“THE LADY-BEARER OF THIS—A QUAKERESS—WISHES TO DO SOME ACTS OF HUMANITY FOR SECESSION PRISONERS…”: MOST UNUSUAL AND COMPASSIONATE LINCOLN AUTOGRAPH NOTE GRANTING PERMISSION FOR THE BEARER TO TEND TO CONFEDERATE “SECESSION PRISONERS,” WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY LINCOLN IN 1863, IN EXCEPTIONAL AUTOGRAPH ALBUM OF DOLLEY MADISON’S COUSIN WITH OVER 250 HISTORIC SIGNATURES

(LINCOLN, Abraham). Autograph Note Signed (27 July 1863), 11 lines recto and verso of card (3-3/8 by 2 inches), from Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. John Wethered with additional card signed (“A. Lincoln”) as President. WITH: (MADISON, Dolley) Two-page Autograph Letter Signed (3 June 1844) from Dolley Madison to same, tipped-in at rear. IN: Autograph album of Mrs. John Wethered, wife of Maryland Representative John Wethered, containing a total of 256 signatures of mid-19th century American politicians. Generic engraved “Album” title leaf and five engraved plates interspersed. [Washington: no publisher, circa 1844]. Square octavo, original black blind-stamped morocco rebacked with original spine laid down. Housed in custom cloth chemise and half morocco slipcase.    $55,000.

Stirring and very unusual autograph note signed by Lincoln from 1863 authorizing the bearer, a “Quakeress,” to tend to Confederate prisoners of war, whom he here describes as “secession prisoners.” The recipient tipped this note into her original mid-19th-century autograph album that contains more than 250 original historic signatures, including those of Presidents Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and John Quincy Adams, as well as many other figures important in politics leading up to and during the Civil War, both in the Union and in the Confederacy, most signed during the years 1843-1845. Also with a warm letter from the owner’s cousin, Dolley Madison, tipped in.

Lincoln’s note to Mrs. Wethered grants permission to tend injured Confederate soldiers in Baltimore. The “Surgeon General” referred to would be William Alexander Hammond (1828-1900), a pioneer in the field of neurology and appointed Surgeon General of the United States Army in 1862 by Lincoln. The note reads: “The lady-bearer of this—a Quakeress—wishes to do some acts of humanity for secession prisoners now at Baltimore. Surgeon General please see & hear her & and allow her such authority in the premises, as is consistent with humanity, & not inconsistent with the public service. A. Lincoln. July 27, 1863.”

Lincoln’s note is remarkable for the word he uses to describe Mrs. Wethered-“Quakeress”—and his designation of captured Confederate soldiers as “secession prisoners.” Three days later, in his Order of Retaliation, Lincoln uses the more common “rebel soldier”: “It is therefore ordered that for every soldier of the United States killed in violation of the laws of war, a rebel soldier shall be executed.” Mrs. Wethered, like her husband John, was a member of that Christian denomination noted for its ecumenism, pacifism, and de-emphasis on theology and creed. Mrs. Wethered had appealed for permission to minister to the enemy’s soldiers, a stirring testament to her Quaker ideals. She was most likely bound for Fort McHenry: while throughout the war McHenry was mostly used to house southern sympathizers (this may be why Lincoln refers to “seccession prisoners”) and recently captured soldiers on their way to other camps, at the time of this note, July 27th, 1863, the inmate population had swelled to nearly 7000 prisoners following the Battle of Gettsyburg.

The album includes a letter from fellow Quaker and cousin of Mrs. Wethered, Dolley Madison (1768-1849), writing in a familiar tone about a gift received (“The beautiful berries from the garden of my precious friend reached me this morning”), an invitation from Mrs. Wethered (“This gift however is not more grateful to my mind than the invitation to visit you”), and mutual acquaintances (“our friends who met in the Capitol yesterday engaged my thoughts all day”). A curious fact links these two women: Dolley Madison was the first person to send a personal message by telegram. After watching Samuel Morse demonstrate his electric recording telegraph, Dolley sent “Message from Mrs. Madison. She sends her love to Mrs. Wethered” (Côté, Strength and Honor).

John Wethered (1809-88) was a U.S. Representative from Maryland and woolen goods manufacturer. It was during his term as Whig in the Twenty-Eighth Congress (1843-1845) that his wife had this album signed by members of Congress. Signatures collected in this album include: Presidents John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren (tipped-in), James Buchanan, and Andrew Johnson; Vice Presidents Hamilton Hamlin and William R. King of the United States and Alexander H. Stephens of the Confederacy; Henry Clay, signed here just days after his nomination as Whig candidate in the 1844 Presidential election. Other notables include Stephen A. Douglas, Thomas Hart Benton, and Hamilton Fish, as well as scores of other state and federal representatives, many of the signatures gathered from the 1844 Whig Convention. A remarkable and near-comprehensive portrait of the 1844 election season.

Signatures grouped geographically, with states designated by penciled headings and newspaper clippings depicting state seals. Binding with expert restoration to extremities. A few instances of foxing, chiefly to engraved plates. An impressive and exceptional album; a most desirable addition to any Civil War collection.