Letter from Abraham Lincoln to William T. Sherman

December 26, 1864

This letter is in reply to General William Tecumseh Sherman’s telegram of 22 December 1864, which read:

His Excellency, President Lincoln.
I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns & plenty of ammunition & also about 25,000 bales of cotton. - W.T. Sherman

Photograph of President Lincoln and Gen. George B. McClellan, Antietam, Maryland

October 3, 1862

Following the bloodiest one-day battle in American history, the president was frustrated with McClellan’s cautiousness and refusal to pursue General Robert E. Lee’s troops in their retreat. This is a photograph of President Lincoln meeting with McClellan in his tent at Antietam, a little over a month before Lincoln relieved him of command.

Photograph of Allan Pinkerton, President Abraham Lincoln and General John A. McClernand at Antietam, Maryland

October 3, 1862

Allan Pinkerton was in charge of Union intelligence and his agents often worked undercover to gather intelligence during the war. This is a photograph of him, President Lincoln and General John A. McClernand, who was fellow Illinois native of Lincoln’s and a friend.

Land patent for Abraham Lincoln

1839

This is a land patent showing the purchase of land by Abraham Lincoln, filed in Springfield. The land purchased is in Menard County, which is adjacent to Sangamon County, where Lincoln lived.

Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Mary Todd Lincoln

August 8, 1863

President Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and sons Robert and Tad were on a visit to the White Mountains in New Hampshire when this letter was written. The Lincoln White House was home to a variety of pets, including a pair of goats—Nanny and Nanko–who were favorites of his son Tad. The letter sends news of the loss of Nanny, and goes on to fill Mary in on some of the politics of the day.

Lincoln family in the 1860 U.S. Census

1860

On July 14, 1860, less than four months before he was elected to the presidency, Abraham Lincoln was enumerated with his family in their Springfield, Illinois home. Honest Abe is listed with his wife Mary, sons Robert, Willie and Thomas, and two servants in the household. His real estate was valued at $5,000 (roughly $140,000 in today’s terms) and his personal estate at $12,000 (about $335,000 in today’s terms).

Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Ulysses S. Grant

January 19, 1865

In this letter, Lincoln requests a post for his son Robert in the military. Both Abraham Lincoln and Robert Lincoln thought it was important for him to serve in some capacity, against the wishes of Mary Lincoln. Grant replied on January 21, 1865, suggesting he be made a captain on his staff. In that capacity, Captain Robert Todd Lincoln was present at Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.

Abraham Lincoln’s 1864 IRS Tax Assessment Record

January 19, 1865

On July 1, 1862, Congress passed the Internal Revenue Act, intended to “provide Internal Revenue to support the Government and to pay interest on the Public Debt,” which with the war had grown considerably. It shows President Lincoln’s income of $25,583, which would largely consist of his $25,000 presidential salary (roughly $370,000 in today’s terms). Further down on the page, you’ll find John G. Nicolay, Lincoln’s personal secretary and biographer. His income was recorded as $1,985.

"Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, President Elect of the United States of America, with scenes and incidents in his life"

March 9, 1861

This print is from a wood engraving by P. Butler of Springfield, Illinois, and ran in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. Scenes surrounding the central portrait depict events in the president’s life.

President Abraham Lincoln and His Cabinet

c. 1864-65

From the Brady Civil War Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress, these are images of President Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet — Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, President Abraham Lincoln, Attorney General Edward Bates, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Secretary of State William H. Seward, Postmaster-General Montgomery Blair, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Treasury William Pitt Fessenden and Secretary of the Interior John Palmer Usher.