Description:

Abraham Lincoln
Washington, DC, November 15, 1861
Abraham Lincoln Full Signature On Scarce Civil War Naval Appointment of Charles H. Davis, To Whom Filibuster William Walker Surrendered!
PPDS

A 1p document boldly signed by 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) as "Abraham Lincoln" at center right. November 15, 1861. [Washington, D.C.] Co-signed by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles (1802-1878) as "Gideon Welles" at center left; and also signed by Registrar William Pelloran along the left edge. Partly printed and partly inscribed, bearing a green embossed sawtooth seal at center. With stirring patriotic vignettes at top and bottom, including a depiction of Neptune riding a seahorse chariot. Expected wear including wrinkles and curled edges, which are likely fully restorable by applying controlled moisture and stretching. Some reddish foxing or residue only visible verso. Else near fine. 13.5" x 18.5."

Abraham Lincoln signed military commissions featuring his full signature are extremely desirable, and naval appointments are scarcer than army ones. University Archives has offered just a handful of Lincoln signed naval commissions between 2016 and the present; the average hammer price was in the neighborhood of $5,600.

The naval commission reads in part:

"Know Ye, that reposing special Trust and Confidence in the Patriotism, Valour, Fidelity and Abilities of Charles H. Davis, I do appoint him a Captain in the Navy from the 15th November 1861…"

Charles Henry Davis (1807-1877) was a Harvard-educated career naval officer who eventually attained the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. Of a cerebral bent, Davis was interested in astronomy, oceanography, navigation, and surveying. Navy Secretary Gideon Welles, in explaining why he later relieved Charles H. Davis from his command of the Western Gunboat Flotilla in October 1862, wrote of him: "Davis… is more of a scholar than sailor, has gentlemanly instincts and scholarly acquirements, is an intelligent but not an energetic, driving, fighting officer, such as is wanted for rough work on the Mississippi…"

Yet Davis had previously proved himself a capable naval commander. In San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua on May 1, 1857, then Commander Davis accepted the surrender of the short-lived President of Nicaragua William Walker and his partisans. Davis "repatriated" Walker and the failed filibusters, sailing them back to New York.

Davis had been made the acting flag officer of the Western Gunboat Flotilla (aka the Mississippi River Squadron) after this promotion to captain in November 1861, and as such he was in charge of patrolling the Mississippi River and other navigable waterways. Davis participated in the First Battle of Memphis, on June 6, 1862, in which more than half dozen Confederate ships were captured or sunk outside of Memphis, Tennessee. A month later, Davis assisted during the Vicksburg Campaign until withdrawing his forces to Arkansas to avoid a local malaria epidemic. After Davis was relieved by Welles in October 1862, Davis served as Chief of the Navy Bureau of Navigation and as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 13.5" x 18.5"
  • Medium: PPDS

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October 8, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
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$50,000 + $5,000