily crush the rebellion that still exists in several of the Southern States, thus practically restoring to the civilized world our great and good Government. All believe that the decisive moment is near at hand, and to that end the people of the United States are desirous to aid promptly in furnishing all re-enforcements that you may deem needful to sustain our Government.

Israel Washburn, jr., Governor of Maine; N. S. Berry,

Governor of New Hampshire; Frederick Holbrook,

Governor of Vermont; Wm. A. Buckingham, Governor

of Connecticut; E. D. Morgan, Governor of New York;

Charles S. Olden, Governor of New Jersey; A. G. Cutin,

Governor of Pennsylvania; A. W. Bradford, Governor

of Maryland; H. F. Peirpoint, Governor of

Virginia; Austin Blair, Governor of Michigan; J. B.

Temple, President Military Board of Kentucky;

Andrew Johnson, Governor of Tennessee; H. R.

Gamble, Governor of Missouri; O. P. Morton, Governor

of Indiana; David Tod, Governor of Ohio; Alexander

Ramsey, Governor of Minnesota; Richard Yates,

Governor or Illinois; Edward Salomon, Governor of

Wisconsin.