Letter signed Edw. Bates [Edward Bates], Attorney General's Office, to H.R. Gamble, July 16, 1861
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Identifier: D03004
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English
- Hamilton Rowan Gamble Papers | Letter signed Edward Bates, Attorney General’s Office, to Honorable H.R. Gamble, Norristown, Pennsylvania. Last evening I had the pleasure to see your friend and pastor, Reverend Dr. Halsey and his protégé, young Mr. McDonald. I will give him such aid as may be in my power, by bringing the matter fairly before the Secretary of War. I expect you will receive a letter from Gibson, along with this. He and I fully concur in the belief that your presence in the Missouri convention may be of great importance. Now, if ever, your great influence over the minds of our people ought to be exerted, for Missouri is, at this moment, in a very, very critical condition. The Civil Government of the State has ceased to act, and independent marauding parties are beginning to wage guerilla warfare after the manner of Mexico. My position here, you know, exposes me to the hazard of giving opinions upon all the knotty and hard questions. My official opinion upon the power of the President [vulgarly called the Habeas Corpus question] will doubtless expose me to the sharpest criticism, but I can’t help that. The President is a civil magistrate, and not a military chief. I have before me now, the scarcely less difficult question of the constitutionality of the retrocession of that part of the District of Columbia south of the Potomac. The organization of the government of Virginia in the West is the great movement of the day—the “spinal cord” of nationality…at once an example and fit instrument for the restoration of all the insurgent states. I take pride in the fact that I have had something to do with initiation and in the progress of that nation-saving operation. Individuals mentioned include Revered Dr. Halsey, McDonald, [Charles?] Gibson, President [Lincoln] and Secretary of War. Places mentioned include Missouri, Mexico, District of Columbia, Potomac and Virginia. (4 pages), 1861 July 16
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