Lincoln, Abraham

1 page (7 7/8 x 4 7/8 in.; 202 x 126 mm) on a bifolium of Executive Mansion letterhead, Washington, 15 December 1862, postscript dated 16 December; some soiling, creasing, and marginal tears (one into text and signature of postscript), signature of letter proper a tiny bit smeared.

Not in The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Basler, and presumably unpublished

1 page (7 7/8 x 4 7/8 in.; 202 x 126 mm) on a bifolium of Executive Mansion letterhead, Washington, 15 December 1862, postscript dated 16 December; some soiling, creasing, and marginal tears (one into text and signature of postscript), signature of letter proper a tiny bit smeared.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In this apparently unpublished letter, Lincoln carefully turns over to his Secretary of the Navy a request from a controversial congressman. "Hon. Mr. Ely calls saying that he, as an M.C. nominated, Frank Hanford, to the Naval School about whose appointment there is some difficulty which you suggest I could remove. Without more, I authorize you to do in the premises, any thing which you deem lawful and proper." In a postscript, Lincoln clarifies, "Conditioned upon Congress changing the age at which candidates may be admitted."

Alfred Ely was elected to the House of Representatives from upstate New York. While watching the First Battle of Bull Run, he was taken prisoner and held at Libby Prison for nearly six months. On 18 December 1862, the New York Times reported on rumors that Ely was selling appointments to the naval academy: "A young gentleman from his district was an applicant for a position in the navy. The application was pressed for some time, but without apparent success, when Mr. Ely informed the young man that there was another applicant for the place, who could be bought off for $250. This amount was handed over to the member, and the commission was soon after secured. Subsequently, as the story goes, it was ascertained that there was not only no other applicant in the way, but that Mr. Ely had the commission in his pocket when he bargained for the $250." This is presumably the "difficulty" that Lincoln alludes to.

The fifth annual report of the Bureau of Military Records of the State of New York records that one Frank Hanford, a student at student at the Rochester, New York, Free Academy, entered the naval Academy at Newport and was mortally wounded at Gettysburg.