Yours truly,

A. Lincoln.

Telegram to general Thomas. 
War department, Washington, February 28, 1864.

General L. Thomas, Louisville, Kentucky: 

I see your despatch of yesterday to the Secretary of War.

I wish you would go to the Mississippi River at once, and take hold of and be master in the contraband and leasing business.  You understand it better than any other man does.  Mr. Miller’s system doubtless is well intended, but from what I hear I fear that, if persisted in, it would fall dead within its own entangling details.  Go there and be the judge.  A Mr. Lewis will probably follow you with something from me on this subject, but do not wait for him.  Nor is this to induce you to violate or neglect any military order from the General-in-Chief or Secretary of War.

A. Lincoln.

TO SECRETARY CHASE.

Executive Mansion,
Washington, February 29, 1864.

Hon.  Secretary of the treasury.

My Dear sir:—­I would have taken time to answer yours of the 22d inst. sooner, only that I did not suppose any evil could result from the delay, especially as, by a note, I promptly acknowledged the receipt of yours, and promised a fuller answer.  Now, on consideration I find there is really very little to say.  My knowledge of Mr. Pomeroy’s letter having been made public came to me only the day you wrote; but I had, in spite of myself, known of its existence several days before.  I have not yet read it, and I think I shall not.  I was not shocked or surprised by the appearance of the letter, because I had had knowledge of Mr. Pomeroy’s committee, and of secret issues which, I supposed, came from it, and of secret agents who, I supposed, were sent out by it for several weeks.  I have known just as little a these things as my friends have allowed me to know.  They bring the documents to me, but I do not read them; they tell me what they think fit to tell me, but I do not inquire for more.

I fully concur with you that neither of us can justly be held responsible for what our respective friends may do without our instigation or countenance and I assure you, as you have assured me, that no assault has been made upon you by my instigation, or with my countenance.

Whether you shall remain at the head of the Treasury Department is a question which I will not allow myself to consider from any standpoint other than my judgment of the public service, and, in that view, I do not perceive occasion for a change.

Yours truly,

A. Lincoln.

TO GENERAL THOMAS.

Executive Mansion
Washington, March 1,1864.

General L. Thomas: