Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865) Document re: purchase of cotton from Augustus Wright by agent Hanson Risley
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02691.04 Author/Creator: Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865) Place Written: Washington Type: Document signed Date: 1864/11/17 Pagination: 3 p. 32 x 21 cm Order a Copy
Signed by Lincoln on page 3; countersigned by Hanson A. Risley as special agent and by Green Adams as government purchasing agent. "I, Hanson A. Risley, Agent for the purchase of products of insurrectionary States, on behalf of the Government of the United States ... do hereby certify that I have agreed to purchase from Augustus R. Wright of the State of Georgia, Five Hundred Bales of Cotton, more or less, deposited and stored at or near Rome... I therefore request safe conduct for the said Augustus R. Wright and his means of transportation and said Cotton from Rome, Georgia, within the lines of military occupation by the United States forces to Nashville Tenn ..."
Executive Mansion
November 17 0864
An authorized Agent of the Treasury Department having, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury contracted for the cotton above mentioned and the party having agreed to sell and deliver the same to such agent:
It is ordered that cotton moving in compliance with and for fulfilment [sic] of said contract and being transported to said Agent, or under his direction shall be free from seizure or detention by any officer of the Government: and commandants of military departments, districts, posts and detachments, naval stations, gunboats, flotillas and fleets will observe this order and give the said Augustus R. Wright, his agents and transports proper facilities and passes for the purpose of getting said cotton or any part thereof through the lines and safe conduct within our lines while the same is moving in strict compliance with regulations of the secretary of the Treasury and for fulfillment of said contract with the agent of the Government.
Abraham Lincoln
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.