This beautiful Commemorative Military Certificate of Discharge listing all the engagements, regiments, and commanding officers under whom the soldier served through the war was presented to the veteran on the 20th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War.
Unfortunately, through the years, this valuable piece of American and family history has suffered tremendous amounts of damage. Dust, soot, creases, tears, and chemical stains from an attempt to piece the document together with adhesive tapes almost destroyed the document for posterity.
During the restoration, the surface of the document was carefully cleaned from dirt, and as much of the tape was removed from the front and back of the piece without cascading additional damages.
In the next step, the document was carefully flattened, creases smoothed, and tears reinforced with Japanese tissue paper.
After the document was cleaned and stabilized, a high-resolution archival-quality digital scan was made, and a number of high-quality reproduction copies were printed on fine art paper to be presented as gifts to the descendants of the US Civil War hero.