This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/27/2026
Abraham Lincoln autograph endorsement signed as President, boldly penning six lines to facilitate the appointment of a Colonel for the position of Paymaster. Endorsement reads in full, ''If Fayette Brown of Ohio, was a paymaster of volunteers, & has resigned, let Col. Ezra Webb, of Cincinnati be appointed to fill the vacancy. / A. Lincoln / April 22, 1862 -''.
Endorsement is accompanied by a letter from a John McCalla to Colonel Larned, Paymaster General, recommending the appointment of Webb, who appears to have been waiting some time for a vacant paymaster position. During the Civil War, the position of Paymaster was an important and dangerous one that required judgement, discretion and bravery as Paymasters would have to travel with large quantities of money. Webb would ultimately be appointed as Additional Paymaster on 2 July 1862, but lasted only five months in the position, having been discharged from the Army on 17 December 1862.
Lincoln's endorsement appears to have originally been written on the blank sheet of McCalla's letter, but since detached. Document measures 3.375'' x 7.75''. Faint erasure above docketing. Overall very good to near fine condition with bold handwriting.