Abraham Lincoln Document Signed as President

Civil War-dated partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 15.5 x 18.5, March 24, 1863. President Lincoln appoints John Long as a "Hospital Chaplain" in the service of the United States. Signed at the conclusion in ink by Abraham Lincoln, and countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. A replacement homemade seal has been applied to the upper left. In very good to fine condition, with scattered light staining and toning, and the signatures several shades light. Three weeks earlier, President Lincoln signed into law the Enrollment Act of 1863, an act passed by Congress to provide fresh manpower for the Union Army. Replacing the Militia Act from the year prior, the Enrollment Act became the first genuine national conscription law, which required the enrollment of every male citizen and any immigrants who had filed for citizenship, between 20 and 45 years of age, unless exempted by the Act.