Partly-printed war-dated DS as president, one page, 20 x 14.5, July 17, 1861. President Lincoln appoints William Cuddy of Missouri “to be a Surveyor General of the United States for the District of Illinois and Missouri.” Boldly signed at the conclusion by Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of Interior Caleb B. Smith. In very good condition, with intersecting folds, a block of uniform toning from prior display, and scattered creasing and wrinkling.
On May 10, 1861, less than a month after the start of the Civil War, over thirty people were killed when Union troops and civilians clashed following news of a potential secessionist plot to overtake a nearby depot at the St. Louis Armory. Intent on alleviating the border violence of Missouri, an integral tug-of-war state over the issue of secession, Lincoln signed this appointment while hoping to restore order and salvage any neutral stance the people of Missouri may have had. On July 21, Union forces were routed at the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle of the Civil War and a shock to the North that compelled Lincoln a day later to sign a bill for the enlistment of another 500,000 men. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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