President Lincoln continued to meet with nearly everyone and anyone who stood in line at the door of the White House to speak to him. Many were seeking political appointments or favors such as the appointment to the Naval Academy or West Point. I feared someone would harm him in the process, but he insisted that it was every citizen's right to speak to the president about any of their concerns. Mr. Lincoln was not an easy man to guard, as he had less regard for his personal safety than anyone.
The president decline an invitation from Indiana Governor Oliver Morton to meet with Peace Democrats in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They were attempting to set up a Northwest Confederacy. Although the two were friends and Mr. Lincoln knew that Morton was leading his state in hardy support to save the Union, he also knew that Morton was ruthless. Mr. Lincoln called Morton "at times the shrewdest person I know."
The president also received a petition from Crafts J. Wright to raise and train a regiment of Negro troops in Cincinnati Ohio. Mr. Lincoln was hesitant to support the idea, as he was fearful that the four Border states would secede if Negro soldiers were included in the Union army.
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