LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 1809-1865.

LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 1809-1865.
Manuscript Document Signed ("Abraham Lincoln") appointing William E. Dodge an allotment commissioner from the State of New York, 1 p, 355 x 215 mm, bifolium written recto of first leaf, blue War Office seal affixed lower left, City of Washington, December 31, 1861, countersigned by Secretary of War Simon Cameron, with original transmittal envelope printed "From the President of the United States/ Priv. Sec.," signed by John Nicolay ("Jno G Nicolay"), envelope chipped, document very clean, folds.

On December 24, 1861, Lincoln signed "AN ACT to provide for allotment certificates among the volunteer force," allowing the families of volunteer soldiers to receive allotments of the soldier's pay, easing the burden of those who remained at home. The act provided for up to three commissioners to be appointed, and Lincoln chose William E. Dodge, Jr., for the State of New York, alongside Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. This appointment in manuscript is one of the earliest, made before the printed forms were produced by the government.