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LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. AUTOGRAPH ENDORSEMENT SIGNED, 12 OCTOBER, 1864, ON A PETITION REGARDING THOMAS IRELAND
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description
- Autograph endorsement signed twice ("A. Lincoln"; "AL") on a petition regarding Thomas A. Ireland
2 joined sheets of ruled ledger paper (totaling 27 7/8 x 8 1/2 in.; 702 x 217 mm), the recto and verso of the first sheet bearing a petition directed to Lincoln, the recto of the second sheet bearing two attestations regarding the petition, the verso of the second leaf bearing Lincoln's endorsement, [Washington, D.C.], 12 October 1864, one of the attestations certified with the embossed seal of Kentucky's Owen Circuit Court; a little soiling, some marginal ink splotches, some short fold separations.
Condition
2 joined sheets of ruled ledger paper (totaling 27 7/8 x 8 1/2 in.; 702 x 217 mm), the recto and verso of the first sheet bearing a petition directed to Lincoln, the recto of the second sheet bearing two attestations regarding the petition, the verso of the second leaf bearing Lincoln's endorsement, one of the attestations certified with the embossed seal of Kentucky's Owen Circuit Court; a little soiling, some marginal ink splotches, some short fold separations.
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 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.
Catalogue Note
Lincoln pardons a Confederate officer who had "abandoned the rebel service." This petition was addressed to President Lincoln by 25 subscribers from Owen County, Kentucky. The petitioners state that their acquaintance, Thomas A. Ireland, had joined the "so-called Confederate States Army" in September 1862 and had subsequently been elected captain of Company C, First Kentucky Cavalry. However, the petitioners believe that "about the first of June, 1863, said Ireland resigned his commission in the rebel army—and that about the 20th of July 1863, when General Vancleave [that is, Horatio P. Van Cleve] of the U.S. forces had command at McMinnville, Tennessee, he issued a proclamation to the effect that, all who desired to return to their allegiance to the United States Government could do so by voluntary coming forward and taking the required oath. That, said Ireland accordingly reported at the Head-Quarters of General Vancleave and was ordered to be sent North of the Ohio River, but when said Ireland arrived in Louisville he was arrested, and has since been held as a prisoner of war." Claiming that they have known Ireland to always be truthful, peaceable, and law abiding, his 25 county-men request that Lincoln "will pardon said Thomas A. Ireland and restore him to the rights and privileges of a citizen of the United States."
The next page bears two lengthy attestations, the first, by W. H. Sanford, clerk of the circuit court for Owen Count, affirms that the petitioners are known to him as "residents of Owen County, Ky, and loyal citizens"; the second, by G. Clay Smith, asks Lincoln to "give a kind audience" to Mrs. Ireland, a "truly estimable woman," who evidently hand-carried the present petition to the White House.
On the verso of the second leaf, applies his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction to Ireland in an unusually expansive formulation: "Believing that this officer, in good faith, abandoned the rebel service, let him take the oath of Dec. 8, 1863, and be discharged. … Oct. 12, 1864." It appears as though Lincoln intended to sign his directive only with his initials, but—since he wrote them on top of the embossed seal of the Owen Circuit Court—he was apparently dissatisfied with their appearance, and he then added the fuller signature "A. Lincoln."
On 8 December 1863, despite the fact that the war still waged on, Lincoln issued a proclamation to provide a means of repatriating "those who resume their allegiance." Confederates who took an oath of loyalty, he was prepared to issue a full pardon, with some notable exceptions, which he delineated in the proclamation.
The next page bears two lengthy attestations, the first, by W. H. Sanford, clerk of the circuit court for Owen Count, affirms that the petitioners are known to him as "residents of Owen County, Ky, and loyal citizens"; the second, by G. Clay Smith, asks Lincoln to "give a kind audience" to Mrs. Ireland, a "truly estimable woman," who evidently hand-carried the present petition to the White House.
On the verso of the second leaf, applies his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction to Ireland in an unusually expansive formulation: "Believing that this officer, in good faith, abandoned the rebel service, let him take the oath of Dec. 8, 1863, and be discharged. … Oct. 12, 1864." It appears as though Lincoln intended to sign his directive only with his initials, but—since he wrote them on top of the embossed seal of the Owen Circuit Court—he was apparently dissatisfied with their appearance, and he then added the fuller signature "A. Lincoln."
On 8 December 1863, despite the fact that the war still waged on, Lincoln issued a proclamation to provide a means of repatriating "those who resume their allegiance." Confederates who took an oath of loyalty, he was prepared to issue a full pardon, with some notable exceptions, which he delineated in the proclamation.