16. Leonard Swett to Lincoln on reaction in Missouri to Gen. John Fremont's removal from command
Title
16. Leonard Swett to Lincoln on reaction in Missouri to Gen. John Fremont's removal from command
Description
Letter from Leonard Swett to Abraham Lincoln dismissing reports of significant opposition in Springfield, Missouri in response to the president's removal of John C. Fremont as Commander of the Department of the West. Fremont, a former western explorer ("the Pathfinder of the West") and Republican presidential candidate, was popular with his troops in Missouri, a pivotal neutral state during the Civil War. In July 1861 Confederate forces had won a victory at the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield and posed a continuing threat in the area. Swett, a resident of Bloomington, Illinois, was a lawyer and longtime Lincoln political associate. November 8, 1861. Copy
Date
1861-11-08
Contributor
Becki Plunkett and Stephen Vincent
Rights
Copyright State Historical Society of Iowa. Information at http://www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/conditions-for-image-reproductions.html
Digital Reproduction Information
Original scanned at 600 dpi w/ sRGB color space.
Repository
State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines
Repository Collection
Special Collections: Samuel R. Curtis Papers
Digital item created
12/12/2008
Transcription
Nov 8 1861 To the President of the United States Washington Place no faith in reports of a mutinous spirit in the army at Springfield in consequence of the removal of General Fremont. There is no material dissatisfaction and no prospect of a battle. Scouts returned to camp on Monday night from thirty to forty miles & report no enemy. This city quiet. The subject is very little discussed and all parties acquiesce in the action of the government. Leonard Swett Indorsed S R C