Lot #32

[Abraham Lincoln]: Thomas Carney Civil War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed as Governor, Requesting Federal Assistance for Kansans: "They have been depleted in Blood & Treasure for the common cause"

Description

Governor Carney requests federal aid from President Lincoln to combat "murderous outlaws" threatening the citizens of Kansas: "Their sufferings and sacrifices have been great, much greater than any other Loyal State"

Civil War–dated ALS signed “Tho's Carney, Gov. of Kansas,” three pages on two sheets, 7.75 x 9.75, State of Kansas Executive Department letterhead, May 15, 1864. Handwritten letter to "the President of the United States," Abraham Lincoln, in part: "I regret you do not consider the threatening attitude of affairs in Kansas of sufficient 'public interest' to accept at once the offer I made you of two thousand troops, to augment the power of the commander of the Department of Kansas. I did not intend to advise as to 'public interest' outside of my jurisdiction, though none have a deeper interest, or stronger determination to aid in crushing this rebellion than I have: nor will I allow minor matters to divert me from that purpose.

I know you have all portions of the country to look after. In that gigantic work you have my fullest & most cordial cooperation. Kansas has been, & still is, in deep distress, and needs the fostering care of the Government, therefore, I made to you the proposition I did in my communication of the 12th inst.

This care & assistance I feel the citizens of my State have a right to claim at your hands. They have been depleted in Blood & Treasure for the common cause. Their sufferings and sacrifices have been great, much greater than any other Loyal State, and this too because her Sons have gone forth to fight the battles of their country, and left their homes in the care of the Government. Yet their homes have been visited by the assassin, and are again threatened by these murderous outlaws. It was to prevent a return of those disasters that I urged the acceptance of the troops offered, and in that spirit, and for that purpose, I again respectfully but earnestly renew it." In very good condition, with partial splitting to folds, including complete separation to a horizontal fold at the lower third of the first page.

Guerrilla bands from Missouri threatened Kansas from the east, and hostile Native American Indians menaced its western settlements. Earlier in the Civil War, a military patrol was organized for the eastern counties and paid for out of Governor Carney's private funds. Even after the arrival of Federal troops in 1863, William Quantrill's band of 'bushwhackers' slipped across the border and concluded the 'Lawrence Massacre,' killing about 150 unarmed men. To bolster Kansas against these marauding rebels, Governor Carney requested that 2,000 troops be raised for the state's defense; Lincoln's response was to delay such action until it best suited 'the public interest.' In the fall of 1864, shortly after writing the present letter, Carney called out the entire state militia to resist Confederate General Sterling Price's cavalry incursion. The frontier conflict culminated in Union victory at the Battle of Westport on October 23, 1864, sometimes called the 'Gettysburg of the West.'

Auction Info

• Auction Title: Fine Autographs and Artifacts Featuring Civil War and Abraham Lincoln
• Dates: March 14, 2025 - April 09, 2025

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