SEWARD, William Henry (1801-1872). American statesman. Twelfth governor of New York.
Autograph Letter Signed to Sir Henry Holland (1788-1873, physician and traveller), 3 pages 8vo on black-edged paper, Washington, 17 December 1865.

'... My son Frederick is convalescent. The fracture bone has not yet freed itself of ??? parts, but he is doing well. ...'

The plot that ended in the assassination of Lincoln on 14 April 1865, was also intended to kill Seward and Vice-President Andrew Johnson. Lewis Powell, who styled himself Lewis Paine, was John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirator, charged with murdering Seward. Powell gained access to the house where Seward was suffering from an illness. Seward's son Frederick blocked the assassin from entering his father's bedroom, whereupon Powell attempted to shoot him. The gun failed to go off, but Powell used it to bludgeon Seward, resulting in the injuries spoken of in this letter. Powell also injured other bystanders including Frederick's sister Fanny, his brother Augustus, his father's nurse Sergeant George F Robinson and messenger Emerick Hansell. Amazingly, no one was killed. Powell was hanged, along with co-conspirators David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt.

Seward also thanks Holland for a letter, and surmises that it may have crossed with one of his own in mid voyage, nostalgically hopes that the state of relations between 'the two great European ?martial Powers' could return to its former condition, expresses the wish that Holland would come to America the next year and that they would be able to travel together, etc.
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