An UnBinding Resolution

The National Archives

Washington D.C.

President Abraham Lincoln
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington D.C.

Mr. President

We the undersigned coalition of Congressman and Senators are writing you to protest your decisions to: (1) send more troops into the campaign in Northern Virginia, and (2) appoint a new commander of those forces.
We believe that such a surge of troops would be a strategic mistake. This war is a civil war and therefore unwinnable. Recent events have demonstrated this. Your earlier surges at Bull Run, the Peninsula, and Chancellorsville have all failed. There is every reason to believe that the current effort will fail. Indeed, it is well known that the terrain around the area known as the Wilderness is unsuitable for warfare.
We are also concerned about reports that you have appointed General U.S. Grant as your new commander. General Grant has a controversial reputation--especially his personal habits. We are particulary outraged over reports that General Grant said he intended to fight it out along this line if it takes all summer! You do not have that much time, and Grants remarks are an admission of failure.
Finally you do not have the support of the American people. True you were reelected recently, but General McClellan, running against you on a peace platform, almost defeated you. Had the Southern states been allowed to vote, you would have lost.
We have consulted closely with major military authorities, and they oppose your decision. Generals McDowell, Burnside, and Pope unanimously agree that a surge of troops under Grant will fail. While they say a year ago they could have used more troops, they believe that it is now too little too late. General Pope said that his campaign suffered from poor inteligence provided by your Pinkerton Service.
We urge you to reconsider, and to adopt the plan we have carefully crafted as follows:

(1) Withdraw General Sherman's army of arsonists from Georgia and the Carolinas.

(2) Withdraw General Sheridan's marauding troops from the Shenandoah.

(3) Pull General Grant and his huge army back to the defense of Washington.

All of this could begin now and finish in four months.
Finally, you should open negotiations with Britain, France, and Canada. True, they are supporting the Southern States, but they could use their influence to stop buying cotton, restrict the French troops in Mexico, and wipeout the hotbed of sedition in Canada.
If you do all the foregoing, we believe you could negotiate an acceptable outcome with Mr. Jefferson Davis.

Signed Most Sincerely
(etc, etc)

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