Description:

Mosby John

John Mosby Signed Envelope From Washington D.C, 1908

Autograph Envelope Signed. Postmarked "October 9, 1908". Signed by John Mosby within the return address as "Jno S. Mosby", and addressed to "Mrs  J.D. Herblin", his cousin in Nashville, Tennessee. Envelope very age toned. Opened to left edge slightly affecting one letter in Mosby's signature. Accompanied by a photocopy of the original letter.

The letter had been dated October 9, 1908 making reference to the death of his cousin, and his newly published book:

"My dear Cousin:

Your letter just recd. with news of the death of my cousin Mrs. Thorne: Someone had sent me a Nashville paper announcing it. I am very sorry to hear it. When I lived in San Francisco we corresponded. She sent me her picture [which] is very much like my sister Blakely who lives in Washington. She was related to me on the Mosby side. Do you know Gov. [James D.] Porter; he lives in Nashville & is connected with the University. He is a particular friend of mine. If you ever see him remember me to him. I shall put the picture of the Mosby ancestor in my…book. I enclose a list of errata in my book [which] you can correct. My love to your family. Affectionately,

Jno.S.Mosby".

John S. Mosby achieved legendary status during the Civil War for his guerrilla like fighting style. As a Confederate cavalry commander, he was known for his speed and elusiveness, earning him the nickname "Gray Ghost." In early 1863, he was authorized to recruit a group of partisans. Both Stuart and Robert E. Lee wanted the horsemen Mosby recruited to be under the command of the 1st Virginia Cavalry, but Mosby preferred operating outside the traditional military structure and argued that guerrilla actions would be useful in defense of Virginia and the Confederacy. He sought and received permission from Confederate Secretary of War James Seddon to organize a partisan unit; Company A, 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion, became part of the Provisional Army of Confederate States (PACS). Mosby was promoted to major, rising to full colonel before war’s end. Since his men were not a traditional army unit, they could be called together to strike a selected target, then disperse afterward, making them hard to run to ground. This ability to strike quickly and then "disappear" gave rise to Mosby’s nickname, "Gray Ghost"  Mosby himself, wearing a disguise, would often reconnoiter an area for a raid.

A lovely autographed envelope by a now older Mosby, who finally obtained the post he desired with the Department of Justice. The envelope is postmarked in the same year as his published book, "Stuart's Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign" (which he alludes to in the letter) a work that relied on his skills as a lawyer to refute categorically all of the claims laid against Stuart.  A more recent comprehensive study of the Stuart controversy, written by Eric J. Wittenberg and J. David Petruzzi, called Mosby's work a "tour de force"

A scarce signed envelope by this important historical figure.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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