Annotation
[1] AES, DNA WR RG 94, U.S. Military Academy, 1863, Box 81, No.44. Lincoln's endorsement is written on a card attached to a letter of Edward Davis to William S. Rosecrans, September 1, 1863, requesting assistance in obtaining appointment to West Point. Whether the letter was carried by Joshua F. Speed or James Speed is uncertain. Second Lieutenant Edward Davis of the Fifth Kentucky Cavalry resigned his commission on November 2, 1863, upon entering West Point, where he graduated in 1867.