Spink_Sale318_section1_1_Layout 1 12/10/13 11:44 AM Page 68
The Collector’s Series Sale
CIVIL WAR: AUTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS General Order No. 1: The ‘Emancipation Proclamation’
1526
[Lincoln, Abraham.] General Order No. 1. The “Emancipation Proclamation.” 130mm x 120mm. Disbound. 3pp. “…published for the information and government of the Army and all concerned:” Lightly age toned throughout, and there are punch holes in margins, otherwise quite pleasing. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, declaring “all persons held as slaves… are and henceforward shall be free.” Written by Lincoln during July 1862, but he was persuaded to postpone its official issuance until after some decisive military victory. The Battle of Antietam provided the impetus and Lincoln officially delivered the first draft on September 22, to take effect January 1, 1863. When he signed the Proclamation Lincoln said “I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper.” Rarely encountered. Est. 500-750
www.Spink.com