First Lady of the Confederacy

Autograph Letter Signed, 1 ½ pages, on the first and final pages of a 4” x 6 ¼” black-bordered letter-sheet. Writing from her residence in New York City, Mrs. Davis thanks the recipient for a memorial speech for her deceased husband, Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

“The Gerard, W[est] 44^th St. Dear Mr. Rosson, Please accept my sincerest thanks for the speech you made after your valuable and generous contribution to the needs of your people and mine. Your tender and admiring memory of my husband which my niece tells me you so gracefully expressed, has given me more pleasure than I can formulate in words and will always render me very cordially yours, Varina Jefferson Davis. 6^th April 1900.”

There is light soiling and wear, along with a horizontal fold at the center.

First Lady of the Confederacy

Autograph Letter Signed, 4 ½” x 7”, to “Danl. E. Soper, Esqr.,” marked “Personal.” Writing on “Beauvoir House” imprinted black-bordered mourning stationery, due to the death of her husband, Jefferson Davis, just two months earlier, the former Confederate First Lady responds to a request for the autographs of her family and refers the recipient to a New Orleans photographer for a picture of Mr. Davis.

“…Dear Sir, I thank you for the bookmarks sent & return you my autograph & the back of a letter addressed to me by my Husband. My Daughter is in Italy & consequently I cannot send her autograph. W.W. Washburne, Canal St., New Orleans will I am sure send you the best picture he has of Mr. Davis if you apply to him. Believe me Respectfully & truly yours, V. Jefferson Davis. Feb[ruary] 17^th 1890.”

A center horizontal fold and a few superficial stains detract very little from excellent overall condition.

29^th U.S. President - 1921-23

Signature, “Warren G. Harding,” on a ¾” x 2 ½” slip of watermarked paper, removed from a White House letter.

Personal Secretary of Abraham Lincoln; U.S. Secretary of State - 1898-1905 – McKinley & Roosevelt Administrations

Hay became a friend of Lincoln while studying law in Springfield, Illinois and accompanied him to Washington to become one of his personal secretaries. After the war, Hay and Nicolay wrote their biography of Lincoln, and Hay served as Secretary of State under McKinley and Roosevelt from 1898 through 1905.

Autograph Letter Signed, two pages, on the first and third leaves of a 5 ¼” x 8” letter-sheet. Addressing former Union General Frederick Tracy Dent, brother-in-law and secretary of President Ulysses S. Grant, Hay seeks the help of the President in securing his brother’s advancement in the military.

“New York, August 31 [no year]. My Dear General Dent, Enclosed you will find the note to the President which you suggested I should write. My brother Lieutenant Leonard Hay is Adjutant of the 9^th Infantry. He likes the service and desires to remain in it. I know him to be a very efficient and valuable officer and if you can do anything to promote his wishes, I am sure it will be to the advantage of the service, and will lay me under great personal obligations. I am very faithfully yours, John Hay. P.S. My address will be for the present ‘Republican Office, Chicago’ where I am always at your disposition.”

Beneath Hay’s closing and signature, General Dent has written and initialed a biographical notation of Hay, in pencil, “Private Sec[retary] of President Lincoln and author of Jim Beldsoe & little breeches. F.T.D.”

The letter-sheet bears the usual light toning, and there is weakness and clean separation, with no loss of paper, at the edges of two horizontal folds. The text of the letter is unaffected by a three-quarter inch area of paper loss in the upper margin of the second page.

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.

Sixteenth U.S. President - 1861-65

Civil War-Date Franked Envelope, 3” x 5 ¼”, as President, “A. Lincoln.” The envelope is also addressed by Lincoln, to “Rev[erend] Z.P. Wilds, 120 Prince Street, New York,” and has a June 21, 1862, Washington postmark.

The previous day, Lincoln met with a six-member delegation of Progressive Friends, composed of Thomas Garrett, Alice Eliza Hambleton, Oliver Johnson, Dinah Mendenhall, William Barnard, and Eliza Agnew. The group presented the President with a memorial, urging him to decree the emancipation of the slaves, the position adopted at the Friends’ annual meeting. It is quite worthy of note that Lincoln wrote Reverend Wilds, well known as a longtime missionary to the poor of New York City, the day following his meeting with this group of prominent leaders in the Abolition and Underground Railroad movements.

Set into an attractive, inlaid pedestal frame, the envelope bears general soiling and wear, along with minor paper loss along the right edge and above the somewhat smudged postmark.

American Poet

Civil War-Date Signature, with sentiment, “Yours truly, Henry W. Longfellow, Feb[ruary] 23, 1864,” on a 2” x 4” slip of paper; dated just four days before Longfellow’s fifty-seventh birthday.

The paper is lightly and evenly toned, with a vertical crease at the center.

Confederate Lieutenant General – South Carolina

Longstreet saw action from First Manassas through Appomattox, becoming Lee’s senior lieutenant general in the Army of Northern Virginia. He held post-war positions in the Grant, McKinley, and Roosevelt administrations.

Signed Card, 2 ¼” x 4 ½”, with sentiment, “Yours Truly, James Longstreet.”

The card is lightly and evenly toned, with a few superficial stains, and there are old mounting traces on the reverse.

Confederate Brigadier General – Mississippi; Governor of Mississippi – 1882-90

Wounded twice while leading the 6^th Mississippi at Shiloh, Lowry saw subsequent action at Vicksburg and in all the battles from the Atlanta campaign through Bentonville with the Army of Tennessee.

Signed Card, 2” x 3 ½”, "Robert Lowry,” as Governor of Mississippi; accompanied by the transmittal envelope, postmarked July 10, 1886, Jackson, Mississippi.

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.

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.

Signature, probably a free-frank, “…the President of the United States, Jno. G. Nicolay, Priv. Sec.,” on an imprinted 1 ¼” x 3 ¼” slip of paper, as private secretary to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

The left corners have been clipped diagonally.

Union Major General – Illinois; Governor of Illinois – 1864-69, 1873, 1885-89; Republican U.S. Senator – Illinois – 1873-79

Oglesby led the 8^th Illinois Infantry at Forts Henry and Donelson, was severely wounded at Corinth, and commanded a division in the 16^th Corps, before resigning for a successful Illinois gubernatorial bid.

Signed Card, 2 ¼” x 3 ¼”, “R.J. Oglesby, Nov[ember] 1^st 1886,” as Governor of Illinois; accompanied by the transmittal envelope, postmarked November 17, 1886, Springfield, Illinois.

Eleventh U.S. President - 1845-49

Autograph Letter Signed, 8” x 10”. Just three weeks before his election to the presidency, Polk directs “Gen[era]l Bradley, Franklin, Tennessee” in the posting of a letter to William G. Childress, possibly a member of the family of Polk’s wife, Sarah.

“Columbia [Tennessee], Oct[ober] 16^th 1844. My Dear Sir: I have written a letter to Wm. G. Childress – by this day’s mail, addressed to him at Franklin. I have to request that you will take it out of the office and send it to him to night, as I desire that he shall receive it early. I make this request because he may not call at the Post office for a day or two. You will oblige me by sending it out. In haste, Your friend, James K. Polk.”

The integral leaf is addressed by Polk to “Gen[era]l Thomas H. Bradley, Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee,” and bears an October 16, Columbia, Tennessee postmark. A Williamson County native and veteran of the Second Seminole War, Bradley was at this time probably helping Polk, a fellow Tennessee Democrat, in his ultimately successful presidential campaign. In the years leading up to the Civil War, Bradley established a large plantation on the Mississippi River in Arkansas, becoming one of the wealthiest planters in the area. He was elected to the 1861 Arkansas Secession Convention, at which he was named brigadier general of Arkansas state troops.

Overall condition is excellent, with the usual folds and an old paper clip stain in the upper margin. There is a small area of paper loss in the lower margin of the address leaf, due to the opening of the wax seal.

Union Major General - Ohio

An 1840 West Point graduate, Sherman was superintendent of what is now LSU when the war broke out in 1861. Upon Confederate seizure of the U.S. arsenal in Baton Rouge, he resigned and, shortly thereafter, reentered the army. Early lack of success in Kentucky was soon offset by distinguished service at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and in the “March to the Sea.”

Signature, with sentiment and rank in another hand, “Truly your friend, W.T. Sherman, General,” on a 1 ½” x 4 ½” slip of lined paper, removed from a letter.

Union Major General - New York

Sickles lost a leg and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor as a result of his action in the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863.

Signed Card, with rank and date, “D.E. Sickles, Major General U.S. Army, New York, May 18, 1901.”

The card has a barely discernible area of slightly heavier toning in the upper right corner, and there are old mounting remnants on the reverse.

Union Major General - Ohio

An 1852 West Point graduate, Stanley saw Civil War action in the West from Wilson's Creek through Franklin, where his actions earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. After the war, he served in Dakota, New Mexico, and Texas on the western frontier.

Autograph Quotation Signed, on a 4” x 7” album page.

“Youth is the heyday of life. Enjoy it Dear Josie, whilst we elders applaud. D.S. Stanley, Col[onel] 22^nd Inf[an]t[r]y, B[re]v[e]t Maj[or] Gen[era]l.”

On the reverse is the signature, “G.H. Patten, L[ieutenan]t 22^nd Inf[antry], Santa Fe, Dec[ember] 10, [18]83.”

The sheet is lightly and evenly toned, with a few small stains.

Union Brigadier General – Pennsylvania; Colonel of the 7^th U.S. Cavalry – 1869-88

A West Point graduate and lifelong soldier, Sturgis saw action in the Mexican War and against the Indians on the western frontier during the years leading up to the Civil War. During the Civil War, he participated in the battles of Wilson’s Creek, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, and Fredericksburg. Transferred west, Sturgis was routed by Nathan Bedford Forrest at Brice’s Cross Roads, after which he held no field command. In 1869, Sturgis was appointed colonel of the 7^th Cavalry, a position he held at the time of the massacre of Custer and his command at the Little Big Horn.

“…I was what was called a ‘49er, and it was at San Louis Obispo, that in the Spring of 1849, I prepared and fitted out my small Company of Dragoons for an expedition against the Indians in the neighborhood of the Tulare lakes & the head of King’s River.”

Autograph Letter Signed, three pages, on individual sheets of 5 ½” x 8 ½” hotel stationery, imprinted “The Ebbitt: C.C. Willard, Prop., Washington, D.C.” In a humble, gracious response to an autograph request from a young girl in San Luis Obispo, California, Sturgis provides a satisfying reminiscence of his Gold Rush-era military exploits in the region.

“March 10, 1886. Miss Mary C. Day, San Louis Obispo, Cal. My dear Young lady, you very kind and complimentary note only reached me yesterday and I hasten to enclose my Autograph in compliance with your request. You will be surprised perhaps to learn that I was what was called a ‘49er, and it was at San Louis Obispo, that in the Spring of 1849, I prepared and fitted out my small Company of Dragoons for an expedition against the Indians in the neighborhood of the Tulare lakes & the head of King’s River. In those days San Louis Obispo was simply an old Mission, but it is probably now a thriving town. The world has changed so much since those days. Hoping that this will not be so long in reaching you as Yours was in reaching me, and thanking you again for the compliment implied in your request for my Autograph, believe me, Very Sincerely Your o[bedien]t ser[van]t, S.D. Sturgis.”

Light, even toning, the usual folds, and old paper clip stains in the upper margins detract very little.

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 Lieutenant Colonel –Virginia

Taylor served on the staff of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from early in the war through Appomattox.

War-Date Signature, as aide-de-camp on the staff of General Robert E. Lee, “W.H. Taylor, A.D.C.,” on a 1” x 3 ¼” slip of paper, removed from a larger Confederate document.

There is a small tear just above Taylor’s signature, portions of which are somewhat light.

Twelfth U.S. President - 1849-50

President Taylor Anticipates the Transcontinental Railroad

Letter Signed, 8” x 10”, as President, to “Hon. Jno. A. Rockwell, Norwich, Conn[ecticut],” the U.S. Representative from Connecticut from March 4, 1845 through March 3, 1849.

Anticipating a cross-country railroad system following the acquisition of vast new U.S. territory in the Mexican War and the discovery of gold in California, President Taylor thanks the former congressman for a report on the matter. The sectional crises of the 1850’s and the Civil War would delay the completion of the transcontinental railroad until 1869.

“Washington, Oct. 26/[18]49. Dear Sir, I have just received a copy of your valuable & interesting report on Rail roads & Canal routes between the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans. You will receive my thanks for your kind attention, & the assurance of respect with which I remain Your sincere friend & serv[an]t, Z. Taylor.”

In excellent overall condition, the letter and attached leaf, docketed “The President” in an unknown hand, have been tipped to a slightly larger page.