Confederate General - Louisiana

Beauregard commanded the forces which started the Civil War by shelling Fort Sumter, and he went on to serve with distinction at First Manassas, Shiloh, and in the defense of Richmond.

Autograph Letter Signed, two pages, front and reverse of a 5 ½” x 9” sheet. Responding to an invitation to take part in a veterans’ tour of the battlefield of First Manassas, Beauregard lists twelve of the Confederate commanders engaged in the battle.

Mr. J.H. Tourjee, Norwich, Connecticut.

Dear Sir,

Your favor of the 17^th inst[ant] has been received. I think quite favorably of the project you refer to, of an excursion to the Battle field of the 1^st Manassas * by the survivors of both Armies, North & South, who participated in that first great battle of the late War. Should my engagements permit it, I would be glad to be present on that interesting occasion.

*on July 21^st 1889

I have not time to give you many names of those who were prominent in that battle, but here are a few:

Gen. Jos. E. Johnston, Washington, D.C.; Wade Hampton, U.S. Senate; M.L. Bonham, Columbia, S.C.; J.B. Kershaw; G.W. Smith…New York City; Thos. Jordan, 61 Broadway, [New York City]; Col. A.R. Chisholm; Govr. F.T. Nichols, Baton Rouge, La.; Col. D.B. Penn, New Orleans; Judge S.D. McEnery, Supreme Court; [Judge] H.B. Kelly, Court of Appeals.

I am, y[ou]rs very truly,
G.T. Beauregard

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.

Document Signed, 8” x 10 ½”, as President of Washington College, Lexington Virginia, April 28, 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.

In excellent condition overall, the document is lightly and evenly toned, with a few superficial stains. There are two small pinholes along one of the usual folds, none of which passes through Lee’s signature.

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.

War-Date Endorsement Signed

Civil War-Date Endorsement Signed, on a 1 ¾” x 3 ¼” slip of paper, removed from a larger document.

“Respectfully forwarded, J. Longstreet, L[ieutenan]t Gen[era]l.”

While post-war manuscripts by Longstreet are readily available, war-date examples are seldom encountered. This endorsement, distinctly signed by Longstreet with his right hand, can be dated to the war-time period before the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5 & 6, 1864, where a severe wound forced Longstreet to use his left hand for writing for many years afterward.

Confederate Governor of South Carolina – 1860-62; U.S. Congressman – South Carolina – 1834-43

Civil War-Date Autograph Letter Signed, 8” x 10”, on imprinted stationery as Confederate Governor of South Carolina. Shortly after the outbreak of war, Pickens instructs the commissary general in the payment and distribution of rations for troops in the new South Carolina regiments.

“4 June 1861. To Commissary Gen[era]l Walker. Sir, I rec[eive]d yours of this inst[ant]. Capt[ain] Elliot’s company appear to have rec[eive]d rations at 40 c[en]ts – and the service was for twenty four days – and the highest Army ration is 30 c[en]ts. The $488.10 is the highest one paid. This of course includes beef & vegetables, & the bill for $151.75 cannot be allowed. As to temporary supplies to Gen[era]l Garlington, Col[one]l Rion, and Col[one]l Blandings command, you might furnish for a day or so. Please see that the supplies left by Cash’s reg[imen]t at Florence are taken care of & held or brought to the city, & so of Burns & Jenkins & all the other reg[imen]ts. F.W. Pickens.”

There is light, even toning, along with two horizontal folds and smudging of ink to several letters of text.

Confederate Brigadier General - Virginia

A Virginia native and pre-war attorney, Preston served on the staff of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard during the bombardment of Ft. Sumter and at the battle of First Manassas. He later served in command of conscript and prison camps, and as superintendant of the Confederate Bureau of Conscription in Richmond.

War-Date Signature

Civil War-Date Signature, with the rank Preston held from April 23, 1863 until June 10, 1864 in another hand, “Jno. S. Preston, Col[onel] A[ssistant] A[djutant] Genl. Com[man]d[in]g,” on a 2” x 4 ½” slip of paper.

Confederate Colonel - North Carolina; Commanded Thomas’s Cherokee Legion; White Chief of the Oconaluftee Cherokee

Document Signed, Charleston, South Carolina, June 13, 1838, “Wm. H. Thomas,” a partly printed 3 ¼” x 7” promissory note, payable to James W.Y. Watson for $258.82.

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

Bavarian-Born Political Cartoonist & Caricaturist

A dentist by vocation, Volck supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. He savaged President Lincoln and the Union cause in political cartoons, acted as a courier for Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and smuggled goods for the Confederate Army.

Autograph Document Signed, 4 ¼” x 7”, Baltimore, Maryland, April 26, 1878, “A.J. Volck,” a partly printed receipt for $37 on Volck’s Baltimore dental practice, received from a Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Neville; also fully accomplished by Volck, thus bearing a second signature in the heading.

The receipt is lightly and evenly toned, with light vertical folds.