Auction Name: 2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 42146

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/6331*42146

James Buchanan Document Signed ("James Buchanan"). One partially printed page on vellum, 14 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches; Washington; February 6, 1858.

A military appointment commissioning "Henry B. Bristol, as an officer in the U.S. Army just a few years before the eruption of the Civil War. Signed "James Buchanan" as president, and countersigned by Secretary of War, John B. Floyd. The appointment displays a bold engraving of a large American eagle at the top center and a detailed vignette of a trophy of arms and flags at the bottom.

Condition: Overall good. Flattened horizontal and vertical fold lines. Wrinkling and toning throughout. Staining scattered at the center of the document with some trickling down to the bottom right corner. Separation to the main integral fold with a smaller separation beneath that has been repaired with archival tape on the verso. Ink notation to the upper left corner and red wax remnants from seal closer to the bottom margin.

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