15 August 1866

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Document signed

Title: [Presidential pardon of Confederate naval officer, Thomas W. Brent, for taking part in the rebellion]

President Andrew Johnson granted T. W. Brent a full pardon and amnesty for all offences he committed. Countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward. Seal on second page.

GLC03079.01

1865

Alexander, William, 1819-1892

Document signed

Title: Manuscript Texas amnesty oath for Confederate

GLC03401

17 July 1868

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Document signed

Title: [Pardon of Nathan B. Forrest for rebellion]

Pardon for ex-Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest of Tennessee. The pardon includes a provision against Forrest attempting to enslave people, and that he claim no property or the proceeds of any property that has been ordered sold by court of law. Accompanied by a Free Franked envelope. (c/s by William H. Seward). Features embossed seal on verso.

GLC04977.01

10 August 1868

Forrest, Nathan Bedford, 1821-1877

Document signed

Title: Receipt of pardon form. [N. B. Forrest]

Partially printed receipt of pardon form sent by William H. Seward to Nathan B. Forrest along with his pardon. Forrest, as per the specifications of the pardon, returns the completed form to Seward.

GLC04977.02

6 August 1868

Forrest, Nathan Bedford, 1821-1877

Document signed

Title: Acknowledging receipt of presidential pardon [for Nathan B. Forrest].

GLC04977.03

6 August 1868

Forrest, Nathan Bedford, 1821-1877

Document signed

Title: to William H. Seward re: accepting the conditions of his pardon

Forrest accepts the conditions of his presidential pardon and amnesty oath, with all the conditions specified. Certified at bottom by Isaac Morrison, U.S. Commander for the District of West Tenn.

GLC04978

1 September 1863

Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James Cook Conklin

In a working draft of a telegram, General Butler responds to an invitation to a convention of Union supporters in Springfield, Illinois from Conkling, a judge active in state politics. Discussing the Civil War, states "Compromises are impossible save between equals in rights-- Reorganization or reconstruction is alone useful where vicious parts are to be left out. Amnesties are for individuals not for organized communities ... " Marked as a telegram. Contains a handwritten note in faded red ink on the first page labeling the document as copied. This telegram cites Conkling's name as "…

GLC06089

26 July 1864

Brownlow, William Gannaway, 1805-1877

Newspaper

Title: Knoxville tri-weekly whig and rebel ventilator. [Vol. 1, no. 1 (July 26, 1864)]

Reports capture of Atlanta by Sherman, opposition to granting "open & avowed" Rebels the right to vote in upcoming election, death of General Faulkner & Colonel Forrest, defeat of General Forrest, affirmation of Lincoln's handling of the war.

GLC06107.04

11 October 1867

Lee, Robert E., 1807-1870

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Edward George Washington Butler

Lee, President of Washington College, replies to a letter from General Butler. Acknowledges the receipt of a pamphlet entitled "Oaths, Amnesties, & Rebellions." Discusses the execution of Ferdinand Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, before a firing squad in Mexico, stating that "His death was not necessary & accomplished nothing, but the excitement of the horror of the civilized world. He went to Mexico at the formal invitation of her people, & laboured hard for their improvement." Requests that Butler offer his regards to several acquaintances. Discusses a recent bout with…

GLC05275

May 20, 1842

Tyler, John, 1790-1862

Letter signed

Title: to Elisha R. Potter

Written at the height of the Dorr controversy, when Thomas W. Dorr's followers who wanted to put a new Rhode Island state constitution in place to expand suffrage, illegally elected Dorr the governor. Tyler explains his response to the affair, his desire for amnesty, peace, and to undercut public sympathy for the Dorrites who invoked the right of rebellion. Concedes that "Dorr's recent proceedings have been so extravagant a character as allmost to extinguish the las hope of a peaceable result." Notes that the developments make it difficult for Rhode Island Governor Samuel Ward King to yield…

GLC01131

circa 1865

Various

Header Record

Title: Two amnesty oaths for Jones with pardon and related papers [Decimalized .01- .05]

P.B Jones took part in a rebellion against the government . He was later pardoned by President Andrew Johnson. All documents have stamped signatures of important persons.

GLC01444

1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Pamphlet

Title: The letters of President Lincoln on questions of national policy.

Reprint of six letters by Lincoln: June 13, 1863, to an Albany, New York Committee, discussing his interpretation of the writ of habeas corpus in the Vallandigham case; February 3, 1862 and October 13, 1862, to General George McClellan on the management of the war; August 22, 1862, to Horace Greeley concerning amnesty for southerners; August 7, 1863, to New York mayor Horatio Seymour regarding the New York City draft riots and the constitutionality of the Conscription Act; August 26, 1863, to the Springfield, Illinois and Syracuse Conventions, defending the Emancipation Proclamation.…

GLC01969

21 June 1865

Lee, Samuel Phillips, 1812-1897

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Mercer Brooke

Written by Acting Rear Admiral Lee as Commander of the Mississippi Squadron to Brooke, a former Confederate naval officer seeking amnesty. References that the preceding page of this letter was a copy of the letter he sent to the president on his behalf. Says he would have lauded his abilities as a seaman, navigator, and hydrographer, but thought to dwell too much on them would be a cause of complaint against him. Claims that "I have felt that if I had not been sent out of the country in the fall of 1860 that I might have helped to save some of my honest Navy friends who were so cruelly misled…

GLC02029.02

21 June 1865

Lee, Samuel Phillips, 1812-1897

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Andrew Johnson

Signed by Acting Rear Admiral Lee as Commander of the Mississippi Squadron to President Johnson. Lee says that John Mercer Brooke of Virginia, who is now in Richmond, is deserving of amnesty. Says Brooke was trained in the U.S. Navy, resigned to join the Confederate Navy, designed guns (the Brooke gun), and experimented with iron plating. Brooke claims to have had nothing to do with prisoners, cruisers, or illegitimate warfare. Says Brooke had a good reputation in the U.S. Navy and that his surveys of the China Seas are still useful. Says Brooke has taken the oath of allegiance, is poor and…

GLC02029.01

9 December 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Pamphlet

Title: Amnesty proclamation and third annual message of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States ...

Title continues, " ... read in Congress, December 9, 1863." Early printing of the Amnesty Oath of December 8, 1863 which offered pardons to Confederates who would take a loyalty oath to the Constitution and to the Union of States. His third annual message presented a program for Reconstruction for the first time. With bookplate and deaccession stamp of Minnesota Historical Society on front cover.

GLC02536

May 12, 1866

Cooper, Peter, 1791-1883

Manuscript letter signed

Title: to John Sherman

Cooper, an inventor and philanthropist, discusses disagreement between President Andrew Johnson and Congress regarding reconstruction. Suggests to Sherman, a Senator from Ohio, that Johnson and Congress require Southern Congressional members to take an Oath binding them to maintain the Constitution of the United States. Also recommends "that all persons who may at any time on the floor of Congress either advocate the right to secede from the Union, or the repudiation of the National debt, or propose any unrepublican laws ... shall be declared guilty of treason, and the party so offending,…

GLC00150

23 August 1776

Howe, William, 1729-1814

Broadside

Title: A Proclamation: [appeal to Loyalists for amnesty and support]

With manuscript notes and calculations on verso

GLC00179

circa December 26, 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Autograph note signed

Title: Order for Daniel Linder

Lincoln proclaimed a pardon possibility for rebellious soldiers December 8, 1863, in his annual message to Congress. Daniel Linder, son of Usher F. Linder, an old friend of Lincoln in Chicago, was freed on Dec. 26, the date assumed for this document.

GLC00213

3 October 1778

Clinton, Henry, Sir, 1730-1795

Broadside

Title: Manifesto and proclamation to the members of the Congress

Double-column format. Issued by the British Peace Commissioners Lord Carlisle, Sir Henry Clinton and William Eden after the failure of their peace initiative. Offered a general amnesty and pardon with internal self-government and the repeal of Parliamentary taxation. Bibliographic reference: Evans 15832.

GLC01032

21 March 1863

Sandoz, Joel H., fl. 1840-1864

Newspaper

Title: The Opelousas courier. [Vol. 11, no. 16 (March 21, 1863)]

With French text. Prints a proclamation by Governor Moore calling for a General Assembly in Shreveport, the temporary capital of Louisiana. Articles describe female soldiers and war industries. Includes several ads, among which is one offering full amnesty for AWOL soldiers, another for gunboat artillery recruits, and one for a slave sale. Printed on blue/green floral wallpaper. After Baton Rouge fell in early 1863, Governor Moore moved the state capital to Opelousas. When that city was captured by Union troops, the capital was moved to Shreveport.

GLC00843

9 January 1864

Wood, Matthew, fl. 1862-1865

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Sarah Wood

Written from near Knoxville, Tennessee to his wife. Justifies war as a chastening from God for the nation's previous sins. Mentions Lincoln's Proclamation of Amnesty. Describes the comforts of God as a companion. Written on military stationery.

GLC02176.11

8 April 1878

Stricklin, W.S., fl. 1878

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Blanche Kelso Bruce

discusses Mr. Crawford's case.

GLC09400.367

24 May 1878

Stricklin, W.S., fl. 1878

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Blanche Kelso Bruce

further discusses Mr. Crawford's case and ways of proving his loyalty to the Union.

GLC09400.368

19 August 1865

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Printed document signed

Title: Official Presidential Pardon for P.B Jones

Andrew Johnson grants P.B Jones a full pardon for any offenses committed.

GLC01444.01

27 November 1865

Seward, William Henry, 1801-1872

Printed document signed

Title: [Certificate of authentificity for pardon]

GLC01444.02