LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865). Partially engraved document signed ("Abraham Lincoln") appointing John J. Sweet. Washington, D.C., 19 March 1861.
One vellum sheet; 18 x 14 1/2 in. (457 x 14.5 mm), accomplished in manuscript; green paper seal intact in bottom left; docketed in red ink in top left corner, circular ink stamp in same; laid down on paper; tear traversing "A," b," and "h" of Lincoln's signature; scattered losses along edges, small chipping and wear along same; wrinkling at top; scattered soiling; in mat.
Signed by Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, appointing John J. Sweet a Second Lieutenant in the Second Regiment of Cavalry; countersigned by Secretary of War Simon Cameron.
John J. Sweet was the son of Martin P. Sweet, a friend and colleague of Lincoln's from his days in Illinois. The younger Sweet trained at the Cavalry School for Practice in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and following this appointment served in the defenses of Washington, D.C., from April 1861 to March 1862. He was appointed a First Lieutenant of the Second Cavalry on 16 April 1861, and was then appointed to the Fifth Cavalry. He served in the Peninsula Campaign and fought in the Siege of Yorktown (5 April 1862-4 May 1862) and the Battle of Williamsburg (5 May 1862). He was killed in action at the Battle of Gaines's Mills on June 27, 1862.
Provenance:
Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California
Property from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation