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interest.
This transaction, although not of a great pecuniary amount, is interesting, as showing the warm sympathy which
Mr. Forbes felt in the welfare of our prisoners, the scrupulous honesty of the officers intrusted to disburse the money, and the determination of the
Governor and Council that the sum thus expended should be assumed by the
State.
On the fourteenth day of August, the
Governor writes to
Joseph F. Hitchcock,
Warren,β
It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated this day, which makes known to me the patriotic action of the citizens of Warren at the meeting held last evening, at which, you inform me, thirty persons volunteered to make up the quota of your town under the draft ordered by the President of the United States.
I am pleased, also, to learn of the prompt zeal with which the quota of the town of Warren, under the first call, has been brought into camp; it reflects great honor upon the town.
In reply to the question contained in your letter, I would cordially recommend that the people of Warren unite with some of the neighboring towns, and present a full company, as suggested by you.
On the same day, he wrote to
Captain Lucius Slade, of
Boston, commanding the
Boston Lancers,β
I assure you that it is quite impossible for any one who is not with me to understand how hard I work to put into the new regiments as commissioned officers our fine young fellows who are now in service, and how consistently and unanimously I am opposed in this policy by city and town officers, and committees claiming to represent the wishes of their vicinities, who all demand that their own townspeople shall be appointed as officers of the companies they have raised.
I work in all the soldiers that I can, but still must usually give men belonging to their own towns.
Aug. 15.βThe Governor sends telegram to
Secretary Stanton, that the Thirty-third Regiment,
Colonel Maggi, left for
Washington the day before, and that the Thirty-fourth,
Colonel Wells, would leave that day. The Governor then says,β
In the material of their men, these regiments are excelled by no others Massachusetts has sent.
If it shall be necessary to send them immediately into the field, it is the desire of Maggi to be assigned to
