A. Lincoln.

DESERTERS DEATH SENTENCES REMITTED

General orders, no.76.

War department,
Adjutant-generals office,

Washington, February 26, 1864.

Sentence of Deserters.

The President directs that the sentences of all deserters who have been condemned by court-martial to death, and that have not been otherwise acted upon by him, be mitigated to imprisonment during the war at the Dry Tortugas, Florida, where they will be sent under suitable guards by orders from army commanders.

The commanding generals, who have power to act on proceedings of courts-martial in such cases, are authorized in special cases to restore to duty deserters under sentence, when in their judgment the service will be thereby benefited.

Copies of all orders issued under the foregoing instructions will be immediately forwarded to the Adjutant-General and to the Judge-Advocate General.

By order of the Secretary of War: 
B. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant-General

FEMALE SPY

Telegram to general Butler. 
Executive Mansion, Washington, February 26, 1864

Major-general Butler, Fort.  Monroe, Va.: 

I cannot remember at whose request it was that I gave the pass to Mrs. Bulky.  Of course detain her, if the evidence of her being a spy is strong against her.

A. Lincoln.

TO W. JAYNE.

Executive Mansion,
Washington, February 26, 1864.

Hon.  W. Jayne.

Dear sir—­I dislike to make changes in office so long as they can be avoided.  It multiplies my embarrassments immensely.  I dislike two appointments when one will do.  Send me the name of some man not the present marshal, and I will nominate him to be Provost-Marshal for Dakota.

Yours truly,

A. Lincoln.

TO E. H. EAST.

Washington, February 27, 1864.

Hon.  E. H:  East, Secretary of State, Nashville, Tennessee

Your telegram of the twenty-sixth instant asking for a copy of my despatch to Warren Jordan, Esq., at Nashville Press office, has just been referred to me by Governor Johnson.  In my reply to Mr. Jordan, which was brief and hurried, I intended to say that in the county and State elections of Tennessee, the oath prescribed in the proclamation of Governor Johnson on the twenty-sixth of January, 1864, ordering an election in Tennessee on the first Saturday in March next, is entirely satisfactory to me as a test of loyalty of all persons proposing or offering to vote in said elections; and coming from him would better be observed and followed.  There is no conflict between the oath of amnesty in my proclamation of eighth December, 1863, and that prescribed by Governor Johnson in his proclamation of the twenty-sixth ultimo.