1863 Civil War Order No. 142 ~ Lincoln Grants Clemency to Major Samuel K. Dawson

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

1863 Civil War Order No. 142 ~ Lincoln Grants Clemency to Major Samuel K. Dawson:
$9.99

Offered here is an interesting document from the Civil War. This General Order was among an archive of documents from the Brigade staff of the3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac. General Orders such as these were printed and distributed to the various commands as a way of spreading official information to the troops. This one, General Order No. 142, came under the War Department header and is dated May 23, 1863 from Washington. It is marked in ink as having been received at Brigade on July 15.
The single-sheet circular concerns the court martial of Major Samuel K. Dawson, a West Point graduate serving in the 19th US Infantry. The Major had been sentenced by an earlier court martial to be cashiered. The sentence had been approved by the commander of the Department of the Ohio, but then was \"commended to the President of the United States for the exercise of Executive clemency.\" The order continued, \"The President orders that the further operation of the sentence against him be, and it is hereby, remitted, and Major Dawson is reinstated in his command as of his original date.\"
It\'s not clear to me what the original charge was against Major Dawson, or what exactly got him off the hook. Dawson, though, served through the end of the war, while receiving wounds just months later at Chickamauga.
General Orders such as these were often printed in the field by the Army\'s portable printing presses that began operation in 1863. Documents were also printed in local Virginia print shops near the Army, and in larger print shops in Washington and other cities. For more fascinating information about the Army of the Potomac\'s printing processes, clickhere.
The circular measures about 5\" x 7 1/2\"and has two holes in the left margin used for placing the document in a binder. The paper is in excellent sturdy condition, not stiff, and not particularly delicate. Light wear to corners and edges.
Thisdocument was purchased from the estate of the late Norm Flayderman, who is well known as having been the authority on Antique American firearms.The archive from which the document came belonged to Thomas H. Dunham, who had started the war as a private in the 11th Massachusetts, worked on brigade and division staffs after being wounded at Chancellorsville and the Wilderness, and finished the war as Colonel of the 11th (he earned a brevet brigadier\'s commission for his service).
Please see my other items for more interesting Civil War letters and documents, many related to the 11th Massachusetts Infantry and the 2nd and 3rd Army Corps.
Foreign shipping is provided through \'s global shipping program.