Civil War-Date Document Signed - General Grant banishes Prostitutes from the District of West Tennessee

Document Signed, 7 ¾” x 10”, a manuscript special order, signed by Rawlins as assistant adjutant general on behalf of Major General Ulysses S. Grant.  The order explicitly bans the unauthorized travel of women from northern rail points to the army’s encampments, along with their presence in camp.

“Head Quarters District of West Tennessee.
Corinth, Miss[issippi], July 20^th 1862.

Special Order
No. 139.

No females will be allowed to leave Columbus, Kentucky, or any intermediate railway Station by Railroad, to join any part of the Army of this District without a special written permit from Department Head Quarters or these Head Quarters.  All females from abroad remaining within Camp lines after the 31^st instant, not having such permits, shall be arrested and sent out of the District.  Division, Brigade, Port, Regimental, and Company Commanders will see to the faithful execution of this order throughout their respective Commands.

By Command of Maj[or] Gen[eral] U.S. Grant.
Jno. A. Rawlins,
Ass[istan]t Adj[uta]nt Gen[era]l.

As early-war offensives made inroads into Confederate territory, both east and west, the occupying Union Army was inevitably followed by another, consisting of profiteers and opportunists of all types, including prostitutes.  By this order, Grant intends to thwart the proliferation of prostitution among army personnel in the newly occupied regions of Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and Alabama, secured by the recent Union victory at the Battle of Shiloh.

Excellent, with light, even toning and two horizontal folds.

Signed Card, 2 ½” x 4”, March 22, 1869, Washington, D.C., “John A. Rawlins,” as U.S. Secretary of War.  The recipient’s name, date, just nine days after he assumed office as secretary or war, and Rawlins’s title are accomplished in an unidentified clerical hand.

Excellent overall, with old mounting remnants on the reverse.

Civil War-Date Autograph

Signature & Rank, “John F. Reynolds, Brig[adier] Gen[era]l Vol[unteer]s,” on  a 1” x 3” portion of a larger document, dated “1862” in an unidentified hand at lower left.

An excellent early-war example, with the rank Reynolds held from August 20, 1861 until promotion to major general, effective November 29, 1862.

Signature & Rank, “B.S. Roberts, B[reve]t Brig[adie]r Gen[era]l U.S.A.,” on a 1 ½” x 4 ¾” slip of paper.

Excellent.

Signed Card, 2” x 3 ½”, “J.M. Rusk,” with bevelled edges and rounded corners.

Excellent, with light, even toning; old mounting remnants on the reverse.

Civil War “Special Order,” directing a 13^th U.S. Army Officer, mortally wounded at Vicksburg six months later, to report to Camp Butler

Document Signed, 8” x 10”, a manuscript special order, signed twice by Scates at the conclusion, directing 13^th U.S. Infantry Captain Edward Crawford Washington, mortally wounded in the May 19, 1863 assault on Vicksburg, Mississippi, to report immediately to Camp Butler, near Springfield, Illinois, to enlist and pay bounty to the newly formed 128^th Illinois Infantry.

“Head Quarters Springfield, Ill[inois], December 1, 1862.  Special orders No. 63.  Capt[ain] C. Washington, 13^th Infantry, U.S.A. Disbursing Officer & c. Will proceed immediately to Camp Butler and pay bounty & premium to all the enlisted men of 128^th Regiment Ill[inoi]s Infantry who have been mustered into the Service of the United States & report to these Head Quarters without delay.  By order of Major General John A. McClernand.  Walter B. Scates, Major & A[ssistant] A[djutant] Gen[era]l.  L[ieutenan]t G.W. Hill Will furnish Capt. Washington transportation.  W.B. Scates, Major & A.A. Genl.”

Exhibits the expected soiling, toning, and wear; water staining and clean separation, with no loss of paper, at the upper of two horizontal folds.

Franking Signature, as a post-war U.S. Representative from Ohio, “Robt. C. Schenck, M[ember] C[ongress],” on a 1 ½” x 5 ¼” portion of an envelope, with portions of the recipient’s address in Schenck’s hand beneath and a Washington, D.C. postmark at left.

Irregularly torn at the lower and left edges.

Signature, as U.S. Representative, “Robt. C. Schenck, Ohio,” on a 5 ¾” x 8 ¾” portion of an album page.

Excellent.

Appointing an Officer in the 61^st Virginia Infantry

Civil War-Date Document Signed, on imprinted 8” x 10” Confederate War Department stationery, Richmond, Virginia, May 12, 1864, “James A. Seddon,” a partly printed appointment for William Henry Stewart to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the 61^st Virginia Infantry.  The unit was heavily engaged at the Civil War battles of Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor, Stewart being wounded at all three.

Lightly and evenly toned, with scattered stains and several chips at the corners and edges; there is a water stain at the lower left, well away from Seddon’s signature, and clean separation at two horizontal folds has been reinforced with archival tape on the reverse.

Signed Card, 2” x 3 ¼”, with rank, “P.H. Sheridan, L[ieutenan]t General, U.S.A.”

Excellent, with light, even toning and several small areas of very minor bleeding of ink.

Signature, as U.S. Representative from New York, “E. Sherrill, Shandaken, N. York,” on a 2 ¾” x 5” portion of an album page.

Lightly and evenly toned; somewhat closely trimmed at the upper edge.

Civil War-Date Letter Signed – a resident seeks a pass to visit family in the Confederate town just two weeks before the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia – December 11-15, 1862

Letter Signed, 7 ¾” x 9 ¾”, as Civil War Interior Secretary in the cabinet of Abraham Lincoln.  Addressing army Commander-in-Chief Henry Wager Halleck, Smith seeks a pass for “a loyal man” of the town shortly before the pivotal Civil War battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

“Dep[artmen]t of the Interior
Wash[ington], Nov[ember] 24, 1862

Sir,

The Bearer Mr. C.B. Cole of Fredericksburg Vir[ginia] desires to visit his family who are residing there.  He is a loyal man of that State and you will gratify me very much if you will furnish him with the proper pass.

Very Respectfully,
Your obedient Servant,
Caleb B. Smith

Maj[or] Gen[era]l Halleck
Commander in Chief, & c.”

Excellent, with light, even toning and two horizontal folds.

A West Point, New York Postmark

Autograph Letter Signed, 7 ¾” x 9 ¾”.  As a young, antebellum U.S. Army officer, Smith communicates regarding the conveyance of funds.  Addressed by Smith to a banking company in New Orleans, the integral leaf bears a desirable postmark from West Point, New York, home of the U.S. Military Academy, where Smith was at the time employed as an instructor. 

“West Point, N[ew] Y[ork], Dec[ember] 20^th 1850. 

Messrs. Watts & De Saulles,

Gentlemen,

I received yesterday yours of the 9^th Dec[ember], enclosing “original of J. Corning & Co[mpany]’s check on Corning & Co[mpany] New York,” dated Dec[ember] 9^th No. 27089 in my favor for five hundred dollars, $500.  I will in compliance with your request acknowledge the receipt of the same to M.A. Smith by this days mail.

Very Respectfully Yours,
Gus. W. Smith, 
Capt[ain] U.S. Army.”
_________________________

Heavier staining and wear at the edges, with the expected folds and a few chips at the edges; there is significant wrinkling of paper in the lower corners and edges, all well away from the text of the letter.

Signature & Rank, “M.L. Smith, Brig[adier] Gen[era]l Vol[unteers],” on a ¾” x 2 ¼” slip of paper, probably removed from a war-date document.  Affixed to slightly larger backing.

General soiling, staining, and wear.

Franked Envelope, 3” x 5 ¼”, “Free, Alexander H. Stephens, M[ember] C[ongress],” also addressed by Stephens, to “John L. Stephens, La Grange, G[eorgi]a,” a recurring correspondent.  Stephens was frail and frequently ill, even as a young man, this atypical signature being an obvious example from one of his unsteady periods.

General soiling and wear, with numerous small tears and breaks at the edges.

Signature, as post-war U.S. Representative, “W.B. Stokes, Alexandria Tenn[essee],” on a 3” x 5” portion of an album page.

Lightly and evenly toned, with old binding traces at the left.

Signature, as U.S. Representative, “Wm. L. Stoughton, M[ember] C[ongress],” on a 1 ¼” x 3 ¾” lightly and evenly toned portion of an album page.

Civil War-Date

Signed Postal Cover, 3 ¼” x 5 ¼”, homemade from a printed 1862 Confederate military document, addressed to his wife, “Mrs. Flora Stuart, H[ea]d Q[uarte]rs Cav[alry] Div[isio]n, Army N[orthern] V[irgini]a.”  Also signed at the upper left corner by Confederate Colonel and Aide-de-Camp Samuel Bassett French.

Front and reverse portions are detached, from heavy wear at the edges; several chips and tears at the edges affect none of the text.

Signature, “John M. Thayer, Nebraska,” an enormous example as U.S. Senator on a 4 ½” x 7” album page.

Excellent, with light, even toning.

Civil War-Date Document Signed, 7 ¾” x 10”, partly printed, “Geo[rge] H. Thomas, Maj[or] Gen[era]l U[nited] S[tates] V[olunteers], Received in the Field the 10[th] of May, 1862…,” a requisition for a tent and tent supplies; countersigned by Captain Oscar Addison Mack of the 13^th U.S. Infantry, a New Hampshire native who died on October 22, 1876.

Lightly and evenly toned, with a few scattered stains and the expected horizontal creases.