Sold For $10,001
*Includes Buyers Premium
Exceptional Civil War-dated autograph endorsement signed as president, “A. Lincoln,” one page, 3.25 x 3.25, January 10, 1865. Lincoln’s brief handwritten instruction: “Let this boy be discharged on refunding any bounty received. A. Lincoln, Jan. 10, 1865.” In very good to fine condition, with a central vertical fold, and light toning from prior display. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “NM-MT 8.”
In January 1865, President Lincoln spent considerable time reviewing the results of army court-martial cases. He was especially interested in capital sentences and the pleas made by ordinary citizens on behalf of men under military arrest and incarceration. Here, for unspecified reasons, he directs the release of “this boy” who had enlisted in the Union Army and received the standard bonus. Although unclear, it stands to reason that the boy was underage, A.W.O.L., or maybe a bounty jumper, one of many who signed up for the enlistment bonus and then deserted. It’s interesting to note that on January 10, 1865, a request for discharge was sent to President Lincoln by Samuel E. Latta, whose 15-year-old son, Emmett G. Latta, was 'induced to enlist into Co. F. 1st U.S. Light Artillery and is now at Fort Morgan, on Arlington Heights.’
