Description:

John Surratt
Surrattsville, MD, November 10, 1863
John H. Surratt, Accused Lincoln Assassination Conspirator, Signed 4x & War Dated, Unique!
ALS

John H. Surratt (1844-1916). Autograph Letter Signed 4x, as "Jno. H. Surratt" at conclusion and within the text, and as "Surratt"['s-ville] above the dateline and within the text. 1p, on bifold watermarked ruled stationery measuring 7.75" x 9.5", Surrattsville, Maryland, November 10, 1863. To the Honorable Colonel Watson, Assistant Secretary of War. Docketing and red pencil notations at verso. Inner pages blank. Expected transmittal folds and creases. Minor soiling, more so at folds. Overall fine condition, elegantly penned and boldly signed.

Although this letter, likely unique based on searching auction records, was auctioned at Heritage in 2012 for only $2,700, we feel it was greatly undervalued, as J.W. Booth letters routinely sell for $20,000-$50,000, and they are plentiful.

Accused Lincoln assassination conspirator and Confederacy sympathizer John H. Surratt, Jr. writes a letter to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of War. In full: "Kind Sir; / In compliance with your instructions, I herewith send you my address; - Jno. H. Surratt, Surratt's-ville, Maryland. I humbly beg that you will give your earliest possible attention to my appointment and by so doing, you will confer a great favor upon / Your obedt. Servant / Jno. H. Surratt."

John Harrison Surratt, Jr. met John Wilkes Booth on December 23, 1863, just six weeks after the date of this letter. Surratt had been carrying messages and performing minor errands for the Confederacy soon after the Civil War began, and by early 1864, having aroused no suspicions, he was escorting Confederate agents through the lines and carrying important dispatches to the Confederates in Montreal. With the family struggling to survive, his mother, Mary, moved the family to a townhouse in Washington, DC, which she ran as a boardinghouse, and which the conspirators used as a safe house to plot the scheme. In the manhunt following Lincoln's assassination, Mary Surratt was convicted of conspiracy by a military tribunal and hanged. Wanted by the Federal government, John Surratt fled to Canada, Europe, and then Egypt, where he was extradited to the United States. By the time of his trial in 1867, the statute of limitations had expired on most of the potential charges. After two months of testimony, Surratt was acquitted of having taken an active part in Lincoln's assassination. As Surratt was a known Confederate sympathizer at the time this request was made to the War Department, it is quite possible that his intentions were sinister.

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: 7.75" x 9.5"
  • Medium: ALS

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Bid Increments
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
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$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
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$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000