Capturing a milestone in African-American history.

956. Fantastic CDV, the signing of black troops into formation. Gen. Lorenzo Thomas, Col. Reuben Delavan Mussey, Capt. Septimus Carncross, Lt. Col. B. Webster Sargent are represented. Excellent tone/contrast, by J. H. Van Stavoren’s of Nashville. Minor age, bumps at corners, quite a special – and RARE – photographic record!  (Est. $500-750)

Jeff Davis’ Mansion… the Confederate White House!

957. Printed legend on verso: “This building is beautifully situated, on the corner of Clay and 12th streets, and is noted as being the residence of the late Chief Magistrate of the Confederate States. It is now, and has been since the evacuation, the residence and headquaters of the General commanding this Department.” CDV by George Ennis of Richmond. Excellent. (Est. $200-300)

Lincoln Visits McClellan.

958. McCREA, Edward P. (Civil War Lieut. Commander, U.S.N.) Retained Autograph Telegram Signed, oblong 8vo, written aboard the Navy steamboat Jacob Bell, 9 July 1862, to Col. Campbell at Williamsburgh (Va.). “The President passed up the river yesterday to confer with Genl. McClellan, returned today. No news of importance. Have you any.” A rare reference to President Lincoln’s first battlefield conference with his troublesome commander of the armies, George B. McClellan, who had just ended the “Seven Days” of battle against Lee. McClellan’s distaste for casualties, overestimation of Lee’s force, and delay while awaiting reinforcements made the Seven Days (or “Peninsula”) Campaign less than a spectacular success. Mac accused Sec. of War Stanton of doing his “best to destroy this army” (a remark at first withheld from Lincoln and Stanton by underlings), and when Lincoln visited him at Harrison’s Landing, VA. during the first week of July, he gave the President a rather high-handed letter opining that there should be no fighting against the southern people nor against slavery. The communication helped seal McClellan’s removal as head of the army and still later his loss of the Army of the Potomac, ending his military career. McCrea, the writer of this telegram, held command of the Jacob Bell from Aug. 22, 1861, the day it was acquired from New York owners and commissioned for Federal service. It variously performed river patrol, reconnaissance, guard, escort and blockade duty along the Potomac, Rappahannock and James rivers, figured in the Peninsula Campaign, helped defend Washington, and on several occasions shelled Confederate batteries and captured blockade runners. It sank under tow in 1865. McCrea went on to serve in the Pacific Squadron and commanded the U.S.S. Monocacy during the “First Korean War” (1871). A great piece of history.  (Est. $500-800)

959. A dramatic, large mounted albumen, 6 1/2 x 9” overall,  of three Union soldiers in a staged battle scene. One combatant wears an officer’s sash and wields his pistol pointing it at two opposing soldiers, as the adversary to the far left lunges forward with a Bowie knife in hand. Note the black youth crouched in the back, looking on in amusement! By P. L. Perkins of Baltimore, his embossed imprint at bottom of board. Loss to lower right corner, mounting residue on verso of board having once been affixed to an album. A great work of art! (Est. $1,000-1,500)

960. Lincoln in Memoriam. The Boston City Council’s Memorial Address of the Life and Character of Abraham Lincoln, Delivered at the request of Both Houses of the Congress… by George Bancroft. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1865) 70pp., gilt tilted boards and spine. Condition is overall very good, period owner’s stamp to title page, stirring content with gorgeous frontis portrait. (Est. $50-100)

961. Printed for the German-Americans. 1865 Lincoln biography in German: Julius Wurzberger (translated by Phoebe Ann Hanaford), Abraham Lincoln. Sein Leben und Seine Offentlichen Dienste. New York, Haasis & Lubrecht, 1865, 189pp. (M-3780) One of just 5,000 copies printed, minor wear to corners, chipping to edges of spine, otherwise in excellent condition. Of the very few to remain extant, this is the cleanest copy to be found; the interior pages appear quite fresh. These issuances articulate the important role in the Lincoln story played by German immigrants… people like Lincoln’s close friend and advisor Carl Shurz. (Est. $150-200)

962. The Memorial Addresses for Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley delivered respectively by George Bancroft, James G. Blaine, John Hay: Memorial Addresses Delivered Before the Two Houses of Congress on the Life and Character of Abraham Lincoln James A. Garfield, William McKinley… (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1903) 246pp. large 4to. in gilt-titled boards and spine. Condition is overall very good with expected rubbing and spine faults. Printed on heavy rag paper, this is the ultimate mourning volume to the first three presidents to be assassinated – sadly, one more would follow.   (Est. $80-120)

963. Rare Gallery Card. 3 x 4” photo by Gardner & Gibson, 1862 copyright. This scarce image pictures General Hooker’s staff in a “staged roughhousing” scene. The men are identified from left as “unidentified, Col. Benjamin C. Ludlow, Lt. Col. Joseph Dickinson, Captain Ulric Dahlgren, Lt. Ronald S. Mackenzie, Lt. Col. Edward R. Warner, Major Daniel Webster Flagler, Captain Henry Russell, and Captain John R. Rose. 4 1/2 x 6” mount has wear and faults, albumen fine. (Est. $400-600)

Inscribed to his grandson the week before the boy turned 21.
964. LINCOLN, Robert Todd. Inscribed sepia-toned photograph, archival matted to 5 1/4 x 9” (sight), 7 1/2 x 10 1/2” overall, some foxing and old mat burns as shown, one through beard, on board with embossed Harris & Ewing Washington, D.C. imprint. “To Lincoln Isham from his appreciative Grandfather. Robert T. Lincoln. April 30, 1913.” Lincoln “Linc” Isham (1892 -1971) was one of three great-grandchildren of Abraham Lincoln – the only child of Mary “Mamie” Lincoln, one of Robert’s three children.  A Harvard dropout, it is said that he played some role in secret work for the government during the Second World War. In 1919 he married Leahalma “Lea” Correa, a New York “Society Girl of Spanish Descent”, and helped raise her daughter, Frances Mantley. Isham lived in Vermont enjoying the benefit of a sizable family trust.  (Est. $1,500-2,000)

965. Late 19th century group of five (5) Lincoln cabinet cards; three by Stalee of Washington, one by J. Kirk. Some typical age, a few hard portraits to source. (Est. $400-600)

966. Very rare Stephen Douglas postal-used memorial cover. Woodcut portrait of Douglas by Baker, inscribed “Tell them to obey the Laws and support the Constitution of the United States.” Postmarked Chicago, IL Oct. 21 [n.y.], likely 1861. Light wear, neatly opened at left edge. (Est. $200-300)

967. Likely unique… certainly a supreme rarity not found in Wolcott! Postal-used patriotic cover “The Rose of Washington” red and blue design with Gen. McClellan, Washington, the Capitol Dome, ornate design. CDS likely Baltimore or Frederick, MD or Banks’ Division, tying #65 3-cent rose, addressed to a Mrs. Sarah E. Gillam of Poland, Herkimer Co., NY. Imprint at bottom “Sold by J.S. Morrow, Washington & Baltimore.” A stunning and very scarce design, unlisted in Wolcott. A similar cover, but with no postmark and stamp not tied, was offered in the famous Bischel sale as the “only recorded example.” Well… if you missed out on that example, here you go! (Est. $500-800)

968. A handsome pair of postal-used patriotic covers: “Now and Forever” printed in red and blue on tan cover, postal-used, addressed to Harrisburg, PA, Oct. 9 (1862), postmark and 3-cent rose with circle-grid cancel, docketed at left. Also, “Irrepressible Conflict”, in blue and red, addressed to Poland, NY with VF postmark (Tim hates the term “plug canceled” so we won’t use it!) Williamsport, MD. Mar. 11 (1862) with 3-cent rose tied.    (Est. $200-300)

969. “The War for the Union” red and blue patriotic cover with McClellan, hat raised, reviewing his troops: “Stand by me, and I’ll stand by you.” Postal-used, addressed to East Windom, PA from W. Burlington, PA, canceled #65 3-cent rose, accompanied by 1-page letter on similar patriotic stationery, small loss to top corner, content related to a teaching position and pay due. A fine Civil War cover. (Est. $100-200)

Grant orders Meade to prepare defenses… in the unlikely event Lee would attempt a flanking move.

970. GRANT, Ulysses S.  (1822-85) War date Autograph Letter Signed, “U. S. Grant Lt. Gen.” in pencil, 1p. 4 1/4 x 7″, Washington, Apr. 20, 1864 to Major General George Meade asking the victor of Gettysburg to “Set Engineers to building Blockhouses at all the bridges between Bull Run & the Rappahannock both included. They should be put up with all rapidity.” The series of blockhouses were to provide defensive cover for the Army of the Potomac’s planned advance toward Richmond which began on May 3, 1864. In the event that Lee attempted to flank Grant’s offensive, he would not have been able to advance too far north. The blockhouses would have also helped secure the railroad between Washington, Manassas and Brandy Station: a critical route to help supply Grant’s massive army. Matted and framed with a colored period engraving of Grant. Fine condition. Not examined out of frame.   (Est. $4,000-4,500)

972. “Republican Candidates.” Unlisted 1860 campaign ribbon, 2 1/2 x 6” black on red silk, 1” frayed separation at top, darkening at bottom edge, a fine relic of the most important political contest in American history! (Est. $1,500-1,800)

973. [Civil War Playing Cards] A full set of fifty-two (52) “UNION PLAYING CARDS” housed in its original illustrated and titled cardboard box. Produced by American Playing Cards of New York, the cards used “NATIONAL EMBLEMS!!” as opposed to “FOREIGN EMBLEMS USED LONG ENOUGH IN U.S.” To that end, Columbia has become queen and a Union generals, kings and a major as a jack while shields, flags, eagles and stars replace the traditional hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. Copy on the box notes the company’s confidence, “...the introduction of NATIONAL EMBLEMS in the place of Foreign, in Playing Cards, will be hailed with delight by the American People, take pleasure in presenting the UNION PLAYING CARDS. As the first genuine American Cards ever produced, in the fullest confidence that the time is not far distant when they will be the leading Card in the American market...” Box bears rubbing at corners and other expected wear. Cards show only minor signs of use, but are in very fine condition, still crisp and unbent. One of the better examples of this popular set encountered. (The last complete set to sell realized more than $1,500 several years ago.) (Est. $1,000-1,500)

Reporting Bull Run casualties to Col. Ruggles.

974. [Second Manassas–Second Bull Run] Interesting war-date ADS 1p. 5×8″ [n.p. Bull Run vicinity, Aug. 1862] to Union Col. George David Ruggles, Chief of Staff for General John Pope commanding the Army of the Potomac. In full: “Col. Ruggles There has been heavy cannonading at ‘Bull Run’ nearly all day Have not learned the result. We killed 50 day before yesterday Lost 40 Killed 30 wounded W. J. Green 28/56 DR Lieut. Col. comdg.” Ruggles (1833-1904) became aide-de-camp to Pope that very month. The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederacy, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862 with Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia up against Maj. Gen. John Pope’s Army of Virginia. On August 29, Pope launched a full assault on positions held by Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. C.S.A. General Longstreet arrived the following day with sizable reinforcements and mounted the largest frontal assault by the Confederacy in the history of the war. The victory over Union forces had Lincoln tell Cabinet Member Gideon Welles “We had the enemy in the hollow of our hands… if our generals, who are vexed with Pope, had done their duty. All of our present difficulties and reverses have been brought upon  us by these quarrels of the generals…”  (Est. $500-800)

975. J.A.W. Pittman stereoview: “Lincoln’s Home, Springfield Illinois.” Very unusual side view of the house,  photographed for the National Lincoln Monument in 1878 to bring attention to the desperate need for repair work to be done. The history of the home is printed on verso: “…Not having received any repairs since Mr. Lincoln became President, the indications of neglect and decay are plainly visible. It ought to be under the control of some voluntary society, placed in good repair, and kept as a memorial of the martyred President.” Slight wearing of the corners otherwise in great condition. ( Est. $100-150)

976. Lincoln-Johnson back-to-back ferrotype badge, AL-1864-97 in gilt brass. The Lincoln side is exceptionally nice. It is in sharp focus, bold with excellent contrast. It does have a small black mark to the left of Lincoln’s head and a tiny emulsion bubble at the very bottom, with some concavity which has no effect on presentation, emulsion is smooth and glossy. The Johnson side exhibits extensive damage. (Est. $300-400)

977. Grant ferrotype pin, USG-1868-91, brass shell 20mm. Very little emulsion loss on top edges otherwise great contrast, detail, with pin intact. (Est. $200-250)

978. Peter Cooper figural bone pipe. 2 1/4” tall x 1 1/4” wide x 1 3/4” deep. Cooper (1791-1883) was a New York businessman, philanthropist, and 1876 presidential candidate on the Greenback ticket. He donated the funds to establish the Cooper Union (Cooper Institute), a free educational program in New York City combining the study of science with its practical application. We believe the artist is Auguste Peyrau. This French artist was a student and contemporary of Thomas Nast – his work closely resembles that of the famous caricaturist. Some years back, a small collection of such pipes were offered on eBay and were privately sold to an individual who claimed he was doing a book on Peyrau (a likely story, as this book has yet to materialize!) Each of the dozen or so pipes depicted famous politicians: Grant, Ben Butler, and others. We would date those pipes and this one as circa 1870-1880. Peyrau also made a figural bronze of Grant & Colfax for their inauguration, an example owned by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Peyrau was obviously an accomplished artist whose work merits greater recognition. Excellent, for the Arby Rolband or Peter Cooper collector.  (Est. $400-600)

979. A bold, striking pair. Two (2) Lincoln photographs published from the original negatives owned by noted dealer King V. Hostick during the 1950s. Taken June 3, 1860 by Alexander Hesler, these silver prints measure 11 x 13 1/2” affixed to heavy rag boards. The boards have been trimmed-down almost to the images such that the “Herbert George Studio. Springfield, IL” imprint is lost.  Nonetheless, these have great tone and detail. These are perennial collector favorites that would frame quite well! Excellent condition.  (Est. $600-800)

An item with special provenance.

[As collectors, we share a much-loved responsibility as links in a chain-of-ownership; helping to preserve the material culture we pursue. In addition to the objects, we collect the accompanying stories and history – often, a necessary component reveals those who precede us in the chain – the provenance. Lot #980 was treasured by a fellow Rail Splitter, Richard Rosenblatt (1943-2004). Known to those in the music industry as Ritchie Cordell, he wrote such iconic hits of the ‘60s as “Mony, Mony” and “Crystal Blue Persuasion” working with Tommy James and the Shondells, and stayed active later producing Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll.” A  man of infinite talent, he loved history, Lincoln, and story-telling. He will be missed.]

980. Ninth-plate tintype in a patriotic mat with flags, cannons, and motto “The Union Now and Forever.” Under glass, it is housed in a thermoplastic frame designed to adorn a special place. (A small hole behind the top bevel of the frame suggests it once enjoyed a loop or clasp to hang from a wall.) The photo has light red tinting to the cheeks, is bold, and appears clean.  (Est. $1,500-2,500)

Kil-Cavalry Kilpatrick’s commission as Brigadier-General signed by
Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton.
981. LINCOLN, Abraham. D.S., folio vellum, May 11, 1864, effective date of promotion June 13, 1863. Attached blue seal of the War Office, exceptional quality and condition. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (1836-1881) graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1861, just after the start of the war, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery. Within three days he was a captain in the 5th New York Infantry (“Duryée’s Zouaves”). Kilpatrick was the first United States Army officer to be wounded in the Civil War, struck in the thigh by canister fire while leading a company at the Battle of Big Bethel, June 10, 1861. By September 25 he was a lieutenant colonel, now in the 2nd New York Cavalry, which he helped to raise, and it was the mounted arm that brought him fame and infamy. In the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862, he ordered a foolish twilight cavalry charge the first evening of the battle, losing a full squadron of troopers. Nevertheless, he was promoted to full colonel on December 6. His men had little love for his manner and his willingness to exhaust men and horses and to order suicidal mounted cavalry charges. (The rifled muskets introduced to warfare in the 1850s made the historic cavalry charge essentially an anachronism. Cavalry’s role shrank primarily to screening, raiding, and reconnaissance.) The widespread nickname they used for Kilpatrick was “Kill Cavalry”. He also had a bad reputation with others in the Army. His camps were poorly maintained and frequented by prostitutes, often visiting Kilpatrick himself. He was jailed in 1862 on charges of corruption, accused of selling captured Confederate goods for personal gain. He was jailed again for a drunken spree in Washington, D.C., and for allegedly accepting bribes in the procurement of horses for his command. In the Chancellorsville Campaign in May 1863, Division Commander General Stoneman’s cavalry was ordered to swing deeply behind Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army and destroy railroads and supplies. Kilpatrick did just that, with gusto. Although the corps failed to distract Lee as intended, Kilpatrick achieved fame by aggressively capturing wagons, burning bridges, and riding around Lee, almost to the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia. At the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign, on June 9, 1863, Kilpatrick fought at Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle of the war. He received his brigadier general’s star on June 13. On June 30, he clashed briefly with J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry at Hanover, Pennsylvania, but then proceeded on a wild goose chase in pursuit of Stuart, rather than fulfilling his mission of intelligence gathering. Just before the start of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign in the spring of 1864, Kilpatrick conducted a raid toward Richmond and through the Virginia Peninsula, hoping to rescue Union prisoners of war held at Belle Isle and in Libby Prison. He destroyed much property and had many encounters with the enemy, but was unsuccessful in his aims. And one of his brigade commanders, Col. Ulric Dahlgren, son of Rear Admiral John Adolph Dalhgren, was killed in the process. Papers found on the body of Dahlgren shortly after his death contained orders for an assassination plot against Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The discovery and publication of the Dahlgren Papers sparked an international controversy. The “Kilpatrick-Dahlgren” expedition was such a fiasco that Kilpatrick found he was no longer welcome in the Eastern Theater. He transferred west to command the 3rd Division of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Cumberland, under Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. Summing up Judson Kilpatrick in 1864, Sherman said “I know that Kilpatrick is a hell of a damned fool, but I want just that sort of man to command my cavalry on this expedition.” Starting in May 1864, Kilpatrick rode in the Atlanta Campaign. On May 13, he was severely wounded in the thigh at the Battle of Resaca and his injuries kept him out of the field until late July. He had considerable success raiding behind Confederate lines, tearing up railroads, and at one point rode his division completely around the enemy positions in Atlanta. Kilpatrick continued with Sherman through his March to the Sea to Savannah and north in the Carolinas Campaign. He delighted in destroying Southern property. On two occasions his coarse personal instincts betrayed him: Confederate cavalry under the command of Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton raided his camp while he was in bed with a young Southern woman he had met while going through Columbia, and, at the Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads, he was forced to flee for his life in his underclothes until his troops could reform. Kilpatrick became active in politics as a Republican and in 1880 was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Congress from New Jersey. Artist and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt is Hugh Judson Kilpatrick’s great-granddaughter. Another prominent descendant is CNN newsman Anderson Cooper, Kilpatrick’s great-great-grandson.  (Est. $10,000-15,000)

Lincoln writes himself a check to pay for land owned by Mary’s aunt.

982.  LINCOLN, Abraham. Partly printed check signed “A. Lincoln”, filled out in his handwriting to the order of “Self for Mrs. Bullock” in the amount of $120.91 and dated April 17, 1860. The check, drawn on the Springfield Marine and Fire Insurance Company, is printed in blue and bears a cartouche of a steamboat and the imprint of Richards & Smith. Canceled spindle hole at left, cross-hatch cancel through signature, tiny loss at bottom blank margin. The payee, Maria Bullock of Lexington, Kentucky, was an aunt of Mary Todd Lincoln. (Mary referenced her Aunt in one of the earliest extant letters she wrote to her husband – while Abe served as a Congressman in 1848.) Mrs. Bullock owned considerable property around Springfield and her nephew-in-law handled her business affairs there as early as June 1855, selling farmland and town lots on her behalf. In December 1859, Lincoln wrote her that he had trouble collecting for some of the real estate, and suggested that he should buy the debts from her. This check represents funds for that purpose. An interesting and unusually personal check, written at a crucial moment in Lincoln’s life: earlier this month he had made his last court appearance in Chicago, winning the so-called “Sandbar Case” (which involved accreted real estate on the shore of Lake Michigan). But most of his time was being devoted to political correspondence and interviews. He would be nominated for the presidency of the United States just a month after this check was written. Great association; a handsome financial and personal relic.   (Est. $12,000-15,000)