President Lincoln informed me that he was annoyed that a Confederate flag flying from the top of a building in Alexandria could be seen out the window of his office. He asked me to see that the flag was removed.
As I had already learned in my short time in Washington City, my duties included “and anything the president required of me.”
He had called up an additional 42,000 three year volunteers to help the 75,000 called up for ninety days. That initial call-up had produced 80,000 enlistees. Two hundred eight regiments were formed and had already been played in the field.
Although the country had boldly claimed that it was a “great maritime power”, the naval inventory included only 58 useable vessels with 1021 working guns. Meanwhile there had been a wholesale depletion on Naval officers, with resignations, men being dismissed or fleeing to the South.
Congress was also losing members to the newly formed Confederacy. All Senators and House members from the seceding states had resigned except one. Only John Edward Bouligny, a Congressman from New Orleans, Louisiana opposed secession and moved to Washington City so that he could continue to serve and support the Union.
W. H. Lamon
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