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Lot #111
Abraham Lincoln

Scarce and lavish commission of an officer in the Union's dominant navy

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Description

Scarce and lavish commission of an officer in the Union's dominant navy

Partly-printed DS as president, signed “Abraham Lincoln,” one page, 14.25 x 17.25, March 4, 1864. Elaborately designed naval commission appointing “D. W. Canfield…an Assistant Quarter Master of Volunteers with the rank of Captain in the service of the United States to rank as such from the Twenty-ninth day of February, eighteen hundred and sixty-four.” Countersigned by Secretary of War Edward Stanton. Elaborately double-matted with a portrait and descriptive plaque and framed to an overall size of 31.75 x 27. In fine condition, with expected light wrinkling, and faint horizontal folds, one on which Lincoln’s name gently rests. The blue wafer seal of the United States is intact but affected by a horizontal fold.

Northern naval dominance permeated the Civil War, leading to continuous, swift, and decisive battles on the water. As their comrades struggled in bloody battles on land, the Union Navy’s maintained a constant effort on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to prevent the passage of goods, supplies, and arms to and from the Confederacy. The tactics changed the face of naval warfare, and led the navy to become an integral part of the war—something that the South was never able to successfully accomplish. It was under these dramatic circumstances that Canfield was awarded this commission. Lincoln naval commissions are recognized as being many times more scarce than army appointments. Oversized. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title:
  • Dates: #365 - Ended January 13, 2011





This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
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