U.S. Postmaster General - 1861-64; Brother of Francis P. Blair, Jr.; Mayor of St. Louis – 1842-43; Counsel for Dred Scott before the U.S. Supreme Court

“…I have written to Col. Fremont by this mail & via Nicaragua at considerable length…”

Autograph Letter Signed, 2 ½ pages, on a folded 8” x 10” letter-sheet. Writing to his sister from San Francisco, Blair discusses his health and laboriously explains his difficulty in writing. He further mentions business matters with John C. Fremont, the noted western explorer whom the influential and politically connected Blair family had backed in the presidential election of 1856.

“San Francisco, Aug. 16, [18]59. My dear Sister, I have nothing to write & have written to Mary sending d[ra]fts. You will hear from her every thing I have to say but still I like to say a word or so to you all at Silver Spring where so large a part of my affections dwell. I have not been quite well & am not yet as well as I would like to be. But I really think it is home sickness as much as any thing else that ails me. I have had occasional symptoms lately of a return of the Panama fever but I have stopped them & am now [?] on matters very energetically. Don’t tell momma a word of this for the sound would for she…go mad about it. I wrote home because you would expect longer & fuller letters than I can write. I have written her tho at my usual length tho I found it hard work to find matter to fill my sheets to her…I am now in no mood to dwell here or on things here in any letters I want to get away. But I start [?] I get every thing fixed so I can leave [?] in good condition. Write me therefore just as if I were a fixture – tho the thought of such a prospect would slay me outright.

I have written to Col. Fremont by this mail & via Nicaragua at considerable length & about some matters of importance to him. You say that since writing I have had a conversation with J[?] who tells me he has a power of atty. & promised to bring it here to my office yesterday. But he did not. I seldom see him & don’t know where to hunt him. I suppose he will turn up in a few days again & if his [?] are sufficient. I will get him to act on them & get a contract with Palmer to set aside proceedings in case not approved by Fremont.

Our promising uncle James D. Blair has put around here from the Sandwich Islands whence he hails now. I have not seen him & shall not seek him. It is just as well to keep at a respectful distance from such fellows especially when they [word omitted] of him to you. Y[ou]rs Aff[ectionatel]y, M. Blair.

Ned [?] & his wife & the cooks [are] better than I have seen her in years very much improved & she has got that if nothing else by coming here. She sends love to you & mother.”

Overall condition is very good, with the usual folds and a few small stains.

U.S. Secretary of State – 1852-53; Governor of Massachusetts – 1836-40; U.S Senator - Massachusetts

Everett preceded Lincoln at the podium on November 19, 1863, giving the principal address at the Gettysburg cemetery dedication.

Civil War-Date Autograph Quotation Signed, on a 3” x 5” slip of paper. During the third full year of the war – and less that a year after he delivered the opening speech before Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address – Everett expresses reverence for the nation’s first President, George Washington.

“Washington was the greatest of good men & the best of great men. Edward Everett. Boston, 3 Sept[embe]r 1864.”

Condition is excellent, with the expected light folds.

American Editor & Abolitionist

Three Weeks after the Assassination of President Lincoln – “…I hope for better times politically, but the sky is clouded…”

As founder of the New York Tribune, Greeley exerted great political power with the expression of his antislavery views. He was defeated in the 1872 presidential election, and died later in the same year.

Autograph Letter Signed, on imprinted 5” x 8” Office of The Tribune stationery, to “James Graham, Esq.,” regarding his appointment to an unspecified position.

In the month after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, conveys that he has recommended Graham to New York Governor Reuben Fenton, and sorrowfully notes the effect of the recent, abrupt death of the sixteenth president on the nation’s politics.

“New York, May 8, 1865. Friend Graham: Yours received. I have your letter, and have forwarded your application to Gov. Fenton, with a strong letter of my own, urging him to appoint you. I have no doubt he will. I trust you experienced no permanent injury from Vanderbilt’s drafts. I paid them both so soon as they reached me. I hope for better times politically, but the sky is clouded. I cannot see to the end, but have faith.  Yours, Horace Greeley.”

The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds.

U.S. Vice President - 1861-65; Governor & Senator - Maine

Civil War-Date Autograph Letter Signed, on a 5” x 8” letter-sheet, as U.S. Vice President, to “Hon[orable] S[imon] Cameron, Sec[retar]y of War.” During the first year of war, Hamlin inquiries after a man he has recommended for a clerkship in the War Department.

“Hampden [Maine], Sept[ember] 20, 1861. My Dear Sir, Some two weeks since you Tel[egraphed] me to forward you the name of a man for a clerkship, I did so, and sent you the name of John W. Brown of this town – a very good man. Since then I have heard nothing from you. Can you give him a place? I sincerely hope so – and you will oblige. Yours Truly, H. Hamlin.”

While post-war manuscripts by Hamlin are plentiful, war-date letters are not commonly encountered. The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with the usual folds. There are several ink stains in the lower half, none affecting the text of the letter; a three-inch vertical tear through the greeting and text at the upper left, with no loss of paper, could easily be repaired on the blank reverse.

Personal Secretary of Abraham Lincoln; U.S. Secretary of State - 1898-1905 – McKinley & Roosevelt Administrations

Hay became a friend of Lincoln while studying law in Springfield, Illinois and accompanied him to Washington to become one of his personal secretaries. After the war, Hay and Nicolay wrote their biography of Lincoln, and Hay served as Secretary of State under McKinley and Roosevelt from 1898 through 1905.

Autograph Letter Signed, two pages, on the first and third leaves of a 5 ¼” x 8” letter-sheet. Addressing former Union General Frederick Tracy Dent, brother-in-law and secretary of President Ulysses S. Grant, Hay seeks the help of the President in securing his brother’s advancement in the military.

“New York, August 31 [no year]. My Dear General Dent, Enclosed you will find the note to the President which you suggested I should write. My brother Lieutenant Leonard Hay is Adjutant of the 9^th Infantry. He likes the service and desires to remain in it. I know him to be a very efficient and valuable officer and if you can do anything to promote his wishes, I am sure it will be to the advantage of the service, and will lay me under great personal obligations. I am very faithfully yours, John Hay. P.S. My address will be for the present ‘Republican Office, Chicago’ where I am always at your disposition.”

Beneath Hay’s closing and signature, General Dent has written and initialed a biographical notation of Hay, in pencil, “Private Sec[retary] of President Lincoln and author of Jim Beldsoe & little breeches. F.T.D.”

The letter-sheet bears the usual light toning, and there is weakness and clean separation, with no loss of paper, at the edges of two horizontal folds. The text of the letter is unaffected by a three-quarter inch area of paper loss in the upper margin of the second page.

Confederate Brigadier General – Kentucky; Brother-in-Law of Abraham Lincoln

A West Point graduate, attorney, and antebellum Kentucky state legislator, Helm married the half sister of Mary Todd Lincoln in 1856. When the Civil War broke out five years later, he declined a position in the Federal Army, offered by President Lincoln; instead joining the Confederate cause, Helm organized and led the 1^st Kentucky Cavalry. Promoted brigadier general just before the battle of Shiloh, Helm saw action at Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, and Chickamauga, where he was mortally wounded while leading a brigade under Confederate Major General John C. Breckinridge in the Army of Tennessee.

War-Date Signature, “B.H. Helm, Brig[adier] Gen[era]l Com[man]d[ing],” an extremely rare example on a 1 ½” x 3” slip of paper, removed from a letter.

Sixteenth U.S. President - 1861-65

A Request for a Lieutenant’s Promotion – Just Two Months Before He was Mortally Wounded at Cedar Creek

“The above, written by a very good man, is submitted to the Secretary of War. A. Lincoln.”

Noted as a resident of Allentown, Pennsylvania in the accompanying National Archives records, Mr. Baldwin was undoubtedly a caller at the Executive Mansion, and was directed to write his request, hoping that President Lincoln would approve and advance it through the proper channels. His letter, accomplished in pencil, in full:

“Aug. 12^th 1864. To His Excellency, Abraham Lincoln, President of the U.S. I desire the transfer or promotion of my brother, Lt. Henry M. Baldwin, Battery M, 5^th Reg[imen]t U.S. Artillery, to any vacancy in the Regt. which you may decide it possible to place him, consistent with the good of the service. Very Resp[ectfull]y, F.H. Baldwin.”

There is no record of Lieutenant Baldwin’s promotion or transfer before he was severely wounded through the chest and left arm on October 19, 1864 – just two months later - at the Battle of Cedar Creek. He died on November 8, 1864 at Sheridan Hospital, near Winchester, Virginia.

The letter is in excellent condition, with creases from two vertical folds.                                                                                      

Sixteenth U.S. President - 1861-65

Civil War-Date Document Signed, 11" x 18", as President during the final two months of his life, Washington, D.C., February 14, 1865, “Abraham Lincoln,” a partly printed appointment for “…Ayres Stockley…Deputy Postmaster at Rockland, in the State of Michigan.” Countersigned by the Secretary of State, “William H. Seward.”

Born in Philadelphia in 1824, Ayres Stockley settled in Michigan in the 1850’s. He died at Calumet on May 27, 1911 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Ontonagon, Michigan.

There is staining in the center, and slight bleeding of ink in Lincoln’s signature; clean separation and superficial paper loss along and at the intersections of the usual folds.

Sixteenth U.S. President - 1861-65

Civil War-Date Document Signed, 15” x 19”, as President, Washington, July 29, 1861, “Abraham Lincoln,” a partly printed appointment for “…Stephen Brooks…Surveyor of the Customs for the District of Middletown in the State of Connecticut.” Countersigned by the Secretary of the Treasury, “S.P. Chase.”

The document is in excellent overall condition, with light age toning and several minor paper breaks at the intersections of the usual folds. Both signatures are distinct and free from flaw in every respect.

Sixteenth U.S. President - 1861-65

Civil War-Date Franked Envelope, 3” x 5 ¼”, as President, “A. Lincoln.” The envelope is also addressed by Lincoln, to “Rev[erend] Z.P. Wilds, 120 Prince Street, New York,” and has a June 21, 1862, Washington postmark.

The previous day, Lincoln met with a six-member delegation of Progressive Friends, composed of Thomas Garrett, Alice Eliza Hambleton, Oliver Johnson, Dinah Mendenhall, William Barnard, and Eliza Agnew. The group presented the President with a memorial, urging him to decree the emancipation of the slaves, the position adopted at the Friends’ annual meeting. It is quite worthy of note that Lincoln wrote Reverend Wilds, well known as a longtime missionary to the poor of New York City, the day following his meeting with this group of prominent leaders in the Abolition and Underground Railroad movements.

Set into an attractive, inlaid pedestal frame, the envelope bears general soiling and wear, along with minor paper loss along the right edge and above the somewhat smudged postmark.

U.S. Secretary of War - 1881-85; Son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln

Signed Card, 1 ¾” x 3”, “Robert T. Lincoln.”

The card is lightly and evenly toned, with old mounting traces on the reverse. It is accompanied by an illustrated trade card from an Amsterdam, New York grocer.

American Statesman; U.S. Secretary of War - 1881-85

Lincoln was the oldest and only surviving son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln.

Autograph Letter Signed, two pages, front and reverse of the first leaf of a 4” x 6” imprinted War Department letter-sheet, to a Mrs. Frelinghuysen, quite possibly a relative of Secretary of State Frederick T. Frelinghuysen. As Secretary of War during the presidency of Chester Arthur, Lincoln sends information relating to a request that a West Point cadet be precluded from attending chapel at the Military Academy. The request was made by the young man’s mother, and Lincoln refers to the rule empowering the superintendent, General Wesley Merritt, a Union Major General during the Civil War, to make the decision.

“Oct[ober] 31, 1882. My dear Mrs. Frelinghuysen, Referring to our conversation on the case about a Cadet whose mother does not wish him to attend Chapel at the Military Academy, I send you a copy of the rule on the subject. It seems to give the Superintendent ample power to settle such matters & I have no doubt that Gen[eral] Merritt would accede to an application or fin[d] satisfactory reasons for not doing so. Very sincerely yours, Robert T. Lincoln.”

The letter-sheet has the usual folds, with heavier soiling and wear to the first page of the letter.

Signatures, of six nineteenth-century Massachusetts politicians and abolitionists, on small slips of paper.

Everett, Edward – U.S. Statesman & Orator (preceded Lincoln at Gettysburg)
Garrison, William Lloyd – Abolitionist Newspaper Publisher
Choate, Rufus – U.S. Congressman
Wendell Phillips – Abolitionist
Banks, Nathaniel P. – Civil War Union General
Wilson, Henry – Vice President under Grant (died in office)

Most are closely clipped, with old glue staining from past mounting.

U.S. Treasury Secretary – 1865-69 & 1884-85

Autograph Letter Signed, 1 ½ pages, on the first and fourth pages of a 5” x 8” letter-sheet, imprinted Jay Cooke, McCulloch & Co., 41 Lombard Street, London, E.C. As a partner in the London banking house of noted financier Jay Cooke, McCulloch introduces and recommends a publisher to another company official, “F.O. French, Esq., Office of Jay Cooke & Co., Corner of Wall & Nassau St., New York.”

“April 26, 1873. My Dear Mr. French, I have pleasure in introducing to you T.D. Galpin, Esq. of the firm of Messrs. Cassel Pettis & Galpin, which is said to be one of the largest publishing houses in the world. Mr. Galpin is you will perceive instructed in the question of ‘International Copyright’ upon which he is thoroughly informed. Mr. Galpin is an able man and I shall be obliged to you for such courtesies as may render his visit to New York agreeable and such introduction as may be of service to him. Very Truly Yours, H. McCulloch…”

Ruined by speculation in the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, Jay Cooke & Co., along with McCulloch’s London branch, closed its doors later in the year, bringing about the downfall of numerous other banking houses and contributing to the Panic of 1873.

The letter is easily displayable as one piece when unfolded, as illustrated.

Private Secretary of Abraham Lincoln

A prominent Illinois newspaper editor, Nicolay served as Lincoln’s private secretary from 1860 through the end of the Civil War. After the war, he served as U.S. consul in Paris and marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1890, he and John Hay published their ten-volume biography of Lincoln.

“…In the revision of our book, the suggestions you make will naturally come under consideration…”

Letter Signed, on the imprinted 5” x 8” stationery of the U.S. Supreme Court. During his tenure as marshal of the court, Nicolay thanks “S.P. Leeds, Esq., Hanover, N.H.” for information relating to the official biography of Abraham Lincoln, at the time a work in progress being co-authored with fellow Lincoln secretary John Hay. Released serially in Century Magazine from 1886 to 1890, Abraham Lincoln: A History was first published in book form in 1890.

“Deerfield, Mass., July 10^th 1887. My dear Sir: Accept our thanks for your kind letter of the 5^th, the answer to which has been delayed by my summer vacation trip. In the revision for our book, the suggestions you make will naturally come under consideration. We are of course gratified by the generous commendations you are pleased to bestow on our work. Yours truly, Jno. G. Nicolay.”

The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds, and there is minor brushing of ink at the conclusion of Nicolay’s signature.

Private Secretary of Abraham Lincoln

A prominent Illinois newspaper editor, Nicolay served as Lincoln’s private secretary from 1860 through the end of the Civil War. After the war, he served as U.S. consul in Paris and marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1890, he and John Hay published their ten-volume biography of Lincoln.

Document Signed, 10” x 16”, as Marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court, “Jno. G. Nicolay, Marshal,” a manuscript statement of disbursements of the court for the first quarter of 1879, amounting to $11,321.40.

The document is in excellent condition, with tiny pinholes at the center intersections of the usual folds.

U.S. Secretary of State - 1861-69

Despite being a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860, Seward served effectively in Lincoln’s cabinet. He was seriously injured on the night of April 14, 1865, in the assassination plot which took the life of Lincoln. His most notable post-war achievement was the acquisition of Alaska in 1867.

Signed the Day before the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the Attempt on Seward’s Life by Lewis Powell

Document Signed, 8” x 10”, Washington, D.C., April 13, 1865, "William H. Seward,” as U.S. Secretary of State. Signed the day before the assassination of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth and the attempt on Seward’s life by his associate, Lewis Powell, the partly printed document transmits “…a true copy of an act of Congress entitled ‘An Act for the relief of Solomon Wadsworth,’ approved February 13, 1865; the original of which is on file in this Department.” With another significant association, the copy of the Congressional Act, H.R. 431, bound between the letter-sheet pages with ribbon at the left edge, is signed in print at the conclusion by House of Representatives Clerk Edward McPherson, on whose Pennsylvania farm the battle of Gettysburg began.

The document is lightly toned, and there are a few chips and wear at the upper left edge and the seal.

Confederate Vice President - Georgia

Despite his unionist stance as congressman from Georgia, Stephens followed his native state to the Confederacy, becoming a representative in the Provisional Congress, a position he retained even after assuming the Vice Presidency. After the war, he returned to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1873 through 1882.

Signed as Confederate Commissioner the Day Before Meeting with Lincoln at the Hampton Roads Peace Conference

Civil War-Date Signature, on a light 1 ¾” x 3 ¼” card, as Confederate Commissioner to the Hampton Roads Peace Conference. Requesting a meeting with President Lincoln to discuss a possible termination of the war, Confederate Vice President Stephens and the two other representatives were passed through the Federal lines at Petersburg by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant on January 30, 1865. They awaited instruction from Lincoln at Grant’s City Point, Virginia headquarters, and it is undoubtedly while there that Stephens signed this card.

“Alexander H. Stephens, Con[federate] States Com[missione]r, City Point, V[irgini]a. 2 Feb. 1865.”

On February 3, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward met with the Confederate commissioners, Vice President Alexander H. Stephens, Senator R.M.T. Hunter, and Assistant Secretary of War John A. Campbell, on a steamer in Hampton Roads, Virginia to discuss the prospects of a negotiated peace. The Confederacy’s insistence on independence, dismissed outright by Lincoln, and disagreement over emancipation of the slaves doomed the conference to failure. All three commissioners were arrested by Federal authorities and imprisoned for several months after the war.

While Stephens manuscripts from both before and after the Civil War are common, autographs as Confederate Vice President during the war period are only occasionally seen. This card, from the historic peace conference near the war’s end, is the only such example I’ve encountered.

The card bears light, even toning, along with minor glue staining at the edges, from its being affixed to a slightly larger card.