Fergus Peniston to Abraham Lincoln, Monday, September 05, 1864 (Requests permission to take control of property in Louisiana)

Fergus Peniston to Abraham Lincoln, Monday, September 05, 1864 (Requests permission to take control of property in Louisiana)

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Economic aspects

Cotton

In this letter, Fergus Peniston, a Louisiana cotton merchant, requested permission from the executive branch to transport a substantial amount of cotton to market. He further petitioned President Lincoln for relief from certain taxes and to trade outside of Union occupied territory. Sensitive to the administration's concern that the purchase of cotton would aid the Confederate war effort, Peniston assured Lincoln that "the introduction of supplies for plantations in that section of country can in no way whatever benefit the Southern Army: on the contrary the people becoming holders of U. S Treasury notes by that fact cease to be ennemies [sic]."
Peniston was awarded a permit in January 1865.

Fergus Peniston

Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division

1864-09-05

AB, PP

Public Domain

jpeg

English

Mr President.

I beg leave respectfully to represent that I am a loyal citizen of the State of Louisiana and the owner of large lots of cotton situated in Western La and Southern Mississippi, acquired long since in payment of debts & by purchase (as I can show by the proper documents in my possession) and as a citizen of the United States, I ask that the privilege be granted me of bringing my property under my control and disposing of it in such manner as shall be most advantageous, after payment of the Internal Revenue & other taxes, decreed by the General Government.

I respectfully request that I be exempted from the 25% duty, inasmuch as this cotton was my property long before the passage of the act that imposed that duty: circumstances beyond my control, having until this time, prevented me from bringing it to market.

This cotton has been produced by very many plantations and I ask, in order to prevent my meeting with opposition from the people and to secure their friendly co-operation, that I be allowed to take outside the lines of military occupation, plantation supplies to the extent of Fifty dollars per bale of cotton. Upon that condition depends the getting out of my cotton and the number of bales is such that it would be an object, especially now that the stock on hand in new york is reduced to a two weeks supply. I respectfully represent, what you already know Mr President, that the introduction of supplies for plantations in that section of country can in no way whatever benefit the Southern Army: on the contrary the people becoming holders of U. S Treasury notes by that fact cease to be ennemies.

Should you Mr President, see fit to grant my request, I respectfully suggest that I be provided by you, with a document stating your intentions and granting me leave to proceed with one or more small steamboats and barges, beyond the lines of military occupation; authorizing me also to land at any points on the Mississippi River, at my risk, for the purpose of bringing out my cotton and to repeat the trips until all my cotton shall have been brought to market.

I leave the matter Mr President in your hands, satisfied that your wisdom and practical sagacity will find means to enable a citizen of the United States to get possession of his property, from its nature liable every day to be lost, especially in the case of a Union man, who though he opposed secession, as far as was in his power has suffered as much as any secessionist.

Circumstances have made me the owner of that kind of property and it is not unreasonable I hope to ask that more facilities be granted me than to a Northern man who has lost nothing at home and has acquired or expects to acquire cotton purely for speculating purposes.

I am Mr President

very respectfully your obedient Servt

Fergus Peniston

Washington City Septer 5th 1864.

Peniston, Fergus. Fergus Peniston to Abraham Lincoln, Monday, September 05, 1864 (Requests permission to take control of property in Louisiana). Letter. Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mal&fileName=mal1/359/3595300/malpage.db&recNum=0. Accessed December 17, 2016.