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Abraham Lincoln ALS as President

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Abraham Lincoln ALS as President
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Abraham Lincoln autograph letter signed as President, dated 1 October 1861, to Secretary of War Simon Cameron. From the Executive Mansion, Lincoln entreats Cameron to help Benjamin F. Watson, a Minuteman from Massachusetts' 6th Infantry, to find a new job in the Army after his 90 day service expired. In full, ''My Dear Sir: The Post-Master General and myself have especial reasons for wishing to oblige Mr. Benjamin F. Watson, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. He has been appointed an Assistant Paymaster or Pay. M. of Volunteers; but he wishes the same position in the regular Army. If there is any vacancy, not committed to any other person, let Mr. Watson have it. If there be no such vacancy, oblige him as far as you can, by sending him to service at the place which suits him best. Yours truly, A. Lincoln''. Watson had been a Postmaster in Lawrence, Massachusetts under Presidents Pierce and Buchanan, but lost that position when he accepted a commission as Lt. Colonel in the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry -- the Minutemen of '61, a 90-day regiment that was the first to heed the urgent call for service by Lincoln in April 1861 (it had actually been organized in January 1861 in preparation for possible war). When Watson's 90-day service was up he found himself out of a job, thus Lincoln's unusual intercession on his behalf. After Watson's service as Paymaster ended in 1864, he would return as Postmaster to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he also purchased the Lawrence Sentinel newspaper. This handwritten letter measures approximately 8'' x 10'' and bears a Philp & Solomons stationers seal at top left. In near fine condition with no notable defects. Single page with blank integral leaf, ideal for framing. An exceptional and moving war-dated letter by President Lincoln.