25104

Abraham Lincoln Signed Commission for District of

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
Abraham Lincoln Signed Commission for District of
<B>Abraham Lincoln Signed Commission for District of Columbia Militia</B></I> An unusual and early partly-printed Civil War document signed "Abraham Lincoln" as President, 16.5" x 10", Washington, April 17, 1861. On the day that Virginia seceded from the Union and three days after Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor fell to Confederate forces, Lincoln commissions J. H. German as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of the Militia of the District of Columbia. This appointment was part of his call for 75,000 militiamen in response to the rapidly worsening crisis. On this very day, Lincoln also offered Robert E. Lee command of the Union Army, a post he declined, citing his loyalty to Virginia. Countersigned by Simon Cameron as Secretary of War. Vertical and horizontal creases with tiny pin holes at intersections, otherwise very clean and bright, with a crisp embossed seal of the U.S. War Office. An excellent, quite early example. <I>Accompanied by COA from PSA/DNA.</B></I>