Civil War-dated handwritten endorsement signed as president, "Let this man take the oath of Dec. 8, 1863 & be discharged. A. Lincoln, March 17, 1865," on an off-white 3 x 3.5 slip clipped from the docketing panel of a petition submitted to the president. Above is an autograph endorsement by his attorney general: "I ask the discharge of this young man, James Speed." In very good to fine condition, with scattered light staining. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "NM-MT 8."
On December 8, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, by which he offered full pardons to any participant in the rebellion who laid down his arms and swore a loyalty oath, agreeing to 'faithfully support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the union of all the States there under.' By this endorsement—less than one month before his assassination—Lincoln authorized the release of a Confederate soldier held as a prisoner of war.
