Partly-printed vellum DS as president, signed “Andrew Johnson,” one page, 15 x 19, April 20, 1865. President Johnson confers on "A. H. Merritt of the U. S. Volunteers, in the service of the United States, by and with the advise and consent of the Senate, the rank of Major by Brevet…for gallant and distinguished services at the battles of Laurel Hill and Peebles Farm, Virginia." Signed at the conclusion in ink by President Andrew Johnson and countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Retains the blue seal affixed to the upper left. In very good to fine condition, with scattered staining, soiling, and the signature several shades light. Johnson had ascended to the presidency only five days earlier, and Lincoln's assassin was still on the run. With this document, Johnson attends to his duties as commander-in-chief, recognizing the bravery of a Union soldier during the Siege of Petersburg. A supremely desirable document from a moment of upheaval in the United States.
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