President Deals with Pardons, Patronage and Freedmen’s Issues

December 17, 1863

President Lincoln writes General Stephen A. Hurlbut: “I understand you have, under sentence of death, a tall old man, by the name of Henry F. Luckett ?  I personally knew him, and did not think him a bad man. Please do not let him be executed, unless upon further order from me, and, in the mean time, send me a transcript of the record.”

President Lincoln sends to Congress a message: “Herewith I lay before you a letter addressed to myself by a Committee of gentlemen representing the Freedman’s Aid Societies in Boston, New-York, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. The subject of the letter, as indicated above, is one of great magnitude, and importance, and one which these gentlemen, of known ability and high character, seem to have considered with great attention and care. Not having the time to form a mature judgment of my own, as to whether the plan they suggest is the best, I submit the whole.”

After meeting with a Baltimore delegation : “To-day Hon. Mr. Webster, M.C. with Messrs Hoffman, Lester, Poteat, Lusby, representing that Gen. Pierce, Mr. Wright, and Mr. Given, Senator, agree with them, call, and ask that James L. Ridgely, be restored as Collector of Internal Revenue, in the 2nd. District. They say the grounds of his removal were misrepresentations, and that Mr. Stuart, sought nominations in several conventions, & failing bolted the nominations made this year. The States Attorney for Baltimore Co. also concurs, & in fact, they say the entire county organization concurs. These members are all for emancipation.”

President Lincoln had donated a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation for auction at the Sanitary Fair in Chicago.   He now writes Chicago jeweler James H. Hoes: “I have received from the Sanitary Commission of Chicago, the Watch which you placed at their disposal, and I take the liberty of conveying to you my high appreciation of your humanity and generosity, of which I have unexpectedly become the beneficiary.”

At night, President Lincoln attends “Merry Wives of Windsor” at Ford’s Theatre.

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