#114 - Abraham Lincoln

Description

Partly-printed war-dated vellum DS as president, one page, 15.75 x 19.5, April 1, 1864. Lincoln appoints John P. Macey a “Second Lieutenant in the tenth regiment of Infantry.” Signed at the conclusion by Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. In very good condition, with intersecting folds, with one horizontal fold directly under Lincoln’s signature, scattered toning and foxing, a bit lightly affecting Lincoln’s signature, and a few scattered wrinkles, and a crease to lower left corner. The dark blue seal is intact, with a horizontal fold through lower portion.

While on duty in New Mexico, the 10th Regiment's first Civil War battle was in 1861 at Valverde, in the Confederacy’s Arizona Territory. Although the fight was won by Southern forces, the 10th Regiment soon had a chance to prove themselves as they were reassigned 2,000 miles away under the Army of the Potomac, as Confederate forces advanced into Union territory. Their mobility presenting a trait that would distinguish it from its contemporaries for several years, with the regiment participating in more than a dozen fights, including the Battle of Gettysburg. Macy, whose name has been misspelled on this appointment, enlisted as a private in 1858, survived the Civil War and eventually resigned in 1868 as a captain. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.