Description:

Civil War
n.p., September 31, 1864
Rare Soldier's Letter, 2nd Colorado Cavalry Regimental Newspaper, Sept. 1864
Newspaper
A very scarce imprint of the Soldier's Letter, the unofficial regimental newspaper of the Second Colorado Cavalry. Vol. 1, No. 5. September 31, 1864. Several toned spots, light wear and minor chipping at margins, overall good condition. 4pp. 7.75" x 9.75". A similar edition sold at Heritage for $1,250 a dozen years ago!

Soldier's Letter contained three pages per edition which were devoted to a narrative history of the regiment, war news, local gossip, rumors and jokes. The fourth page was left blank for soldiers to write letters to mail home. Each copy cost 10 cents.

Beneath the quote "The Union must and shall be preserved" by Andrew Jackson, the first article is a continuation from Vol. 4, and explains the organization of the Second Colorado Cavalry as outlined in Special Orders No. 278 from Missouri, under command of Col. James H. Ford. It then describes the difficult travel of the unit from its place of assemblage to Fort Riley to Kansas City, arriving on February 20, 1864. Particular note is made of the horses' dismal state, from being unfit for service to being "corked" by the abrupt starting and stopping of the train. A roster of Co. "H" of the unit is also provided, a list of fallen soldiers, patriotic verse and odes, war news, a request for articles, a bounty, and more.

The Second Colorado was formed in St. Louis, MO, in October 1863, initially as an infantry unit. Recognizing the need for fast-moving units in the vast distances of the plains, however, the U.S. Army sent the Second Colorado Volunteer Infantry to Saint Louis to be refitted and trained as cavalry. This would prove to be an important development in the last phase of the Second Colorado's war, and the unit engaged in counter-guerrilla tactics and the keeping of peace at contested border areas. It saw almost constant fighting by detachments, till October, 1864, at the same time participating in major engagements such as Camden Point, Pleasant Hill, Fredericksburg, Lexington, Little Blue Line and eventually, Westport.

According to author Christopher M. Reid, the Second Colorado was "…Composed largely of footloose '59ers who raced west to participate in the gold rush in Colorado, the troopers of the Second Colorado repelled Confederate invasions in New Mexico and Indian Territory before wading into the Burned District along the Kansas border, the bloodiest region of the guerilla war in Missouri. In 1865, the regiment moved back out onto the plains, applying what it had learned to peacekeeping operations along the Santa Fe Trail, thus definitively linking the Civil War and the military conquest of the American West in a single act of continental expansion."

At the time of this paper, the unit was involved with operations against Sterling Price's invasion into Missouri and Kansas from August 29, 1864 - December 2, 1864. Price was eventually stopped a superior Union force led by Samuel R. Curtis at the battle of Westport in Kansas City, October 23, 1864 which decimated with only 6,000 survivors of his original 12,000 troops.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: 7.75" x 9.75"
  • Medium: Newspaper

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

March 12, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000