Civil War Letter of Pardon from Abraham Lincoln

Order for the Pardon and Release of John O. Brown by Abraham Lincoln
Signed “A. Lincoln” as President
Body of the document in the hand of Edwin M. Stanton and signed by him as Secretary of War
Ink on War Department letterhead

Issued during the height of the American Civil War, this extraordinary presidential order bears the signature of Abraham Lincoln and grants a full pardon to John O. Brown, a soldier sentenced to death by court-martial in Indianapolis. Signed “By order of the President, A. Lincoln” on April 1, 1863, the document offers a compelling expression of Lincoln’s authority, restraint and humanity. Few wartime documents bring the personal consequences of presidential leadership into such immediate focus.

The formal order is executed on War Department letterhead in the hand of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who also signed the document beneath Lincoln’s authorization. Its concise language carries enormous consequence: Brown is “pardoned and absolved” from his death sentence and ordered released from imprisonment and discharged from United States service.

Brown’s conviction arose amid an investigation into secret antiwar organizations operating in Indiana. On March 19, 1863, Colonel Henry B. Carrington informed Lincoln and Stanton that the Knights of the Golden Circle had organized to encourage desertion, resist military drafts and “break up the army.” Carrington identified Brown’s arrest and conviction as an important disruption to the organization, while also requesting that his execution be suspended so that he could serve as a witness in a forthcoming federal case. Lincoln’s pardon therefore united mercy with practical judgment, sparing Brown’s life while preserving his potential value to the government’s investigation.

Lincoln remained personally attentive to the case after signing the order. On July 18, 1863, he wrote to Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton to ask what had become of Brown and what action the governor desired. Morton replied that Brown had been unconditionally pardoned and discharged from service. The document is fully recorded in Roy P. Basler’s authoritative Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, the foundational scholarly compilation of Lincoln’s correspondence, speeches and writings. This later exchange reveals the care with which Lincoln followed the individual cases brought before him, even while directing the immense military and political responsibilities of the Civil War.

Dated April 1, 1863

Document: 10 1/4" high x 8 1/4" wide (26.04 x 20.96 cm)
Frame: 17 1/2" high x 15 1/2" wide x 1 1/2" deep (44.45 x 39.37 x 3.81 cm)

Literature:
Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1953, vol. VI, p. 158

Transcript:

War Department
Washington City,
April 1, 1863

Ordered, that John O. Brown, under sentence of death by judgment of a Court Martial at Indianapolis, be and he is hereby pardoned and absolved from the sentence aforesaid; and that he be released from imprisonment and discharged from the service of the United States.

By order of the President,
A. LINCOLN

EDWIN M. STANTON
Secretary of War