William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 1

On the 27th of July, the Governor received a telegram from President Lincoln, making inquiry as to the condition of the new Massachusetts regiments, which the Governor answered by letter on the 28th. He spoke encouragingly, and said,—

Our main effort is to fill up our regiments already in the field. The small towns are doing well towards furnishing their quotas, and are sending large numbers of recruits to old regiments. I wish it were possible that all our recruits could go to them. But some have an invincible prejudice for new organizations. If I could but have power to do what needs to be done, without waiting for others to move until people are angry and disgusted, we could make much faster progress in filling the old regiments.

Having been advised that informal representations had been made to Secretary Seward by the British consul in Boston, that ‘he had received many complaints from poor British subjects, who are made intoxicated, and then enlisted as volunteers, that the protests which they had made on recovering their senses are not listened to, and that the interference of the consul had hitherto been fruitless,’ the Governor addressed a letter to Marquis Lousada, Her Majesty's consul in Boston, in which he said the recruitment of all volunteer regiments, until they are organized and their muster-rolls completed, was under his exclusive control; but in no instance had any complaints of the nature described, from any source, been made; nor had he been advised, in any instance, of an interference by the British consul. He would be obliged, therefore, if the consul would make known to him all cases of enlistments such as described, that the wrong done to the parties might be repaired; and if any future cases should occur, when brought to his notice, they would receive immediate attention. We are disposed to believe that comparatively few cases of this nature occurred. Those of which complaint was made were referred to the Adjutant-General to investigate, with directions to report the facts to the Governor. We cannot call to mind a dozen cases during the entire period of the war.

The Governor having heard a report that BrigadierGen-eral Couch intended to resign his commission in the army in consequence of injustice done him, wrote a strong, friendly