Partially printed DS as president, one page on vellum trimmed in size to 13.5 x 17.25, March 6, 1863. A commission for Thomas H. McDill as Assistant Quartermaster of Volunteers with the rank of captain. Countersigned by Edwin M. Stanton as Secretary of War. On March 3, three days before signing the present document, Lincoln signed into law the first federal draft in American history, the infamous Conscription Act. The most controversial provision—a “commutation fee” that enabled a draftee to buy his way out of military service by hiring a substitute or paying $300—caused a nationwide uproar. Derided for the patently unfair advantage it afforded wealthy, well-heeled draftees, the act was the direct catalyst for the infamous Draft Riots that rocked New York City over a three-day period in the following July, resulting in $1.5 million in damage and dozens of casualties. According to genealogical records, the original appointee named in this document, Thomas H. McDill (1815–1889) was a native of Crawford County, Pennsylvania who moved to Wisconsin in 1840 and ran lumbering, sawmill, and mercantile businesses in the town of Plover; he later served as a county judge and a member of the Wisconsin state assembly. The blue paper seal remains intact at upper left. In very good condition, with intersecting storage folds, a hint of mild scattered soiling and wrinkling (one very light wrinkle touching first name of signature), top edge somewhat irregular, and ink on the light side, rendering some of the text somewhat difficult to read but still legible. Lincoln’s signature is clear, fully legible, and otherwise unaffected. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
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