Lincoln, Abraham. Important autograph endorsement signed as President, June 7, 1862, written on the 4th page of a bifolium with a 1p letter to Secretary of War Stanton from revenue cutter officer David Ritchie, 9¾ x 7¾", May 30, 1862, recommending his nephew, Dr. Jonathan Letterman, to be Medical Inspector General for the Army of the Potomac, a position tantamount to Surgeon General. Ritchie writes, in part, "…I do not desire that he may have any unjust preference over others because he is a relative of mine but at the same time I do not desire his just claims to be overlooked and an inferior person appointed through influence of any kind….If you should think it proper, please show this letter to the President." Stanton forwarded the letter to Lincoln who wrote, "
Respectfully read and returned to the Sec. of War. A. Lincoln Jan. 7 1862."
Letterman was appointed assistant surgeon in the Army in 1849. He saw duty in actions against the Apaches in New Mexico before returning east in 1861 to be assigned as Medical Director of the Dept. of West Virginia. He took over his duties on July 4, 1862, in the midst of the Seven Days battles. He reformed the medical service, ordering innovations such as fresh vegetables to be issued and cooked for the men, six inches of dirt to be added daily to the latrine, and all kitchen and slaughterhouse refuse to be buried. He also set up an ambulance corps, but his greatest fame is as the founder of the soldiers' hospital at Gettysburg, which was named Camp Letterman in his honor. He arrived at Gettysburg on July 4, 1863, and coordinated the medical efforts, setting up the hospital which, according to his own statistics, treated 14,193 Union wounded and 6,802 Confederate wounded. The innovations which he instituted unquestionably saved the lives of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Little known except for his name on Camp Letterman, he is one of the greatest unsung heroes of the Civil War.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 8,000.
The Arden Family Holdings of Beverly Hills.
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