Navy General Order 4, signed by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, announces the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln, which is signed on Jan. 1, 1863.
To view General Order 4, please visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website: http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/diversity/african-americans-in-the-navy/emancipation-proclamation-navy-general-order-no-4-1863.html.
For more information on U.S. Navy history, please go to the Naval History and Heritage Command website: www.history.navy.mil/.