The document is from 1861 and bears the signatures of Lincoln and other Union leaders, according to the Raab Collection, which is putting it up for sale on Memorial Day. The Raab Collection discovers, curates and sells historical items like this one.
Lincoln, the members of his cabinet and Union army leaders signed the document — now valued at $150,000 — so it could be sold for the benefit of The United States Sanitary Commission, a privately funded agency responsible for raising money to support sick and wounded Union soldiers.
Despite being an arm of the War Department and Medical Bureau, the sanitary commission received no federal funding. It was fairly new at the time, according to the Raab Collection, and looking for seed money.
Other notable signatories include Brig. Gen. Robert Anderson — who commanded the Union garrison at Fort Sumter, the South Carolina fort where the Civil War began — and Lincoln’s secretary of state, William H. Seward.
The sale price is $150,000, and interested buyers can contact the Raab Collection by phone, online or email.
Raab says it will donate $15,000 of the proceeds to the Fisher House Foundation, which supports homes for military veterans and their families to receive treatment and recover in the United States and Europe.
“It is nice to think that this document will play a role in helping wounded troops twice over the course of more than 150 years,” said Nathan Raab, one of the principals of the collection.
Earlier this month, newly discovered letters written by Alexander Hamilton sold by the Raab Collection fetched $170,000, Raab told CNN. In January, more of Hamilton’s letters sold for $2.6 million.
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (Photo: CNN)
