Sixth U.S. President - 1825-29

Franked Panel, 3” x 4 ½”, “J.Q. Adams,” as U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, the front portion of a postal cover, also addressed by Adams to his nephew, “Lieut[ena]n[t] Thomas B. Adams, Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, Florida,” with stamped free designation and an October 11 [1837], Washington City postmark.

The brother of John Quincy Adams, third son and youngest child of John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Boylston Adams died in 1832. Born in 1809, his son of the same name and the addressee on this panel, was stationed at various posts in the South after graduation from West Point in 1828. Young Lieutenant Adams subsequently saw action in the Second Seminole War, during which he died of disease at Fort Dade, Florida on December 14, 1837, one month after the receipt of this mailing at the outpost, as indicated by vertical docketing at left beneath the postmark. On the panel’s reverse (images are available upon request) are approximately fifteen partial lines from the associated letter, with social content, presumably in the hand of a family member.

Sixth U.S. President - 1825-29

U.S. Congressman John Quincy Adams submits information relating to the loss of a Seminole War troop transport in Tampa Bay, Florida

Autograph Letter Signed, 7 ½” x 9”, to “James Collier Esqr., Cohassett, Mass[achuse]tts,” with excellent early-Florida, Seminole War association.

As Congressman from Massachusetts, the former U.S. President informs Collier that he has submitted a report to Secretary of War Joel Poinsett regarding payment for the services of the schooner Rubicon in the rescue of the transport Charles Wharton, lost while carrying U.S. troops bound for service in the Second Seminole War. Congressional records state: “the ship Charles Wharton was chartered by the United States for the purpose of transporting nearly three hundred volunteer troops, with arms, provisions, baggage, and a quantity of sauer kraut from Philadelphia to Tampa Bay. While on the voyage, and so laden, about the 20^th of December [1837], she grounded on a shoal near the entrance of Tampa Bay, and was found in a very perilous condition…” The same record further indicates that the crew of at least one other vessel, “…at great risk, and with much labor, aided and assisted in saving the troops, the guns, ammunition, and private property of the officers.”

“Washington, 24 Feb[ruar]y 1838. Sir, I have submitted your Letter of the 6^th inst[an]t to the consideration of the Secretary of War, and have received an answer from him enclosing a report from the acting Quartermaster General T[rueman] Cross of the following report: ‘In reply to the Letter of Mr. James Collier referred to me by the War Department a few days since I have the honour to state that this office possesses no information whatever in relation to the loss of the ship Charles Wharton or the services alleged to have been rendered by the Schooner Rubicon. It appears however, by Mr. Colliers own admission, that the Quarter Master at Tampa Bay, paid the Captain of the Rubicon six hundred dollars, which it is a fair presumption was the value of his services.’ The fair presumptions of the Quarter-Master General may doubtless be rebutted by positive testimony. If you have any such, I shall be happy to give any assistance in my power to exhibit the same before the proper department. I am, very respectfully, Sir, your obed[ien]t Serv[an]t, J.Q. Adams.”

Interestingly, Adams’s nephew, Thomas Boylston Adams, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and a Seminole War veteran, had died of disease at Fort Dade, Florida just two months earlier, on December 14, 1837. Also of note, Trueman Cross, the acting quartermaster general mentioned in this letter, was killed on April 21, 1846 by Mexican bandits near Fort Brown, Texas, just three days before the United States declared war with Mexico.

The sheet bears general soiling and wear.  Paper weakness and minor separation at the usual folds, along with several chips and tears in the margins, none affecting the text of the letter, have been professionally stabilized with archival backing on the reverse.

American Historian & Diplomat; U.S. Navy Secretary – 1845-46; U.S. Minister to Great Britain – 1846-49; Governor of Massachusetts - 1844

Mexican War-Date Letter Signed, 8” x 10”, as U.S. Navy Secretary during the presidency of James K. Polk, to “John Clapham, Gunner, U.S. Navy Yard, Washington.” In a circular letter designed for distribution to Navy officials shortly after the outbreak of war with Mexico, Bancroft urges a prompt accounting of the Navy officers available for active duty.

“Circular. Navy Department, July 30^th 1846. Sir, With a view to ascertain as accurately as possible, the services of the officers of the Navy, you will be pleased to fill up the enclosed blank in conformity with the headings of the several columns and return it to the Department as early as practicable. Where the information called for cannot be furnished from original documents in your possession, you will state it from recollection as nearly as you can, designating the instances in which it is given from memory. Temporary duty – such as attendance on Courts Martial, accompanying recruits from port to port or annual survey of stores, and the like – is to be omitted. I am respectf[ull]y, Yours, Geo. Bancroft.”

There is scattered foxing, along with two light horizontal folds, and general soiling and wear to the integral leaf.

American Historian & Diplomat; U.S. Navy Secretary – 1845-46; U.S. Minister to Great Britain – 1846-49; Governor of Massachusetts – 1844

SHUBRICK, WILLIAM BRANFORD (1790-1874) U.S. Navy Rear Admiral; Awarded a Congressional Medal for Gallant Conduct in the War of 1812

Mexican War-Date Letter Signed, 8” x 10”, Navy Department, April 27, 1846, “Geo. Bancroft,” as U.S. Navy Secretary during the presidency of James K. Polk, to “Mr. John Clapham, Gunner U.S. Navy, Paterson, N.J.” Just three days after the United States declared war with Mexico, Clapham is ordered to report to Commodore William B. Shubrick for duty at Washington, D.C. In the lower margin, Shubrick further directs Clapham, “Report to Commander D… W. Branford Shubrick, 5^th May 1846.”

A lifelong navy man, Shubrick was awarded a Congressional Medal, the antebellum precursor to the Congressional Medal of Honor, for gallant conduct during the War of 1812. As commander–in-chief of the U.S. naval force in the Pacific during the war with Mexico, he was responsible for the capture of several port cities in Mexico and southern California. In 1862, Shubrick was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list.

The sheet bears scattered foxing and light wear and staining along two horizontal folds. While the signature of Bancroft is light, Shubrick’s notation is quite distinct.

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

“…I have written to Col. Fremont by this mail & via Nicaragua at considerable length…”

Autograph Letter Signed, 2 ½ pages, on a folded 8” x 10” letter-sheet. Writing to his sister from San Francisco, Blair discusses his health and laboriously explains his difficulty in writing. He further mentions business matters with John C. Fremont, the noted western explorer whom the influential and politically connected Blair family had backed in the presidential election of 1856.

“San Francisco, Aug. 16, [18]59. My dear Sister, I have nothing to write & have written to Mary sending d[ra]fts. You will hear from her every thing I have to say but still I like to say a word or so to you all at Silver Spring where so large a part of my affections dwell. I have not been quite well & am not yet as well as I would like to be. But I really think it is home sickness as much as any thing else that ails me. I have had occasional symptoms lately of a return of the Panama fever but I have stopped them & am now [?] on matters very energetically. Don’t tell momma a word of this for the sound would for she…go mad about it. I wrote home because you would expect longer & fuller letters than I can write. I have written her tho at my usual length tho I found it hard work to find matter to fill my sheets to her…I am now in no mood to dwell here or on things here in any letters I want to get away. But I start [?] I get every thing fixed so I can leave [?] in good condition. Write me therefore just as if I were a fixture – tho the thought of such a prospect would slay me outright.

I have written to Col. Fremont by this mail & via Nicaragua at considerable length & about some matters of importance to him. You say that since writing I have had a conversation with J[?] who tells me he has a power of atty. & promised to bring it here to my office yesterday. But he did not. I seldom see him & don’t know where to hunt him. I suppose he will turn up in a few days again & if his [?] are sufficient. I will get him to act on them & get a contract with Palmer to set aside proceedings in case not approved by Fremont.

Our promising uncle James D. Blair has put around here from the Sandwich Islands whence he hails now. I have not seen him & shall not seek him. It is just as well to keep at a respectful distance from such fellows especially when they [word omitted] of him to you. Y[ou]rs Aff[ectionatel]y, M. Blair.

Ned [?] & his wife & the cooks [are] better than I have seen her in years very much improved & she has got that if nothing else by coming here. She sends love to you & mother.”

Overall condition is very good, with the usual folds and a few small stains.

American Author, Editor & Social Reformer

A prominent longtime New York City social reformer and author, Chaplain William Oland Bourne published The Soldier’s Friend, a monthly newspaper to help Civil War veterans, particularly those who had lost limbs. The publication sponsored contests in left-handed penmanship, offering monetary prizes to those who submitted the best specimens.

Autograph Quotation Signed, 5” x 7 ¼”, a handwritten verse for one “R.G. Bulkeley.”

“In all Life’s lessons learn That true men through there trials persevere! Winters but come, with all their storms severe, To hasten Spring’s return. N.Y. Free Academy, Oct. 17, 1854. Wm. Oland Bourne.”

The letter-sheet bears light toning, along with the usual folds and several light creases.

U.S. Congressman – South Carolina – 1853-57

A Mexican War veteran and two-term Democratic representative from South Carolina, Brooks is most remembered for severely beating abolitionist Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner in the Senate chamber on May 22, 1856, two days after Sumner’s impassioned speech denouncing the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Signature, as antebellum U.S. Congressman from South Carolina, “P.S. Brooks, Ninety Six. So[uth] Carolina,” on a 1 ¾” x 5 ¾” portion of an album page.

Document Signed (secretarially on behalf of U.S. President Benjamin Harrison), Washington, June 10, 1891, a partly printed 10” x 16” form, granting 158 acres in Dakota Territory to one Ole Myhre.

“Certificate No. 3174. Whereas Ole Myhre of Benson County Dakota Territory has deposited in the General Land Office of the United States a Certificate of the Register of the Land Office at Devil’s Lake Dakota Territory whereby it appears that full payment has been made by the said Ole Myhre according to the provisions of the Act of Congress of the 24^th of April, 1820…”

The reverse is docketed by two Benson County officials.

The document is lightly and evenly toned, with the usual folds and several light creases. The official United States seal at lower left is in nearly pristine condition.

Union Major General – Pennsylvania

Gibbon served with distinction in the Army of the Potomac and was twice wounded - while leading the “Iron Brigade” at Second Manassas and again at Gettysburg. At Appomattox, Gibbon was one of the commissioners designated to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. After the war he served as colonel of the 7^th U.S. Infantry and earned legendary fame as an Indian fighter, rescuing the survivors of Custer’s command at Little Big Horn.

“I would like a place that will inconvenience the Indians as little as possible.”

Typed Letter Signed, 8” x 10 ½”, on imprinted Headquarters Department of the Columbia stationery. As commander of the department, Gibbon makes inquiry to the U.S. Indian Agent at Fort Simcoe, regarding the possibility of conducting military exercises on the Yakima Reservation.

“Vancouver Barracks, W.T., July 12^th 1889. The U.S. Indian Agent, Yakima Indian Agency, Fort Simcoe, Oregon. Sir: - I am looking for a favorable location to have some exercises for the troops in this Department this fall, and desire to know if there is any objection to having a camp in some unsettled portion of the Yakima Reservation. If there is no objection, I will be obliged to you if you will designate some suitable locality. Very respectfully, Your obedient servant, John Gibbon, Brigadier-General, Commanding. P.S. I would like a place that will inconvenience the Indians as little as possible.”

On the reverse is an unsigned pencil notation, undoubtedly by, or on behalf of, the Indian Agent at the reservation.

“No objection to this as far as I am concerned – do not think Indians care – desirable location occupied by Indians. There are fairly good places where exercises could be – county dry & dusty – no rain for 6 mo[nth]s. If you conclude to come will do what I can to indicate best available location owing to extreme drou[g]th this summer, grass and forage is very scarce.”

There are several light folds and creases, along with a few stains.

Union Major General – Pennsylvania

Gibbon served with distinction in the Army of the Potomac and was twice wounded - while leading the “Iron Brigade” at Second Manassas and again at Gettysburg. At Appomattox, Gibbon was one of the commissioners designated to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. After the war he served as colonel of the 7^th U.S. Infantry and earned legendary fame as an Indian fighter, rescuing the survivors of Custer’s command at Little Big Horn.

Signature, with date and rank, “John Gibbon, Maj. Genl. Vol[unteers], 24^th Corps. Jan[uar]y 15^th 1866,” on a 3” x 4 ¾” portion of an album page.

Typed Letter Signed, 1 ½ pages on two 8” x 10” sheets, the first with the desirable imprint, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. COMMISSIONER TO THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES. This letter’s author, known only as “William,” writes playfully to a young sister, concluding with news of a smallpox outbreak in southeastern Indian Territory. The territory was admitted to the Union as Oklahoma, the forty-sixth state, the following year. In part:

“Atoka, Indian Territory, March 7, 1906…Small pox has broken out in Atoka now. I think there are seven or eight cases in town. I have been vaccinated three times within the last seven years so I am not very much worried about the disease…”

Both sheets are lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds, the second page having two small holes along the lower. There are small strips of tape in the upper left corners, by which the sheets were once attached.

Seventh U.S. President - 1829-37

A Double-Signed Check, as President

Document Signed, 2 ¾” X 7”, as President, Washington, August 24, 1835, “Andrew Jackson,” a partly printed check, also accomplished by Jackson. Drawn on the Bank of the Metropolis for $200, the check is made payable to Jackson’s son, “Andrew Jackson, j[u]n[io]r,” and thus bears a second full signature.

The check is lightly and evenly toned, with several folds and light creases. A cross-cut cancellation at center intersects portions of the upper signature.

Confederate General & Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia

Returning the Remains of a Young Lieutenant Who Died in Texas to His Father in Pennsylvania

“Hon[ora]ble John Dick, Meadville, P[ennsylvani]a. Camp in Clear fork of Brazos, 13 July 1857. Dear Sir, Having seen a statement in the papers that the letters that had reached Indianola from about the 20 to the 30 May had all been lost in the mails shipped aboard the Steamer Louisiana, & as my letter to you of the 6 May should have been at Indianola about that time, I have determined to send to you a Copy, that you might see why your letter of 10 Sept. [18]’56 had been so long unack[nowledge]d, should the original have been lost, & that I had given such attention to your inquiries as I was able. I hope my letter of the 19^th May reached you safely, & that you will have rec[eive]d w[ith] this the remains of your Son, forw[arde]d at that time to the Messrs. Thorps, who were also written to. I made arrangements for their shipment from Indianola, & have heard of their safe passage through San Antonio. With Sentiments of esteem & respect I am very resp[ectfull]y your Ob[edien]t Serv[an]t, R.E. Lee.”

During a forty-day expedition which scouted the headwaters of the Colorado, Brazos, and Wichita rivers, begun in early June, 1856, the four cavalry squadrons in Lee’s command had several encounters with hostile Comanche Indians. The available records indicate that Lieutenant Dick died at Camp Cooper on July 31, 1856 - just eight days after Lee’s return.  It is unknown if he died of wounds received during the expedition, or due to an illness or an injury that occurred at the notoriously harsh Camp Cooper.

The letter is in excellent condition, with slight discoloration along portions of the usual folds and superficial paper breaks at their intersections.

Confederate General & Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia

Document Signed, 8” x 10 ½”, as President of Washington College, Lexington Virginia, June 20, 1867, “R.E. Lee,” the partly printed report card for a student, “Mr. Edwin T. Dumble,” in the subjects of Latin, Greek, and Mathematics.

Born in Madison, Indiana in 1852, Edwin Dumble moved to Galveston, Texas with his family as an infant. His education at Washington College was twice interrupted by reversals in his father’s cotton and lumber businesses. He later served as an executive in several oil companies – most notably the Southern Pacific, the Rio Bravo, and the East Coast Oil Companies - and as Texas State Geologist from 1887 to 1897. In 1924, Dumble received a doctorate of science from his early alma mater, now Washington and Lee University, before retiring to Virginia. He died in 1927.

The document is lightly and evenly toned, with a few small stains. There are several tiny holes along the usual folds, none affected the text of the document.

Union Navy Captain; U.S. Navy Rear Admiral

As stated in Navy Department records, Middleton, a lifelong navy man, most notably “served as executive officer on board of the U.S.S. Decatur in operating against a combination of hostile Indians of the various tribes of Washington and Oregon territories during the war of the winter of 1855-56, particularly on the occasion of the attack upon Seattle, Washington Territory, on January 26, 1856.”

Document Signed, 2 ¾” x 8 ¼”, United States Navy Yard, New York, June 1, 1857, “Edward Middleton,” a partly printed receipt for Middleton’s pay of $150.14.

Document Signed (secretarially on behalf of President Benjamin Harrison), Washington, September 6, 1890, a partly printed 10” x 16” form, granting 115 acres in Montana Territory to one William Bode under the 1862 Homestead Act.

“Homestead Certificate No. 519…Whereas there has been deposited in the GENERAL LAND OFFICE of the United States a CERTIFICATE OF THE REGISTER of the LAND OFFICE at Bozeman Montana Territory, whereby it appears that, pursuant to the Act of Congress approved 20^th May 1862, ‘To secure Homesteads to actual Settlers on the Public Domain’…the claim of William Bode…in Montana Territory containing one hundred and fifteen acres and fifty nine hundredths of an acre…”

On the reverse is the docketing and embossed seal of the Yellowstone County clerk.

The document is lightly and evenly toned, with the usual folds. There is minor wear and loss to the official United States seal at lower left.