Autograph letter signed by Mary Gifford Brown (1826-1891), to her husband, Joseph Brown, Co. D, 6th Ohio Cavalry. [Newton Falls, Ohio], 1 December 1861. 4 pages, 4to, 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. WITH Original "Abe Lincoln, President of the United States." illustrated cover featuring a beardless portrait of Abraham Lincoln. With Newton Falls, Ohio postal stamp and red 3-cent stamp.

A heartfelt letter written by Martha Gifford (Richmond) Brown to her husband, Joseph, who had just enlisted as a sergeant in Company D of the 6th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. Though still at Camp Hutchings in Warren, where they were mustered, she expresses her anxiety over his enlistment: "A separation from you - the partner of my life especially where that separation is fraught with so much to cause melancholy and uneasiness of mind. I cannot be cheerful or enjoy life in any way when I know of or feel that you are exposed to the inclemencies of the weather, to all the contagious diseases, incidents of camp life, and also to the fare which many of our soldiers are compelled to bear."

Joseph Brown died at Lovell of erysipelas (a skin infection) on 19 May 1864, after 2 years and 7 months of service and separation from his beloved Mary.

A poignant letter further enhanced by a rare and desirable cover featuring a beardless Abraham Lincoln.

Condition: Separation along old fold.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Manuscripts, Letters, Documents, Ephemera, Covers, Postal History, Abraham Lincoln, Politics]