Civil War–dated partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 15.5 x 19, June 30, 1862. President Lincoln appoints Charles Fairchild as “an Assistant Paymaster in the Navy.” Signed at the conclusion by Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. The orange naval seal affixed to the bottom remains fully intact with a crease through the right side. In very good condition, with intersecting folds (one vertical fold passing through a single letter of Lincoln’s signature), scattered toning and soiling, and a bit of irregular ink adhesion to signatures. Fairchild was stationed aboard the USS Mahaska and was involved in the James River blockade and battle of Charleston; his brother, Lucius, was wounded at Gettysburg and went on to become governor of Wisconsin. Lincoln’s Civil War naval commissions are among the most desirable presidential documents, as they feature attractive vignettes of a heraldic eagle at the top and Neptune with sea serpents at the bottom. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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