Civil War-Date

Autograph Letter Signed, 7 ¾” x 9 ¾”, as early-war colonel of the 29^th New York Volunteer Infantry, informing the New York adjutant general of an appointment.

“New York, June 4^th 1861. 

Gen[e]r[a]l S. Meredith Read, Jr., Adjutant General.

Sir,

I have the honor to inform you, that I have appointed Mr. Wm. Livingstone Rogers Paymaster of the 29^th Regiment.

Mr. Rogers will present two sureties, recognizing in the amount of Twenty Thousand Dollars each, to his Excellency, Governor Morgan, for approval, and then report for duty.

Your very ob[e]d[ien]t Servant,
Col[onel] A. von Steinwehr,
Com[man]d[in]g 29^th Reg[imen]t.”

Lightly and evenly toned, with the usual folds and light creases; paper loss at the lower left corner, well away from all text.

Signature, “Wm. Vandever, Iowa,” as U.S. Representative, on a 1 ¾” x 4 ¾” portion of an album page.

Lightly and evenly toned.

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.

Signed Card, 2 ¼” x 4”, with rank, “J.F.Wade, Brig[adier] Gen[era]l U.S.A.”

Excellent, with light, even toning.

Signature & Rank, “J.D. Webster, B[rigadier] G[eneral],” on a 1” x 3” slip of lined paper.

Lightly and evenly toned, with old hinge remnants on the reverse.

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.

Autograph Letter Signed, 5” x 8”, confirming the date of his appointment as Interior Secretary in the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant.

“Cincinnati [Ohio], 14 May 1873.  Dear Sir: In reply to your note I would say that I was appointed Secretary of the Interior March 6th 1869.  Very Resp[ectfull]y, J.D. Cox.”

Lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds; old hinge and mounting remnants on reverse of the integral leaf.

Autograph Note Signed, 2 ½” x 4 ¼”, an undated, cordial reply to a letter.

“To Mark: Thank you for the nice letter, and best wishes to you and your family.  Jimmy Carter.”

Excellent.

Appointed U.S. Surgeon General on April 25, 1862, Hammond radically reorganized the war-time Medical Department.  He was court-martialed and dismissed from the service in 1864 after a political struggle with Secretary of War Stanton; the charges were reviewed in 1879 and Hammond was exonerated, restored to rank, and placed on the retired list. 

Signature, with closing, “Yours sincerely, William A. Hammond,” on a 1 ¾” x 4 ¾” slip of paper, removed from a letter; tipped to slightly larger backing.

Lightly and evenly toned, with a collector’s pencil notation in the lower left corner.

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.

Signature, as U.S. Senator, “B.K. Bruce, Miss[issippi],” on a 1 ½” x 4 ½” portion of an album page.

Excellent.

Signature, with place and date also in Hill’s hand, “Fort Clinch, Fl[orid]a, Jan[uary] 31^st 1850, A.P. Hill, 1^st Art[illery],” on a 1 ¾” x 3 ¼” portion of a military document.

A large, bold example, in stark contrast to the smaller and lighter signings from many of Hill’s Civil War-time documents and letters.

Autograph Letter Signed, 7 ¾” x 10 ¾”, one page.  As Post Engineer at Fort Hamilton, situated at the mouth of New York Harbor in Brooklyn, Lee writes to a materials supplier, ordering hydraulic cement, commonly used to construct and repair stone and cement structures, even underwater.  While serving as post engineer at Fort Hamilton, 1841-46, Lee is credited with the design and construction of several New York-area fortifications, notably Fort Richmond, Fort Tompkins, and the forts at Willetts Point and Sandy Hook.

 “Henry Wilde, Esq[uir]e,

Sec[retar]y Newark L, & C, Ms. Co.,

Fort Hamilton, N[ew[ Y[ork],

11 April 1843.

Sir,

I have rec[eive]d your letter of the 18 Ult[im]o, offering to furnish me with fresh hydraulic Cement @ $1.25/100 per cask of 300 lbs., deducting 12 ½ c[ents] per cask for those returned.  I will thank you to send me to this place 50 Casks with as little delay as practicable.  The cement must be fresh, & the Casks light & strong.  You may also send 10 Casks of Lime.

Very respectf[ull]y Your Ob[edien]t Serv[an]t,

R.E Lee,

Capt[ain] Eng[ineer]s.”

Lightly and evenly toned, with minor soiling and wear and the expected folds; the integral leaf, addressed in another hand, is bound by a paper strip at the left edge, and has a small hole well beneath the address from the opening of a no-longer-present wax seal.

Signature, “Stephen Decatur,” a frank on a 1 ¼” x 2 ¾” portion of a postal cover; with rank in another hand above and the pencil notation “1819” written vertically at the upper right corner.  A stamped “FREE” partially intersects Decatur’s signature.

Lightly toned, with a stain at the left edge; affixed to heavier backing.