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Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 6.

Draft of a Communication to Stephen A. Hurlbut [1]

Executive Mansion, Washington, [c.August 15?] 186[3]

The within discusses a difficult subject---the most difficult with which we have to deal. The able bodied male contrabands are already employed by the Army. But the rest are in confusion and destitution. They better be set to digging their subsistence out of the ground. If there are plantations near you, on either side of the river, which are abandoned by their owners, first put as many contrabands on such, as they will hold---that is, as can draw subsistence from them. If some still remain, get loyal men, of character in the vicinity, to take them temporarily on wages, to be paid to the contrabands themselves---such men obliging themselves to not let the contrabands be kidnapped, or forcibly carried away. Of course, if any voluntarily make arrangements to work for their living, you will not hinder them. It is thought best to leave details to your discretion subject to the provisions of the acts of Congress & the orders of the War Department.

By direction of the President.

Annotation

[1] AD, DLC-Nicolay Papers. On August 15, General Stephen A. Hurlbut wrote Lincoln enclosing a letter of his to S. B. Walker, August 10, 1863, in which he gave his personal views concerning the conditions under which Mississippi could return to the Union. Hurlbut designated the letter as a communication to be presented before a reconstruction meeting in Mississippi and expressed the hope that it would meet Lincoln's approval. His comment on the relation of former masters and slaves is as follows: ``So far . . . as the U.States are concerned the relation of master and slave does not exist in Mississippi. . . . and soon the banks of the Great River will bristle with the bayonets of colored Regiments taken from the former slaves of the soil.

``Let this war continue six months and a very heavy proportion of the able bodied negroes of the Insurrectionary States will be in arms. . . .'' (DLC-RTL).

If Lincoln's draft became a letter or order, the original has not been located.