Civil War usage - #65 with Washigton DC full-date postmark - Oct 15 1862

On October 15, 1862, Washington, D.C. was a city of waiting and political tension. While the capital remained a massive medical center for Antietam’s wounded, the focus had shifted to a growing conflict between President Abraham Lincoln and his top general, George B. McClellan. The defining mood in the capital on this day was frustration. Nearly a month had passed since the Battle of Antietam, yet McClellan’s army remained idle near the Potomac. Just two days prior, Lincoln had sent McClellan a sharp letter asking, "Are you not over-cautious when you assume that you cannot do what the enemy is constantly doing?"