Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) – a handwritten letter to Major General George Meade, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Potomac, 21 September 1863A lined sheet of paper (measuring 22 x 18.8 cm) with pre-printed header "Washington D.C.", hand-dated "Sep. 21 (186)3" and addressed to "Major General Meade - Army of the Potomac". Written in ink, the text reads "I am appealed to in behalf John H Williams Co. D. 4 Regt. Md Vols, 1 Corps who is said to be under sentence of death to be executed on the 25th for desertion. The appeal is made on the ground of unsoundness of mind. Please give me briefly the facts and your views." Signed by his own hand "A. Lincoln". Small blotches of ink at the end of the signature and the lower edge, otherwise in excellent condition.This letter is listed in the "Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln", Volume 6, Roy Basler's eight-volume work on Lincoln's writings, published in 1953 (see https://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/lincoln6/1:972.1?rgn=div2;view=fulltext;q1=July+7%2C+1863). This volume also includes the following note: "The roster of Co. D, Fourth Maryland Volunteers, lists no John H. Williams, but Charles W. Williams who was sentenced to be shot for desertion (Army of the Potomac, General Orders No. 91, September 17, 1863) is listed with the notation 'Died, September 25, 1863'." See Private Chas. W. Williams, enlisted on 10 June 1862, entry in the roster of D Company 4th Rgt Md Volunteers at: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000367/html/am367--165.html.From July 1863, as part of the Army of Potomac, the 4th Regiment of the Maryland Volunteers was headed for Warrenton, VA and fought in the battles in East Virginia under Major General Meade.Condition: II +