President Lincoln changed his position:
John A. Andrew
Executive Mansion,
Washington, February 18. 1864.
Yours of the 12th was received yesterday. If I were to judge from the letter, without any external knowledge, I should suppose that all the colored people South of Washington were struggling to get to Massachusetts; that Massachusetts was anxious to receive and retain the whole of them as permament citizens; and that the United States Government here was interposing and preventing this. But I suppose these are neither really the facts, nor meant to be asserted as true by you. Coming down to what I suppose to be the real facts, you are engaged in trying to raise colored troops for the U. S. and wish to take recruits from Virginia, through Washington, to Massachusetts for that object; and the loyal Governor of Virginia, also trying to raise troops for us, objects to you taking his material away; while we, having to care for all, and being responsible alike to all, have to do as much for him, as we would have to do for you, if he was, by our authority, taking men from Massachusetts to fill up Virginia regiments. No more than this has been intended by me; nor, as I think, by the Secretary of War. There may have been some abuses of this, as a rule, which, if known, should be prevented in future.
If, however, it be really true that Massachusetts wishes to afford a permanent home within her borders, for all, or even a large number of colored persons who will come to her, I shall be only too glad to know it. It would give relief in a very difficult point; and I would not for a moment hinder from going, any person who is free by the terms of the proclamation or any of the acts of Congress."
A. Lincoln
John Andrew was the governor of Massachusetts. He was a leading abolitonist and played a big role in raising the 54th and 55th Mass. Inf. regiments, as seen in the movie Glory.
Walt
I will admit that shows his willingness to let them go to Massachusetts, an abolitionist state. It would prevent the problems that would certainly occur in other northern states, and most especially would keep them from going back to power the secessionist states. At the same time, I must admit that it is very weak if it is to serve as an avowed reversal of his opinion in general as regards the vast majority of slaves still present in the South, and who would have to be dealt with once the war was over. What is your source for this letter? I wish to study it further, and can find no mention of its existence in the numerous Lincoln archives that I have searched so far. I will continue searching, but please, post a source.