African-American Contralto

One of the most celebrated singers of her time, Anderson was refused permission to perform at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939, due to racial prejudice. In response, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned her membership in the organization, and a concert was arranged for Easter Sunday, 1939, at the Lincoln Memorial. On January 7, 1955, Anderson became the first black person to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Document Signed, 6” x 9”, “Marian Anderson,” a four-page printed program for “her twelfth consecutive coast-to-coast tour of her native land,” presented by the Civic Music Association; signed diagonally across the text of the title page.

The program has general soiling and wear, along with several folds and light creases, and there is a break in the paper in the mid-left margin.

U.S. Postmaster General - 1861-64; Brother of Francis P. Blair, Jr.; Mayor of St. Louis – 1842-43; Counsel for Dred Scott before the U.S. Supreme Court

War-Date Signed Envelope, 3 ¼” x 6”, free-franked as U.S. Postmaster General under President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, “M. Blair, P.M.G.” The envelope is also addressed by Blair, to “Col[onel] F.A. Dick, St. Louis, Mo.,” and is postmarked “Washington, D.C., May 8, 1863.”

The envelope is lightly toned, with minor wear and a few superficial tears at the edges, along with several small stains.

Union Brigadier General - New York

A colonel of New York militia when the Civil War broke out, Carr led the 2^nd New York Infantry at Big Bethel, commanded a brigade at the Peninsula and Second Manassas, and saw action at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Afterward, he was assigned command of a division of Black troops in Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James, the unit serving in the Union defenses on the York and James Rivers.

Signed Card, with rank, "J.B. Carr, B[revet] Major Genl. U.S. V[olunteers].”

U.S. Treasury Secretary - 1861-64; U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice - 1864-73

As Lincoln’s Treasury Secretary, Chase was instrumental in the efforts to finance the war, and was responsible for the issue and acceptance of paper money as legal tender. Continued rivalry and strife with Lincoln precipitated his appointment to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Roger B. Taney in 1864.

Inscribed Signature, as antebellum Governor of Ohio, “For Geo[rge] M. Fowler, Esq[uire]. I have the honor to be Very respectfully Yours & c., S.P. Chase, Columbus, Ap[ri]l 24, 1857,” on a 5” x 7” sheet of embossed stationery. A period engraved image, cut into an oval shape, has been affixed to the upper right corner.

The sheet has light soiling and wear, along with the expected folds.

American Abolitionist, Author & Orator

Autograph Quotation Signed, on a 2 ¼” x 3 ½” card.

“The world belongs to those who take it. Truly Yours, Anna E. Dickinson, Sep[tember] 24, 1872.”

American Journalist & Abolitionist; Founder of the Abolitionist Newspaper, “The Liberator”

Civil War-Date Autograph Quotation Signed, voicing the abolitionist sentiment for which Garrison was widely known, on a 2 ½” x 5” portion of an album page.

“Yours, for universal freedom, Wm. Lloyd Garrison, Boston, May 20, 1862.”

Garrison’s long-held, oft-stated dream of “immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves” was very soon advanced two-fold, as the bill abolishing slavery in the territories was signed into law on June 19 and, more significantly, President Lincoln read the first draft of his Emancipation Proclamation to the Cabinet on July 22, 1862.

Barely discernible damp-staining to the left one-third, along with a few small stains, detract very little.

American Journalist & Abolitionist; Founder of the Abolitionist Newspaper, “The Liberator”

Autograph Sentiment Signed, reflecting the spirit of reform on which Garrison had risen to national prominence, on a 2 ¼” x 4 ¾” slip of paper.

“Yours, to vindicate all human rights, Wm. Lloyd Garrison, Boston, Nov. 23, 1875.”

The paper is evenly toned, with light soiling and wear, and there is old glue staining on the reverse.

American Editor & Abolitionist

Three Weeks after the Assassination of President Lincoln – “…I hope for better times politically, but the sky is clouded…”

As founder of the New York Tribune, Greeley exerted great political power with the expression of his antislavery views. He was defeated in the 1872 presidential election, and died later in the same year.

Autograph Letter Signed, on imprinted 5” x 8” Office of The Tribune stationery, to “James Graham, Esq.,” regarding his appointment to an unspecified position.

In the month after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Greeley conveys that he has recommended Graham to New York Governor Reuben Fenton, and sorrowfully notes the effect of the recent, abrupt death of the sixteenth president on the nation’s politics.

“New York, May 8, 1865. Friend Graham: Yours received. I have your letter, and have forwarded your application to Gov. Fenton, with a strong letter of my own, urging him to appoint you. I have no doubt he will. I trust you experienced no permanent injury from Vanderbilt’s drafts. I paid them both so soon as they reached me. I hope for better times politically, but the sky is clouded. I cannot see to the end, but have faith.  Yours, Horace Greeley.”

The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds.

American Editor & Abolitionist

As founder of the New York Tribune, Greeley exerted great political power with the expression of his antislavery views. He was defeated in the 1872 presidential election, and died later in the same year.

A Recommendation for a Disabled Soldier in the Irish Brigade

Civil War-Date Autograph Letter Signed, on imprinted 5” x 8” Office of The Tribune stationery, to “Gen[eral] M.C. M[e]igs, Quartermaster U.S.A.” In this earnest and eloquent letter to U.S. Army Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, who established the military cemetery at Arlington later in the war, Greeley recommends a battle-disabled soldier in the 69^th New York, part of the Irish Brigade under General Thomas F. Meagher, for a position.

The letter is accompanied by a period carte-de-visite image of Greeley, with a C.D. Fredericks & Co. backmark. Both pieces bear general soiling and wear, the letter having the usual horizontal folds and a few small stains.

American Unitarian Clergyman; Author of “The Man Without a Country”

Autograph Quotation Signed, on a 2 ½” x 5” slip of paper.

“Nature gives us more than all She ever takes away.’   Edward E. Hale. April 17, 1871.”

Letter Signed, 8” x 10”, a manuscript petition signed by five Democratic U.S. Congressmen from the South: James L. Seward - Georgia; Elijah W. Chastain - Georgia; Alfred H. Colquitt - Georgia; William B.W. Dent - Georgia; Sampson W. Harris – Alabama. Addressing Attorney General Caleb Cushing just two days after the U.S. Senate approved the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the letter recommends the appointment of Edward R. Harden, formerly a Democratic state congressman in Georgia, to a judicial post in the new territories.

During the Civil War, Edward Harden served as Confederate colonel, Elijah Chastain served as lieutenant colonel of the First Georgia Infantry, and Alfred Colquitt rose to the rank of brigadier general in Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

Condition is excellent, with the expected light toning and folds.

Abolitionist U.S. Congressman – Illinois – 1857-64; Brother of Elijah Lovejoy - Murdered by a Pro-Slavery Mob in Alton, Illinois on November 7, 1837

Signature, as U.S. Congressman from Illinois, “O. Lovejoy, M[ember] C[ongress],” probably a free-frank, on a 1 ¼” x 2 ½” slip of paper.

Union Major General; Democratic U.S. Presidential Candidate - 1864

McClellan graduated second in the West Point class of 1846, served in the Mexican War and, at the outbreak of the Civil War, was appointed major general. In August 1861, after the Federal disaster at First Manassas, he assumed command of the Army of the Potomac. From this point forward, McClellan’s organizational ability was offset by his hesitance in pursuing the enemy, causing Lincoln to permanently relieve him in November 1862, after the battle of Antietam. He ran unsuccessfully against Lincoln as the Democratic Presidential candidate in the election of 1864.

After the Failed Assault of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry - McClellan Gives Advice for Taking Fort Wagner

Civil War-Date Autograph Letter Signed, 1 ½ pages, on the first and third leaves of an 8” x 10” letter-sheet, to “Col[onel] H.L. Abbott.” Just ten months after his dismissal from command of the Army of the Potomac by President Lincoln, McClellan advises Colonel Henry Larcom Abbot, later brevetted brigadier general, in the best means for taking Fort Wagner. It is somewhat curious, yet perhaps inevitable, that Abbot is seeking McClellan’s counsel, in light of his being relieved of command the previous year.

“Orange, New Jersey, Sept[ember] 5, 1863. My dear Col., Your kind letter of the 21^st, with its enclosures, has arrived. I have read the experiments with much interest, & would be glad to have the result of any similar ones you may make. I am inclined to think that an elaborate system of experiments upon the breaching of thick parapets of sand & earth would be of interest just now – altho’ I expect [Fort] Wagner and its companions will have to be taken in some such way as the [?] was viz: drive the garrison into their bombproofs by mortar firing, & then march into the work before they can get out of their shelters. Gil[l]more will have to use more mortars before he gets through. Please thank Col. White for remembering my request. Give my kindest regards to all my friends in the Reg[imen]t. Mrs. McC[lellan] desires to write in this request, as she regards herself as having peculiar claims on your Reg[imen]t. With my thanks for the update, I am ever your friend, Geo. B. McClellan.”

Less than two miles from Fort Sumter, Fort Wagner was the South’s principal land defense of Morris Island, South Carolina, guarding the southern approach to the harbor of Charleston. On July 18, 1863, just six weeks before this letter was written, the 54^th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, famously composed of black troops, led a frontal assault on the fortification, losing the regiment’s organizer, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, along with twenty-five percent of its number, in the attack. Fort Wagner was never taken by force; after the disastrous assault of July 18, a formal siege began. A subsequent assault, ordered for September 7, proved unnecessary, as the fort and all other Confederate works on Morris Island had been abandoned the night before.

There is light, even toning, and the text of the letter is unaffected by a few small holes and clean paper separation at the edges of the usual folds.

American Abolitionist & Reformer

Phillips fought slavery and advocated temperance and women’s rights.

Civil War-Date Autograph Note Signed, 4 ½” x 5”. In a spare, reflective moment as a Wednesday evening Abolitionist meeting in Boston is about to begin, Phillips pens a few evocative lines for an unnamed recipient.

“Boston, Jan[uar]y 22, [18]62. 20 minutes after 6 P.M. Snow falling. F.L.G. starting for the Festival. Wendell Phillips.”

The new year would soon bring good news to the Abolitionists, as slavery was abolished in the territories on June 19, and Lincoln read the first draft of his Emancipation Proclamation to the Cabinet on July 22, 1862. It is quite likely that the “F.L.G.” to whom Phillips refers is Helen Frances “Fanny” Garrison, the young daughter of Abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison, already a prominent female voice in the movement.

Overall condition is excellent, with several horizontal folds and minor paper loss at the upper right corner.

Both sheets bear light soiling and wear, and several tears, mostly at or near the usual folds, have been neatly repaired with archival tape on their reverses.

Union Brigadier General – Massachusetts; Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for Gallantry in the Defense of Harpers Ferry, Virginia

An 1849 West Point graduate and veteran of the Seminole War, Saxton was commanding an artillery detachment at the St. Louis arsenal when the Civil War began. He assisted General Nathaniel Lyon in dispersing the pro-southern Missouri State Guard at Camp Jackson and subsequently became Lyon’s chief quartermaster.  After being transferred east, Saxton commanded the defenses of Harpers Ferry in May and June of 1862, an action for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. His primary function for the remainder of the war was the enlistment and organization of former slaves into the Federal Army. Upon the termination of hostilities, Saxton became an assistant commander in a division of the Freedmen’s Bureau.

Civil War-Date Autograph Letter Signed, 8” x 10”. While serving as quartermaster on the Port Royal expedition, Saxton directs the delivery of hay and coal for the use of Union forces at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Docketing on the reverse dates this letter to December 19, 1861, shortly after Hilton Head was taken, establishing a base for future Union operations along the coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

“Capt[ain] [Herbert] Hascall. The bark Chas. Keen has 290 bales of hay on board for this Dept. She has also Coal for the Navy Dept. She has three days to unload for us & two for the Navy. The hay is on top. Will you please have the hay taken out…Yours, Rufus Saxton, Capt[ain] U.S.A., A[ssistant] Q[uarter] M[aster].”

The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds and a few small stains. There is very slight loss of paper in the upper left corner.

American Abolitionist Writer – Authored “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

Signed Card, 2 ¼” x 4 ¼”, with date and sentiment from Stowe’s Hartford, Connecticut home.

“Jan[uar]y 22, 1885. Very Truly Yours, H.B. Stowe, 49 Forest St., Hartford, Conn.”

The card is lightly and evenly toned, with a few superficial stains.

American Abolitionist Writer – Authored “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

Signed Gold-Edged Card, 2 ¾” x 3 ¾”, with date and sentiment from her Hartford, Connecticut home.

“Truly Yours, H.B. Stowe, 49 Forest St., Hartford, Conn., Jan[uar]y 26, 1885.”

The card is lightly and evenly toned, with surface loss along the upper and lower edges, presumably from past mounting, and there are old glue stains on the reverse.

Union Brevet Brigadier General; Union Colonel – 11^th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery; U.S. Congressman – Louisiana – 1868-69 & 1870-75

Signature, in violet ink as U.S. Congressman, “J.H. Sypher, M[ember] C[ongress],” on a ¾” x 2” slip of paper; affixed to a 1 ¼” x 6 ½” portion of a period album page, with the collector’s biographical notations.

American Poet & Abolitionist Newspaper Editor

A longtime associate of Henry Ward Beecher, Tilton filed charges against Beecher for “criminal intimacy” with his (Tilton’s) wife in 1874.

Signed Card, 2 ¼” x 3 ½”, “Truly yours, Theodore Tilton.”

The card is lightly toned and soiled and has a light diagonal crease in the lower left corner.