Major-general McDOWELL: 

What is the strength of your force now actually with you?

A. Lincoln.

MEMORANDUM OF PROPOSED ADDITIONS TO INSTRUCTIONS OF ABOVE DATE TO GENERAL McDOWELL, AND GENERAL MEIGS’S INDORSEMENT THEREON.

May 17, 1862.  You will retain the separate command of the forces taken with you; but while co-operating with General McClellan you will obey his orders, except that you are to judge, and are not to allow your force to be disposed otherwise than so as to give the greatest protection to this capital which may be possible from that distance.

[Indorsement.] To the Secretary of war: 

The President having shown this to me, I suggested that it is dangerous to direct a subordinate not to obey the orders of his superior in any case, and that to give instructions to General McClellan to this same end and furnish General McDowell with a copy thereof would effect the object desired by the President.  He desired me to say that the sketch of instructions to General McClellan herewith he thought made this addition unnecessary.

Respectfully,
M. C. M.

INDORSEMENT RELATING TO GENERAL DAVID HUNTER’S ORDER OF MILITARY EMANCIPATION,

MAY 17, 1862

No commanding general shall do such a thing upon my responsibility without consulting me.

A. Lincoln.

FROM SECRETARY STANTON TO GENERAL McCLELLAN.

Washington, May 18, 1862.

General: 
Your despatch to the President, asking reinforcements, has been
received and carefully considered.

The President is not willing to uncover the capital entirely; and it is believed that, even if this were prudent, it would require more time to effect a junction between your army and that of the Rappahannock by the way of the Potomac and York rivers than by a land march.  In order, therefore, to increase the strength of the attack upon Richmond at the earliest moment, General McDowell has been ordered to march upon that city by the shortest route.  He is ordered, keeping himself always in position to save the capital from all possible attack, so to operate as to put his left wing in communication with your right wing, and you are instructed to co-operate so as to establish this communication as soon as possible by extending your right-wing to the north of Richmond.

It is believed that this communication can be safely established either north or south of the Pamunkey River.

In any event, you will be able to prevent the main body of the enemy’s forces from leaving Richmond and falling in overwhelming force upon General McDowell.  He will move with between thirty-five and forty thousand men.

A copy of the instructions to General McDowell are with this.  The specific task assigned to his command has been to provide against any danger to the capital of the nation.