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Civil War and Reconstruction |
A Copperhead Newspaper Prints, Then Criticizes, the Emancipation Proclamation
[ABRAHAM LINCOLN]. EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION,
Newspaper. New York Journal of Commerce. New York, N.Y., January 3, 1863. 4 pp., 24 x 32½ in.
An early report of the Emancipation Proclamation, where the editors describe Lincoln’s bold move as “a farce coming in after a long tragedy....Most of the people regard it as a very foolish piece of business.”
Item #22448.01, $1,450
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Civil War Song Sheet: When Johnny Comes Marching Home
[PATRICK GILMORE],
Broadside, “When Johnny comes marching home.” Philadelphia, Johnson & Co., Song Publishers. [1863-65]. 6 x 9 in., 1 p.
When Johnny comes marching home again, Hurrah! Hurrah! / We’ll give him a hearty welcome then, Hurrah! Hurrah!...
Item #22946, $375
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161 Young Men of Providence, R.I. Found “Loyal League” Pledged to Support the Union
[CIVIL WAR--RHODE ISLAND],
Pledge and original membership roll of the Loyal League of Providence, Manuscript Document Signed, with 161 signatures, ca. January 1863, [Providence, RI]. 2 pp., 7¾ x 22¼ in.
“We, the members of the Loyal League, do hereby pledge ourselves, by words and acts, whenever practicable, to use our influence in support of the Government in all its measures for the suppression of the present unholy rebellion; and we will use our influence to discountenance and oppose all efforts in opposition to the Government and the Union.”
Item #24584, $1,500
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The Army of the Potomac Arriving at Yorktown from Williamsburg
[HARPER’S WEEKLY],
Newspaper. Harper’s Weekly, September 6, 1862.
Item #H-9-6-1862, $250
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Opposing the Confederate Draft
[CIVIL WAR – CONFEDERACY],
Broadside. “The Petition of Certain Non-Conscripts, Respectfully Presented to the Confederate States Congress.” Richmond, August 8, 1862. Signed in print, “The Petitioners, By their Counsel, John H. Gilmer.” 1 p., 7⅞ x 10⅜ in.
Petitioning against General Order No. 46 of the Confederate War Department, which rescinded the part of the Confederate Conscription Act of April 16, 1862 that mandated the discharge of all voluntary enlistees under age 18 or over age 35 in July 1862. “These were the terms of the law. They were plain, unequivocal and mandatory. Common sense – universal public opinion … understood, accepted and adopted the law ... Shall an army order revoke a solemn act of Congress? … Have we a constitutional Government, with specific powers granted … or have we an unlimited Government, dependent only on Executive will or ministerial caprice? Are the People free or is the Executive supreme?”
Item #21781, $1,500
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On the Day He was Promoted to Rear Admiral, Farragut Writes from His Flagship During the Bombardment of Vicksburg, Mississippi
DAVID FARRAGUT,
Letter Signed, to J.C. Febriger. Vicksburg, Miss., aboard the “U.S. Flag Ship Hartford. Below Vicksburg,” July 16, 1862. 1 p., 8 x 10 in. With the original transmittal envelope.
Unaware of his promotion, Farragut writes as “Flag Officer” to Lieutenant Commander J. C. Febriger of the U.S.S. Kanawha reminding him of ordnance protocols and reports.
Item #23548, $3,900
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George F. Root’s Autograph Sheet Music for “The Battle-Cry of Freedom!”
GEORGE F. ROOT,
Autograph Manuscript Signed twice, handwritten music and lyrics for “The Battle-Cry of Freedom.” Root penned this fair copy later, mistakenly dating it 1861, though he composed “Battle Cry” in July 1862. 2 pp., 10¼ x 13⅜ in.
“Yes, we’ll rally round the flag boys! we’ll rally once again, Shouting the Battle-cry of Freedom!… The Union forever! Hurrah boys, Hurrah! Down with the traitor, up with the star! While we Rally round the flag boys, rally once again, Shouting the Battle-cry of Freedom!”
Item #27458, $39,000
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“The Christian Banner” – Pro-Confederate Paper From Union-Occupied Fredericksburg
[CIVIL WAR – CONFEDERACY],
Newspaper. June 11, 1862. The Christian Banner, Fredericksburg, Va., J.W. Hunnicutt, Vol. 1, Number 6. 4 pp., large folio.
“The colored population of Fredericksburg are strolling about town and seem to be perfectly happy our country is ruined and slaughtered worse than beeves all on account of the negroes! Can it be possible, that man will sacrifice their country for the negro…”
A fine war-date newspaper published in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Articles on the front page describe the destruction of President Jefferson Davis’s Mississippi plantation, the Battle of Memphis, military actions near Richmond and an account of operations near Charleston, South Carolina. Several other articles deal with the subject of slavery.
Item #21798, $1,250
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Clothing the 1st Vermont Cavalry in the Civil War
COMPANY D, 1st VERMONT CAVALRY. [CIVIL WAR],
Manuscript Document Signed, June 1862: List of clothing distributed to 54 men, including 25 caps, 24 blouses, 50 trousers, 66 flannel shirts, 15 drawers, 19 bootees, 69 stockings, and 3 blankets. Each row signed by the soldier who received the items. 1 p., 15½ x 23¾ in.
Item #23879.02, $750
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First Federal Occupation of Winchester Broadside
[CIVIL WAR],
Broadside, signed in type by Colonel William D. Lewis, Winchester, Virginia, April 17, 1862, 1 p. 12½ x 11 in.
Broadside describing the first occupation of Winchester, Virginia, during the Civil War.
Item #22128, $4,200
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Requesting Another Battery of Artillery During the Siege of Yorktown
CHARLES SMITH HAMILTON (1822-1891),
Autograph Letter Signed (“C. S. Hamilton”), as General U.S. Army, with additional autograph endorsements on verso by S. P. Heintzelman, James A. Hardie and William F. Barry. Div. Hd. Qrs., April 12, 1862. To Gen. S. Williams. 2 pp, 7¾ x 10 in., ruled paper, closed tear.
In the middle of the Civil War Siege of Yorktown, General Charles Hamilton fruitlessly asks for more artillery.
Item #20363.05, $800
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J.E.B. Stuart Writes to Legendary Confederate Spy Laura Ratcliffe
J.E.B. STUART,
Autograph Letter Signed “S”, to Laura Ratcliffe. April 8, 1862. 3 pp., 3⅞ x 6 in.
Full of braggadocio, Confederate cavalryman J.E.B. Stuart gives early mistaken reports of the Battle of Shiloh to an informant, the famous Confederate spy Laura Ratcliffe.“We are here quietly waiting for the yankees and if they ever come we will send them howling.”
Item #27574, $7,800
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Creating Two New Civil War Military Departments
EDWARD DAVIS TOWNSEND. [CIVIL WAR],
Printed Document Signed, “General Orders No. 34.” War Department, Adjutant General’s Office, Washington, D.C., April 4, 1862. 1 p., 5 x 7½ in.
Item #22956, $450
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Celebrating a Report of McClellan’s Death
BENJAMIN PRENTISS (1819-1901),
Autograph Letter Signed (“Prentiss”) Columbus, [Kentucky], March 4, 1862. 1 p., 7¾ x 8¾ in.
Item #20740, $2,400
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A Day After Grant’s Capture of Fort Henry, Confederate General Lovell Weakens New Orleans in a Futile Attempt to Shore Up Fort Donelson
MANSFIELD LOVELL,
Autograph Letter Signed, to Albert Sidney Johnston. New Orleans, La., February 7, 1862. 1 p., 8 x 11 in.
In February 1862, General Mansfield Lovell sends reinforcements to Albert Sidney Johnston, the chief Confederate commander in the West, so he can defend Nashville and Fort Donelson. The move was fruitless; Fort Donelson fell to Union troops a week after this letter was written.
Item #21776, $2,900
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Report of Attacks on Forts Walker and Beauregard
JUDAH P. BENJAMIN,
Autograph Letter Signed as Confederate Secretary of War, to President Jefferson Davis, with Davis’s endorsement. Richmond, Va., December 30, 1861. 1 p., plus docket, 7⅝ x 8⅞ in.
Benjamin sends his official reports on the attacks on Forts Walker and Beauregard to Jefferson Davis, to be communicated to the Confederate Congress.
Item #20084, $4,500
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Autograph Book Kept by a Jewish Former U.S. and Future Confederate Naval Officer Imprisoned at Fort Warren, Signed by Dozens of Fellow Political and Military Prisoners
[JUDAICA. CIVIL WAR] JULIAN MYERS,
Autograph Album. Fort Warren (Boston), MA, December 1861 to January 1862. 41 inscriptions on rectos of 21 pp., 5 x 7 ¾ in. With two 1899 clippings on Myers’ death of Myers at the rear. Disbound; worn, some leaves may have been lost.
Julian Myers enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 13, against his parent’s wishes. He served with distinction, rising to lieutenant before the Civil War. After a 30-month tour in the China Seas, he was arrested on board the steam sloop of war USS Hartford under Admiral Farragut, in Philadelphia, on December 4, 1861 due to his Confederate sympathies. He used this album to gather signatures from his fellow prisoners at Fort Warren at the mouth of Boston Harbor. While some of the inscriptions are simple autographs, many of the prisoners have added a note explaining their positions and how they came to be imprisoned.
Item #27805, $3,800
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Confederate Governor of Kentucky Seeks Prominent Louisville Editor’s Support for Secession in the Summer of 1861
[CIVIL WAR – CONFEDERACY],
George W. Johnson, Autograph Letter Signed, to George D. Prentice, July 22, 1861, [Georgetown, KY?]. 3 pp., 7¾ x 9¾ in.
“The terms on which the Southern Confederacy desire Peace, are the union of the 15 Slave States and their Independence as a ‘Southern Confederacy’. For such recognition by the ‘United States’, they will concede, a condition to stand forever – towit Reciprocal Free trade between the two nations, in the Products of each.”
Item #26799, $2,400
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On the Day of the First Battle of Bull Run, Confederate Ordnance Chief Josiah Gorgas Orders Equipment for 100,000 Troops
JOSIAH GORGAS. [BULL RUN],
Manuscript Letter Signed, to Ira R. Foster. Richmond, Va., July 21, 1861. 1 p., 8 x 9¾ in.
Item #22393, $1,950
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“I thought Cump would advise you as to the movements here…”
THOMAS EWING, JR,
Autograph Letter Signed, to Thomas Ewing, his father. Washington, May 22, 1861. Written in pencil. 6 pp., 4⅞ x 7¾ in.
“Genl Scott is in bad humor with the administration for appointing Reeder Brig Genl in regular army … We have the idea he will not favor Cump’s appt, except as Colonel…”
Ewing informs his father of political machinations in Washington and early Civil War plans and appointments. He painstakingly weighs the chances of his foster brother (and brother-in-law), William T. “Cump” Sherman, obtaining a general’s commission. He also offers a sober analysis of the relative strengths of the Union and Confederate armies in the Eastern theater. “The general impression is the first battle, after Pickens, will be at Norfolk. The Govt. is not ready. Genl Scott says Genl Impatience is the only opposing General he fears. At present, it is plain the enemy can put man for man in the field anywhere in eastern Virginia with us.”
Item #21772, $1,250
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