May 2012 Auction Ends Tuesday, May 29th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/29/2012
War-dated handwritten endorsement signed by Abraham Lincoln as President, dated 6 May 1864, at the pivotal point in the Civil War when General Grant launched the Overland Campaign with the Battle of the Wilderness. Lincoln writes ''Let this appointment be made, if the service of another officer of that class can be made useful. / A. Lincoln / May 6, 1864''. Endorsement appears on the verso of the second integral leaf of a letter to Lincoln by Frederick B. Lilley, whom requests the appointment. Dated 25 April 1864. Lilley's letter reads in part, ''I respectfully solicit the appointment of Assistant Pay-Master in the Volunteer Service. I am a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and believe that I possess the requisite qualifications.'' Lilley, incidentally, would later be arrested on bribery charges while serving as deputy auditor of the Post Office. 7.75'' x 10'' document is in very good condition with partial separations along folds and some light toning and soiling to endorsement panel. A boldly penned example from a crucial time in the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln War-Dated Endorsement Signed on 6 May 1864 on the Back of a Full Letter -- While the Battle of the Wilderness Raged in Virginia
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