Description:

Ulysses S. Grant PSA Mexican War-Dated MDS

A 1p manuscript document signed by Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), then a Second Lieutenant and regimental quartermaster with the 4th Infantry, as "U S Grant / 2d Lt 4th Infy / A.A.Q.M." at lower right. August 31, 1846. Issued from Major General Zachary Taylor's camp at Camargo, in northern Mexico. The document is a stated duplicate or clerical copy of a clothing invoice inscribed in secretarial script. Docketed verso. Encapsulated and PSA/DNA certified authentic. The blue lines of the paper have slightly faded though the ink is bold and dark. Expected wear including flattened folds, else near fine. The actual size of the document is 7.875" x 5" while the slab overall measures 10.125" x 6.625."

The document reads in part: "Invoice of Clothing this day turned over by Lieut. U.S. Grant, A.A.Q'M to Lieut. Jenks Beaman, Comdg. "J" Company, 4th Infy. Viz: 4 Four pairs of Boots…"

General Taylor had relocated his headquarters from Corpus Christi to Camargo near the Rio Grande in the summer of 1846. Army volunteers from across the United States had started congregating in the region in June and July 1846, swelling General Taylor's original "Army of Occupation" to more than 10,000 soldiers, all of whom needed to be outfitted. It is logical to assume that Quartermaster Grant's boots were for new arrivals.

It is interesting--though a little macabre--to consider what material could have cycled back through the army stores under Quartermaster Grant's watch, especially considering the notoriety Camargo had rapidly gained as a military camp. The physical environment at Camargo, with its excessive heat and limited water sources, combined with a lack of basic sanitation in the camp, led to rampant outbreaks of measles, influenza, malaria, scurvy, and dysentery. By August 1846, it's estimated that Taylor lost about 12% of his forces--or 1,500 men--to disease. Doubtless clothing from victims of infectious diseases was destroyed, but some material might have been recycled or reused.

Grant had graduated from West Point in 1843, just a few years before the onset of the Mexican-American War. His first major combat experience was at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de La Palma on May 8 and May 9, 1846 respectively. By August 1846, Grant was appointed as regimental quartermaster. A month later at the Battle of Monterrey, waged from September 21-24, 1846, Grant distinguished himself by carrying dispatches past an engaged enemy by hanging off the side of his horse!

Jenks Beaman (1821-1848), from Rutland, Vermont, was also a fellow West Point graduate in the 4th Infantry. Beaman died on May 6, 1848, just one month before his unit was scheduled to return home from the Mexican campaign.

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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