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Introduction

On December 8, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation whose title - Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction - pointed the direction the President wished to take in reuniting the divided nation. Lincoln was, by nature, a compassionate man, but he also realized that releasing rebel prisoners was advantageous to his cause on a number of counts and was, in fact, good public relations.

Henry T. Harris, autograph letter signed to his cousin Louis
Elmira Prison, Elmira, N.Y., 9 Nov. 1864
AMs 777/2

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