Research

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of ten volumes of original and duplicate telegrams received and sent by Governor Edwin D. Morgan's office between April 15, 1861 and September 20, 1862.

Subseries 1--Copies of Telegrams Received. The first six volumes contain transcriptions of telegrams received by the Governor's Office between April 15 and December 27, 1861.

Subseries 2--Original Telegrams Received. Volumes seven through nine contain original telegrams received from March 4, 1862 through September 20, 1862.

Subseries 3--Telegrams Sent. Volume ten is a letter press book containing telegrams sent by the Governor's Office between May 6, 1861 and August 16, 1861.

The majority of the telegrams pertain to military matters such as the initial raising and equipping of troops in response to President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers after the attack on Fort Sumter; transportation of troops to the Washington, D.C. area; purchase of arms, uniforms, and accoutrements for New York soldiers; subsequent recruitment of men to satisfy quotas established by the federal government; appointment of officers; and the payment of recruiting bounties. The volumes contain telegrams received from and sent to President Lincoln, Lincoln's first Secretary of War Simon Cameron and his successor Edwin M. Stanton, and General Henry W. Halleck, who was essentially Lincoln's chief of staff.