Lot #5019

Lincoln Assassination: Edward D. Townsend Autograph Letter Signed on Imprisonment of Conspirators: "Place the four state prisoners, Arnold, Mudd, Spangler and O'Laughlin under such restraint...as shall make abortive any attempt at escape"

Description

War Department instructions to stave off an attempt to rescue the imprisoned Lincoln conspirators: "Place the four state prisoners, Arnold, Mudd, Spangler and O'Laughlin under such restraint, and within such limits inside Fort Jefferson, as shall make abortive any attempt at escape, or rescue"

Union general (1817-1893) who was adjutant general of the United States Army from 1869 to 1880. ALS signed “E. D. Townsend, Asst. Adjt. Genl.,” one page both sides, 7.75 x 9.75, War Department letterhead, August 17, 1865. Handwritten letter to Colonel C. H. Hamilton, the commanding officer of Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas, Florida—the island fortress where convicted Lincoln assassination conspirators Samuel Mudd, Edmund Spangler, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen were held as federal prisoners. In full: "I enclose herewith a copy of a telegram from Brigadier General L. C. Baker, Provost Marshal of the War Department. The Secretary of War directs that, beside taking effectual measures against any attempt to rescue prisoners, you place the four state prisoners, Arnold, Mudd, Spangler and O'Laughlin under such restraint, and within such limits inside Fort Jefferson, as shall make abortive any attempt at escape, or rescue. You will return by Lieutenant Carpenter, the bearer of this, a full report of the measures you take under these instructions." In fine condition, with scattered light staining; the blank integral leaf is separated but present.

As the assistant adjutant general of the United States Army, Townsend had been responsible for several administrative aspects of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators by a military tribunal, including the preparation and organization of official documents. Conspirators Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, and David Herold were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, while Samuel Mudd, Edmund Spangler, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen were sentenced to prison. Mudd was sentenced to life imprisonment for aiding John Wilkes Booth by treating his broken leg; Spangler, a theater stagehand, received a six-year sentence for allegedly helping Booth escape; Arnold and O'Laughlen, both former Confederate soldiers, were sentenced to life for their involvement in the plot to kidnap Lincoln, which later escalated to assassination.

The four prisoners were sent to Fort Jefferson to serve their sentences, arriving on July 24, 1865. On their arrival, Col. Charles Hamilton explained the rules and disciplinary measures undertaken there, impressing upon them the dark and gloomy dungeon within the fort, to which offenders against the rules were consigned, over whose entrance was inscribed the classic words: 'Whoso entereth here leaveth all hope behind.' Instructions from the War Department indicated that they were to be held to the same standards as the other prisoners on the island, most of whom were Union Army deserters. Samuel Arnold later wrote of conditions there, describing it as 'the most horrible place the eye of man ever rested upon, where day after day the miserable existence was being dragged out, intermixed with sickness, bodily suffering, want and pinching hunger.'

Earlier on August 17th, L. C. Baker informed the War Department of intelligence of 'an attempt to rescue the State prisoners…a company is organizing in New Orleans for that purpose.' Further information was gathered by P. H. Sheridan, and Secretary of War Stanton soon sent instructions 'to take strict measures to guard against any stratagem or surprise.' Although the alleged mission to free the four prisoners never manifested itself, Dr. Mudd did make a near-successful attempt to escape. In September 1865, two months after the prisoners' arrival, the control of Fort Jefferson was transferred to the 82nd US Colored Troops and Mudd attempted to escape by stowing away on the steam transport ship Thomas A. Scott. He was quickly found out and returned to confinement in the dreaded Fort Jefferson dungeon.

During 1867, an epidemic of yellow fever swept through the prison, taking the lives of many including O'Laughlen and the prison doctor. In the doctor's absence, Dr. Mudd came to the aid of numerous both prisoners and their guards, ultimately taking over as prison doctor and helping to stem the spread of the disease. President Andrew Johnson would pardon and release Mudd, Spangler, and Arnold in 1869. The best account of their time at Fort Jefferson comes in a series of newspaper articles written by Arnold for the Baltimore American in 1902.

Auction Info

• Auction Title: Remarkable Rarities
• Dates: September 04, 2024 - September 28, 2024

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