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Lost-and-Found Letter Shows Lincoln's Terse Side

Embattled prez had more to deal with than Civil War

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted May 29, 2009 10:59 AM CDT

(Newser) – A handwritten note dated just a few days before Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has finally made its way back to the National Archives, the Washington Post reports. The terse communication from the president to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase addressed corruption charges against a Lincoln appointee. "Even though this item is seemingly routine, it is in fact very important," said an Archives official.

The letter reads in full: "Mr. Stevens, late Superintendent of the Mint at San Francisco, asks to have a copy, or be permitted to examine, and take extracts, of the evidence upon which he was removed. Please oblige him in one way or another." Robert Stevens' father-in-law, an Oregon senator who died in battle in 1861, was a close friend of the president's.

This undated handout photo provided by the National Archives shows an original hand-written letter by President Abraham Lincoln. (AP Photo/National Archives)

An original hand-written letter by President Abraham Lincoln is displayed at the National Archives in Washington, Thursday, May 28, 2009, by conservator Morgan Zinsmeister. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The National Archives holds several handwritten letters from President Lincoln, signed "Yours truly, A. Lincoln." (Getty Images)

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Lost-and-Found Letter Shows Lincoln's Terse Side

Embattled prez had more to deal with than Civil War

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More Newser Stories

Battlefield Recounts May Rewrite Civil War History

Virginia could overtake North Carolina in number of soldier deaths

Historian Faked Date on Key Lincoln Artifact

Researcher 'rewrote history,' says archivist

DNA Could Reveal Whether John Wilkes Booth Escaped

Descendants say he took new name, committed suicide in 1903

Lincoln Letter to Boy on Sale for $60K

1861 note was sent to schoolboy to confirm their meeting

Decades of US Immigration History Comes to Light

National Archives receives documents of 21 million

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Lost-and-Found Letter Shows Lincoln's Terse Side

Embattled prez had more to deal with than Civil War

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Abraham Lincoln • Civil War • National Archives • letter • American history • Salmon P. Chase

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Battlefield Recounts May Rewrite Civil War History

Virginia could overtake North Carolina in number of soldier deaths

Historian Faked Date on Key Lincoln Artifact

Researcher 'rewrote history,' says archivist

DNA Could Reveal Whether John Wilkes Booth Escaped

Descendants say he took new name, committed suicide in 1903

Lincoln Letter to Boy on Sale for $60K

1861 note was sent to schoolboy to confirm their meeting

Decades of US Immigration History Comes to Light

National Archives receives documents of 21 million

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?