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Abraham Lincoln Collection

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 23 Feb 2012



Biographical History

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the sixteenth President of the United States, serving during the American Civil War (1861-1865). A self-educated man, he was a lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, and an Illinois member of the House of Representatives prior to his election as president.

Edwin McMasters Stanton (1814-1869), a native of Ohio, was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Attorney General from1860 to 1961 and as Lincoln's Secretary of War from 1862 to 1865.


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Abraham Lincoln Collection consists of two items. One is a brief note, signed "A. Lincoln," from Lincoln to Edwin M. Stanton, then Secretary of War, asking Stanton's opinion on an unspecified matter ("this"). Stanton's response, signed "Edwin M. Stanton Sec of War," is written below on the same sheet and mentions "a great number of wounded soldiers." The letter may relate to a proposal to evacuate the Capitol. The note is framed, flanked by engravings of Lincoln and Stanton.

The commission names one W. S. Hillyer "Additional Aid de Camp" and promotes him to the rank of colonel. It is signed by both Lincoln and Stanton. This is likely William Silliman Hillyer, 1831-1874, who eventually rose to the rank of general.


Arrangement of the Collection

No particular order.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

Additional Lincoln material may be found in the George H. Smyser Papers.


Subject Headings

Persons

Hillyer, William Silliman, 1831-1874.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.
Stanton, Edwin McMasters, 1814-1869.

Places

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Military commissions.

Occupations

Presidents -- United States.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Abraham Lincoln Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Letter purchased, 1970.


Table of Contents

Documents


Inventory