President Lincoln Lifts Part of Southern Blockade

November 19, 1864

President Lincoln declares: “Whereas, by my Proclamation of the nineteenth of April, one thousand eight hundred and sixty one, it was declared that the ports of certain States including those of Norfolk, in the State of Virginia, Fernandina and Pensacola, in the State of Florida, were, for reasons therein set forth, intended to be placed under blockade; and whereas the said ports were subsequently blockaded accordingly, but having, for some time past, been in the military possession of the United States, it is deemed advisable that they should be opened to domestic and foreign commerce:

Now, therefore, be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, pursuant to the authority in me vested by the fifth section of the act of Congress, approved on the 13th. of July 1861, entitled “An act further to provide for the collection of duties on imports and for other purposes,” do hereby declare that the blockade of the said ports of Norfolk, Fernandina and Pensacola, shall so far cease and determine from and after the first day of December next that commercial intercourse with those ports, except as to persons, things and information contraband of war, may, from that time, be carried on, subject to the laws of the United States, to the limitations and in pursuance of the regulations which may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, and to such military and naval regulations as are now in force or may hereafter be found necessary.

Mary Todd Lincoln writes friend Mercy Levering Conkling: “I assure you & am deeply grateful for the renewed honor done, my noble & good Husband, who notwithstanding the great distinction conferred upon him, will ever remain true to his friends, & disinterested, in all that concerns himself. It has been gratifying, from all quarters, to receive so many kind & congratulatory letters, so fraught, with good feeling, & the White House, has been quite a Mecca of late – I consider myself fortunate, if at eleven o’clock, I once more find myself, in my pleasant room & very especially, if my tired & weary Husband, is there, resting in the lounge to receive me–to chat over the occurrences of the day…”

President Lincoln writes General Alfred Sully in Davenport, Iowa: “Let the Indian “Big Eagle” be discharged. I ordered this some time ago.”   A local lawyer, George S. C. Dow, had recently written President Lincoln: “You will remember me as the person to whom you were kind enough to give an order for the release of the Indian `Big Eagle.’”

This order failed to effect his release. The person in charge and to whom I presented it, treated me very rudely. I may as well say that he insulted me most grossly. He treated also the order and yourself with great contempt because as he said, you ought to know better than to write an order in pencil, or give it to a civilian.

I did not intend to trouble you again, but for reasons not necessary to be stated, I think I should report the facts to you, and request of you, that you will be kind enough to direct a note to the proper military officer, requesting him to issue the proper order for `Big Eagle’s’ discharge

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