As the nation celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial on Feb. 12, three documents related to the president will be on exhibit for a limited time at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The items on loan from the N.C. State Archives will be on view from Tuesday to Sunday, Feb. 10 to Feb. 15. Admission is free.
Lincoln’s signature appears on two of the documents: an 1861 cover letter for the proposed 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution and an 1862 letter to the Tsar of Russia. The third document is a well-known 1861 transcription of North Carolina Gov. John Ellis’ telegram to Pres. Lincoln in response to Lincoln’s call for 75,000 troops to curb the rebellion in the South.
“This 1861 transcription is among North Carolina’s most significant documents related to the Civil War,” says Michael Hill, Research Branch supervisor at the N.C. Office of Archives and History. “It is known for Gov. Ellis’ sharp response to Lincoln — that the United States would ‘get no troops from North Carolina.’
A description of each document follows.
A cover letter signed by Pres. Lincoln accompanied the “Ghost Amendment,” which was transmitted to the United States on March 13, 1861, as a prospective 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Intended to keep Southern states from seceding, the proposed amendment would have prevented Congress from interfering with or abolishing slavery in states where it existed. The letter arrived in Raleigh, along with the amendment, which was never ratified. In time another amendment, abolishing slavery, became the Constitution’s thirteenth.
Pres. Lincoln’s signature appears on an April 8, 1862, letter to the Tsar of Russia announcing U.S. Sen. Cassius Clay’s recall from St. Petersburg. Clay, a native of Kentucky, was a soldier in the Mexican War and an outspoken emancipationist. He was appointed minister to Russia in 1861 but was recalled in 1862 to be appointed major general in the
U. S. Army.
In response to Pres. Lincoln’s call for troops on April 15, 1861, Sec. of War Simon Cameron sent a telegram to Gov. Ellis asking for two regiments of North Carolina troops to report directly. Gov. Ellis quickly replied by telegram, denying the request. The original telegram is housed in the National Archives; however, the text was hand copied into the governor’s letter book, which will be on exhibit.
These historic documents are on exhibit in conjunction with The Lincoln Bicentennial: A Symposium on Thursday, Feb. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the N.C. Museum of History. The symposium, presented by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, will take a look at a variety of topics, such as Lincoln as a political leader and as a wartime commander-in-chief. The symposium’s speaker roster of leading historians from five universities includes two winners of the coveted Lincoln Prize. If you would like to register for the symposium, contact Karen Pochala-Peck at 919-807-7281 or 919-807-7280. A $10 registration fee includes the reception ($5 for half day).
For more information about the N.C. Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org. The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street.
The N.C. Museum of History’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The department’s Web site is www.ncculture.com.