Description:

Sherman William 1820 - 1891 William T. Sherman signed ALS cannot supply Gen. Thomas autograph



A bi-fold letter, on lined paper , 5" x 8", with the letterhead of "Headquarters Army of the United States". Scripted by Sherman on the front page, with the other pages blank. Dated "Nov. 20 1879", and signed by Sherman as "W.T. Sherman" . Overall clean with one pale handling mark, and faint bleeding of signature. Verso of last page contains several areas of mounting adhesive and residual mounting tape.

An ironic letter in which William Sherman is writing with regrets, that he is not in possession of any autographs of General George H. Thomas, and suggests to the recipient to reach out to Mrs. Thomas as she may have some. Humorous in that this letter would one day be equally collectible for Sherman's own autograph, yet he had no forward insight into this at the time he wrote this letter!

His letter pens in part as:

"Nov -20 1879

My Dear Sir,

I report that I possess no autographs of General George H. Thomas other than such as belong to letters and official Documents-

It is possible Mrs. Thomas now residing at Troy NY can and you some autographs

Truly yours, W.T, Sherman"

Sherman infamous career began serving in the Civil War in the first Battle of Bull Run in 1861. He served under General Ulysses S. Grant in 1862 and 1863 during the battles of Forts Henry and Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, the campaigns that led to the fall of the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, and the Chattanooga Campaign, which culminated with the routing of the Confederate armies in the state of Tennessee. In 1864, Sherman succeeded Grant as the Union commander in the Western Theater of the war. He proceeded to lead his troops to the capture of the city of Atlanta, a military success that contributed to the re-election of Abraham Lincoln. Sherman's subsequent march through Georgia and the Carolinas further undermined the Confederacy's ability to continue fighting. He accepted the surrender of all the Confederate armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in April 1865, after having been present at most major military engagements in the Western Theater.

When Grant assumed the U.S. presidency in 1869, Sherman succeeded him as Commanding General of the Army, in which capacity he served from 1869 until 1883. As such, he was responsible for the U.S. Army's engagement in the Indian Wars over the next 15 years. Sherman advocated total war against hostile Indians to force them back onto their reservations. He steadfastly refused to be drawn into politics and in 1875 published his Memoirs, one of the best-known first-hand accounts of the Civil War. British military historian B.H, Liddle Hart famously declared that Sherman was "the first modern general".

A lovely example his signature in excellent condition

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

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 20% 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