Detail of Letter, President Abraham Lincoln to California Governor Frederick Low

This is a detail of a letter that is the only known example within the California State Archives of an original document penned by Abraham Lincoln himself.

In February of 1864, President Lincoln wrote to California Governor Frederick Low stating that he would be “personally obliged” if Low would promote William Barnes, a soldier in a California regiment. Like all presidents, Lincoln dealt with innumerable requests for promotions and appointments. Private Barnes was the stepson of Washington, D.C. judge James Hughes, who presumably approached Lincoln on behalf of Barnes.

Three months later Barnes was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Sixth California Infantry. Lieutenant Barnes’ military career proved less than stellar – within eighteen months he deserted twice, faced two courts martial, and suffered demotion. A variety of factors led to about ten percent of California’s soldiers deserting at some point during the Civil War, a figure fairly typical of the Union Army as a whole. Identification Information: Sixth California Volunteer Infantry Regiment, B3521-1-2, Civil War Volunteer Records, Military Department.