Description:

Seddon James 1815 - 1880 James Seddon Confederate Secretary of War rare war dated signed document

Single page printed document, on cream Confederate States of America War Department letterhead issued from Richmond on May 27, 1863, addressed to "Capt. R. P. Rowley, Engineers, P.A.C.S.", and signed by Confederate Secretary of War James Alexander Seddon (1815-1880). With clear embossed "Virginia, Sic Semper Tyrannis" seal in upper left corner. Expected gentle wear including two horizontal creases as wear as toning towards upper edge. Document measures approximately 7.875" x 10".

The letter informs R.P. Rowley, serving as a lieutenant of the Engineer Corps since October 1862, of his appointment to Captain starting May 6, 1863 and pending approval by the Senate. The letter is at once an announcement, invitation, and order. The document would have been accompanied by an oath that would have been "filled up, subscribed and attested" and submitted to the Adjutant and Inspector General's Office.

Historical records indicate that Rowley did indeed accept his promotion to Captain and that he served under commanding officer Colonel Jeremy Francis Gilmer (1818-1883), who organized the defense of Charleston later that summer. Captain Rowley was promoted once roughly every year during the duration of the Civil War, becoming a Major in April 1864, a Major Chief Engineer stationed out of Texas, and a member of General E. K. Smith's staff in 1865. According to the 1899 Confederate Veteran, Vol. 7, Rowley died on December 14, 1895, and "in losing him the cause if the Confederacy lost a champion indeed."

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