Beschreibung:

LINCOLN, Abraham. Autograph endorsement signed ("A. Lincoln") to Secretary of State Edwin M. Stanton, [Washington, D.C.], 29 October 1861. 1 page, oblong, 520 x 85mm. Tipped to an ALS of "Cecelia [Williams]" to "Dear Father," 31 October 1861. 2 pp., 8vo. DESCRIBING AN AUDIENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT AT THE WHITE HOUSE during which the above note was written. [ With : ] A group of 20 letters, documents, telegrams and other papers relating to the case of John Williams arrested as a spy, and his efforts to win release, including documents signed by Adj. General E.D. Townshend, John A. Dix, Winfield Scott, etc. Contained in a large black binder. THE CASE OF JOHN WILLIAMS A VIRGINIAN ARRESTED IN BOSTON AS A CONFEDERATE SPY A remarkable archive which provides a vivid narrative of the case of an accused spy from his arrest to his release. Lincoln's note reads: "Sec. of State, please see this lady. She wishes the bond may be several & not joint . I think it might be so...A. Lincoln." The case is an interesting one: Williams, a resident of Norfolk, Virginia, had been arrested in Boston, where he had registered under an assumed name at a hotel. Accused of espionage, he was imprisoned at Fort Lafayette in New York Harbor. Efforts to win his release were hindered by his initial refusal to take the oath of allegiance to the United States; after Williams relented, and following considerable lobbying by his friends, he was to be released on a $10,000 bond. Four friends were prepared to be bound for the amount, but the contract was joint, making each liable for the whole sum in the event Williams defaulted. Eventually, William's wife, Cecelia, went to Washington and gained an audience with Lincoln. As her letter relates: "we were told to call at 1 o'clock, as that was the best time for ladies," and attempted to see Secretary of State Seward, for whom they waited three hours. "We went back to the president, caught him finally in a fence corner, and told him what we wanted. He understood the matter directly, and said, though he never interfered with the Secretary, yet he thought the bond might be made several...and gave us a note to the Mr. Seward to that effect..." The supporting documents contain a wealth of detail about Williams, his case, and its disposition.