Description:

Remarkable 630 Item Union Archive, All "Generals In Blue" Names Accounted For

An astounding and extensive archive of signed documents, letters, cards, clipped signatures, cartes-de-visite, etc. of every Union general listed in Ezra J. Warner's "Generals in Blue", as well as an additional 23 generals who are not listed in Warner's but are generally considered to hold the rank of general by Civil War historians. All items have been housed in 12 blue binders, which have been meticulously alphabetized, organized, and displayed by the consigner. Each general has one or more signed and or related items, along with a copy of their biography from Warner's text. In total there are 630 signed items, together with approximately 188 period engravings. The number of items, however, does not reflect the number of generals. There are many multi-signed items; in such cases, the document has been photocopied and filed with the appropriate additional person or persons. All of the generals from Warner's book are accounted for, but some will be on documents with other generals. The binders are organized as follows:

Binder 1: John Joseph Abercrombie - Henry W. Birge [42 total]
Binder 2: David B. Birney - Daniel Butterfield [30 total]
Binder 3: George Cadwalader - Lysander Cutler [51 total]
Binder 4: Napoleon J.T. Dana - Alfred Gibbs [73 total]
Binder 5: Charles Champion Gilbert - William Hays [49 total]
Binder 6: William Babcock Hazen - Nathan Kimball [46 total]
Binder 7: John Haskell King - Nelson A. Miles [62 total]
Binder 8: John Franklin Miller - Augustus J. Pleasonton [60 total]
Binder 9: Joseph B. Plummer - David A. Russell [48 total]
Binder 10: Friedrich Salomon - Samuel H. Starr [59 total]
Binder 11: Frederick Steele - Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr [61 total]
Binder 12: Melacthon S. Wade - Samuel K. Zook [49 total]

Those included not listed in Warner's "General's in Blue" are Charles J. Biddle, Philip S. Crooke, George F. d'Utassy, Frank H. Hamilton, Benjamin F. Larned, James H. Lane, Benjamin Loan, George C. McKee, George P. Morris, Thomas A. Morris, James Oakes, Robert Patterson, Augustus J. Pleasonton, Thomas L. Price, Jeremiah M. Rusk, George M. Robeson, Theodore Runyon, Charles W. Sandford, Newton Schleich, John T. Sprague, William Sprague, Edward Stanly, Samuel H. Starr, Henry M. Teller, and J. W. Webb. The whole of the archive is well-put-together and displayed, with the items varying in degree of toning, soiling and foxing, tearing, etc. There may be several small flaws that have been repaired. Overall, such flaws are insignificant for a collection of this rarity. Never in the near 40 years of our company's history have we come across such a significant, complete, and well-archived collection. As the archive is so expansive, we highly recommend that interested parties make an appointment to view the whole of the set in person. For those who are unable to do so, below are some highlighted pieces from the collection.

Highlights:
Edmund Kirby ALS "E Kirby." 3pp, Poolesville, Maryland, dated January 9, 1861. Kirby writes from Camp Ramsay to his brother about his studies at college. In part: "…You must decide this matter yourself and then we will talk about a particular college - Yale is my choice however…"

John Sedgewick ALS "John Sedgewick." 1p, Headquarters of the 6th Corps, dated March 27, 1864. Addressed to Mrs. S. L. Dana, writing "It gives me much pleasure to comply with your request, by sending a photograph. My services with the General, your husband, were to me, of the pleasantest kind…"

Ulysses S. Grant Signed Endorsement "U.S. Grant." Corinth, Mississippi, dated August 9, 1862. Grant signs an endorsement recommending Corporal Thomas G. Ferreby and forwards it to Iowa Governor Kirkwood.

George Thomas Carte-de-Visite Signed "Geo. H. Thomas/Maj Genl USA."

Elon Farnsworth Clipped Signature "Elon J Farnsworth."

Melancton Wade ALS "Melancton S. Wade" with Abraham Lincoln Endorsement. 3pp, Cincinnati, Ohio, dated September 23, 1861. Wade signs a petition to offer his and others' service to the US Government, writing "The undersigned having some experience in military, having been in Command of the Cincinnati Volunteer Brigade for many years prior to 1848 offer his services to the Government as Brig Genl. either in the Regular or Volunteer force during the War. I am an unconditional Union man without reservation no half way or doubtful men should have any appointment under Government. We have suffered terribly in that way." Abraham Lincoln has added his endorsement on verso, writing and signing "I think the case is sufficiently made for Genl. Wade to be appointed. A. Lincoln/Sept. 28, 1861."

John Logan ALS "John A Logan Brig Genl." 1p, No place, dated April 10, 1863. Addressed "To all whom it may concern" regarding an ex-prisoner who wished to return to service in the Government. Writing in part: "M.A. Twiss a citizen of Ills, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Belmont and only recently released, being desirous to again be in the employ of the Govt…"

George Meade ALS "Geo. G. Meade." 3pp, HQ of the Army of the Potomac, dated December 17, 1864. Addressed to a Miss Ash, whose brother had been killed and buried during the Battle of the Wilderness, near Todd's Tavern on May 8, 1864. Meade outlines a lengthy plan of action for recovering Miss Ash's brother's body, but cautions her that "This plan would involve considerable expense and trouble, and I think it proper to say would very probably meet with objection at the War Dept. - Still I mention it as the only practicable way that occurs to me, for you to gratify the wishes of yourself and mother."

Winfield Scott Hancock ALS "Winfd S Hancock." Baltimore., dated October 18, 1865. In a letter addressed to fellow General William T. Sherman, Hancock recommends a friend of his. Reading in part: "General Henry Heth late of the Confederate Service, and an old friend of mine from an association of many years in the same Regiment, is about proceeding to St. Louis on a business matter which has met with great favor in this city, among the most reliable business men. I trust you will liken to him and give him such counsel as your cool judgement…"

James A. Garfield AES "J.A. Garfield." Washington, D.C., dated October 29, 1863. Addressed to Hon. E. M. Stanton, recommending Captain Henry W. Johnson to the position of Assistant Quarter Master of Volunteers. Garfield writes, in full: "I do not know - in the whole army of the Cumberland - a more worthy officer than Capt. Johnson. I hope he may be appointed."

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!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide 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 who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, 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 Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. 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.

June 22, 2022 10:30 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