Lincoln Scrawled This Note to Save a Soldier’s Life

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross                                                

 

Courtesy the National Archives

The Foundation for the National Archives  is a national treasure that includes - George Washington’s handwritten First Inaugural Address, Annie Oakley’s letter to President McKinley volunteering to muster a battalion of lady sharpshooters for the Spanish-American War, the $7.2 million check that bought Alaska in 1868 - the prize by far was a brief note scrawled at the bottom of a sheaf of legal papers.

In 1863, the Army’s Judge Advocate General sentenced Michael Delaney to death for deserting his Colorado regiment in 1862. Delaney’s case file was passed up to President Abraham Lincoln, who reviewed death sentences from court martials. In the file sent to Lincoln, the judge noted that Delaney had been captured while fighting for a different Colorado regiment: In other words, he had deserted, but then re-enlisted. Seeing this, Lincoln overturned the death sentence. He wrote on Delaney’s file:

“Let him fight instead of being shot. A Lincoln” 

Detail of Lincoln's note.Image courtesy the National Archives

No surprise that the author of the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural address conveyed humanity, common sense and dark wit in a mere seven words. A thrilling, humbling read.