Summary:
Union General Robert Milroy writes Abraham Lincoln in September, 1863, concerning
his thoughts on the army, strategy, and his desire for a command in Texas.
Milroy stresses to Lincoln the importance of the Shenandoah Valley as a source
of supply for the Confederacy, and declares that it should be held all the way
to Staunton.
President LINCOLN:
WASHINGTON CITY, D. C.,
September 13, 1863.
DEAR SIR:
I hope you will pardon this intrusion upon your valuable time. I know you would if you could see my motives. There are many things I wished to say to you this morning which my want of self-esteem and your apparent desire to end the interview prevented. God knows that my strongest desire is to assist you to the best of my ability in your mighty task, the most important that ever devolved of man, that of saving and restoring the great model Government of earth. I will but briefly to a few of the most important points which I desired to speak of. You in your exalted station can only be informed of army matters through official sources, which through selfishness are often unreliable, and therefore are not made aware of many things that need reform. The use intoxicating liquor as a beverage is prohibited to soldiers; why not also prohibit its use to officers. The use of intoxicating liquor in our army is enormous among the officers, and drunkenness among them from the generals to second lieutenants very common, and a very great evil to the service, and should be reformed. I would suggest that a general order be issued prohibiting its use by any person in the service of the United States as a beverage under penalty, if an officer of prompt dismissal from service, and get rid of some of these "bulls" extra. Another point I wished to mention is the vast importance of holding the Shenandoah Valley. Having been campaigning two years in the vicinity of that valley and west of it, I know it to be the Egypt of Virginia, from whence the greater part of the subsistence of Lee's army is drawn. It should be seized and held from Martinsburg to Staunton, a matter I would be pleased to do if provided with a proper command. Again, in your letter to me of June 29, you speak of my "chafing acting the part assigned" me by me superior officers, I wish to say on this point that you have been misinformed and don't know me. I have believed that the best interests of the country required that the rebellion should be speedily crushed and peace restored, and that this could only be attained by following up our blows upon the enemy one after the other with rapidity, never giving them time to recover. You are aware that this is Hoosier and Sucker tactics, but I have discovered that it is not West Point science. I confess I have often expressed and felt great importance at being restrained from striking, and at the slow progress made in the great work of striking a blow and waiting six months to study its effect. Another point is, I would be greatly pleased to be restored to the command of my old division. All its commissioned officers with two or three exceptions have petitioned you asking it, as also the Union citizens of the valley. If this cannot be granted, I would for many reasons desire a command in Texas. I have traveled through and resided there for a time and became a naturalized citizen there before the annexation. I would be greatly pleased to help avenge the terrible wrongs of Union citizens on the monsters, and desire to be down there when the rebellion ends, to be ready to pitch into the French in Mexico. Another point is, if you leave my assignment to a command to Gen. Halleck I will get none. I pray you order this yourself or direct the Secretary of War to do it. I will take any command rather than be idle.
With great respect, your most obedient servant,
R. H. MILROY,
Maj.-Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 51, Serial No. 107, Pages 1087-1088, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
