Lincoln, Abraham. Endorsement signed, 1 March 1865....

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Lincoln, Abraham. Endorsement signed, 1 March 1865. Endorsement signed ("A. Lincoln"), 1 page, on address overleaf of a 1-page 7.75 x 9.75 in. (197 x 248 mm.) letter to the President from Thomas Jacks "of Arks" requesting the release of two Confederate prisoners, noting that "They are both conscripts - poor men with families". Dated 1 March 1865, the endorsement, written in the hand of Lincoln's secretary John Hay, is trimmed on the blank portions (left and bottom margins); smudge on the date. Abraham Lincoln requests the release of two Confederate prisoners after taking The Oath of Allegiance. Lincoln writes in full: W.M. Johnson & Monroe Thomas Prisoners of War be discharged on taking the oath of Dec. 8, 1863. A. Lincoln March 1, 1865 The Oath of December 8 was announced by Lincoln, on that day, in his annual message to Congress in 1863. He would offer a pardon to any man who would swear, without coercion, his allegiance to the Union. The Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction provided, then, a general pardon to soldiers in the Rebellion, and to those, too, who deserted the Union cause. The Oath reads in part: I, [name], do solemnly swear, in the presence of Almighty God, that I will henceforth faithfully support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the union of states thereunder; and that I will, in like manner, abide and faithfully support all acts of Congress passed during the existing rebellion with reference to slaves...So help me God." This exchange received publicity during the 1972 Presidential Campaign when the Vietnam War was the major issue and the amnesty question was hotly debated. The letter was featured in a 31 October 1972 article in the Akron Beacon Journal.