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

The gentleman who had been dismissed the service the Governor regarded as the man for General Ullman to have; but, unless the Secretary of War or the President would agree to overlook and forgive the offence committed, he could not be commissioned. We find on the Governor's files a number of letters written about this time to the President, Mr. Stanton, and Senator Sumner, urging the re-appointment of this officer, with especial reference to serving under General Ullman. One of these letters addressed to Mr. Sumner, dated Jan. 28, says,—

Without a moment's delay, go to the President, and tell him for me that he ought to believe in the forgiveness of sins, as well as in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. This is the text: now for the sermon. You know Maurice Copeland was struck off the rolls last summer by a presidential order.

The Governor's ‘sermon’ is a strong argument in favor of recommissioning Major Copeland. The error which he had committed, and for which he was dismissed, was a letter which he had written reflecting upon what he regarded as the delay of the War Department in the employment of colored troops. The decision originally made by Mr. Stanton could not be reversed, as he regarded the letter of Mr. Copeland as a personal insult.

On the second day of February, a letter was written by Mr. George Winslow, of Boston, to the Governor, in which he informs him that the pirate ‘Alabama’ was reported, Jan. 24, two hundred miles east of Hatteras, steering north; while the ‘Vanderbilt’ sailed Jan. 30, the same day that the above news reached New York: so the ‘Vanderbilt’ may have gone to the Gulf. Semmes was reported as having an intention of coming into Massachusetts Bay. ‘Suppose he makes such an impudent dash now, and comes into Provincetown, which he could easily do one of these moonlight nights.’ The writer then suggests to the Governor to telegraph to Washington to have one