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.

U.S. Attorney General – 1875-76; Prosecutor in the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy Trial of John Surratt

Letter Signed, on imprinted 8” x 10” stationery as U.S. Attorney General, accepting the resignation of Lemuel D. Evans as U.S. Marshal for the Eastern Judicial District of Texas.

“Washington, Jan[uar]y 22, 1876. L.D. Evans Esq., U.S. Marshal for E[aster]n Tex[as], Washington, D.C. Sir, I have received yours of the 29^th instant, laying before me your resignation of the Marshalship of the Eastern District of Texas, to take effect on the 17^th day of February, 1876, which resignation I hereby accept. Very respectfully, Edw. Pierrepont, Attorney General.”

Born in Tennessee, Lemuel Evans moved to Texas early in life, serving as a member of the state convention that annexed the State of Texas to the Union in 1845. He subsequently served a term in the U.S. Congress, as a member of the Reconstruction Convention of 1868, and as justice on the Texas Supreme Court. Evans died on July 1, 1877 in Washington, D.C.

The letter is pleasantly toned, with the expected horizontal folds and two spindle holes in the upper margin. There is a small tear, with no loss of paper, in the lower left corner, along with minor bleeding of ink to several letters in Pierrepont’s signature.

Union Major General – Ohio; U.S. Congressman – California – 1881-85

Rosecrans led the Army of the Cumberland at Murfreesboro and through the Tullahoma campaign to Chickamauga, where he was routed by the Confederates under Longstreet, a misadventure which effectively ended his military career. After the war, he settled near Los Angeles, serving as U.S. Congressman from California, 1881 – 1885.

Signed Card, 2” x 3 ½”, with rank, “W.S. Rosecrans, Maj[or] Genl.”

There is general soiling and wear, along with a few pinholes and light creases.

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.