From William Holley to Abraham Lincoln, October 13, 1860
Grand Island. Hall County. N. T.
October 13th 1860.

Highly respected Sir!

You will pardon me for addressing these lines to you, in regard to a matter, which maybe, will be of great consequences as well for the pioneer settler in this portion of the Territory of Nebraska as for the republican party, in event that you should be ellected our president, which all the settlers of this County sinserly wish and hope, will be the case in a month from now.--

As I frequently have bussiness at Fort Kearney (40 miles west of here) I got intimate & aquainted with the most of the officers at that post, and got to know for certain that, in event of your ellection as President the officers unanimously will leave the Fort, & will go south, as they are without exeption southern men.--

Nearly without exeption they have offered theire military services to the Governors of theire different native states

A great portion of them are from the state of Virginia.

All the United States arms now at Ft Kearney will be forwarded in event of your ellection right off to the southern states, to be used against the northern states.

Now Sir! I think, steps should be taken emmidiately (but secretly) as the day of which doubtlessly will make you the president of this union is approaching fast that Fort Kearney & all what belongs to the outfitt of said post, will be secured for the union, that is: for the use of the proper authority if the southern states should rebell & not recongnice any more the doctrine that the majority shall rule.-

There are about 30 Canons at Fort Kearney, but no attilery men, the only soldiers stationed here are Infantry & horsemen, numbering at all events not over 250 men.--

Col May was untill now latly the commanding officer here; Allthough a democrat he did not believe in the disolution of the Union in case of your ellection as president.--

I frequently have heared him express himself so when in conversation with the other officers of the post about this matter.--

But Sir! he resently was removed from Ft Kearney very unexpectedly by himself & Co Weisles is to take his place in a few days; a sound southern man as I learned.--

The republican settlers of this portion of Nebraska number but fifty (nearly all Germans) and are not strong enough to prevent the garrisson at Fort Kearney to take all the arms & stores & march south, else I believe they would do it.--

An other serious fact for us settlers here will be, that the Sioux, Chyennes & Kiowas Indians will attack us, just as soon as Fort Kearney thus would be abandoned & left by the troops.--

We would have ether to leave our homes, or fall victims of the barbarism of those Indians, with our families.--

Instead of this letter, I would send you a petition signed by all the settlers here, praying you, to see if possible, that arrangements are made in time yet, to secure the Fort for the union in event of trouble & to protect the fronteers here, against the invasion of hostile Indians, but, I do not think this to be a prudent way of succeeding, as, without any doubt the officers at that post would forthwith get notice of our movement & act accordingly to carry out theire design.--

Of an other fact I take the liberty to make you aware of: A Telegraphline will be completed from Omaha City to Fort Kearney by the 1st day of November next. The Telegraph post are allready erected all the way & the line will surely be in operation when the day of ellection comes forth.--

I do believe that southern money has build this line, so as to inform the comanding officer at Fort Kearney of the result emmidiately after the ellection is held & to give him instructions, because, I do not see, how this line possibly can pay, so as to justify the building of it

The distance from Omaha to Ft Kearney is 184 miles and there will be for some time no intermidiate office besides those at Omaha & Ft Kearney.

Omaha is [ illegible] Telegraph in connection with all Telegraph lines in the States.--

If the Telegraph would be extended to Pikes Peak I suppose that they reasonably might expect that the money invested in this enterprise would pay interest, but as it is, I can't see no reason, as that one, before mentioned.

But this is only a suposition of my own & you will pardon me for presenting it to you.--

The building of this line surprises all the settlers here & still more the rappid manner by which the work is conducted

I hope that you will make out reading my letter, and that you will pardon my faulty writing.--

I am a german and no Scholar in the english language; what little I do know of it I have learned on my own hook.

All my sympathies are for the great cause of freedom & I do wish, that the information I gave you, will result a benifit to the same, as well as to the pioneer settlers here, who with hope & fear look forward to the day when the presidential ellection will take place.--

You can fully rely on what I have stated; a great deal of what I have wrote, I have learned from James P. Roy, at the present Quartermaster at Fort Kearney. He is a gentlemanly & upright man, but devoted without restrictions to the interest of slaveholders.

I am very respectfully
Your
obidient servant

William Holley