William G. Greene to Richard Yates

N.Y. St Nicholas Sept 18th 1861

Dear Yates

In accordance to promise I now write you Mr Shafer promptly called on me at Chicago & we had a very pleasant interview & compared notes &c as the true policy that ought to be persued by the Administration in Regard to the Ills. Soldiers. (I will say here that I was highly pleased with Mr Shafer) & found him a live man I arrived at Washington Sunday; monday morning called on Mr. Lincoln told him I had mearly droped in for a minute to let him know I was there that I wished him to let me know when he would have leisure that I must have an old fassioned talk with

him he said call in one hour I did so & had a dead set with him I soon found by Skermishing with him that in the main he entertained the same views of Shafer & myself that is that the Ills Boys must be well cared for &c I still pressed him further & told him that if Ills could have a Major Gen of her own one that the people had full confidence in that she would raise such an army as would asstound the nation & intimated who that man was he said he was a ware of what I said & remarked that he was equally anxious as I could be to have the right man in the right place said you as the Executive of the state had arroused your people to an unprecedent patriotism for which you deserved well While I could get nothing definate

I got nothing repulsive I have considerable hope if we can manage things smoothly in the Statehouse or rather with our own people I think we can succeed yet he wishes to do right but he is howned to death I shall be at home soon then I will have a verbal interview you know I hate letter-writing be cause I am clumsy at expressing my ideas on paper believe me your friend & well wisher

W. G. Greene