This son of Union general Adelbert Ames and grandson of Union general Benjamin F. Butler played soldier himself in the Spanish-American War, then politician as a Massachusetts Congressman (1903-13) and finally as engineer and businessman. TNS, 1p, 8½" X 11", Washington, DC, 1903 May 1. Addressed to Captain Isaac P...... More
This officer with the 57th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers during the Civil War penned that regiment's official history, "The Fifth-Seventh Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion" (Boston, 1896). Handsome "Very truly yours / John Anderson / Capt. U.S. Army / President 57th Association" in black ink..... More
The Union general who gave us "sideburns" experienced victories in East Tennessee and North Carolina and managed to outwit General John Hunt Morgan and his raiders, but defeats in the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of the Crater caused him to resign; he was later elected governor and then..... More
Best known for supposedly writing "Taps" (more likely a rewrite of an existing bugle melody), this Union general served as Hooker's chief of staff and apparently partook of that controversial general's political and shall-we-say social proclivities; he had to resign his position as Assistant Treasurer of the United Stated under..... More
Printed DS, 4pp (rectos only), 8½" X 14", New York, NY, 1955 November 11. Very good. Staple holes at upper left. Mimeographed press release captioned "Formation of Civil War Centennial Association Announced Before Meeting of the Southern Historical Association," signed on the verso of the last page by eight of..... More
To label this impossible-to-categorize figure a ne'er-do-well would be an understatement: He actually was a Union officer with the 1st Tennessee Artillery (supposedly commended for bravery and later serving with the 64th Illinois Volunteers), though pre-war he was a convicted felon who forged his own pardon and during the war..... More
This New York attorney became major general of volunteers in the Civil War, serving as "a cavalryman by instinct" from 1861-65. Small clipped signature, 2" X ½", n.p., n.y. Near fine. Bold, quick and typical "HE Davies." Most likely from a legal document of some sort, for Davies literally "signs..... More
Major general in charge of the Department of Maryland and the East; as treasury secretary, he is credited with saying, "If anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot!" Printed DS, 1p, 13" X 6¼", New York, NY, n.d. Fine. Stock certificate ("Construction Stock"), never..... More
"The Soldiers' Friend," so called because of his advocacy of Civil War veterans and their needs, was a merchant and Democrat turned Republican politician who served New York as representative (1853-55, 1857-65), governor (1865-68) and senator (1869-75). Large, bold "R.E. Fenton" in brown ink, heavy stock 3½" X 2¼" card..... More
The long-time University of Chattanooga librarian (1934-62) and professor was best known for having authored/edited popular Civil War books with James W. Livingood such as "A Different Valor: The Story of General Joseph W. Johnston, C.S.A." (1956) and "The Haskell Memoirs: The Personal Narrative of a Confederate Officer" (1960). TLS..... More
Not only were these grandsons named after their famous grandfathers, but each achieved some renown in his own right and each wrote a book about his namesake ("Ulysses S. Grant: Warrior and Statesmen" in 1969 and "John C. Pemberton: Defender of Vicksburg" in 1942); Grant, the son of General Grant's..... More
President Grant's namesake grandson, child of his eldest son Frederick; ironically, he too was a West Point graduate and rose through the ranks until he achieved major general; also ironically, just as his grandfather died shortly after completing his "Memoirs" and never saw the finished product, so too did Grant..... More
"Hancock the Superb," this career Army officer is best remembered as a Union general in the Civil War, during which he distinguished himself at the Battle of Gettysburg; postwar he was active in the West, was named commander of the Division of the Atlantic, and lost as 1880 Democratic candidate..... More
This great-great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin served as aide-de-camp to General George B. McClellan and later to General Nathaniel Banks through most of the Civil War; a Wyoming cattle rancher later in life, he authored the 1892 "History of the Nineteenth Army Corps" and contributed many articles to "The Battles and..... More
This Democratic senator from Rhode Island (1851-57) was an engineer and machinist and developed a promising new projectile called the "James projectile"; while a major general in the Rhode Island State Militia in 1862, his invention was being demonstrated at Sag Harbor, New York when one of his shells accidentally..... More
This Union officer served on the staff of Brigadier General James Shields (whose troops faced Stonewall Jackson's Confederate troops in the Shenandoah Valley in June 1862) and later commanded the Second Louisiana Regiment Cavalry; he was a good friend of famed Irish soldier Miles W. Keogh (1840-76, killed in the..... More
This brigadier general survived the Civil War, Spanish-American War, Indian uprisings, the Phillipine insurrection and World War One -- then died after tripping on a rug; when he wasn't fightin', he was writing', producing almost 60 novels about army life and frontier romance. ANS, 1p, heavy stock 4¼" X 3½"..... More
This quartermaster with the 28th Pennsylvania Infantry (1861-62) was later a captain and Adjutant Commissar of Subsistence until the war's end, at which time he became personal secretary to Governor John W. Geary (1867-73), a former Union general -- and Lee's brother-in-law. ALS, 2pp (lettersheet), 5" X 7 3/4", Harrisburg..... More
The namesake son of the Florida senator and Confederacy's Secretary of the Navy (1812-73) himself served in the Confederate Navy, then was elected Florida representative (1891-95) and senator (1897-1907). Printed DS, 1p, 8" X 3 3/4", Pensacola, Florida, n.y. [likely 1897]. Near fine. Lightly age toned. Printed receipt noting "RECEIVED..... More
Supposedly the youngest soldier to enlist in the Civil War; others, such as Johnny Clem (born 1851), the "Union Drummer Boy of Chickamauga," were indeed younger, although Clem did not carry a weapon until later, was not officially mustered in and his wages were paid out of donations by the..... More
Confederate brigadier general and Alabama senator (1877-1907). ALS, 1p, 7½" X 10", U.S. Senate Chamber letterhead, Washington, DC, 1884 June 16. Addressed to "My Dear Major." Good. Slight age toning. Inquires about the whereabouts of the 21st and 22nd volumes of State Department statutes, which should have been sent to..... More
This Illinois attorney served with distinction under U.S. Grant with the 49th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was first elected to Congress while a soldier (1863-65); he was again elected as a Democrat and served from 1873 to 1887. Large, bold signature and "Illinois" in brown ink on a 5"..... More
This Union soldier with the 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was captured by Forrest's troops and spent nine months as prisoner of war before being exchanged; he parlayed his experience into the play "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," which toured the country to great acclaim in 1868. Bold "A.F. Nail. /..... More
Pretender to the throne of France who served as a captain on McClellan's staff during the Civil War and later relinquished his family's claim to the throne; author of "Histoire de la guerre civile en Amérique" (1874-89). LS in French, 1p, 5¼" X 8½", n.p., n.d. Very good. More
Union general known as "police chief of the Army of the Potomac." ALS, 1p, 5" X 7 3/4", Pawling, NY, 1869 May 14. Addressed to Hon. W.F. Allen, Comptroller of the New York Treasury. Good. Chip at upper left, not affecting text; minor edge tears; small archival repair on verso..... More