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BUCKNER, SIMON BOLIVAR (1823-1914) Confederate Lieutenant General; Surrendered Fort Donelson, Tennessee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant – February, 1862; Veteran of the Mexican War; Governor of Kentucky – 1887-91
Civil War-Date Document Signed, 7” x 9”, “S.B. Buckner, Maj[or] Gen[era]l Commanding,” a manuscript listing of rations, “Abstract of Provisions issued from the 1st to the 31st day of December 1863 to the troops of the Confederate States stationed in the field by Capt[ain] I. Shelby, Jr…”
Lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds.
BURNHAM, HIRAM (1811-72) Union Brigadier General; Colonel of the 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry; Killed-in-Action at the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm – September 29, 1864
Civil War-Date Document Signed Twice by a Killed-in-Action Colonel, later promoted to the rank of Brigadier General
Document Signed, 8” x 10”, Camp Griffin, Virginia, February 28, 1862, “Hiram Burnham, Col[onel],” a partly printed requisition for personal wood fuel the month. Signed twice, at the mid and lower right.
Lightly and evenly toned, with a few superficial stains and two horizontal folds.
BURNSIDE, AMBROSE EVERETT (1824-81) Union Major General; Commanded the Union Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Fredericksburg; Governor of Rhode Island – 1866-69; U.S. Senator – Rhode Island – 1875-81
Early Civil War-Date Pass
Autograph Document Signed, 3” x 5”, a rare handwritten pass from Burnside’s early-war encampment near Washington, D.C., named for Rhode Island Governor William Sprague.
“Camp Sprague. Washington, June 6th 1861. Pass Serg[ean]t Crandall till eleven o’clock. A.E. Burnside, Col[onel] Com[man]d[in]g.”
Pencil notations in an unknown hand on the reverse list several identified enlisted men of the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry. The 1st Rhode Island Infantry under the command of Colonel Burnside was actively engaged at the Battle of First Bull Run, July 21, 1861 and returned to Providence, Rhode Island, where the unit was mustered out on August 2, 1861. Colonel Burnside re-entered Union service soon afterward and was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, effective August 6, 1861.
Lightly toned, with somewhat heavier soiling and wear at vertical and horizontal fold lines; a few small tears and minor chips at the edges.
BURNSIDE, AMBROSE EVERETT (1824-81) Union Major General; Commanded the Union Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Fredericksburg; Governor of Rhode Island – 1866-69; U.S. Senator – Rhode Island – 1875-81
Document Signed, 9 ½” x 11”, Boston, Massachusetts, April 17, 1869, “A.E. Burnside,” as company president, a partly printed $500 “First Mortgage Bonds” certificate for the Narrangansett Steamship Company. Countersigned by four company officials. A five-cent revenue stamp is affixed at upper right, with an embossed seal at lower right.
Lightly toned, with the usual folds; a few tears and cuts at the lower edge; show-through along the lower edge from glue staining on the reverse.
CALHOUN, JAMES MONTGOMERY (1811-75) Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia – 1862-65; Recipient of the famous “War is Cruelty” letter from Union General William Tecumseh Sherman upon the surrender of the city, September 1864
Check signed by the Confederate Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, just two months before the fall of the city…
Civil War-Date Document Signed, 3 ¼” x 7 ½”, “City Clerk’s Office, Atlanta, Georgia, July 1, 1864…J.M. Calhoun,” a partly printed check drawn on the city account, payable to one “John Haslett” in the amount of thirty dollars, compensation for expenses described only as “Streets”; dated just two months before the city was surrendered to Union General William Tecumseh Sherman on September 2, 1864 and countersigned by another city official.
Lightly and evenly toned, with a few light creases and minor staining, wear, and soiling; text and signatures are unaffected by a two-inch horizontal tear, with no loss of paper, at the mid-right edge.
CAMERON, SIMON (1799-1889) U.S. Secretary of War – 1861-62, during the American Civil War; U.S. Senator – Pennsylvania – 1845-49, 1857-61, and 1867-77
Franking Signature, “Free, S. Cameron,” on a 3 ¼” x 5 ¾” portion of a postal cover; also addressed by Cameron, to “Dr. H. Byerly, Linglestown, Dauphin Co[unty], Penn[sylvania].”
On brown paper, with an obscure early postmark at left; old mounting remnants on the reverse.
CANBY, EDWARD R.S. (1817-73) Union Major General; Veteran of the Mexican & Second Seminole Wars; Killed by Modoc Indians in California - 1873
Document Signed, an endorsement on the reverse of an imprinted 9 ¾” x 16 ¼” U.S. Army form, “Examined & approved, Ed. R.S. Canby, M[ajor] G[eneral] Com[mandin]g,” approving expenditures for the month of November 1867.
Illustrated in its folded state. Very good overall condition, with the expected folds.
CARTER, JAMES EARL, JR. “JIMMY” (1924-2024) Thirty-Ninth U.S. President – 1977-81; Governor of Georgia – 1971-75
Autograph Note Signed, 2 ½” x 4 ¼”, an undated, cordial reply to a letter.
“To Mark: Thank you for the nice letter, and best wishes to you and your family. Jimmy Carter.”
Excellent.
CHAMBERLAIN, JOSHUA LAWRENCE (1828-1914) Union Brigadier General; Colonel of the 20th Maine Infantry; Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Gettysburg; Governor of Maine – 1867-71; President of Bowdoin College – 1871-83
Document Signed, New York, July 5, 1898, “Joshua L. Chamberlain,” a partly printed 2 ¾” x 6 ½” check, also accomplished by Chamberlain, payable to one H.C. Orr in the amount of ten dollars. A two-cent revenue stamp is affixed at upper left.
Lightly toned, with a few stains, soiling, wear, numerous folds, and a few tiny edge chips; three hole-punch cancellations, well away from the signature.
CHESNUT, JAMES, JR. (1815-85) Confederate Brigadier General; Served as aide to Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard & President Jefferson Davis; U.S. Senator – South Carolina – 1858-60; Husband of Confederate diarist Mary Boykin Chesnut
Franked Envelope, 2 ¾” x 5 ¼”, “James Chesnut, U.S.S. fr…,” as U.S. Senator from South Carolina, also addressed by Chesnut to “Hon[orable] J.L. Manning, Willard’s Hotel, Washington.” Dated 1860 vertically at the left edge, quite possibly by the recipient, John Laurence Manning, former South Carolina governor, 1852-54, who later served as a colonel in the Confederate Army.
Torn irregularly in opening at the upper right corner, affecting the last few characters of Chesnut’s frank.
COBURN, JOHN (1825-1908) Union Brevet Brigadier General; Colonel of the 33rd Indiana Infantry; U.S. Representative – Indiana – 1869-75; Associate Justice of the Montana Territorial Supreme Court – 1884-85
Signature, “John Coburn, Indianapolis, Indiana,” as U.S. Congressman on a 2 ½” x 5” portion of an album page.
Lightly and evenly toned, with a few minor stains; original binding traces at the left edge.
COLLINS, THOMAS LeROY (1909-91) Progressive Governor of Florida – 1955-61
Signed Index Card, 3” x 5”, dated as governor on the blank reverse, “LeRoy Collins, Governor of Florida, 1959.”
Excellent, with light, even toning.
COOLIDGE, CALVIN (1872-1933) Thirtieth U.S. President - 1923-29; U.S. Vice President – 1921-23; Governor of Massachusetts – 1919-21
Document Signed, 3” x 8 ½”, Northampton, Massachusetts, March 29, 1929, “Calvin Coolidge,” a partly printed check, also accomplished by Coolidge less than a month after leaving office as U.S. President, drawn on The Hampshire County Trust Co. and made payable to one Mary Ahearn for thirty dollars.
The check is in very good condition, with minor smudging of ink to several letters, a small tear in the upper margin, and a few light vertical folds. The hole-punch cancellation at center affects an insignificant part of the beginning of Coolidge’s signature.
COOLIDGE, CALVIN (1872-1933) Thirtieth U.S. President - 1923-29; U.S. Vice President – 1921-23; Governor of Massachusetts – 1919-21
Vice President Coolidge Thanks a Journalist from The Nation
Typed Letter Signed, 7” x 9”. Writing on imprinted official stationery, U.S. Vice President Coolidge thanks Marian Tyler, a journalist with The Nation, a liberal weekly magazine first published in 1865, for her letter.
“THE VICE-PRESIDENT’S CHAMBER, WASHINGTON, February 2, 1922. Miss Marian Tyler, The Nation, 20 Vesey Street, New York, N.Y. My dear Miss Tyler: Please accept my thanks for your letter and enclosure. It is always interesting to see the discussion that goes on in the public press. Very sincerely yours, Calvin Coolidge.”
The letter is lightly toned and soiled, with a horizontal fold at the center.
COOLIDGE, CALVIN (1872-1933) Thirtieth U.S. President - 1923-29; U.S. Vice President – 1921-23; Governor of Massachusetts – 1919-21
The Vice President-Elect Thanks a Supporter – Just Two Days after the 1920 Election
Typed Letter Signed, 7 ¼” x 9 ½”, on imprinted stationery as Massachusetts Governor. During the second year of his short tenure as governor - just two days after election to U.S. vice president on the Warren G. Harding ticket - Coolidge thanks “Mr. Ernest M. Hortmann, Boston, Mass.,” for a letter.
“EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, STATE HOUSE, BOSTON. 4th November, 1920…My dear Mr. Hortmann: It was exceedingly thoughtful of you to send me such a gracious message. I want to thank you for your kind wishes which I assure you I reciprocate. Cordially yours, Calvin Coolidge.”
The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds and a pinhole along the bottom edge.
COX, JACOB DOLSON (1828-1900) Union Major General; U.S. Interior Secretary – 1869-70; Governor of Ohio – 1866-68; U.S. Representative – Ohio – 1877-79
Autograph Letter Signed, 5” x 8”, confirming the date of his appointment as Interior Secretary in the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant.
“Cincinnati [Ohio], 14 May 1873. Dear Sir: In reply to your note I would say that I was appointed Secretary of the Interior March 6th 1869. Very Resp[ectfull]y, J.D. Cox.”
Lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds; old hinge and mounting remnants on reverse of the integral leaf.
CURTIS, SAMUEL RYAN (1805-66) Union Major General; U.S. Representative – Iowa – 1857-61; Veteran of the Mexican War
Signature, as U.S. Representative, “Saml. R. Curtis, Keokuk, Iowa,” on a 1 ½” x 4” portion of an album page.
Lightly and evenly toned, with minor staining.
DAVIS, JEFFERSON F. (1808-89) Confederate President - 1861-65; U.S. Secretary of War – 1853-57; U.S. Senator – Mississippi – 1847-51 & 1857-61; U.S. Congressman - Mississippi – 1845-46; Veteran of the Mexican War
Signature, dated from the former Confederate president’s post-war home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, “Jefferson Davis, Beauvoir, Miss[issipp]i, 4th March 1882,” on a 1 ¾” x 4 ¾” slip of paper. Affixed to heavier backing.
Lightly toned; the signature is noticeably light and lacking in contrast.
DYE, EVA EMERY (1855-1947) American Historian, Suffragist, and Writer; Best known as the author of “Conquest: The True Story of Lewis & Clark”
Autograph Note Signed, 4 ¾”x 7 ¼”, undoubtedly a page from her book, “McLoughlin and Old Oregon.” Published in 1900, the book portrayed and romanticized the life of Dr. John McLoughlin, early Oregon settler later known as “The Father of Oregon,” whose general store in Oregon City was the last stop on the Oregon Trail.
“May we all emulate the virtues of this benevolent despot. Your friend, the author, Eva Emery Dye. Oregon City, Oregon, July 31, 1924.”
The page is lightly and evenly toned, with minor staining in the margins and at the edges.
FILLMORE, MILLARD (1800-74) Thirteenth U.S. President - 1850-53; U.S. Vice President – 1849-50; U.S. Congressman – New York – 1833-35 & 1837-43
Signature, an early frank as U.S. Representative from New York, circa 1840, “Free, M. Fillmore, M[ember] C[ongress],” on a 1 ½” x 4 ½” portion of a larger postal cover.
On brown paper, with several creases.
