E. D. Townsend letter October 8, 1863

War Department, Adjutant-General's Office,
Washington, October 8, 1863.
Maj. Gen. J. G. Foster,
Comdg. Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina, Fort Monroe, Va.: Sir: The proceedings of the military commission instituted for the trial of David M. Wright, of Norfolk, in Special Orders, Nos. 195, 196, and 197, of 1863, from the headquarters Department of Virginia, have been submitted to the President of the United States. The following are his remarks in the case:
October 7, 1863.
Upon the presentation of the record in this case and the examination thereof, aided by the report thereon of the Judge- Advocate-General, and on full hearing of counsel for the accused, being satisfied that no proper question remained open except as to the sanity of the accused, I caused a very full examination to be made on that question, upon a great amount of evidence, including all offered by counsel of accused, by an expert of high reputation in that professional department, who thereou reports to me, as his opinion, that the accused, Dr. David M. Wright, was not insane prior to or on the 11th day of July, 1863, the date of the homicide of Lieutenant Sanborn; that he has not been insane since, and is not insane now (October 7, 1863). I there fore approve the finding and sentence of the military commission, and direct that the major-general in command of the department including the place of trial, and wherein the convict is now in custody, appoint time and place and carry said sentence into execution.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The following are the finding and sentence of the commission:
Of the specification : Guilty.
Of the charge: Guilty.
And thereupon the court sentence the accused, David M. Wright, of Norfolk, physician, to be hung by the neck until he be dead, at such time and place as may be appointed by the major-general in command of this department or by the President of the United States. The court was unanimous in this sentence.
The President directs that you carry the sentence into execution in accordance with his orders above quoted.
I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
E. D. TOWNSEND,
Assistant Adjutant- General.

Fort Norfolk Documents

Before 1794, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Source of Information

55th Congress 3d Session House of Representatives Document No. 312
The War of the Rebellion: A compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Published under the direction of the Hon. Russell A. Alger, Secretary of War,
By Brig. Gen. Fred C. Ainsworth, Chief of the record and pension office, war department, and Mr. Joseph W. Kirkley.
Series II – Volume VI.
Washington: Government printing office.
1899