Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 306
image_0 image_1 image_2
Stonewall Jackson After Bull Run Recommends General, Contemporary Transcript By a Woman
Stonewall Jackson After Bull Run Recommends General, Contemporary Transcript By a Woman
image_0 image_1 image_2
Description:

Stonewall Jackson After Bull Run Recommends General, Contemporary Transcript By a Woman

"When it is so difficult to procure general officers I deem it due to the service, not to permit an opportunity for securing the service of one of rare merit to pass unimproved."

In this letter to Confederate Adjutant General Samuel Cooper, General Stonewall Jackson enthusiastically recommends Col. Bradley T. Johnson for promotion to brigadier general, citing his recent exemplary performance at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Johnson did not receive the desired promotion until June 1864, more than a year after Jackson's death.

This contemporary copy was made by Caroline Ross (1823-1880) of Frederick, Maryland. On September 4, 1862, advance elements of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River and occupied Frederick, Maryland, on September 7. The campaign culminated at the bloody Battle of Antietam on September 17, after which Lee's army withdrew across the Potomac River into the Shenandoah Valley.

THOMAS J. "STONEWALL" JACKSON, Contemporary Copy, to Samuel Cooper, September 4, 1862, Leesburg, Virginia. 2 pp., 5" x 8". Expected folds; very good.

Complete Transcript
Near Leesburgh
September 4th 1862
General
I respectfully recommend that Col. Bradley T. Johnson late Col of the first Maryland regiment be appointed Brigadier General.
Whilst I was in command at Harpers ferry in the early part of the war, Col Johnson left his home in Maryland and entered our service, where he continued until his regiment was recently disbanded. I regarded him as a promising officer when he first entered the Army, and so fully did he come up to my expectations I put him in command of a brigade; and so ably did he discharge his duties in the recent battles at Bull Run to make it my duty, as well as pleasure, to recommend him to a Brigadier Generalcy The brilliant service of his brigade in the engagement of Saturday last proved it was under a superior leader whose spirit, was partaken of by his command. When it is so difficult to procure general officers I deem it due to the service, not to permit an opportunity for securing the service of one of rare merit to pass unimproved.
I am General
Your obedient servant
T. J. Jackson
Major General
Gen S Cooper
Agt & Insp Gen C.S.A.

[Note:] Copied from the original handed me by Bradley T. Johnson when the C.S.A. occupied Frederick Sep 8th 1862
Caroline Ross

Historical Background
In May 1862, the initial term of service of a portion of the 1st Maryland expired but on the eve of the Battle of Front Royal, Johnson gave an impassioned appeal to his soldiers, who rallied to the regimental colors. The next day, the 1st Maryland Infantry, CSA, met the 1st Maryland Infantry, USA, in battle, the only time two regiments from the same state have fought. He led the regiment to victory in the First Battle of Winchester a few days later and at the Battle of Cross Keys on June 8. In late June and early July, the 1st Maryland saw action in the Seven Days Battle as part of the Peninsula Campaign, in which the Army of Northern Virginia successfully repulsed the Army of the Potomac.

After the Battle of Cedar Mountain on August 9, General Thomas J. Jackson placed Johnson in command of the Second Brigade, which he led at the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 30, 1862. In this letter, Jackson specifically commends Johnson's leadership at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Johnson was not with his regiment for the Battle of Antietam, as he had gone to Richmond to petition for the Maryland Line, to be composed of an infantry regiment, a cavalry unit, and an artillery unit, all made up of Marylanders. Because of his legal experience, Johnson ended up serving as a member of a military court.

Despite Jackson's recommendation, Johnson was not promoted to the rank of brigadier general until June 28, 1864. Also in 1864, Johnson developed a plan to kidnap Lincoln while he was at the Soldier's Home on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. His plan was sidetracked when he participated in General Jubal Early's raid on Washington in the summer of 1864. At the Battle of Monocacy, the Maryland Line secured the Confederate flank near Johnson's hometown of Frederick. He and the 1st Maryland Cavalry were sent to free Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, Maryland, but were called back before reaching their goal. In late July, he participated in the raid on Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and quarreled with the commanding general's order to burn the town.

On August 7, Union troops surprised the Maryland Line and captured many of them. Authorities blamed Johnson for this disaster, which ended the Maryland Line. Johnson was sent to command the Confederate military prison at Salisbury, North Carolina, where he surrendered to Union forces on May 1, 1865.

Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863) was born in Clarksburg, (West) Virginia, and after the death of his parents, he was raised by relatives. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1846 and began his career in the U.S. Army in an artillery regiment in the Mexican War. After the war, he served at forts in New York and Florida before accepting a teaching position at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington in 1851. He married Elinor Junkin (1825-1854) in 1853, but she died in childbirth the following year. In 1857, he married Mary Anna Morrison (1831-1915) of North Carolina, with whom he had two children, but one died as an infant. After Virginia seceded in 1861, Jackson drilled new recruits for the Confederate army. Initially, he took command of Harpers Ferry as a colonel and assembled his "Stonewall Brigade" of Virginia regiments from the Shenandoah Valley. Promoted to brigadier general in June, he led his troops at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, where he and his troops earned the nickname "Stonewall" by stopping the Union assault. In the spring and summer of 1862, Jackson defeated several larger Union armies in the Shenandoah Valley through aggressive assaults and rapid movements. He also took decisive actions in the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Antietam, after which he received a promotion to lieutenant general, just behind Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet. His corps held off a strong Union assault at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. When Lee decided to divide his forces in the face of the larger Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville in May 1863, Jackson led the assault on the unsuspecting Union right flank that resulted in a stunning Confederate victory. As he and his staff were returning to their camp on May 2, they were mistaken for Federal cavalry and fired on. Jackson was shot twice in the left arm and once in the right hand. A surgeon amputated his left arm, and he died eight days later of pneumonia.

Samuel Cooper (1798-1876) was born in New York and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1815. He joined the U.S. Light Artillery as a brevet second lieutenant and gained promotion to first lieutenant in 1821 and captain in 1836. In 1827, he married Sarah Maria Mason, sister of future U.S. Senator and Confederate diplomat James M. Mason. In 1837, Cooper became chief clerk of the War Department in Washington, D.C. He remained in Washington except for brief service in the Second Seminole War in 1841-1842. In 1852, he was promoted to colonel and made Adjutant General of the U.S. Army. At the beginning of the Civil War, Cooper resigned his commission and joined the Confederacy. Commissioned as a brigadier general and soon promoted to full general, he served as both Adjutant General and Inspector General of the Confederate Army throughout the war. His last official act before surrendering at Charlotte, North Carolina, was to preserve the official records of the Confederate Army and turn them over to the U.S. government. After the war, he was a farmer near Alexandria, Virginia, where he died in 1876.

Bradley Tyler Johnson (1829-1903) was born in Frederick, Maryland, and graduated from Princeton University in 1849. He read law with an attorney in Frederick and finished his legal degree at Harvard University. He was admitted to the bar in 1851 and the same year married Jane Claudia Saunders of North Carolina, with whom he had one son. He was a delegate to the Democratic Convention in 1860 and withdrew with other southern delegates to support John C. Breckinridge. At the beginning of the Civil War, Johnson recruited and equipped a company at his own expense and helped form the 1st Maryland Infantry, CSA, of which he became major and then colonel. He led the Second Brigade in the Second Battle of Bull Run and in the Maryland Campaign. In 1864, he was promoted to brigadier general of cavalry and placed in command of the prison camp at Salisbury, North Carolina. After the war, he practiced law in Richmond. In 1875, he ran successfully as a Democrat for a seat in the Virginia State Senate. In 1879, he moved to Baltimore. After his wife died in 1899, he moved to Amelia, Virginia, where he died four years later.

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.

October 18, 2023 11:00 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