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[Abraham Lincoln Assassination] Letter from Captain Leonard B. Blinn Providing Eyewitness Account of the President's Murder....
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Description
"I heard the report of the pistol, the shrieks of Mrs. Lincoln, and saw the assassin jump on to the stage and disappear through the rear of the theatre."
[Abraham Lincoln Assassination] Letter from Captain Leonard B.
Blinn Providing Eyewitness Account of the President's Murder.
Bifolium, 5" x 8" , Washington; April 15, 1865. Stationery has a
"Phillip & Solomons" blind stamp embossed in the upper left
corner. The bifolium has three pages of text written by Captain
Leonard B. Blinn of the 100th Ohio Infantry. He writes to his wife,
recounting the harrowing murder he witnessed and sharing the
sorrowful effect the loss had on the city."Long before this reaches you. You will have heard of the Nations calamity in the assassination of that good man and the father of our country Abraham Lincoln. It has so happened that I was one of the spectators yesterday afternoon. It was announced that the President and General Grant would visit Fords Theater. Wm Woehler and I went there. I saw the President and his wife enter their private box. [T]hey were rec'd with tremendous applause by the whole assembly. I heard the report of the pistol, the shrieks of Mrs. Lincoln, and saw the assassin jump on to the stage and disappear through the rear of the theatre. His words u sic /u u semper /u u tyrannis /u he spoke very distinctly as he jumped from the box where he committed murder. Such an excitement followed as I hope I may never witness again. It was found out instantly that the President was assassinated. Women fainted and the police and military authorities were arresting every suspicious person. The assassin has not been arrested yet. I will know him if I see him again. The President expired this morning. The city is draped in mourning[,] bells are tolling and there is great indignation against all the Rebel Prisoners here and all Rebel sympathizers. I am heart sick and cannot write more. 'Death to all traitors' is heard on every corner. I cannot tell when I will be home[.] I think next week. I saw the President after he was shot also the pistol that he was shot with. Kiss little Carrie for me."
The imagery evoked by Blinn is stunning. His words provide an experience beyond the visual representations provided by photographs. He touches on the shrieks of Lincoln's horrified wife, the somber darkness festooned across the city, and even the sorrowful tolling of the bells, surely felt deep in the bones of the heartbroken public. The dispirited mourning is punctuated by Washington's collective outrage at the loss of a beloved leader, brutally slain and yet to be avenged. At the end of Blinn's letter, he confirms to his wife what he saw: the martyred President of the United States and the pistol that ripped him away from family and country.
The letter is accompanied by three typed transcripts.
Condition: Light toning and minimal staining, with old fold lines present. A small tear is at the bottom edge, else in fine condition.
Auction Info
2023 February 25 - 26 Americana & Political Signature® Auction #6269 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
February, 2023
25th-26th
Saturday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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