March 2015 Auction Ends Thursday, March 26th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/26/2015
Abraham Lincoln military document signed ''Abraham Lincoln'' on 19 July 1862, appointing Civil War hero William ''Bull'' Nelson as Major General during the Civil War. Nelson was one of only four soldiers from Kentucky to be appointed as Major General in the Civil War, and was famously murdered by Union Adjutant-General Jefferson C. Davis in an argument on 27 September 1862. Though beloved by his rank and file soldiers, Nelson was disliked by some of his fellow officers due to his high expectations of them. On the day of Nelson's death, after being dismissed by Nelson as a ''puppy'', Davis borrowed a pistol from a fellow officer and shot Nelson in the chest, who said as he lay dying, ''Send for a clergyman; I wish to be baptized. I have been basely murdered''. Document features blue stamped seal of the United States War Department to upper left, with Lincoln's unusually full signature of ''Abraham Lincoln'' to lower right. Countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Large vellum document measures 14.75'' x 19''. Tear to left side near seal. Foxing and small errant pen mark to lower right. Very good condition overall.
Abraham Lincoln Military Document Signed From 1862 -- Lincoln Appoints William ''Bull'' Nelson as Major General -- Nelson Was Famously Murdered by Union General Jefferson C. Davis
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