W. J. A. Russell Presidential Pardon collection

Following the Civil War, there were thirteen "confederate profiles" that disqualified an individual from receiving a "general amnesty." If a "rebel" fell under one of these exclusions, amnesty was denied and an application for a "special personal pardon" from President Johnson was required. Excluded from receiving a "general amnesty" were individuals who:

• were civil or diplomatic agents or officials of the Confederacy • left judicial posts under the United States to aid the rebellion • were Confederate Military Officers above the rank of Army Colonel or Navy Lieutenant • were members of the U.S. Congress who left to aid in the rebellion • resigned commissions in the U.S. Army or Navy and afterwards aided in the rebellion • treated unlawfully black prisoners of war and their white officers • had absented themselves from the United States in order to aid in the rebellion • were graduates of West Point or Annapolis who served as Confederate officers • Ex-Confederate Governors • left homes in territory under United States jurisdiction for purposes of aiding the rebellion • engaged in destruction of commerce on the high seas or in raids from Canada • voluntarily participated in the rebellion who had property valued at more than $20,000.00 • had broken the oath taken under the provisions of the proclamation of 8 Dec. 1863