U.S. Treasury Secretary – 1865-69 & 1884-85

Autograph Letter Signed, 1 ½ pages, on the first and fourth pages of a 5” x 8” letter-sheet, imprinted Jay Cooke, McCulloch & Co., 41 Lombard Street, London, E.C. As a partner in the London banking house of noted financier Jay Cooke, McCulloch introduces and recommends a publisher to another company official, “F.O. French, Esq., Office of Jay Cooke & Co., Corner of Wall & Nassau St., New York.”

“April 26, 1873. My Dear Mr. French, I have pleasure in introducing to you T.D. Galpin, Esq. of the firm of Messrs. Cassel Pettis & Galpin, which is said to be one of the largest publishing houses in the world. Mr. Galpin is you will perceive instructed in the question of ‘International Copyright’ upon which he is thoroughly informed. Mr. Galpin is an able man and I shall be obliged to you for such courtesies as may render his visit to New York agreeable and such introduction as may be of service to him. Very Truly Yours, H. McCulloch…”

Ruined by speculation in the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, Jay Cooke & Co., along with McCulloch’s London branch, closed its doors later in the year, bringing about the downfall of numerous other banking houses and contributing to the Panic of 1873.

The letter is easily displayable as one piece when unfolded, as illustrated.

Private Secretary of Abraham Lincoln

A prominent Illinois newspaper editor, Nicolay served as Lincoln’s private secretary from 1860 through the end of the Civil War. After the war, he served as U.S. consul in Paris and marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1890, he and John Hay published their ten-volume biography of Lincoln.

“…In the revision of our book, the suggestions you make will naturally come under consideration…”

Letter Signed, on the imprinted 5” x 8” stationery of the U.S. Supreme Court. During his tenure as marshal of the court, Nicolay thanks “S.P. Leeds, Esq., Hanover, N.H.” for information relating to the official biography of Abraham Lincoln, at the time a work in progress being co-authored with fellow Lincoln secretary John Hay. Released serially in Century Magazine from 1886 to 1890, Abraham Lincoln: A History was first published in book form in 1890.

“Deerfield, Mass., July 10^th 1887. My dear Sir: Accept our thanks for your kind letter of the 5^th, the answer to which has been delayed by my summer vacation trip. In the revision for our book, the suggestions you make will naturally come under consideration. We are of course gratified by the generous commendations you are pleased to bestow on our work. Yours truly, Jno. G. Nicolay.”

The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds, and there is minor brushing of ink at the conclusion of Nicolay’s signature.

Private Secretary of Abraham Lincoln

A prominent Illinois newspaper editor, Nicolay served as Lincoln’s private secretary from 1860 through the end of the Civil War. After the war, he served as U.S. consul in Paris and marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1890, he and John Hay published their ten-volume biography of Lincoln.

Document Signed, 10” x 16”, as Marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court, “Jno. G. Nicolay, Marshal,” a manuscript statement of disbursements of the court for the first quarter of 1879, amounting to $11,321.40.

The document is in excellent condition, with tiny pinholes at the center intersections of the usual folds.

Union Brevet Brigadier General; Union Lieutenant Colonel – 7^th Iowa Cavalry

KIRKWOOD, SAMUEL J. (1813-94) Civil War Governor of Iowa – 1860-64; U.S. Interior Secretary – 1881-82

From the Dakota Territory, Pattee Urges Iowa Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood to Appoint Three Officers in the Newly Designated Forty-First Battalion of Iowa Infantry

War-Date Autograph Letter Signed, four pages, on an 8” x 10” letter-sheet, to Iowa Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood, a seldom-seen Civil War-time communication from the frontier outpost at Fort Randall, in the Dakota Territory. In this lengthy, detailed letter, Pattee requests that Governor Kirkwood appoint three officers in the newly designated 41^st Battalion of Iowa Infantry: 1^st Lieutenant Francis H. Cooper; 2^nd Lieutenant John C. Rutan; and 2^nd Sergeant Wallace Pattee, presumably Pattee’s brother, as both were born in Canada and were approximately forty years old when they enlisted in the Union Army.

Governor Kirkwood.

Sir, About a month ago I received my commission as Major and would have written you immediately in regard to the vacancy in the [?] office but for the strong opposition in the Co[mpany] against Lieut[enant] Cooper’s being promoted. I was in hopes this opposition would subside. I believe it is groundless as no one of the Company has been able to say any thing against him only that they don’t like him. It all grows out of the contest in the first election between Cooper & [John M.S.] Hodgedon. Hodgedon got 17 votes & some of his friends asked Cooper the same evening of the election to sign a paper agreeing to decline accepting the Captaincy if it should be offered to him which of course he would not do. I believe it to be a wicked conspiracy on part of a very few of Cooper’s enemies among whom [William] Truesdell stands first. This opposition has been and is now carried on in a spirit of insubordination and is pure spite work.

They have just shown me a petition to you asking that the first Serg[ean]t Hodgedon be appointed Capt[ain], thus striking an undeserved blow at Co[o]per and Rutan. Hodgedon is nothing near as well qualified for the place as Corporal [John N.] Pritchard and I insist upon it that you pay no attention to their paper.

Again a number of the signers of that petition & remonstrance have told me & Rutan & Cooper that they had nothing against the Lieutenant and that they wanted their names off as they did not know what they were signing and that they had been deprived of the privilege of taking their names off. In your circular of Jan[uary] 18^th 1862 are these words, ‘In filling field offices below that of Col[onel] and the office of Capt[ain] the recommendation of the Col[onel] will usually be sufficient.’

In our Regiment there is no Col[onel] and I understand that I sustain the same relation to the Reg[iment] as the Col[onel] and consequently I ask you to promote 1^st Lieut[enant] Francis H. Cooper to Captain & 2^nd Lieut[enant] John C. Rutan to 1^st Lieut[enant] of Co[mpany] ‘A’ & I ask you to appoint 3^rd Serg[ean]t Wallace Pattee 2^nd Lieut[enant] of Co[mapny] ‘A’ and the sooner this is done the sooner discipline will be restored. In appointing the non-commissioned officers last fall I gave Hodgedon the best place in order to attone [sic] as much as possible for his defeat in the election against Cooper and to heal the difficulty as much as I could instead of giving the place to Wallace Pattee as any other or most other persons would have done.

Hodgedon has no education scarcely and Wallace has some capacity for business and I want to appoint him Q[uarter] M[aster] so as to let Rutan with the Co[mpany] where he wishes to be very much. I enclose herewith the Resignations of Lieut[enant]s Cooper & Rutan which I hope you will not receive as I have but one other man of good qualification that I can rely upon with certainty.

The receipt of my commission gave me great satisfaction and strengthened me in my command. A compliance with my wishes as set forth in this letter will also give me a better standing & assist me very much in my arduous duties.

No man living can truly say that I have given a useless or oppressive order to men under my command but I have learned this fact – that in the army we must ignore Democracy and become seemingly tyrants. So far I have been able to maintain discipline and good order except in a few cases that is in the officers of Co[mpany] B who still persist in evading my instructions and degrading me in the eyes of all.

I am very Respectfully, John Pattee, Major 41^st Iowa, Com[man]d[in]g Post.”

In April 1863, Governor Kirkwood ordered the 41^st Iowa transferred into another new regiment, the 7^th Iowa Cavalry, with John Pattee commissioned lieutenant colonel.  The unit was immediately assigned in the Department of Kansas, where “They garrisoned posts, escorted trains, protected emigrants, guarded lines of travel and telegraph, and had frequent combats with the Indians who had been induced by some means to unbury the tomahawk and wage savage warfare against the whites: deaths from battle, 49; deaths from disease, 99; discharged, 246.” Source: The Union Army, Vol. 4.

The letter has clean paper separation at the edges of two horizontal folds, along which there is heavier soiling and wear on the final page.

First Territorial Governor of Minnesota – 1849-53; Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota – 1855-56; Civil War Governor of Minnesota – 1860-63; U.S. Congressman – Pennsylvania – 1843-47 & Senator - Minnesota – 1863-75; U.S. Secretary of War – 1879-81

Support from the Minnesota Territory Whigs for the New Administration of Millard Fillmore

Autograph Letter Signed, two pages, front and reverse of an 8” x 10” sheet, as territorial governor of Minnesota, to newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster. In the month following the death of President Zachary Taylor, Ramsey expresses the support of the Whigs in the territory for the new administration of Millard Fillmore, further detailing the Whig Party’s domination of territorial politics over the opposition Democratic Party. Interesting in this context is Ramsey’s usage in conveying that the Whigs “have prevented the success of democracy.”

“St. Paul, Min[nesota] Ter[ritory], August 25, 1850. Hon, D. Webster. Dear Sir, I simply write to say how happy the whole body of the Whigs of Minnesota are in seeing you at the head of the New administration. They feel an assurance in your possession of the reins of gove[rnme]nt all will be well. In this remote Territory the Whigs are not few, so far by prudent measures they have prevented the success of the democracy & have fortunately elected their friends to all the local offices with the gift of the people that are of any account. At this time we are in the midst of the Canvass for the election of delegates. There are however no party candidates before the people for that office – that is they all claim to run without reference to party. This I believe is the first of our Territories in which the democrats as such have been kept out of power. We think we have some cause of pride in this state of things. Ardently attached to the administration, I should be pleased at any time, to learn of any manner in which I could serve it. Very respectfully Your ob[edien]t s[er]v[an]t, Alex. Ramsey.”

The sheet bears general soiling and wear, a few superficial edge chips, and smearing of ink to a few letters.

U.S. Secretary of State - 1861-69

Despite being a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860, Seward served effectively in Lincoln’s cabinet. He was seriously injured on the night of April 14, 1865, in the assassination plot which took the life of Lincoln. His most notable post-war achievement was the acquisition of Alaska in 1867.

Signed the Day before the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the Attempt on Seward’s Life by Lewis Powell

Document Signed, 8” x 10”, Washington, D.C., April 13, 1865, "William H. Seward,” as U.S. Secretary of State. Signed the day before the assassination of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth and the attempt on Seward’s life by his associate, Lewis Powell, the partly printed document transmits “…a true copy of an act of Congress entitled ‘An Act for the relief of Solomon Wadsworth,’ approved February 13, 1865; the original of which is on file in this Department.” With another significant association, the copy of the Congressional Act, H.R. 431, bound between the letter-sheet pages with ribbon at the left edge, is signed in print at the conclusion by House of Representatives Clerk Edward McPherson, on whose Pennsylvania farm the battle of Gettysburg began.

The document is lightly toned, and there are a few chips and wear at the upper left edge and the seal.

Confederate Vice President - Georgia

Despite his unionist stance as congressman from Georgia, Stephens followed his native state to the Confederacy, becoming a representative in the Provisional Congress, a position he retained even after assuming the Vice Presidency. After the war, he returned to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1873 through 1882.

Signed as Confederate Commissioner the Day Before Meeting with Lincoln at the Hampton Roads Peace Conference

Civil War-Date Signature, on a light 1 ¾” x 3 ¼” card, as Confederate Commissioner to the Hampton Roads Peace Conference. Requesting a meeting with President Lincoln to discuss a possible termination of the war, Confederate Vice President Stephens and the two other representatives were passed through the Federal lines at Petersburg by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant on January 30, 1865. They awaited instruction from Lincoln at Grant’s City Point, Virginia headquarters, and it is undoubtedly while there that Stephens signed this card.

“Alexander H. Stephens, Con[federate] States Com[missione]r, City Point, V[irgini]a. 2 Feb. 1865.”

On February 3, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward met with the Confederate commissioners, Vice President Alexander H. Stephens, Senator R.M.T. Hunter, and Assistant Secretary of War John A. Campbell, on a steamer in Hampton Roads, Virginia to discuss the prospects of a negotiated peace. The Confederacy’s insistence on independence, dismissed outright by Lincoln, and disagreement over emancipation of the slaves doomed the conference to failure. All three commissioners were arrested by Federal authorities and imprisoned for several months after the war.

While Stephens manuscripts from both before and after the Civil War are common, autographs as Confederate Vice President during the war period are only occasionally seen. This card, from the historic peace conference near the war’s end, is the only such example I’ve encountered.

The card bears light, even toning, along with minor glue staining at the edges, from its being affixed to a slightly larger card.

27^th U.S. President - 1909-13; U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice - 1921-30; U.S. Secretary of War - 1904-08

Typed Letter Signed, on imprinted 5 ½” x 9” stationery as U.S. Secretary of War. At the request of his brother, Henry Waters Taft, War Secretary Taft sends a letter of introduction, not present, for the former Secretary of the U.S./Venezuelan Boundary Commission, ”Mr. Severo Mallet-Prevost, 931 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y.”

“War Department, Washington, November 11, 1904. My dear Mr. Mallet-Prevost: I have a note from my brother Harry asking a letter of introduction for you and Senor Nunez to the Superintendent at West Point. I take pleasure in inclosing a letter herewith, and hope it may reach you in time.  Very sincerely yours, W.H. Taft.”

Overall condition is excellent, with a horizontal fold at center, a few unobtrusive stains, and very minor bleeding of ink in Taft’s signature.

27^th U.S. President - 1909-13; U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice - 1921-30; U.S. Secretary of War - 1904-08

Signed White House Card, 2 ¾” x 4 ¼”, as President, “Wm. H. Taft.”

The card is pristine, both front and reverse.

Confederate Commissioner to Canada; U.S. Interior Secretary – 1857-61; U.S. Congressman – Mississippi - 1839-51

Signature, “J. Thompson, Oxford, Miss[issip]pi” on a 1 ¾” x 5” portion of an album page.

Confederate Brigadier General – Alabama; Confederate Secretary of War – 1861

A prominent antebellum politician from Alabama, Walker became the first Confederate Secretary of War on February 21, 1861, resigning on September 16 to become brigadier general. He subsequently held no active field command and resigned his Confederate commission on March 31, 1862.

An Early-War Appointment for Tenth Alabama Major John J. Woodward – Later Killed-in-Action at Gaines Mill

War-Date Document Signed, as Confederate Secretary of War on an imprinted 8” x 10” form, Richmond, Virginia, September 4, 1861, “L.P. Walker,” informing Captain John J. Woodward of his promotion to major in the 10^th Alabama Infantry, Provisional Army of the Confederate States. The 10^th Alabama served with distinction from the early-war battle of Dranesville until the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. The regiment’s casualties at Gaines Mill were among the highest of any unit there engaged; they included John J. Woodward, advanced to colonel since his enlistment, killed while serving in Longstreet’s Division of the Army of Northern Virginia.

The partly printed document has general soiling and wear, along with numerous stains, and there is clean separation, with no loss of paper, at the edges of the usual horizontal folds.