In December 1863, President Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty which allowed former Confederate soldiers to apply for a pardon and the reinstatement of their citizenship. This proclamation required an oath and therefore applied only to the living. This left many in a legal limbo.

After the war, more amnesties were proclaimed, but they generated a mountain of paperwork. Finally, in December 1868, President Andrew Johnson issued a blanket pardon to anyone who fought for or served in the government of the Confederacy.