Today in History: A Lincoln Pardon (And, You Know, That Whole Surrender at Appomattox Thing)

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Major & Knapp Print, Library of Congress.

On April 12, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met, and Lee formally accepted the surrender terms drawn up on April 9th, and disbanded the Army of Northern Virginia. Several small battles took place after Lee's surrender, but the war was effectively over. For thousands of troops, the fighting was now done.

George Maynard's Letter to His Uncle. From the Compiled Military Service Records, US National Archives

For one Union soldier, however, this date held even more significance.  Private George A. Maynard of the 46th New York Infantry was arrested September 18, 1864, as a deserter, only 15 days after enlisting, and taken to Fort Monroe. He was charged with the even more serious crime of deserting to join the opposition. At trial, Maynard was found guilty on February 14, 1865, and sentenced "to be hung by the neck until dead."  

Telegraph from Lincoln to Grant, Dated February 23, 1865. From the Compiled Military Service Records, US National Archives

The soldier sent a message to his uncle, Harrison Maynard, of St. Albans, VT, entreating for help.  Uncle Harrison must have been well connected, because less than ten days later on February 23rd, President Abraham Lincoln telegraphed General Grant, ordering him to suspend Maynard's sentence until his case could be further reviewed.  Lincoln, in spite of the Herculean burden of running a country at war with itself, reviewed the cases of hundreds of individual soldiers, converting sentences and pardoning many. Entreaties on behalf of soldiers came from those in high positions of power--governors, congressmen--and regular, everyday people, if they could get their request to him. The President treated each request, once received, the same. Lincoln's mercy became a sore subject with his Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton,  who wished the President would remember that the Army needed harsh consequences at times to keep the troops in line.

 On April 12, 1865, Lincoln officially pardoned George A. Maynard, and ordered he be returned to his regiment.  Two days later, Lincoln would be assassinated by John Wilkes Booth; so Maynard was lucky in more ways than one. The official order pardoning Maynard was published on April 24th, and sent out to General George G. Meade and the Army of the Potomac. Meade in turn sent the order back, explaining that the 46th New York Infantry was no longer serving with his outfit. Maynard finally returned to his regiment on June 5, 1865, and was mustered out with the rest of the 46th at the end of July. We'd call his army tenure a short, but storied career.

You Know You're Gonna Lose the War When...

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Things are going poorly when you have to take the other side's forms; scratch out their name and add yours.  Here, the Confederates took a US shipping agreement, and presto chango--it's a CSA contract! We love coming across these gems at the Archives.

Presidential Signature: James Monroe

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Our Friday special- that presidential post you all have been waiting for! On March 10, 1813, James Monroe was serving as Secretary of State under President James Madison. The US was in the middle of the War of 1812, and Monroe wrote this pass to allow a British agent free travel around Washington, DC, so he could negotiate the exchange of POWs. Eighteen months later, after the British burned both the White House and the Capitol, Madison would fire then Secretary of War John Armstrong, and appoint Monroe to the position. But, after his switch, a successor was not appointed as Secretary of State through February 1815 when the war ended; leaving Monroe to fill two cabinet positions. Before the Treaty of Ghent was signed and peace was official, Secretary of War Monroe had been planning an invasion of Canada- a fantasy many red-blooded Americans still hold today (not us, we love Canucks!). With the war over, Monroe returned to his position as Secretary of State, until he himself was elected president.

Archives Find of The Week- Cherokee Muster Rolls

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Today, we got to take a look at some of the "Muster Rolls of Cherokee Indians Who Have Emigrated West of the Mississippi" from 1833. Tribes were being forced out of the Deep South, following the Indian Removal Act of 1830, to make way for white settlers. The law was initially merely to authorize the President to negotiate with tribes for their removal to federal lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for their ancestral homelands. But what was intended to be a voluntary move became a forced expulsion. In 1833, the Cherokee Nation was not yet being forced to head west, but the government was keeping track of those who left voluntarily- displaying some particularly colorful names. In the midst of the Georgia Gold Rush, President Andrew Jackson put increasing pressure on the tribes to move, and refused to protect them from state laws stripping the Nation of all land except personal residences (some strong supporting evidence in the case to get Andrew Jackson replaced on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman- go Harriet!). The Treaty of New Echota was signed in 1835 by a minority party within the Cherokee Nation, ceding all its southeast territory and agreeing to the move west. The enforcement of this treaty led to what is now known as the Trail of Tears. The remaining Cherokees were forced to march 1000 miles to Oklahoma in the dead of winter, carrying everything they owned. Over 4000 people died, and the rest had to build new lives in foreign territory, with few possessions and little hope.

Shepard in Space

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54 years ago today, Alan Shepard, a former Navy pilot, was launched into space aboard the Mercury Freedom 7, becoming the first American and second human ever to make that trip (depiction of the lead up to this flight brought to you here by "The Right Stuff"). Almost ten years later. Shepard went into space again, as commander of Apollo 14, and became the first man to hit a golf ball on the moon.

1860 Marriage Equality

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"Marriage today is not what it was under the common law tradition, under the civil law tradition. Marriage was a relationship of a dominant male to a subordinate female. That ended as a result of this court's decision in 1982, when Louisiana's Head and Master Rule was struck down. Would that be a choice that state should be allowed to have? To cling to marriage the way it once was?" -The Notorious RBG

This week we listened to the oral arguments for Obergefell v. Hodges- the Supreme Court's current case about the legality of gay marriage bans while digging through a bunch of pension records (because we are nerds). Think the definition of marriage hasn't changed over time? Check out this government-issued 1860 marriage certificate from the city of St. Louis. Ladies, submit to your husbands, and gents, don't be bitter about it! No wonder Thomas and Catherine got divorced.

Now That's a Dress!

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Finding images in military records is rare, but we do occasionally come across a photograph, a tintype, or even a daguerreotype in the files. This daguerreotype was found by a gentleman doing genealogy research on his family- he was not as excited, since apparently it was great-great-great grandad's 1st wife, and his family descended from the 3rd, but we were PUMPED. As a warning to those about to attempt tracking down family genealogy, people in the 19th century got married A LOT!

Your Own Personal Jesus

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"I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo T-shirt. 'Cause it says like, I wanna be formal but I’m here to party too." This 1887 baptism certificate is one of the more elaborate we've come across. It belonged to the daughter of a Civil War veteran, and was submitted by his widow as proof of their marriage, so she could receive a pension.

In Memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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Some of you Ken Burns aficionados may already know this, but the memorial Franklin Delano Roosevelt actually wanted stands outside The National Archives. As the president who signed the enabling legislation to make the National Archives its own agency, FDR wished for a humble, unadorned memorial on the grounds outside. While we love the feeling and scope of the newer Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial; the peaceful, understated stone at the corner of 9th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. is definitely worth a visit.