Lost Lincoln Letter

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Lost Letter from Abraham Lincoln to General Robert Anderson
History of the Letter
This letter (see text below) was last seen on display in the front window of the Covington Trust and Banking establishment (now The Huntington Bank) in Covington, Kentucky, USA, in February 1931. The display of the letter was supervised by the bank. Two letters of General Robert E. Lee were also displayed in the bank window at the same time, one of which was owned by C.W. Simrall, officer of the bank at that time. In addition, the display showed a "reproduction of a commission signed by Dinwiddie when he was the royal governor of Virginia and a patent of membership in the Society of the Cincinnati, issued to Percival Butler, which is signed by George Washington." (The text is from the article that appeared in the Kentucky Times-Star about the display, on February 23, 1931.)
The Lincoln letter disappeared after the public display.
In 1959 and 1996, at the request of descendents of the last possessor and owner of the letter, the Covington Trust/Huntington Bank searched for the letter, but were unable to find it or any reference to the then current owner, Mrs. Josephine Artsman Buchanan Coffin, having had any business with the bank. (However, the 1931 newspaper article says, "The letter of Abraham Lincoln to Gen. Anderson is a portion of an estate under the direction of the Covington Trust and Banking Company.)
The living descendents of Mrs. Coffin, Sarah Brandes Madry and Scott Madry, are looking for the letter, which they believe is in a private collection. The Madrys would like to donate the letter to the United States Archives.
If you know of this letter from President Lincoln to General Anderson, please contact Sarah Madry at smadry@mindspring.com or at
402 Morgan Creek Road
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
27517

On August 29, 1861, very likely in front of Colonel Gustavus Artsman, President Lincoln wrote out and gave to Artsman a letter that Artsman was to take to General Robert Anderson. It was a request to Anderson to give troops to Artsman, if the general had them.
Artsman probably completed the mission and then kept the President's letter, because the letter was in the possession of Colonel Artsman (d. 1902 and buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate, Kentucky, USA) and then in the possession of his daughter, Josephine Artsman, after his death. Her full name was Josephine Artsman Buchanan Coffin, born 11/30/1856, died 10/20/1924. She was also buried in the Evergreen cemetery in Southgate, Kentucky. Mr. Harry Buchanan was her first husband, born 1845, died 1901 (he is buried beside her), and Mr. Charles Walter Coffin was her second husband, born ?, died 5/27/1936. Sarah Madry is the great-great niece of Mrs. Coffin.

Text of the letter according to a quotation of the letter printed in the Kentucky Times-Star, Covington, Kentucky, USA, February 23, 1931:

Washington, August 29, 1861

Gen. Robert Anderson:

My Dear Sir - The bearer of this, G. Artzman [sic], calls on us here from Covington, Ky., asking for arms for a regiment which he says he has there. I refer the whole to you. If you find he has a regiment and you have arms at your control which you have no pressing use for, let him have them. If you think he ought to have the arms, but do not have them, telegraph us here.
I submit the whole to your discretion.
Your truly,
A. Lincoln

July 1 , 2009

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