Measuring 21 1/4 inches tall and 17 1/2 inches wide in its frame, this documented is dated July 1st, 1864 for the commission of a Henry Balter as a First Lieutenant with the 5th Cavalry Regiment, with appropriate signatures from President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Established in 1855 as the 2nd Cavalry and redesignated as the 5th in 1861, prior to the Civil War the unit was chiefly active in the American West, chiefly facing off against Native Americans while also participating in the Utah War. Among their commanders was then-Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee, who among others of the unit would depart to fight for the South during the Civil War. Rebuilding, the 5th would see action at Bull Run, Gaines' Mill, Fairfax Courthouse, Williamsport, Martinsburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Aiken and during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. For Gettysburg, they were part of the Reserve Brigade of the First Division of the Cavalry Corps under Brigadier General John Buford, who would be responsible for making initial contact with the Confederate forces on July 1st, 1863. Late in the war, they would serve as part of the honor guard for Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Records on Lieutenant Balter are limited. Abraham Lincoln requires no introduction. Edwin Stanton was the U.S. Secretary of War from 1862 to 1868, serving under Lincoln for the bulk of the Civil War, and later given the grim task of organizing the manhunt for Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Included with the lot is a copy of a letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA authenticating the signatures of both Lincoln and Stanton.

Very good overall. The document has been folded, with creases through the center, foxing around the edges, and mild stains. The blue wax seal is stress cracked, and some bled-through hand markings are present in the upper left corner. Frame is also very good.