# Lincoln's documented output, 17-28 November 1864, and how busy that week was

Sources: Roy P. Basler (ed.), *The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln*, vol. VIII (1953), pp. 113-125 and the appendix of "communications written by others for Lincoln" (pp. 567-569); OCR at archive.org `collectedworksof015584mbp` (page numbers as printed in brackets). *The Lincoln Log* (thelincolnlog.org), entries 17-30 Nov. 1864. Word counts are my own from Basler's text and include the date-line, salutation and signature unless stated; the Bixby letter is 139 words by Grieve et al.'s count (preprint line 613) and "only 130 words between the salutation and closing" by Nickell's (LH 91:137).

Basler's source codes: ALS = autograph letter signed (Lincoln's hand); ADfS = autograph draft signed; AES = autograph endorsement signed; AE = autograph endorsement; LS = letter signed (body in another hand); DS = document signed; Copy = contemporary copy; a printed source (newspaper, catalogue, Tracy, NH) means no manuscript was located.

## A. Every Basler item, 17-28 November 1864

| Date | Item (CW VIII page) | Source code | Words | In Lincoln's own hand? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Nov. | To William P. Fessenden, endorsement re Scovel (p. 113) | AES, ORB | 31 | Yes |
| 17 Nov. | Reply to Maryland Union Committee (pp. 113-114) | Washington *Daily Morning Chronicle* and *Daily National Republican*, 18 Nov. 1864 (reported speech) | c. 850 as reported | Spoken; no MS |
| 17 Nov. | To William H. Seward, endorsement "What says the Sec. of State to within?" (p. 114) | AES, DLC-RTL | 8 | Yes |
| c. 18 Nov. | Endorsement concerning John T. Cox (pp. 114-115) | AE, DNA NR RG 48 | 3 | Yes |
| 18 Nov. | (Lincoln Log only) respite of a Negro soldier; Belgian Scheldt treaty proclaimed; salary deposited; Gurleys dine (CW 8:567 appendix item) | - | - | - |
| 19 Nov. | Proclamation Concerning Blockade (p. 115) | DS, DNA FS RG 11 | 334 | Signed only (State Dept. document) |
| 19 Nov. | To William S. Rosecrans, re Major Wolf (p. 115) | ADfS, DLC-RTL; LS, ORB | 111 | Draft yes; sent copy in another hand |
| 19 Nov. | To Alfred Sully, telegram re "Big Eagle" (p. 116) | ALS, DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams I, 243 | 27 | Yes |
| 20 Nov. | To Charles A. Dana, asking him to see Mr. Stokes (CW 8:568, appendix; Lincoln Log) | (appendix; not examined) | - | - |
| **21 Nov.** | **To Mrs. Lydia Bixby (pp. 116-117)** | ***Boston Transcript*, 25 Nov. 1864; no MS** | **152 (139 body)** | **Unknown** |
| 21 Nov. | To William P. Fessenden, endorsement for Joseph G. Bowman (p. 117) | IHi (source-code prefix lost in OCR; the item is a dated endorsement, "Nov. 21. 1864") | 70 | Presumably yes (manuscript at Illinois State Historical Library) |
| 21 Nov. | To John Phillips, the centenarian voter (pp. 117-118) | Copy, DLC-Nicolay Papers; *New York Tribune*, 9 Dec. 1864 - "The draft or copy in the Nicolay Papers is on Executive Mansion stationery in an unidentified handwriting" | 116 (c. 95 body) | No surviving text in Lincoln's hand |
| 21 Nov. | To Edwin M. Stanton, endorsement re T. R. McFerson (p. 118) | The Morris Book Shop (Chicago) Catalog 56, Dec. 1912, no. 147 (endorsement "written on an envelope") | 15 | MS not located |
| 21 Nov. | To Edwin M. Stanton, re Smithson, Yokum and Waring (pp. 118-119) | NH, X, 275 (Nicolay and Hay's *Complete Works*) | c. 75 | MS not located |
| 21 Nov. | To Edwin M. Stanton, endorsement re J. H. Woodward (p. 119) | Tracy, p. 247 | 16 | MS not located |
| 21 Nov. | To Augustus R. Wright, telegram re cotton (pp. 119-120) | ALS, DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams I, 244 | 56 (c. 40 body) | Yes |
| 22 Nov. | To Thomas E. Bramlette, telegram (p. 120) | ALS, DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams I, 245 | 73 | Yes |
| 23 Nov. | (appendix) To Stanton, "Hay for Lincoln," re Mrs Lucy M. Forde; two further referrals to Stanton and one to Lorenzo Thomas, "missing" (pp. 568-569) | DNA WR RG 107 / RG 94 | - | No (Hay) / unknown |
| 24 Nov. | To Robert N. McLaren, telegram suspending executions (p. 120) | ALS, DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams I, 247 | 38 | Yes |
| 24 Nov. | To Henry M. Rice, telegram (p. 121) | ALS, DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams I, 246 | 29 | Yes |
| c. 24 Nov. | (appendix) To Stanton, "Nicolay for Lincoln," re Mrs Wickliffe (p. 569) | DNA WR RG 107 | - | No (Nicolay) |
| 25 Nov. | To Andrew G. Curtin, telegram "I have no knowledge, information, or belief, that three States ..." (p. 121) | DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams I, 248 (prefix lost in OCR; the series is autograph) | 29 | Probably yes |
| 25 Nov. | (appendix) To George B. Smith, "Hay for Lincoln, acknowledging present of piece of beef, DLC-RTL"; to Stanton re Capt. Burrage (missing); to Stanton on Hunter's letter, "ES, IHi" (p. 569) | - | - | No (Hay); -; endorsement signed |
| 26 Nov. | To Nathaniel P. Banks (p. 121) | ALS, IHi; ADfS, DLC-RTL | 154 | Yes |
| 26 Nov. | To Edward Bates, "Let this appointment be made." (pp. 121-122) | AES, DNA RG 60 | 10 | Yes |
| 26 Nov. | Order concerning Joseph M. Locke (p. 122) | Copy, DNA RG 130 | 27 | Copy only |
| 26 Nov. | To William S. Rosecrans, telegram re Mrs Anna B. Martin (p. 122) | ALS, DNA WR RG 107, Presidential Telegrams I, 249 | 33 | Yes |
| 27 Nov. | (appendix) To Stanton, "Hay for Lincoln," re Gadsby petition (p. 569) | DNA WR RG 107 | - | No (Hay) |
| 28 Nov. | To Henry F. Harrington and others (p. 122) | LS, InFtwL - "The body of the letter is in John Hay's handwriting" | c. 45 | No (Hay wrote, Lincoln signed) |
| 28 Nov. | (appendix) To Bates re R. W. Thompson (missing); to Bates, "Nicolay for Lincoln"; endorsement "West-Point - good Vouchers," AE (p. 569) | - | - | mixed |

### What this shows for 21 November 1864
Lincoln's securely autograph output that day is small: the 40-word Wright telegram (ALS) and the Fessenden endorsement (IHi), with three further endorsements/notes known only from a dealer's catalogue, Nicolay-Hay's edition and Tracy's 1917 collection. The two composed letters of the day - Bixby (139 words) and Phillips (c. 95 words) - are exactly the two for which no text in Lincoln's hand survives: Bixby is known only from the newspaper, Phillips from a copy "in an unidentified handwriting" on Executive Mansion stationery. Both are letters to Massachusetts civilians of the kind Hay described himself as handling, and both were pasted into Hay's Library of Congress scrapbook (Burlingame 1995 pp. 70-71). Neither fact proves Hay's authorship of either; the Phillips copy is not in Hay's hand.

## B. The Lincoln Log, 18-26 November 1864 (entries as printed)
- 18 Nov. (Fri.): confers with W. P. Wood re a Negro soldier sentenced to die, grants a week's respite; proclaims the Scheldt Dues convention with Belgium; deposits September salary warrant ($1,981.66); the Rev. and Mrs. P. D. Gurley dine.
- 19 Nov. (Sat.): lifts the blockade of Norfolk, Fernandina and Pensacola; second order to release "Big Eagle."
- 20 Nov. (Sun.): writes Charles A. Dana asking him to see Mr. Stokes (CW 8:568).
- 21 Nov. (Mon.): "Lincoln writes famous letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby. [Although original manuscript is generally believed to be lost, an authentic text appeared in Boston 'Transcript,' November 25, 1864.]"; interviews Cyrus M. Allen of Vincennes (Bowman appointment); writes John Phillips; "[John Nicolay not seriously ill, expects to be out in few days. Washington Star, 21 November 1864.]"; telegraphs A. R. Wright.
- 22 Nov. (Tue.): confers with A. G. Hodges and Gen. Suddarth on Kentucky; interviews Gov. Morton (Ind.); Sailors' Fair ox brought $3,200; Elizabeth Todd Grimsley seeks the Springfield post office.
- 23 Nov. (Wed.): Grant and staff in Washington, "long interviews with President, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, and General Henry W. Halleck" (Evening Star); Senator Ramsey visits: "President in fine spirits."
- 24 Nov. (Thu., Thanksgiving): receives Attorney General Bates's resignation.
- 25 Nov. (Fri.): Cabinet meets, "President reads draft of Annual Message to Congress" (Welles); telegram to Curtin; "[John Hay, for Lincoln, thanks George B. Smith for present of piece of beef. CW, 8:569.]"
- 26 Nov. (Sat.): 10 a.m. presentation of Seth Kinman's elkhorn chair, Lincoln "replies briefly"; consults Stanton about Banks; interviews Banks 7 p.m.; offers Holt the attorney-generalship; Welles presents an abstract for the annual message.
(17 Nov.: Nicolay reported sick in St. Louis; 30 Nov.: Nicolay returns.)

## C. Hay's testimony to the week's pressure
Hay to Charles S. Spencer, 25 Nov. 1864: "I regret that the President was literally crowded out of the opportunity of writing you a note for yr. banquet. He fully intended to do so himself, and for that reason, I did not prepare a letter for him. But the crush here just now is beyond endurance." (Burlingame, *At Lincoln's Side* p. 101, quoted in Burlingame, *American Heritage*, July 1999; the Knox College text of Burlingame's *Life* vol. 2 p. 3854 has "opportunity to writing a note.")

## D. Was 21-27 November an unusually busy week? Basler items per week, October-December 1864

Method: an automated pass over the OCR of CW vol. VIII detects item headings ("To ...", "Endorsement ...", "Order ...", "Proclamation ...", etc.) and takes the first date in the heading block; 66 of the 279 items lacking a legible date were assigned the date of the preceding item (Basler is chronological). Caveats: OCR errors cause some undercounting; the appendix of "communications written by others" is not included; long documents count as one item. The relative sizes are what matter.

| Week (Mon-Sun) | Basler items | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 3-9 Oct. | 15 | |
| 10-16 Oct. | 18 | Maryland constitution, Sheridan |
| 17-23 Oct. | 20 | |
| 24-30 Oct. | 14 | |
| 31 Oct.-6 Nov. | 26 | eve of election |
| 7-13 Nov. | 23 | election (8 Nov.), serenades |
| 14-20 Nov. | 15 | |
| **21-27 Nov.** | **15** | **Bixby, Phillips; Grant's visit; Bates resigns** |
| 28 Nov.-4 Dec. | 18 | |
| 5-11 Dec. | 35 | Annual Message (6 Dec.), Chase appointed Chief Justice |
| 12-18 Dec. | 19 | |
| 19-25 Dec. | 25 | Savannah |
| 26 Dec.-1 Jan. | 32 | |
Monthly totals: October 77, November 80, December 122. Mean of the thirteen full weeks: 21.2 items; the Bixby week, at 15, ties for second-lightest.

Assessment: by the crude measure of documented presidential output, the week of 21-27 November 1864 was lighter than average, not heavier; "the crush" Hay complained of on 25 Nov. was social and political (Grant's visit, cabinet vacancies, the annual message, callers) rather than paperwork. Lincoln found time that week to write in his own hand the Banks letter (154 words, with a draft), five telegrams and several endorsements. That does not settle whether he wrote the 139-word Bixby letter, but it removes the premise that he lacked the time.