| Location | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Names Mentioned | Abraham Lincoln |
| Date | July 4, 1863 |
| Document Title | Commander of the Middle Department and 8th Army Corps to the President |
| Document Description | Commander Robert C. Schenck writes President Lincoln requesting the authorization to raise a black army regiment in Maryland, noting that there was a desire to enlist in Baltimore and Cambridge. |
| Transcription |
Baltimore July 4 1863 His excellency Abraham Lincoln President of the United States I have again and again in vain endeavored to get the attention of the authorities at Washington to the fact that at least one negro regiment might be raised here. I telegraphed you some days ago on the subject and venture once more respectfully to suggest that somebody be sent here or authorized to accept the services of & organize these blacks who are not willing to be enrolled. I have had some thousands of them at work on fortifications but will discharge the most of them in a day or two. I had also upwards of two hundred (200) offering today from Cambridge on the Eastern Shore but if not accepted and organized while this spirit prevails among them it will be difficult to get them hereafter Robt. C. Schenck |
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[Author (if known)], Documents from the Freedmen and Southern Society Project, [Date (if known)], Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University.
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