Description:

Lee Robert

Robert E. Lee ANS as Commander of Virginia Forces

 

LEE, ROBERT E. Confederate General. Autograph Note Signed as Commander of Virginia Forces, on the reverse of the final page of a Letter Signed to him from the important Confederate diplomat James Murray Mason at Winchester, Va., dated May 7, 1861.

 

Lee's rather lengthy note reads:

 

"Respy referred to the Govr & council -- Mr Amblers case might be considered as coming within the provision of the ordinance on the subject -- Mr Ambler occupied a responsible office under the Govt: at Washinton. RE Lee."

 

James Mason had a long and distinguished record in national politics by this time; in the Senate he served for ten years as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He was also a prominent and longtime Southern Rights advocate. On April 17th, the Virginia State Convention had voted for secession, virtually removing the State from the Union. Later in 1861, he was appointed to the potentially important diplomatic position of Confederate Commissioner to Great Britain. While en route there, the U.S. Navy captured his ship and took Mason prisoner. The diplomatic repercussions of this incident almost caused a war between Great Britain and the United States. Mason's letter concerns his son-in-law, John Ambler, who had worked for the U.S. Navy Dept. in Washington before Virginia's secession. After that, he worked for the Confederacy as Acting Quartermaster at Harper's Ferry. Mason,praising his son-in-law's many excellent qualities and experience, writes to ask that Ambler receive a "proper appointment" so that he may remain in his post. This dates from early in the war, when Lee was involved in recruiting military personnel. He had made the difficult decision to resign from the U.S. Army on April 20th, and three days later he was named commander of Virginia's forces. In that position he made " … an extraordinary record in fortifying the rivers and mobilizing the volunteers … " as Douglas S Freeman writes in the Dictionary of American Biography. The second leaf of the letter is inlaid. Choice, very fine condition. An excellent and quite scarce Lee item during the early wartime mobilization period.

 

Ex-Robert Batchelder collection (priced by him at $10,500).

 

Provenance: This remarkable piece is offered directly from the estate of Robert Batchelder, who is among the most important dealers of the 20th century, beginning his passion in autographs and historical documents in the late 1960s. Each piece will include Robert Batchelder's original description indicating the noted retail price which could have been 20 years ago, in addition to his inventory folder containing his handwritten notes. His highly diverse background and amazing achievements include a long list of important societal memberships. Examples worthy of noting include an honorary membership in the Society Cincinnati, and membership in the Manuscript Society, the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America), the ANA (American Numismatic Association), the PAGCA (Pennsylvania Antique Gun Collectors Association), the PADA (Professional Autograph Dealer Association), and the UACC (Universal Autograph Collectors Club). He was a graduate of University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and served in the U.S. Army Air Force.

 

A portion of the commission on Batchelder lots will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

 

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

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, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

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 5 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 Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

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