This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/16/2016
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Offered here is a military commission dated April 12, 1862 for appointing Benjamin W. Richards as "Additional Aide de Camp with the rank of Captain". It is signed nicely at the bottom by President Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton with a rare full name "Abraham Lincoln" autograph. Richards served on the staff of Brigadier General James B. Ricketts. Later in the war, he went onto obtain the ranks of both Major and Lt. Colonel. The Presidential seal is still intact remains in surprisingly good condition given the age of the document. The document (13.75" x 17.5"), which has one vertical and five horizontal folds, displays two small, inconsequential holes at the very top of the vertical fold. The handwriting in the general body of the document is light but very legible, and both the Stanton and Lincoln signatures stand strong, with Lincoln's especially being nice, clear, and dark. Authenticated by PSA/DNA with a full letter of authenticity.