Lincoln Letters - January 09, 1863
From PLCHC Wiki
Executive Mansion,
Washington, January 9, 1863.
Hon. Sec. Of War
Dear Sir:
It is said that William S. Pryor, of New-Castle, Henry Co. Ky. And J. O’Hara, of Covington, Ky., were imprisoned for a while, at Camp Chase, and are now at Cincinnati, on parole, without permission to leave the State of Ohio. Let their parole stand, but allow them to go at large generally. When you shall have done this, notify me of it.
Yours truly,
A. Lincoln
Will execute the foregoing order.
E. M. Stanton
Kentuckians William S. Pryor and James O'Hara were both attorneys who had leanings toward the South and were imprisoned in Camp Chase. Pryor, according to a family article sheltered General John Hunt Morgan in his house after he escaped from prison in Columbus Ohio. This is one of the few letters in private hands that Lincoln writes concerning Cincinnati. It is ironic that both Lincoln & Stanton have signed this letter having first met in Cincinnati in 1855 during the McCormick Reaper trial. Stanton humiliated Lincoln at that time and now Stanton was taking orders from his President. The Library of Congress also has a companion memo written by Lincoln on the same day which he used to create the letter to Secretary of War Stanton. The memo states that Senator Lazarus Powellof Kentucky demanded the unconditional release of Pryor & O'Hara.
