How did this happen? Well according to Wikipedia, Lee's written oath "to support, protect, defend the constitution of the United States" had been delivered to the desk of Secretary of War William H. Seward. He filed it away in his desk drawer, assuming that it had been dealt with by someone else.
According to the national archives website, "Secretary of State William H. Seward had given Lee's application to a friend as a souvenir.
Lee in turn, took the lack of response to mean that the government wished to retain the right to prosecute him in the future. (wikipedia)
Lee's Amnesty Oath was discovered by an archivist in 1970 among State Department records. By joint congressional resolution in 1975, Lee's full rights of citizenship were restored by effective June 13, 1865.
Effective June 13, 1865. Why this date? Most interesting is that it's dated 4 months earlier than the date on his Amnesty Oath.
Why is that? I searched Wikipedia and could find no answer.
Whatever the reason, it was gallant of President Ford to rectify the situation even if it was 110 years too late.
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