Civil War II

17-1. Disaster on the Horizon.

Ominous Confederate telegram from Brig. Gen. W.N.R. Beall, on partly printed form of South-  Western Telegraph Co., “Port Hudson via Tangipahoa” (La.), Oct. 11, 1862, 5½ x 8½, 1 full p.  To Gen. D. Ruggles in Jackson (Miss.), then commander of Louisiana east of the Mississippi.  “One of the prisoners, a Col., informs me that an Expedition of five thousand Infantry, three  Companies of Cavalry, and two Batteries is about to leave New Orleans. It is supposed for  Camp Moore, as troops are moved by night by Railroad to Lake Pon(t)chartrain. All say this  correct. Answer this at Camp Moore. Courier will wait the answer. This line is down.” Beall  had just assumed charge of Port Hudson two weeks before. A crucial Confederate checkpoint  guarding the Mississippi, Beall’s news was apocryphal: in all, he would lose over 7,200 men, in  furious fighting. “The deprivation seems to have been even greater at Port Hudson than at  Vicksburg. ‘One of the besieged stated in his diary that he and his comrades ate ‘all the beef -  all the mules - all the dogs - and all the rats’ that could be obtained prior to the  capitulation’...”--Wiley in Boatner. Taken prisoner upon Port Hudson’s fall in 1863, Beall  became one of a rarified group of Confederates - with an office in Manhattan, as a prisoner  exchange agent. Old paper mounting hinges on verso, light foxing along vertical fold, minor  wrinkling at lower right corner, else very good. $350-450 

17-2. Farragut’s Fabulous Tiffany Sword – and Theodore Roosevelt’s Father.

Fascinating group relating to Col. J. Fred. Pierson’s role in purchasing the custom Tiffany  sword for presentation to Adm. Farragut, including Tiffany’s signature on list of donors to buy  the gift. The sword developed a mystique over time; recorded in the definitive work Charles L.  Tiffany and the House of Tiffany & Co. (1893), it is considered the “most notable” of just two  “presentation naval swords” in the Smithsonian, “remarkable for its beauty and dignity of  design”--U.S. National Museum Bulletin 163, 1932. Comprising: manuscript document,  “Subscriptions to a Sword to be presented to Adm. Farragut by his Friends in the City of N.Y.,”  1 full p., 8 x 12¼, n.d. but first half 1864. Signed by 24 notable New Yorkers - all evidently  members of the Union League Club - including Theodore Roosevelt - his signature remarkably  close to that of his son, the future President; Thos. B. Van Buren, C.L. Tiffany - jewelry  designer and founder of the famed firm, H(enry) L. Pierson, I.H. and F.H. Macy, D. Van  Nostrand, Edwin Burr, Henry D. Sedgwick, John Jay (the abolitionist’s signature also  modeled on his eponymous ancestor), et al. Invoice on Tiffany & Co. billhead, “Importers and  Manufacturers of Jewelry and Silver Ware...Diamonds and other Precious Stones...,” 550-552  Broadway, N.Y., May 31, 1864. Woodcut of their ornate building. “Presentation Sword ‘Adm.  Farragut,’ $1,000.” Docketed, probably by Union League Club, “Sword sent by Steamer  Columbia to New Orleans, June 8, 1864, to Gen. James Briscoe(?), to be by him presented to  Adm. Farragut.” Contemporary glue stain at upper left where once joined to: • Manuscript  invoice to H.L. Pierson, Treas., Loyal [Union] League Club, June 2, 1864, for “Engrossing  Letter for Adm. Farragut, 5.00; Parchment, 1.00,” by calligrapher Joseph F. Daly. Endorsed,  “Approved, Theodore Roosevelt.” • Contemporary “Copy of letter to Adm. D.G. Farragut  accompanying Sword, presented to him by members of Union League Club,” May 28, 1864.  “...Please accept it as a slight token of the high esteem in which you are held here by all, and  an evidence of our appreciation of the brilliant services you have rendered to our common  country....” Bearing secretarial signatures of Committee on Presentation members Pierson,  Roosevelt, and Frank E. Howe. • Contemporary copy of Brig. Gen. James Bowen’s letter of  presentation of the sword on behalf of Union League Club, New Orleans, June 14, 1864, 1 full  p. To “My Dear Admiral.” “I am most happy to be the medium of transmitting to you the  accompanying sword...as a testimonial of the deeds in which your distinguished services to the Union are held...The presentation ought  to have been made on the waters of the Mississippi and in front of the City you compelled to return to its allegiance. It should have  been made in the presence of the Army and Navy that they may learn to emulate your glorious achievements...nor would the lessons  have been without its value upon the population whose seeming loyalty is maintained only by the guns directed at them....”  Contemporary pencil notation on verso, “...Befor(e) Colorado, 1864.” Before the war, Bowen was the first Pres. of Erie Railroad, and  first Police Commissioner of N.Y.C.; here Provost Marshal of Dept. of the Gulf, he resigned just six weeks after this presentation. •  Contemporary copy of Farragut’s letter of thanks to Bowen four days hence, datelined “U.S. Flag Ship Hartford, West Gulf Squadron,  Off Mobile Bar.” “...Your having been assigned the agreeable duty of transmitting me a Sword presented by the Loyal [sic] League of  New-York...I am away watching over the interests of our Country, and literally watching its enemies who like hawks are ready to  pounce upon us at the first unguarded moment. Had I been able, however, to be present and to have received the sword in the manner  you desired, I could only have expressed under the fair canopy of Heaven...my grateful sense of the high appreciation of my  services...As my whole life has been devoted to my country, I hope that in the due course of time it will descend to an only son who (is)  like his father always: be ready to draw in defence of the Union and against its enemies.” Right marginal tears of first item; else some  fold wear, light toning, but generally very good to fine. The Theodore Roosevelt signing here (twice, on two separate items) was a  founder of the Union League Club, who played a key role in the Thanksgiving 1864 plan to supply Union troops in Virginia with  “poultry and pies, or puddings, all cooked, ready for use.” A wealthy importer of plate glass, philanthropist, father of the future  President and grandfather of Eleanor, this Roosevelt’s Georgia-born wife and her family supported the Confederacy; to avoid a  domestic war, Roosevelt paid bounty to a soldier to serve in his place. Roosevelt, Sr. also helped found the Metropolitan Museum of Art  and American Museum of Natural History. • Charles Lewis Tiffany founded what became the world’s flagship jeweler. Publishing their  first “Blue Book” mail-order catalogue in 1845, during the Civil War the firm supplied swords to the Union, costing considerably less  than the thousand-dollar creation purchased here for Farragut. A splendid ensemble, suitable for display. $800-1100 (6 pcs.) 

17-3. The Dean of New York’s Fabled 7th Regiment.

Highly interesting and significant gathering from Gen. J. Fred. Pierson’s personal papers, largely relating to the storied 7th New York  National Guard, participant in some 340 battles and conflicts of the Civil War. Including: His appointment as a Manager of Charity Ball  for Nursery and Child’s Hospital, at Academy of Music, N.Y., Dec. 1, 1869, 4 pp. lettersheet. The lengthy printed list of fellow managers  comprise a social register of the Gilded Age in Gotham, including Mrs. Belmont, Beekman, Cyrus W. Field, Livingston, Edwards  Pierrepont, J.J. Roosevelt, Schermerhorn, Viele, Whitney, Messrs. De Peyster, Seligman, Singleton Van Buren, and many more. • List  of divisions, brigades, and units comprising the Third Army Corps, issued for its May 1895 reunion. 8½ x 11, 4 pp., on unusual  “Penelope Linen” with pictorial watermark. Pencil ticks appear beside the two entries of the 1st Div., believed in Pierson’s hand. • Letter  to Pierson from Sec. of Society of War Veterans of the 7th Regt., N.G.S.N.Y., 1891, logo at top. “I have the honor to inform you that at  the annual election of the Society...you have been elected Pres...” • Printed Society circular, signed-in-type by Pierson as new Pres. •  Another, different format, announcing meeting at their Club at 756 Fifth Ave. • Program and menu, Eighth Annual Reunion of 7th  Regt., 1891, at Muschenheim’s, 41 W. 31 St., 4½ x 7, 4 pp., logo in scarlet red. Showing Pierson as Pres., Brig. Gen. Egbert L. Viele as  member of Executive Committee, and toasts by Maj. Gen. Daniel Butterfield, Chauncey M. Depew, et al. The lavish meal included  “Pigeons farcis, rôtis.” • Printed “War Record...” of 7th Regt., 5¼ x 8¼, 8 pp., prepared for their meeting in 1886. A staggering list, its  tabulation in simple alphabetical fashion belying its momentousness, of the fields (and waters) of battle on which they fought - 340 in  all - from the most hallowed in American history to the most obscure “minor conflicts.” Reporting their current member-ship as 606,  representing 165 regiments, “they trod the soil of every State where floated a hostile flag...From this 606 is formed...a Society entirely  unique, for history records no parallel....” Numerous battles are boldly checked in pencil by Pierson, from “Big Bethel” to “Monitor and  Merrimac” and “Peach Orchard.” These marks in his hand probably comprise the most complete record of his service available. •  Printed Veterans of 7th Regt. Report, 1895, nominating Pierson for Lt.-Col. • Invitation to 1895 annual meeting and dinner of  “Associates of Engineer Corps and Co. K,” 7th Regt., at Delmonico’s. Elevation of the fortress-like armory in copper ink. Pierson listed  as Pres., his address 29 Broadway. Extensive pencil notations on blank page, believed in Pierson’s hand, listing numerous notable  invitees and their addresses; as they paid or confirmed, they were neatly crossed out. Inside, “Accepts: Viele, Fitzgerald, Appleton.” •  Attractively printed menu for the event (including prune sorbet), showing the 7th’s armory. Delmonico’s, dark blue on robin’s-egg blue  stiff card, 5 x 7, 4 pp. • Typographically interesting stiff white admission card. • Invitation to 1896 meeting and dinner, Pierson as Pres.,  his pencil notes on verso. • Elaborate menu for 1901 annual dinner, 4 pp. in stiff covers, all edges deckled, 4 x 7, red cord tie, embossed  flag in red, white, blue, and gold. Including “roast mallard duck, current jelly, fancy ice cream....” Latter item choice; other items  varied, a few browned, some edge chipping, most with fold and handling wear (likely Pierson’s), toning or other defects, but good to  about fine. The 7th’s Park Ave. Armory today hosts the annual antiquarian book fair. $550-800 (13 pcs.) 

17-4. “...Until the bugle sounds.”

Pierson’s personal copies of postwar Civil War veterans’ literature, some with pencil highlights in his hand beside his name: Military  Order of the Loyal Legion circular, N.Y., 1883, 8 pp. Pierson among new applicants at meeting at Delmonico’s, with capsule bio, noting  his wounds at Glendale and Chancellorsville, taken prisoner at Chantilly and held at Libby Prison, 1862. • Military Order circular, 1894,  18 pp., Commander Brig. Gen. Horace Porter. Bios of applicants, including Medal of Honor winner Theophilus Rodenbough. Pierson  shown as Chairman of Relief Committee. Members asked “not to enter the Banquet Hall until the bugle sounds.” • Partly printed notice  to Pierson, election to Council of Military Order, 1895. • Circular, 1895, 16 pp. Pierson highlighted as member of Council, with Brig.  Gen. Viele et al, with date in Pierson’s hand in pencil. • Election ticket for the Order, including Horace Porter and Pierson. • Manuscript  dinner menu, penned on stiff, beveled white card “On Board the Everglades,” flags steel-engraved in red, blue, and black. 4¼ x 6, June  4, 1909. Signed in pencil on verso by Pierson and his two fellow mariners, Richard Pancoost and George Cole Scott. Eight lines in  Pierson’s hand: “Left Fri. Miami for Tarpon, to Knights & Indian Keys....” Dinner included “Clear Green Turtle, Almond Saltine Croke,  Roast Turkey, Stuffed Tomato, Peach Pie,” and more. • T.L.S. of Dick S. Ramsay, Pres., East River Savings, 280 Broadway, 1909,  electing Pierson to Board. Ramsay was a major art patron. • Appointment of Pierson as delegate to convention of Navy League of the  U.S., Washington, by Horace Porter, George Dewey, et al. Pres. Taft to appear. • Leaf imprinted “N.Y.S. Society of the Cincinnati -  Waldorf-Astoria,” 1916, the short list of distinguished names including Pierson, “representing Sons of the Revolution....” Probably  trimmed by Pierson from a program. • Circular, 1921, 8 pp. Pierson now occupying the top line, as Commander. The Order’s  membership down from 1,757 to 743, incoming members the sons and nephews of Civil War veterans. Trimmed across top. • Letter to  “Pierson & Co.,” from L.L. Doty, Chief of Bureau of Military Statistics, Albany, N.Y., Apr. 23, 1864, 8 x 10. “...Duly received...a chest of  books and papers formerly belonging to the 1st Regt. The Flags were also received...They will receive due attention and care.” • With 6  other items from his files, showing his leadership roles as late as 1925. Varied condition, some items with folds, handling, and moderate  wear, but very satisfactory to about fine. $150-225 (16 pcs.)

17-5. An Invitation to Hell.

Two (identical) petit handbills offering $100 bounty, each 3½ x 4¾, signed-in-type by Lt. Col. J. Frederick Pierson. “First Regiment  N.Y.S.V. / The undersigned can accept either one full Company, or individual recruits. The Regt. is now at Newport News, on James  River, in Virginia. Col. E.F. Shepard, Commandant of the Elmira Depot, has consented to receive all who apply at the Headquarters, till  the required number is filled. As no more Regiments are to be raised, this is one of the best opportunities for enlistment...For Sixteen  Months, at the end of which time each soldier will receive his Bounty of One Hundred Dollars, making his pay equal (to) $19.25 Per  Month....” Pleasing eggshell-ivory toning, and about very fine. • Second example neatly mounted on period stiff beveled card, with  unusual show-through suggestive of wallpaper (but more likely paste!), else about fine. Probably distributed in the region between New  York City and Elmira. As of mid-1862, Shepard commanded the buildings and grounds at four camps in Elmira, site of the dreaded  prison for Confederates. With modern copies of lengthy printed inspection report and maps of Shepard’s camps, to Commissary-  General of Prisoners, in War of the Rebellion. $250-325 (2 pcs.) 

17-6. Anatomy of a New Yorker’s Army Career.

Interesting assemblage of appointments and discharges relating to member of New York’s upper crust and future Gen., J. Frederick  Pierson: Partly printed membership certificate for Pierson in New-York Society Library, July 15, 1823, 8 x 11. Blind-embossed cream  wafer seal. Signed by Sec. A(nthony J.) Bleecker and Treasurer E.W. Laight; streets in Manhattan are named for both families. Bleecker  was a founder of Republican Party, and 1856 candidate for Mayor of N.Y.C.; Laight was Pres. of Eagle Fire Insurance Co., and an 1814  organizer of the Humane Society with Lorillard et al. Possibly trimmed at left and right, minor foxing, else about V.G. Attractive. •  Oversize Muster-in Roll, then-Lt. Col. Pierson’s Co., commanded by Col. Dyckman, “called into the service of the U.S. by The President  of U.S.” Opening to 16¾ x 20½. Pierson the sole entry. Washington, Oct. 2, 1862. Signed by Capt. I.D. DeRussel(?). Handling wrinkles  and discoloration, moderate edge and fold wear, but good plus. • Muster Roll, signed twice by Pierson, at Camp Pitcher, near Falmouth,  Va., Oct. 31, 1862-Feb. 28, 1863. Opening to 10½ x 30½. Eight officers, including Pierson, plus seven non-commissioned staff.  Interesting 9-line manuscript “Record of Events” on verso, enumerating the Virginia towns transited during his regiment’s three-week  march from White Ford to Falmouth. “...Left camp for Fredericksburg...the second Line of Berry’s Brigade. Changed position three  times to meet probable contingencies...Relieved the 5(th) Mich. supporting batteries....” Much wear at folds, tattering at one edge  affecting initial letters of “Record of Events,” else satisfactory. • Oversize Muster-in Roll, “1st Regt. of N.Y. Vols.,” with now-Capt.  Pierson on first line. Opening to 17 x 21. Adjt. General’s Office, Washington, May 13, 1863. A “correct copy,” painstakingly penned, the  29 detailed entries probably taking several hours to accomplish, in a small, neat clerical hand. Pierson listed four times, tracking details  of his promotions. Most men enrolled at N.Y., but four at Harrison’s Landing, Va. in 1862. Including Surgeon and two Asst. Surgeons.  Broken and nearly separated along right vertical fold, some other lesser fold and edge wear, but darkly penned and about very good. •  Discharge of Col. Pierson, 1st N.Y.S. Vol. Infantry, two years service, N.Y., May 25, 1863, “by occupation, when enrolled, a merchant.”  8½ x 11. Signed by Capt. Y.W. Walker, and by Pierson. • With, partly printed discharge of family member Pvt. E. Frank Pierson, in  Capt. Edmund P. Rogers’ Co. H, 7th Regt., N.Y.S. Militia, 30 days service, N.Y.C., July 26, 1863. 8½ x 11. Signed by Rogers, Regimental  Commander R. Burnett Steele(?), and Army Paymaster R.S. Webb. This Pierson surely had no inkling when he enlisted that his service  would embrace the period of one of America’s most famous battles - Gettysburg. $275-350 (6 pcs.) 

17-7. Civil War Artwork including a Black, Indian, and Chinese.

Wonderful, witty original ink cartoon, believed Civil War date, entitled in manuscript, “Conscripts - As seen in a soldier’s dream,” 7¼ x  12¼ oblong, almost certainly by artist and fascinating personality  Laura Leupp, whose life in the years leading up to secession bridged  society in New York and South Carolina, tinged with both glamor  and tragedy. Showing an unlikely vaudevillian medley of prospective  warriors, still in their civilian clothes, the ragtag procession trailing  a Union officer on horseback as they enter camp: a black, in slouch  hat, thinking to himself, “I’s in pretty company, I is”; followed by a  corpulent gentleman in silk hat, smoking a cigarette, as he wonders,  “Double Quick! That is, No! Yes! Damn me!”; a clergyman, “Oh Lud!  Oh Lud!”; an Indian, in blanket; a Chinese, with thin pony tail; a  Lincoln look-alike; a grimacing young man, holding his belly; an  adventurous man leaping into the procession, as his wife pulls him  back by his coattails; and a maze of other fascinating cartoonish  countenances. In the background, a soldier stands by a cannon on an  overlook. A surprisingly large literature mentions Laura Leupp. Yesterdays in a Busy Life recalls her as “a very lively, clever girl...whose  father had been one of Mr. (William Cullen) Bryant’s closest friends.” Bryant’s Letters calls her “a pleasant fellow traveller, and at times  quite witty.” Laura appears in the 1972 novel, A Heritage of Honor (Tabitha Ann Mauldin), Legacy of a Southern Lady - Anna Calhoun  Clemson (Nancy Ann Russell), and other sources. In the antebellum years, her father, proprietor of a New York leather tannery, was a  friend and financial advisor to the namesake of Clemson University; a setback in Leupp’s business with Jay Gould contributed to his  suicide in 1859. Some cockling where mounted to old yellow sheet, in turn to old newspaper, of which fragment remains on verso, some  ink offset at left, moderate edge wear and toning at bottom and right margins, else good plus, and superb for display. Leupp’s work is  excessively rare; WorldCat locates nothing by or relating to her. Found in the personal papers of Union Brig. Gen. J. Fred. Pierson, 1st  N.Y. Infantry, who was taken prisoner by Stonewall Jackson’s Army around Manassas. $300-425  

17-8. Original Artwork of a Newly Minted Officer.

Original ink caricature, believed war date, entitled within laurel wreaths, “Promoted,” showing a somewhat surprised but snappily  dressed Union officer, looking askance at the three stripes on his sleeve. Like most great art, his expression can mean many things. In  pencil, “by Laura Leupp” (note biographical details in Lot 17-7). 2½ x 7¾, trimmed from a larger sheet, perhaps from her sketch book,  old cream mounting. Triangular fragment lacking at blank lower right, some tears and wear at blank top, lightened around center and  across top by old glue on verso, else very satisfactory. Found in the personal papers of Union Gen. J. Fred. Pierson. $150-200 

17-9. Lured by the Big Apple.

Clever original ink drawing, believed war date, entitled “The Two Year Soldier.” At left, a nattily dressed young man in the country,  “Hears he is to be mustered out in New York,” looking at a phalanx of soldiers marching off, a galloping horse in the distance. At right,  a gaunt, exhausted man, sitting on a log in the same landscape, smoking a pipe, “Hear(s) he is to be mustered out in the Field.” In  pencil, “by Laura Leupp” (note biographical details in Lot 17-7). 6 x 7¾. Mounted to old yellow sheet, fragment of newspaper on verso,  toning to pale apricot across top, some edge wear, else about very good. • With printed wash drawing of a seated woman, a look of  sadness as she holds a letter, with ink notation “by L. Leupp.” 3¼ x 4½, judged c. 1880. Fine and riveting. Found in the personal  papers of Union Gen. J. Fred. Pierson. $275-350 (2 pcs.) 

17-10. New York Sanitary Fair.

Partly printed appointment of Pierson as “Member of Committee on Army Trophies...,” with masthead of the celebrated “Metropolitan  Fair for U.S. Sanitary Commission,” Office of Executive Committee, 842 Broadway, N.Y., Dec. 28, 1863, 4½ x 8. Held in numerous  cities, the Sanitary Fairs enticed the patriotic public with exhibits on a range of subjects, from food to decorations, and much more.  Lacking blank lower right tip, vertical folds, pleasing uniform toning, else fine. • Similar appointment of Pierson to Committee on  “Arms (and) Trophies Including Arms, fishing tackle & sporting material...,” Jan. 1, 1864. Signed by Chairman Geo. Griswold Gray, and  Committee Chairman Wm. J. Blodgett. • Letter to Pierson on pictorial letterhead of “Metropolitan Fair for the U.S. Sanitary  Commission, Receiving Depot, 2 Great Jones St., N.Y.,” Jan. 25, 1864, unanimously electing him to Committee on Arms and Trophies.  Masthead woodcut showing a wounded soldier on stretcher being carried into a U.S.S.C. field tent, as nurses prepare to treat him. Rare.  The New York Times lists among Pierson’s fellow committee members Capt. John Ericsson, and Mrs. Burnside, Fremont, and  McClellan (modern transcript accompanies). Some toning and handling wear, else about very good and better. $140-170 (3 pcs.) 

17-11. “Heaven’s Blessing on my old Brigade.”

Eloquent retained clerical copy of prophetic letter of Maj. Gen. H.G. Berry, Head Quarters, 1st Div., 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac,  Camp near Falmouth, Va., Jan. 29, 1863, 7¾ x 12¼, 1¼ pp. To Lt. G.W. Freeman. An antebellum carpenter, navigator, businessman,  and Mayor of Rockland, Maine, Berry fought at 1st Bull Run, Yorktown and Fredericks-burg. On May 3 of this year, he was leading his  new unit - the 2nd Division - referred to here, and was killed leading a bayonet attack at Chancellorsville. “...Having received an order  to report to the War Dept. for Orders...I cannot part with my old comrades in arms without specially thanking them for the handsome  manner in which they have always conducted themselves, both in camp and in the field. Their triumphs have been many. They have  won by their heroism a name that will live as long as the History of this rebellion, and they have proud satisfaction of knowing that they  have never yet been driven a rod on any field. Their gallantry is acknowledged not only by this army but by the enemy himself...Parting  with you is indeed painful to me. How can it be otherwise. I came among you a stranger, and to fill a place before occupied by a brave  and gallant officer who has since given his life to his country...I now take leave of you imploring Heaven’s Blessing on my old Brigade.”  Very minor foxing, else fine. • With, curious manuscript slip, penned on lined paper, in unknown contemporary hand: “Gen. Berry  commanding 3d Brig., 1st Div., 3d Corps Army Potomac, Oct. 1862 - The 1st N.Y. Vols. is the least regiment in the service to my  knowledge, and made so from the most demoralized I have ever seen, solely by the exertions of Col. Pierson.” Old folds, edge tears,  toned, else good. Berry-related material is rare. $275-375 (2 pcs.) 

17-12. Setting the Stage for the Fastest Slaughter of the Civil War.

Significant Union telegram from M(aj.) G(en.) Geo. G. Meade, from “Hd. Qrs. A(rmy of the) P(otomac) 7 (P.M.),” May 29, 1864, 5¼ x  8, 2 pp., in dark pencil. To Maj. Gen. (Horatio) Wright. On leaves imprinted United States Military Telegraph. “Gen. Hancock is  directed to move out & take position in front of the enemy. You will form your Corps on his right. In doing this you will move down  from your present advanced position & endeavor to place yourself on the enemy flank. This movement of your Corps will be made at  daylight tomorrow morning.” That day, Robert E. Lee launched an attack, escalating the fight. By June 3, Cold Harbor had entered the  darkest annals of history, with over 8,000 men killed in about eight minutes. “In that little period more men fell bleeding as they  advanced than in any other like period of time throughout the war...” --Battles and Leaders, Martin T. McMahon. In all, Cold Harbor  would be Lee’s last victory in a general engagement in the Civil War. Meade’s sharp temper, and feuds with Wright and other  commanders, added fuel to the fire. Toning at left margins, blind clip evidence, else very good, and dramatic for display. Chilling. $325-  425

17-13. Dinner at ... Noon.

From the personal papers of Union Gen. Pierson: Manuscript field copy of Union General Orders, Head Quarters, 3rd Div., 3rd Corps,  Camp near Harrison’s Landing, Va., July 27, 1862, 8 x 12½. “By Command of Brig. Gen. Kearney [sic]....” Listing duty hours, beginning  with reveille at “4½ A.M.,” breakfast at 5, followed by sick call, drill, recall, guard mounting, “dinner” at 12, and “tattoo” at 9 P.M. Just  eight weeks later, Gen. Kearny rode accidentally into enemy lines in Va.; called on to surrender, he tried to fight his way out. At this  time, Pierson was still being held as a P.O.W. Darkened at four corners, perhaps from old mounting, toning, some edge chips and tears,  else good. $70-100

17-14. “Third door from the Jail.”

Letter of Union Capt. A.H. Yeazel, Co. I, 66th Regt., 1st Brig., 2nd Div., 12th Corps, from “Camp of 66th Regt. O(hio) V.I. near  Dumfries, Va.,” Feb. 26, (18)63, 5 x 8, 3 pp. To Miss Camilla Dieffenderfer, “Third door from the Jail, Winchester, Va.” “Nothing gives  me more pleasure than to hear from Winchester. It is the only town in the State of Virginia that I have made any acquaintance and they  were so very kind to me that I could not help feeling grateful toward them. You also spoke of Mr. Harrinson. I am glad to hear he is still  living and doing well. I hope the Rebbels may never get him, and I know he would be glad to see Winchester and so would anyone that  ever saw the place, for we know how the town is situated and the armies are always passing through the place, and that is what destroys  a town...I think we are gaining ground...If the Union army is successful at Vicksburg and Charleston, the war is over...I long to hear of  those Successful Battles. The weather is very bad here. It will snow...8 or 10 inches deep, and then rains about 24 hours...The mud and  water is only about 2 feet deep...I hear gunboats firing this morning, but I think they are only drilling. We expected an attack here last  night but there was none....” Some fine pinholes, detectable only if held to light, tip fold at lower right, minor foxing, else fine. The  writer would be discharged for disability in May 1863. • With envelope, stamp removed. Vertical notation, “(P)er(?) Provost M(arshal)  Winche(ster).” Much tattered and soiled, but an unusual address! Winchester changed hands many dozens of times; many of the fabled  names of both sides left their mark there. $130-160 (2 pcs.) 

17-15. A Union General invites a Virginia Lady.

Charming manuscript invitation to a lady in Union-occupied Winchester, Va. “Compliments of Gen. Chapman and Staff for Tues.  Evening, Mar. 21, 1865 / Headquarters, 2nd Div. Cavalry, Mar. 15, 1865.” 5 x 8¼. Very fine. • Enclosed in ladies-size envelope hand-  delivered to “Miss M. Di(e)ffenderfer,” a resident of that much-contested town, evidently residing “third door from the Jail” (see  preceding lot). Some pocket creases and toning, else about very good. Originally a sailor, Maj. Gen. George Henry Chapman led at  Gettysburg and Muddy Run, and had been wounded at Winchester in 1864 while commanding cavalry. $90-120 (2 pcs.) 

17-16. Portraits of Union Commanders.

Instant collection of 19th century portraits of Union leaders of Army and Navy. Comprising: Nath(aniel) P. Banks. Steel engraving,  Johnson & Fry, 1863. • Adm. Samuel F. DuPont. Holding nautical chart. Steel engraving, Johnson & Fry, 1863. • Adm. A.H. Foote. On  deck. Steel engraving, Johnson & Fry, 1866. Died on duty 1863. • U.S. Grant. In civilian clothes. Appleton. • Maj. Gen. Halleck.  Mezzotint, by noted Philadelphia printer Magee. • Halleck. Steel engraving from Abbott’s Civil War. • Gen. W.S. Rosecrans. Steel  engraving, Johnson & Fry, 1863. • Gen. John Sedgwick. Steel engraving, Johnson & Fry, 1864. • Sheridan brandishing his sword,  astride leaping horse. Photogravure, (1894), “by kind permission of Mrs. U.S. Grant.” Headed “T. Buchanan Read,” author of famed  poem on Sheridan’s ride from Winchester, upon hearing the noise of battle. Chipped at blank top. • Gen. William T. Sherman.  “Phototype” (probably gelatin-based collotype, with resolution equaling today’s latest technology!), 1883. Small stain covered by  accompanying double mat. • Gen. E.V. Sumner. Splendid depiction, with magnificent horse. Steel engraving, Johnson & Fry, 1864. •  With modern matted print of Sherman and his generals, by Brady. Some usual marginal toning, minor handling evidence, else very  good and better. Perfect for display with documents, newspapers, or to set a mood. Prime exemplars of the art of the steel engraver of  the Civil War era. $160-200 (12 pcs.) 

17-17. Composite Portraits of Union Generals.

Splendid group of five composite portraits, each showing between 5 and 8 men, in oval frames, amid much filigree. Comprising:  Lithograph of Burnside and his Generals, including Butler, Hooker, Banks, Hunter, Ord, Frémont, and Sigel. • Uncommon steel  engraving, “Union Genls., Dept. of the East,” by Virtue & Yorston, N.Y., 1866. Foster, Merritt, Crook, Sedgwick, and Terry. Old  horizontal half fold. • Three matching-series mezzotints, the artist having some difficulty with spelling: Meade and his Generals,  Hancock, Wright, Sickles, Warren, Heintzleman [sic], and Baldy Smith (who was not bald!). Stray pencil mark at blank top. • Sheridan  and his Generals, Kilpatrick, Buford, Torbert, Custer (here very young), Averill, and Merritt. • Sherman and his Generals, Rosecranz  [sic], Howard, McClernand, Logan, Robt. McCock [sic], and Slocum. Varied light toning or handling wear, but generally clean and very  good. Some of the lesser-known personalities shown here are unavailable as dedicated portraits. $90-120 (5 pcs.) 

17-18. Light and Dark Servants for the Author of “Casey’s Tactics.”

Large partly printed Army voucher, signed by Silas Casey, “Bvt. Brig. Gen., U.S.A.,” 4th U.S. Infantry, Dec. 18, 1865, 11 x 17. Casey’s  contribution to the Union victory was arguably as important as Grant’s and Sherman’s: his three-volume Infantry Tactics for the  Instruction, Exercise, and Manœuvers of the Soldier... - popularly known as Casey’s Tactics - was used to train thousands of officers  and soldiers during the Civil War and beyond. Ironically, despite serving continuously since the 1850s, and adoption of his manual in  1862 by the War Dept., Casey saw major action in just one clash, at Seven Pines. From 1863 onward, he headed an examination board  evaluating white officers for the command of black troops. In these war years he also wrote Infantry Tactics for Colored Troops, and  served on the board trying Fitz-John Porter. Here receiving reimbursement for pay, clothing and subsistence for himself and his “2  private servants not soldiers” - at least one of them black - with their names, complexions (“Light” and “Dark”), height, eye and hair  colors also in Casey’s hand. Waterstains at two upper corners and in band across document, but not affecting fine, dark signature, and  generally good plus. A scarce and much overlooked personage. $150-180 

17-19. Very Scarce Sutler’s Appointment.

A.L.S. of Lt. Col. Frank S. Fiske, 2nd Regt., N.H. Vols., also signed by Maj. Josiah Stevens and “Senior Capt.” T.A. Barkin, Camp  Sullivan, Washington, July 6, 1861, 6¼ x 7¾. To Sec. of War Simon Cameron. “We respectfully recommend the appointment of W.H.  Rand to the Post of Sutler of the Second Regt. of New Hampshire Volunteers.” At lower left, “Approved,” possibly in Cameron’s hurried  hand. Sutlers accompanied troops in the field and camp, selling them food, drink, tobacco, and sundries, and extending credit in the  often long lapses between paydays. While an integral part of the colorful lore of the Civil War, sutlers’ appointment documents are  seldom seen. The following year, a William H. Rand enlisted in the 5th N.H. Infantry as a Private; it is uncertain if this is the Sutler  here (brief record accompanies). Also with modern photograph of signer Stevens. Some wrinkles at left margin, else fine and suitable  for display. $125-175

17-20. The Civil War – in Living Color.

Oversize Grand Army Picture Book - From Apr. 12, 1861 to Apr. 26, 1865, with vivid wide-angle scene of mayhem at Gettysburg  wrapping around outer front to rear boards. By Hugh Craig, published by George Routledge & Sons, 1890, 9¾ x12¼ oblong, pictorial  covers. About 26 leaves in all, including full-page color chromolithographed battle scenes of Battles of Bull Run, Shiloh, the Wilderness,  Cedar Creek, double-page of Gaines’s Mills, and full- and partial-page woodcuts in black and white. The artist’s style is lifelike,  conveying the chaos and fury of battle, with the noise of the horses, clashing sabers, cannon, and the soldiers fairly rising from the  printed page. Front board and first two leaves separated, text shaken, some chipping at wide margins, handling toning, two deep tears  in one black-and-white leaf, other lesser defects from spellbound use, but entirely collectible and dramatic, its still-bright colors  offering a dose of realism apart from almost any other popular work of that century. Scarce. • With, pictorial silk ribbon, Navy blue on  eggshell, “Buckingham Post, No. 12, G.A.R., Dept. of Conn. / Norwalk.” Short tear at blank top where removed from header, crease at  bottom tip, else very good. • Envelope, “Capt. James Splain Circle, No. 39, Ladies of the G.A.R., Haverhill, Mass.,” with portrait of  namesake officer. Sepia on ivory. Postally unused. Waterstains, else about very good. $100-130 (3 pcs.) 

17-21. “It’s my dear old friend Sambo!.”

Pleasing assemblage of 27 different, full-page woodcut cartoons from Punch, 1861-62, printed one side only, 8¼ x 10¾. Two with  period hand tinting. Themes including blacks, cotton, Lincoln, the North-South chasm, Miss Columbia, Brother Jonathan, Jack Bull,  and the war; numerous highly interesting interpretations of Uncle Sam. Many are witty, even biting, showing the incisive English  perspective of the Civil War, in some ways more sophisticated than their American journalistic peers; all are very well drawn, and  suitable for display. “Mrs. Carolina Asserts her Right to ‘Larrup’ her Nigger.” • “The Genu-ine Othello,” showing a black admonishing  Uncle Sam and his Southern counterpart, “Keep up your bright swords, for de dew will rust dem.” • A Romanized Lincoln spurned by  Miss Virginia, holding the hand of a little black boy. • A beardless Lincoln stoking a fire in the Executive Mansion: “What a nice White  House this would be, if it were not for the blacks!” • Union and Confederate gladiators in the ring, as blacks watch, seated on elevations  of cotton bales. • Lincoln effusively greeting a surprised black, presenting him with a rifle, bayonet, and knapsack: “Why I du declare  it’s my dear old friend Sambo! Of course you’ll fight for us, Sambo....” • Two aides beside Lincoln, as he laments, “What? No money! No  men!” • Many more. Some minor waterstains, marginal defects, and patination, else about very good to fine. This view of the Civil War  from European eyes is underrepresented in many books on the subject - and in many collections. $120-170 (27 pcs.) 

17-22. A Bavarian Butcher fights for the Union.

Pair of partly printed Union documents, signed by a German soldier and his German commander: “Certificate to be given to volunteers  at time of their discharge to enable them to receive their pay,” for Sgt. Henry Koppel, in Capt. Hagemeister’s Co. L, 5th Pa. Cavalry.  “Born in Schweinfordt, State of Bavaria...by occupation a Butcher...,” enlisted in Pittsburgh. Camp near Alexandria, Apr. 27, 1862, 8½  x 11, signed by Hagemeister. For Koppel’s second enlistment, unrecorded at civilwardata.com. Light waterstains, else about very good. •  Glued at top to second document, enumerating his $66.30 pay for 3 months, and travel and subsistence for his journey home to  Pittsburgh, 50¢ per day. Unusual - almost Gothic - signature “Heinrich Koppel.” Once separated at a fold, repaired with tape on verso,  not affecting signature, else good plus. His native city, dating to the eighth century, became the center of German ball-bearing  manufacturing in World War II. $65-85 (2 pcs.) 

17-23. Lincoln and his Top Brass.

Three matching-series composite steel engravings, by O.D. Case & Co.: “President and Cabinet,” a flattering visage of Lincoln in center,  surrounded by Vice Pres. Hamlin, Atty. Gen. Bates, Secs. of Interior Usher, of State Seward, of War Stanton, of Navy Welles, of  Treasury Chase, ex-Sec. of War Cameron, ex-Sec. of Interior Smith, and Postmaster Gen. Blair. 1865. • “Union Generals,” with Winfield  Scott surrounded by Frémont, McDowell, Halleck, Hooker, Anderson, Buell, McClellan, Wool, Butler, Burnside, and Hunter. 1864. •  “Eminent Opponents of the Slave Powers,” with richly nuanced portraits of abolitionists John Greenleaf Whittier, Wendell Phillips,  Charles Sumner, John Quincy Adams, William Lloyd Garrison, Joshua R. Giddings, Cassius M. Clay, Benjamin Lundy, Owen Lovejoy,  Gerrit Smith, William Cullen Bryant, and Henry Ward Beecher. 1864. Edge toning, few foxing stains, else about fine. $60-80 (3 pcs.) 

17-24. Grant, Garfield and Arthur.

Two pamphlets reflecting the flow of American history: U.S. Grant portrait on red cover of G.A.R. Encampment program, June 12-15,  1922, Bucyrus, Ohio. 5 x 6½, (20) pp. “Let Us Have Peace.” Notes nearby grave of Pres. McKinley’s great-grandfather. Old vertical fold,  damp damage, else satisfactory and scarce. By then, Civil War veterans were in their seventies, eighties, and even nineties. • 1880  “Republican Campaign Song Book - For President, Gen. James A. Garfield of Ohio; For Vice-President, Gen. Chester A. Arthur of N.Y.”  5¾ x 9¼, 44 pp., evidently a much-expanded edition, with words and music for 53 rousing campaign songs, variously toasting Civil  War-era achievements of the Republicans, and “Jim Garfield of the West.” Nibbles along spine, with separation of ornate front cover  and first leaf, lacking back cover, some foxing and wear, but satisfactory. Both items very scarce. $100-125 (2 pcs.) 

17-25. Civil War Pension – $12.

Ornate U.S. Bureau of Pensions certificate to widow of a Civil War Private in Capt. Hastings’ Keystone Battery, Penna. Vol. Light  Artillery, issued May 21, 1908. 8 x 10½. Engraved by Bureau of Engraving & Printing. Rubber-stamped signature of Sec. of Interior  James Rudolph Garfield, son of another Civil War soldier - Pres. Garfield. Two 1916 printed slips pinned, one with stamped signature  of then-Sec. of Interior Lane, raising monthly pension from $12 to $20. Light wear, else about very fine and attractive. $40-60 (3 pcs.) 

17-26. Changing of the Guard before Gettysburg.

Significant printed Union General Orders, Washington, June 27, 1863 – following Hooker’s defeat at Chancellorsville, and just days  before the Battle of Gettysburg. In full: “By direction of the President, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker is relieved from command of the Army  of the Potomac, and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade is appointed to the command of that Army and of the troops temporarily assigned to  duty with it.” J.E.B. Stuart had begun his advance on Gettysburg on June 24; Hooker countered, to stop Lee’s invasion. “Unbearably  hampered” when his orders were countermanded, Hooker asked to be relieved - and Lincoln seized the chance. This order is dated one  day before Boatner attributes Hooker’s transfer. Edge toning, else very fine. $110-140 

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