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LOT #42152 |
Starting Bid: $15,000
Abraham Lincoln Letter Signed...
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Description
In the Aftermath of Gettysburg and the New York City Draft Riots, Abraham Lincoln Urges New Jersey's Governor to Supply Troops and Avert Conscription as Draft Resistance Spreads
Abraham Lincoln Letter Signed ("A. Lincoln"). Two
pages on a single leaf (silked on the recto), 7 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches;
Executive Mansion, Washington; July 20, 1863.Just days after the New York City Draft Riots, Lincoln writes to Governor Joel Parker regarding New Jersey's shortfall in meeting its troop quota, relaying federal estimates for the state's draft requirement and urging the rapid raising of volunteer regiments to reduce or avoid conscription. In full:
"Dear Sir
Yours of the 15th has been received and considered by the Secretary of War and myself. I was pained to be informed this morning by the Provost Marshall General that New Jersey is now behind twelve thousand irrespective of the draft. I did not have time to ascertain by what rule this was made out; and I shall be very glad if it shall, by any means, prove to be incorrect. He also tells me that 8000 will be about the quota of New Jersey on the first draft; and the Secretary of War says the first draft in that state would not be made for some time in any event. As every man obtained otherwise lessens the draft so much, and thus may supersede it altogether. I hope you will push forward your volunteer regiments as fast as possible. It is a very delicate matter to postpone the draft in one state, because of the argument it furnishes others to have postponement also. If we could have a reason in one case which would be good if presented in all cases, we could act upon it. I will thank you therefore to inform me if you can, by what day, as the earliest, you can promise to have ready to be mustered into the United States Service the 8000 men. If you can make a reliable promise (I mean one on which you can yourself rely) of this sort, it will be of great value if the day is not too remote. I beg you to be assured I wish to avoid the difficulties you dread, as much as myself.
Your Obedient Servant
A. Lincoln."
Written in the immediate aftermath of Gettysburg and amid rising tension over conscription, this letter finds Lincoln confronting one of the war's most delicate problems: sustaining the Union army without provoking resistance at home. Victory in the field had sharpened the demand for men, but conscription proved a wildly unpopular policy. From July 13 through the 16th, riots had erupted in Lower Manhattan, resulting in deadly violence against New York City's Black population.
Meanwhile, New Jersey, like other states, was struggling to meet its quota. Lincoln relays the shortfall and presses Governor Parker to hasten the raising of volunteer regiments. The draft remained politically volatile, and any delay in one state risked encouraging others to seek the same. What appears here is not simply a request for troops, but an effort to maintain balance across the Union, encouraging enlistment while preserving the credibility of conscription.
Lincoln asks for a "reliable promise" that the required men can be furnished within a reasonable time. Every volunteer reduced the need for a draft, while every delay hurt the Union Army's numbers. Still, Lincoln wrote hesitantly, aware that he risked provoking further violence or unrest.
The letter captures his wartime leadership at its most characteristic: measured, pragmatic, and attentive to both military necessity and political consequence. The victory at Gettysburg had been won, but here the work of sustaining it continues-state by state, man by man.
Condition: Very good overall. Recto is fully silked. Flattened folds and minor toning, with just a few stray marks. Prior to silk, full separation to upper fold and areas of separation to lower fold; affecting text. Some adhesive staining and minor wear.
References: "Abraham Lincoln to Joel Parker, 20 July 1863," The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Roy P. Basler (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1953), vol. 6; James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988); Adrian Cook, The Armies of the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots of 1863 (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1974).
Auction Info
2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction #6331 (go to Auction Home page)
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