Description:

Rufus Saxton
Charleston, SC, April 10, 1865
Rufus Saxton Returns Captured Corn by Order of Quincy Adams Gillmore
ALS
An autograph letter signed "R. Saxton B Genl," one page, 5" x 8", Charleston, South Carolina, April 10, 1865. Boldly penned and in very good condition.

On February 18, 1865, prominent Charleston merchant and Alderman George W. Williams delivered a letter from Charleston Mayor to Rufus Saxton, informing him that the Confederates had left the city and that he was to remain to enforce laws until Federal troops arrived. Newly-freed slaves poured into Charleston and, together with poor whites who could not leave the city, strained the city's already-meager resources. Faced with the possibility of the population starving, Saxton began the task of confiscating rice and corn from those deemed "ex-Confederates."

Here, he returns some of the confiscated corn, writing to General John Porter Hatch, Department Commander in the South, in part: "…I have the honor to request that one hundred bushels of corn…may be turned over to Mr. Pillsbury for dispatch to him. The issue of captured corn was authorized by Genl. Gillmore…". On the verso, Hatch's lieutenant orders George W. Williams of the Distributing Committee to turn over the corn to Pillsbury. Clearly, the corn was the former property of Pillsbury, who had petitioned Gillmore to have it returned to him.

Rufus Saxton (1824-1908) was a Union Army brigadier general in the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions defending Harpers Ferry during Confederate General Jackson's Valley Campaign. After the war, he would serve as assistant commissioner of the Freedman's Bureau, which was tasked with assisting freedmen in the South during Reconstruction.
A notable abolitionist, Saxton would also openly advocate in Congress for the civil liberties of African Americans, including their Second Amendment rights.

John Porter Hatch (1822 - 1901) was a Union brigadier general who was at Second Bull Run, Chantilly, and Winchester. He became a department commander in South Carolina during Reconstruction.

Quincy Adams Gillmore (1825-1888) was a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War known primarily for his actions in the Union victory at Fort Pulaski.

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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  • Dimensions: 5" x 8"
  • Medium: ALS

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