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RR Auction: Fine Autographs and Artifacts

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Lot 1 - George Washington Signed Revolutionary War Discharge Certificate (1783) - Important Revolutionary War-dated partly-printed DS, signed “Go: Washington,” one page, 8.5 x 10, June 30, 1783. Continental Army military discharge headed “By His Excellency George Washington, Esq., General and Commander in Chief of the Forces of the United States of America.” In part: “These are to certify that the Bearer hereof Jean Baptiste Dupere, Soldier of the United States of America in General Hazen's Regiment, having faithfully served in the United States five years and six months, and being inlisted for the War only, is hereby Discharged from the American Army." Signed at the conclusion in ink by General George Washington, and countersigned below by Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. On the reverse is a statement noting that the certificate "shall not avail the Bearer as a Discharge, until the Ratification of the definitive Treaty of Peace," and that he is to be considered on furlough until that time. In very good condition, with toning and soiling, foxing, and small areas of paper loss to the reinforced folds. Jean Baptiste Dupere served for over five years in a Continental Army regiment commanded by Moses Hazen, known as the '2nd Canadian' or 'Congress' Own.' It was raised in the province of Quebec for service with the American Continental Army and saw action at Staten Island, Brandywine, Germantown, and the Siege of Yorktown. After the war, Dupere would be honored with the 'Badge of Merit' for his five years of faithful service. The 'Badge of Merit' was awarded to soldiers for meritorious action, ‘not only instances of unusual gallantry in battle, but also extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way.’ The heart-shaped badge was the earliest standard US Armed Forces award. As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, General Washington took it upon himself to organize and train his soldiers. By war's end, this highly disciplined and hands-on approach carried over into Washington insisting on signing every discharge certificate personally. According to Charles Hamilton’s, 'Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts,' Washington said: 'These soldiers have fought long and hard. I wish to sign the discharge for each man, so that he will leave the army knowing that I appreciate his work and that I have personally looked upon his name and testified to his honorable conduct.'

Estim. 10 000 - 12 000 USD

Lot 3 - Thomas Jefferson Autograph Letter Signed as President on "the Western road" - The First Federally Funded Highway - Historically significant ALS as president signed "Th: Jefferson," one page, 7.25 x 9.5, August 6, 1808. Handwritten letter to Messrs. Kerr, Moore & Williams, commissioners of the Western Road. In part: "It has been represented to me on behalf of the inhabitants of the town of Washington in Pensylv'a, that by a survey at their expence, it is found that the Western road, if carried through their town, to Wheeling, would be but a mile longer, would pass through better ground, & be made at less expence; and if carried to Short creek, instead of Wheeling, the difference of distance would still be less. The principal object of this road is a communication directly Westwardly. If however, inconsiderable deflections from this course will benefit particular places and better accommodate travellers, these are circumstances to be taken into consideration. I have therefore to desire that, having a regard to the funds which remain, you make as good an examination, as they will admit, of the best route through Washington to Wheeling, & also to Short creek or any other point on the river, offering a more advantageous route towards Chillicothe & Cincinnati, & that you report to me the material facts, with your opinions, for consideration." In fine condition. Like Washington before him, one of Jefferson's major concerns was strengthening the union between the growing American settlements on the far side of the Alleghenies and the eastern seaboard states, both commercially and politically. While Washington made progress toward that goal via waterways with the privately financed Patowmack Canal, Jefferson was committed to constructing a public road. The 'Cumberland Road,' later called the 'National Road,' was authorized by Congress in 1806, and Jefferson articulated its necessity in his annual message, saying that 'new channels of communication will be opened between the states; the lines of separation will disappear, their interests will be identified, and their union cemented by new and indissoluble ties.' The same year, Jefferson allocated $30,000 for the survey to which he refers in this letter, articulating that "the principal object of this road is a communication directly Westwardly." Construction would not begin until after his presidency in 1811, and after an interruption from the War of 1812, the route to Wheeling was completed in 1818. Over the next few years, the road was extended through Ohio, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and eventually to Kansas City and Denver. It ultimately became the first federally funded road and was fondly called the 'main street of America.' Today the original route is largely followed by US Highway 40. According to ABPC, this is the only Jefferson letter discussing the national road to appear at auction in the last 40 years. A remarkable, significant letter regarding one of the key accomplishments of his administration.

Estim. 35 000 - 40 000 USD

Lot 6 - James Monroe Document Signed as Secretary of State, Giving Instructions for Engaging the Enemy - Partly-printed DS as Secretary of State, signed “Jas. Monroe,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.75 x 12.75, June 26, 1812. Important privateering document issued at the beginning of the War of 1812, containing "Instructions for the Private Armed Vessels of the United States." The first sheet features the printed "Act concerning Letters of Marque, Prizes and Prize Goods," and the second has instructions to privateers. In part: "The high seas, referred to in your commission, you will understand, generally, to extend to low water mark...You are to pay the strictest regard to the rights of neutral powers, and the usages of civilized nations...Towards enemy vessels and their crews, you are to proceed, in exercising the rights of war, with all the justice and humanity which characterise the nation of which you are members...The master and one or more of the principal persons belonging to captured vessels, are to be sent, as soon after the capture as may be, to the judge or judges of the proper court in the United States." Neatly signed at the conclusion by Secretary of State James Monroe. In very good to fine condition, with scattered staining, and archival repairs to tears and fold splits. This significant document, evidently not issued to a specific ship or captain (the top section left blank), dates to shortly after the United States declared war on England following a series of diplomatic conflicts, including restrictions imposed by the British on US trade overseas and impressment of American soldiers. The naval forces of both nations would be of the utmost importance in deciding the outcome of the War of 1812, during which most conflicts were fought at sea. An exceptional document from the country’s early days of naval warfare.

Estim. 4 000 - 6 000 USD

Lot 8 - John Quincy Adams Autograph Letter Signed on War of 1812: "Europe is passively submitting to be reshackled with the manacles of feudal and papal tyranny" - ALS, three pages on two adjoining sheets, 8 x 9.75, April 14, 1816. Lengthy handwritten letter to Samuel Dexter, who had been Secretary of War and Secretary of the Treasury during the administration of John Quincy Adams' father, John Adams. In this intimate and personal letter, Adams offers his view on the War of 1812, its effects on American and European character, opposition to the war efforts, his negotiations to end the war, and the future of Europe. During this period, Adams was serving as United States Minister to the United Kingdom, and had been a part of the American delegation that negotiated the end to the War of 1812. In part: "Nothing could be more gratifying to me than your obliging suffrage to the usefulness of my services since my present residence in Europe...My path of duty has been clear. Whatever success has attended it must be attributed, first to a wiser disposer of human affairs, than any of us; secondly, to the glorious energy of our countrymen, upon the ocean and upon the Land—An energy, which neither our foreign enemy, nor those 'Wise Men of the East,' who built their system of politics upon contempt for the American character, had taken into their account—thirdly to the wisdom, moderation, and pure patriotism of the President, Congress and Government of the United States, who commenced and prosecuted the War, and authorized, the conclusion of the Peace, upon principles founded in the honour, independence, and real welfare of the Union—fourthly to the able, and honourable colleagues with whom I have been associated. With all these aids, and with a line of conduct so plainly marked out, as the only one that could with propriety be pursed, whatever anxious moments have weighed upon me during the career through which I have passed, there has certainly been no extraordinary effort either of intellect or of virtue required of me, in any of the situations, wherein I have been placed. I have not been called upon to rise, at the dictate of my own conscience above the very atmosphere of party Politics. To act in opposition to all, or most of those with whom I had acted before—to bear the buffetings of the most inveterate of political enemies—'the foes who once were friends'—to lose the affection, and even the esteem of those whom I had most highly regarded and respected to be branded as an apostate from my Principles, for the very stubbornness of my adherence to them—to have my inflexible devotion to my duty construed into a base and sordid dereliction of it—to encounter the glance 'of hard unkindess' altered eye' and the more mortifying candour of those, whose compassion was willing to acquit my honesty, at the expense of my understanding, and scored to the account of folly, whatever they deducted from the charge of vice. Of all this I had some, and not a little experience for two years before I left the United States, and of this I think you have had no small share during the last three years—It is precisely the Period of my whole public life to which I look back with the greatest satisfaction, and in which to my own mind my services, were though less successful, yet more meritorious than any thing that I have done in Europe. I am aware that of the measures of that time, your opinion was and continues to be unfavourable, whether they were the best measures, might then, and may still be very fairly questioned; nor shall I deny that the policy and wisdom of the Declaration of War when it was made might at the time and may yet be far from unquestionable—and that different views of the common interest may lead upon the fairest grounds to opposite conclusions on this question. It was not the Constitutional opposition, it was the spirit of Faction, and the project of disunion, in the New-England leaders, that I held in abhorrence. It is this which you have so boldly, and in the end so successfully resisted, and by resisting it, with the weight of your character, and the power of your eloquence, have rendered service to the Union, and even to New England, which the whole lives of the whole Hartford Convention will never equal—I yet hope that at the moment I am writing, a Majority of the People of Massachusetts have testified their sense of this most important service, by placing you at the head of their Government—But should it be otherwise, should the Bulwark and the Press-gang combination, still be strong enough to carry a Candidate, whom I should be sorry to rank among them, and whom I believe they took up more for your sake than for his own; more to keep you out, than to get him in, you will enjoy a reward superior to anything that Parties, or Peoples can bestow—the imperishable reward of a self-approving mind. The Plan for separating New England from the rest of the North-American Union, has, I suppose, been again for the present moment been laid aside. But it has been so long formed, so repeatedly sunk into the shade, at seasons of National Prosperit

Estim. 15 000 - 20 000 USD

Lot 9 - John Quincy Adams Autograph Letter Signed, Relating to the Loss of a Troop Transport Ship in the Second Seminole War - ALS signed “J. Q. Adams,” one page, 7.5 x 9.25, February 24, 1838. Handwritten letter to James Collier of Cohasset, Massachusetts, regarding a claim made on the War Department. In part: "I have submitted your Letter of the 6th inst. to the consideration of the Secretary of War, and have received an answer from him enclosing a report from the acting Quartermaster General T. Cross of the following report: 'In reply to the Letter of Mr. James Collier referred to me by the War Department a few days since I have the honour to state that this office possesses no information whatever in relation to the loss of the ship Charles Wharton or the services alleged to have been rendered by the Schooner Rubicon. It appears however, by Mr. Collier's own admission, that the Quarter Master at Tampa Bay, paid the captain of the Rubicon six hundred dollars, which it is a fair presumption of the value of his services.' The fair presumptions of the Quarter Master General may doubtless be rebutted by positive testimony. If you have any such, I shall be happy to give any assistance in my power to exhibit the same before the proper department." In very good to fine condition, with trimmed edges, overall staining, and complete backing. Congressional records state that, during the Second Seminole War, 'the ship Charles Wharton was chartered by the United States for the purpose of transporting nearly three hundred volunteer troops, with arms, provisions, baggage, and a quantity of sauer kraut from Philadelphia to Tampa Bay. While on the voyage, and so laden, about the 20th of December [1837], she grounded on a shoal near the entrance of Tampa Bay, and was found in a very perilous condition.' It further reports that the crew of at least one other vessel 'at great risk, and with much labor, aided and assisted in saving the troops, the guns, ammunition, and private property of the officers.'

Estim. 2 000 - 4 000 USD

Lot 14 - John Tyler Autograph Letter Signed on the Abolition of Slavery in Washington, D.C. - ALS, one page, 7.75 x 10, August 20, 1836. Handwritten letter to Secretary of the Senate Walter Lowrie, in part: "Will you do me the favour with as little delay as possible to have copied and forwarded me the resolutions offered by myself to the Senate last winter on the subject of abolishing slavery in the District. A loose sheet of the journal would be better than a copy." In fine condition. A former governor of Virginia, Tyler was elected to the Senate in 1827 and served as chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia from 1834 to 1836. In 1835, Tyler expressed outrage at abolitionists who had used the mail to distribute anti-slavery materials throughout the South—creating a situation where the debate over slavery and the right to free speech intersected. Abolitionists sought to end slavery in Washington D.C., which was under Congressional jurisdiction and which they called 'the grand point of attack' against Southern slavery, believing that the emancipation of the capital's slaves would lead to the collapse of the institution elsewhere. Following his 1831 election to Congress, former president John Quincy Adams initiated an extensive petition campaign in protest of the continuation of slavery in Washington, D.C. As chair of the Committee on the District of Columbia, Tyler was shocked and outraged when northern abolitionists launched their campaign for the exclusion of slavery from the district. In 1835, Tyler offered a resolution arguing that abolishing slavery in Washington 'without the consent of the owners, would be unjust and despotic, and in violation of the Constitution of the United States.' At the time of the present letter, Tyler had resigned from Congress and was vying for the vice presidency as a Whig in the 1836 election: in the aftermath of the Nat Turner's Rebellion and other events, slavery emerged as an increasingly prominent political issue, and the Whigs opposed federal intervention into the issue of slavery. Slavery would not be abolished in the District of Columbia until the Compensated Emancipation Act was enacted on April 16, 1862, which immediately emancipated all enslaved people in Washington, D.C., and set aside $1 million to compensate slaveholders loyal to the U.S. government.

Estim. 2 000 - 4 000 USD

Lot 17 - Millard Fillmore Autograph Letter Signed on the Missouri Compromise and Dred Scott Case - ALS, one page, 5 x 7.75, February 25, 1857. Handwritten letter to E. H. Wade, in part: "I have your letter desiring to know whether in my opinion the 'Missouri Compromise was constitutional or not.' I understand this question is now pending before the Supreme Court of the United States, where it has been ably argued and will soon be decided. Under such circumstances it would be arrogance in me to assume to give an opinion. My duty is to submit to that decision as the last appeal known to our Constitution." In fine condition. As president, Millard Fillmore had been instrumental in passing the Compromise of 1850, which defused tensions between north and south and led to a brief truce in the battle over the expansion of slavery. Central to the Compromise of 1850 was the 'Missouri Compromise,' enacted in 1820, which admitted Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and declared a policy of prohibiting slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ parallel. The Compromise of 1850 also carried the controversial Fugitive Slave Act, which required that all escaped slaves, upon capture, be returned under penalty of law. In 1857, the hot-button subject came to a head in the landmark Dred Scott v. Sandford case, argued before the Supreme Court from February 11-14, 1856, reargued December 15-18, 1856, and decided on March 6, 1857—just nine days after Fillmore's letter. The Court held that the Constitution did not extend the rights of citizenship to those of black African descent, and declared the Missouri Compromise of 1820 as unconstitutional. The disastrous decision dramatically inflamed tensions leading to the Civil War; Charles Evans Hughes, a future chief justice, called the Dred Scott decision the Court's 'greatest self-inflicted wound.'

Estim. 2 000 - 3 000 USD

Lot 20 - Abraham Lincoln Autograph Endorsement Signed as President (1864) - Approving a Sawmill for Jacksonville, Florida - Civil War-dated handwritten endorsement signed as president, "I fully approve, subject the discretion and control of the commanding general, A. Lincoln, March 26, 1864," on the reverse of a letter sent to the president by Francis H. Underwood, one page, 7.75 x 9.75, March 25, 1864. The letter reads, in full: “I desire to obtain permission to set up a sawmill at Jacksonville, Florida, with a view of promoting emigration to that state; and I ask that your Excellency will recommend to the General Commanding the Department of the South to give me the necessary authority to transport to Jacksonville the machinery, to set up and run the mill, to purchase logs within our lies, and to dispose of the lumber. I disclaim the idea that this permission entitles me or my property to any special military protection further than is given to any other person or property at the post. And I agree that the Government shall have the right to buy any of the products of the mill at a fair valuation and that I will not ship lumber to oyster markets until the wants of the Department are supplied.” Endorsed on the second integral page by seven politicians, who collectively recommend Underwood as “a loyal citizen of Boston [who] has held places of trust and is above reproach as to integrity.” The group endorsement is signed by Massachusetts Congressmen George S. Boutwell (eventual Secretary of the Treasury), Daniel W. Gooch, John D. Baldwin, John B. Alley, Thomas D. Eliot, and Oakes Ames, and by Utah Congressman William Henry Hooper. On the reverse, which bears the Lincoln endorsement, are additional approvals by Massachusetts Senators Charles Sumner and Henry Wilson (future vice president under U. S. Grant), and Major General Quincy Adams Gillmore, the commander of the Department of the South, which consisted of North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. In fine condition. Accompanied by a period carte-de-visite photograph of an engraved portrait of Lincoln.

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 USD

Lot 26 - U. S. Grant Civil War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed, Authorizing a Cotton Shipment from Mississippi - Civil War-dated ALS signed “U. S. Grant, Maj. Gen.,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, October 6, 1863. Handwritten letter to "Mr. Montrose," sent from his headquarters at Vicksburg, in part: "The gentlemen with Gen. Stewart, the bearer of this, have all shipped cotton, on the Steamer Empress from Natchez, Miss. in conformity with Gen. Orders No. 57...and were stopped at the mouth of Red River by the Navy. I have written to the Naval Commander at that place, enclosing a copy of the order referred to and presume with this the Empress will be permitted to pass. However for further security I have to request that you issue Treasury passes in addition to the authority already granted." In very good to fine condition, with irregularly trimmed edges, affecting a couple of words in the text. During the Civil War, few issues of commerce were more troublesome to President Lincoln than the question of Confederate cotton. The 'cash crop' was the bedrock of the Southern economy, and had been the United States' leading export in pre-war years. The Union's naval blockade, instituted by President Lincoln in April 1861, was designed to prevent the export of cotton to Europe and stifle the Confederacy's primary means of fundraising. However, the North still needed cotton for its textile mills, and plantations were overtaken as the Union armies marched further and further south. Confiscation acts passed by Congress allowed for federal seizure of these valuable properties—land, livestock, and cotton were among the chief spoils—and a special body of Treasury agents was appointed to administer these newfound assets. Additionally, businessmen from the North were eager to capitalize on cotton shortages created by the wartime economy. Cotton purchased for 20 cents a pound in New Orleans could be sold for $1.89 per pound in New York City. Lincoln's leading generals, U. S. Grant and William T. Sherman, advocated for strict federal control over the cotton trade—it was virtually impossible to distinguish between Confederate cotton (subject to confiscation, and the purchase of which might support the rebel cause), and legitimate cotton (grown by planters loyal to the Union). This led to graft, bribery, and corruption among merchants operating between North and South. On September 22, 1863, while in control of Vicksburg—and thus the Mississippi River—Gen. Grant issued 'General Orders No. 57,' clarifying his policies surrounding cotton: 'All actual residents within this Department, well-disposed to the Government of the United States, will hereafter be permitted to bring into any military post or station on the Mississippi River cotton or other Southern products of which they are the bona fide owners...All cotton belonging to the States in rebellion, to the Confederate States, or to persons in arms against the United States, will be seized for the benefit of Government, and disposed of under existing orders.' The Lincoln administration also prevailed in establishing a permit system by which private agents served as the government's representatives in the purchase of cotton. An Act of Congress passed on July 2, 1864, formalized an arrangement where the US government could better regulate commerce between 'loyal and insurrectionary states, and to provide for the collection of captured and abandoned property and the prevention of frauds in States declared in insurrection.'

Estim. 2 000 - 4 000 USD

Lot 29 - U. S. Grant Autograph Letter Signed as President to Attorney General Edwards Pierrepont - ALS as president, two pages, 4.75 x 8.75, September 21, 1875. Handwritten letter to "Hon. Edwards Pierrepont, Atty. Gen.," in part: "While in Utica Judge Hunt spoke to me of the importance of appointing a successor to Judge Woodruff at as early a day as practicable on account of the great amount of business before his court. I do not know of any lawyer in the circuit to whom to tender the position unless it should be Senator Edmunds, and he I should dislike to see leave the Senate. But you are well acquainted with the Bar in that Circuit, and its wants, and can no doubt suggest the right man for the place. If you will send me a commission therefore to St. Louis, so as to reach me there between the 24th & 28th, either filled up or the name blank, with suggestion as to the best man I will sign and return it." Handsomely double-matted and framed with a carte-de-visite portrait of Grant in uniform to an overall size of 21.75 x 15.75. In fine condition. In this letter, Grant consults his recently appointed attorney general, Edwards Pierrepont, for advice in nominating the next circuit judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Second Circuit. Lewis Bartholomew Woodruff had passed away on September 10th, vacating the seat that had been established by Judiciary Act of 1869. On October 25, 1875, presumably acting on Pierrepont's guidance, President Grant appointed Alexander S. Johnson to fill the vacancy.

Estim. 1 500 - 2 500 USD

Lot 30 - U. S. Grant Document Signed as Secretary of War - Partly-printed LS signed “U. S. Grant,” one page, 8 x 10.25, War Department letterhead, August 14, 1867. As Secretary of War ad interim, Ulysses S. Grant informs Asa P. Blunt "that the President of the United States has appointed you for meritorious services during the War, a Colonel, by Brevet." Boldly and prominently signed at the conclusion by Grant. In fine condition. In August 1867, bypassing the Tenure of Office Act, Johnson discharged Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval and appointed U. S. Grant as ad interim Secretary of War. Grant initially recommended against dismissing Stanton, but ultimately accepted the position as he did not want the Army to fall under a conservative appointee. In December 1867, Congress voted for Stanton to remain in the post, and Grant opted to resign rather than become involved in a messy political battle. The controversy would ultimately lead to Johnson's impeachment in 1868. In the present letter, signed on his third day as Acting Secretary of War, Grant informs Asa P. Blunt (1826-1889) of his promotion to brevet brigadier colonel. He was mustered into federal service as adjutant of the 3rd Vermont Infantry in 1861, earning a promotion to lieutenant colonel in the 6th Vermont, then as colonel of the 12th Vermont. In October 1862, he assumed temporary command of the 2nd Vermont Brigade, a position he would hold again after the capture of brigade commander General Edwin H. Stoughton. He mustered out of service in July 1863, but reenlisted as a captain in the Quartermaster's Department six months later. In March 1865, he was given a brevet promotion to brigadier general. He remained in the army after the war and served as commandant of the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, between 1877 and 1888. Given Grant's short tenure as Secretary of War ad interim—a span of just over five months—documents signed in that capacity are quite scarce.

Estim. 1 500 - 2 000 USD

Lot 38 - U. S. Grant and Philip H. Sheridan Signed Menu from Willard's Hotel - Dated to the Capture of Jefferson Davis - Historical daily menu from the prestigious Willard’s Hotel in Washington, D.C., dated Wednesday, May 10, 1865, measuring 9.75 x 7.75 open, signed inside in black ink and fountain pen, “U. S. Grant, Lt. Gen. U.S.A.” and “Phil. H. Sheridan, Maj. Genl., U.S.A.” Archivally double-matted and framed with an engraved plaque to an overall size of 16 x 16; window to frame backing reveals the front of the menu. In fine condition, with intersecting folds. A magnificent piece of American history — originating from one of Washington’s most fabled establishments, signed by two of the Union’s foremost military officers, dating to the very day that Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured. This remarkable menu was obtained by the father of New York journalist Edward Page Mitchell, who was with his father in the Willard Hotel when the signatures were obtained. Incredibly, Mitchell documented the entire event in his 1924 book Memoirs of an Editor: Fifty Years of American Journalism. The story, which can be found on pages 31 and 32, reads: ‘Several times in the old Willard, and many times in its grandiose successor, as through a lens at focus I got close-up figures of great personages of the Civil War and of national politics. Of the Willard memories that persist in outstanding two more shall here suffice. Three years after the first visit I went back to that hotel in tow of my father, the indefatigable collector of autographs, coins, memorabilia, curios of all sorts. Something of that propensity must have been inherited by me, but nothing of his systematic thoroughness in the practice. This sojourn at the inn of Messrs. Sykes, Chadwick & Co., occurred a few weeks after the culminating events of the war and a few weeks before the grand review in Washington of the victorious armies. Sheridan's cavalry had rejoined Meade's army south of the James. Jefferson Davis had been captured by his pursuers under General James H. Wilson. Grant, with the instinctive delicacy of a gentleman, had delegated to General Joshua L. Chamberlain of Maine the honor of receiving Lee's surrender. The commander-in-chief was at the capital, established in Halleck's old office in the War Department. Willard's was crowded with officers of the high command. I saw Grant there, and Sheridan; the third of the great triad of military success, General William Tecumseh Sherman, of the march to the sea, is not identified in my recollection of the assembled leaders. Immense was my father's satisfaction when he procured a dinner menu for Wednesday, May 10, 1865, setting forth in bronze ink the chef's programme for the day, beginning with cove-plant oysters and promising the guests in a queer blending of good English and indifferent near-French such things as ‘Fillet de Boeuf, pique’ and ‘Assorted Vegetables’ down to ‘Petit pastry au Gelee’ and coffee; the entire prospectus being displayed under the more or less mysterious legend ‘Still so Gently.’ But what gave interest and value in my father's eyes to this menu was its joint indorsement, in close juxtaposition on a blank space opposite the ‘Epigramme d’Agneau’ and the ‘Assorted Vegetables’ by ‘U. S. Grant, Lt. Gen. U.S.A.,’ in acutely angular autograph, and ‘Phil. H. Sheridan, Maj. Gen. U.S.A.,’ in the sprawling scrawl or scrawling sprawl characteristic of that dashing soldier's chirography.’

Estim. 1 000 - 1 500 USD

Lot 42 - William McKinley: State of Ohio Document Granting Permission to Practice Law (1867) - Partly-printed document signed by a court clerk, “Edward Spear, Jr.,” one page, 7.75 x 9.75, April 16, 1867. Document headed "The State of Ohio, Trumbull County," granting future President William McKinley Jr. permission to practice law, in part: "Be it Remembered, That at a Term of the District Court, began and held at the Court House, in the town of Warren, in and for said County, on the 15th day of April, Anno Domini eighteen hundred and 67, Wm. McKinley Jr. Esquire, was examined by sundry persons, learned in the law, and appointed by the Court for that purpose, and found qualified to practice as as Attorney and Counsellor at Law: He thereupon appeared in open Court, and was duly sworn to support the Constitution of the United States, and also the Constitution of the State of Ohio...Whereupon it was ordered by the Court, that the said Wm. McKinley Jr. Esquire, be admitted to practice as an Attorney and Counsellor at Law, in the several Courts of Record of the State of Ohio." In fine condition. Born in 1843 in Niles, Ohio, William McKinley, Jr., grew up there, enrolled and studied briefly at Allegheny College, served for four years in the Union Army during the Civil War, and then served a year or so as an apprentice in the office of a judge in a Poland, Ohio. In the fall of 1866, McKinley, age 25, came to Albany, one of the leading cities in the United States at the time, to study the science of the law. At Albany Law School, he attended lectures by its three faculty members and studied closely the judicial decisions they cited. In spring 1867, he returned to Canton, Ohio, to finish his preparation for the Ohio bar by reading law in an attorney's office, common practice at that time. After admission to the bar, he practiced privately and served as prosecutor in Stark County; he was defeated seeking reelection to that office after one term. In 1876, McKinley, a Republican, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was reelected numerous times and served, with one brief interruption, until he was defeated in 1890. In 1891, he was elected Governor of Ohio, and he was reelected in 1893. In 1896, after another brief period as a private citizen, McKinley received the Republican Party’s nomination and was elected President of the United States. He was, with running mate Theodore Roosevelt, elected again in 1900. In September 1901, President McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, N.Y.

Estim. 2 000 - 2 500 USD

Lot 43 - Theodore Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed as President on "the Brownsville matter," Cautioning the Importance of Providing “justice to the decent colored man” - TLS as president, one page, 7 x 8.75, White House letterhead, April 18, 1908. Letter to noted New Orleans businessman and merchant Pearl Wight, in full: “I have your letter of the 16th instant. Of course it is not in my province in any way to dictate, but I am very sorry that it is not possible for you to send any colored man from Louisiana. I did my best to get New York State to send a colored man as a delegate at large, and succeeded in having him sent as an alternate at large. The very considerations which make me set my face like flint against white and black demagogs who attack me for my action in the Brownsville matter, make me feel that we should be scrupulously careful to do justice to the decent colored man. I have asked the Attorney General to report to me about the marshal.” Roosevelt adds the word “very” in his own hand. In fine condition, with light soiling and a few small stains. Wight was a longtime member of the Republican National Committee, who was depended upon by both Presidents Roosevelt and Taft for hand-picking presidential appointees from Louisiana. In 1907, President Roosevelt tendered him the appointment as commissioner of Internal Revenue, a position that Wight was forced to decline following the Panic of 1907. A fascinating letter from President Roosevelt that finds him seeking African American support for presidential hopeful William H. Taft prior to the Republican National Convention, which was held in Chicago from June 16 to June 19, 1908. Roosevelt leveraged his connections with African American leaders, including Booker T. Washington, while working hard to assure them that Taft would continue to promote their interests and uphold the progress made under his administration. This particular effort by Roosevelt compelled him to cite “the Brownsville matter,” an incident of racial discrimination that resulted in one of Roosevelt’s most glaring mistakes as president. On August 13, 1906, a race-related fracas occurred in Brownsville, a town in south Texas, that resulted in the wounding of a white police officer and the death of a white bartender. When the town’s citizens blamed the African-American soldiers of the 25th Infantry stationed at nearby Fort Brown, President Roosevelt discharged without honor the entire regiment of 167 men, although all the soldiers asserted their innocence. No military trial was ever held and Roosevelt never expelled the white officers, who attested that the soldiers had been in their barracks at the time of the melee. Roosevelt’s dismissal of the innocent soldiers was devastating to the men, who lost their careers, salaries, pensions, and military honors. Roosevelt faced criticism from many sectors but never backed down, changed his mind, or apologized. In 1972, Congress, on the research of journalist John Weaver, reversed Roosevelt’s order of dismissal and made restitution to the soldiers.

Estim. 3 000 - 5 000 USD

Lot 45 - Woodrow Wilson Hand-Corrected Typed Letter Draft on U.S. Neutrality in WWI, Denying Allegations Regarding “the sale and exportation of arms by citizens of the United States to the enemies of Germany” - Unsigned typed draft of a letter by President Woodrow Wilson, corrected throughout in Wilson's own hand, seven pages on four sets of adjoining sheets, 8 x 12.5, blindstamped Department of State letterhead, April 12, 1915. Important draft of a letter to "His Excellency Count J. H. von Bernstorff, Imperial German Ambassador," replying to Bernstorff's charge that the United States was unfairly supplying munitions to nations at war with the Central Powers during World War II. Wilson insists that the United States is sincerely neutral and a true friend to Germany, striking a diplomatic but firm tone. He makes numerous corrections in pencil throughout the text, adding a few full sentences on the second page and striking through the entire text of the fifth page. In part, with Wilson's handwritten corrections in brackets: "I have given [thoughtful] consideration to Your Excellency's note of April 4, 1915, enclosing a memorandum of the same date, in which [you] discuss the action of this Government relative to trade between the United States and Germany, and the attitude of this Government in regard to the exportation of arms and ammunition from the United States to the nations at war with Germany. While I am not unmindful that [one] consequence of the naval war waged between Germany and her enemies has been to deprive the German people [to a large degree] of the commercial privileges which they previously enjoyed, and has [almost entirely] prevented intercourse between them and neutral nations across the seas, I am unable to perceive any justification for Your Excellency's unfavorable comments upon this Government's failure to insist upon an equalization of American trade [relations] with all belligerent nations which the fortunes of war have made unequal. [I am sincerely sorry to note, moreover, that in making these comments you use language which seems] to impugn the good faith of the United States in the performance of its duty as a neutral. [I take it for granted that no such implication was intended, but it is so evident that Your Excellency is laboring under certain false impressions that I beg to make the view of the Government of the United States on this matter were plain.] It should be understood that the views here expressed are not advanced by way of apology or excuse, but for the purpose of showing that [your] memorandum is based on an idea of a neutral's [duty] and on a conception of a belligerent's privilege to pass judgment upon that conduct, when the commercial rights of the neutral are affected by another belligerent, which this Government considers to be erroneous. In connection with the conduct of this Government in maintaining its trade I note that Your Excellency has failed to make any reference to the attempt of the United States to secure from the German and British Governments mutual modifications of the measures proposed by each respectively in regard to the interruption of trade on the high seas, which attempt, though unsuccessful, indicated [at least] its impartial good will towards the belligerents. Such an omission of reference to a fact which exhibited so friendly a spirit to both parties in the present conflict, was made presumably through inadvertence, but, in view of Your Excellency's comments, [I cannot but regard it as regretable]. Furthermore, no reference is made to the diplomatic correspondence in which the United States has set forth its attitude toward the unlawful molestation of its trade by Germany's adversaries. These [acts, I beg leave to point out,] do not comport with Your Excellency's assumption 'that the United States Government acquiesces in the violations of international law by Great Britain.' As to the course, which has been pursued by this Government in the matter of detentions or seizures by Great Britain of American vessels and American cargoes, I believe that it is my duty to state frankly to Your Excellency that interference with the rights of American citizens in regard to their property on the high seas is a matter between this Government and the government interfering with those rights, and that criticism of this Government's course in [such matters] made by another government, which cannot be fully informed as to the facts, and which can not know the reasons for the course taken, is an assumption of a privilege which does not appear to be in accord with international custom and usage... This memorandum, [in adverting] to the question of the sale and exportation of arms by citizens of the United States to the enemies of Germany, [seems to imply] that the continuance of that trade manifests an unneutral spirit by this Government and an unfair attitude on its part towards Germany. This Government, as Your Excellency I believe is aware, holds the opinion that any change in its laws of neutrality during the progress of a war, which would affect unequally the relations of the United States with the belligerents, would be a departure from the

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 USD

Lot 46 - Franklin D. Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed as President on the First Peacetime Draft - "Undoubtedly the most important single factor in our entire program of national defense" - TLS as president, two pages, 8 x 10.5, White House letterhead, September 21, 1940. Letter to Governor Henry Horner of Illinois, in full: "The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 wisely contemplates that the selective process shall be carried out by the States and the local communities. Historically and traditionally it is entirely fitting that the Chief Executive of each State be responsible for the Selective Service operations within his boundaries. I know that I can count on your fullest cooperation. A favorable and intelligent public opinion, based on a just and impartial administration of this most important defense measure, can be more effective in securing proper and effective administration of the law than the penalties written into the statute. I am asking each Governor to set up and supervise the Selective Service System within his State. As promptly as may be practicable, therefore, I should like to have the name of the individual you designate for appointment as State Executive for Selective Service. It is my thought that the State Executive would administer the operations within your State under your directions, but with the necessary assistance and supervision of the National Selective Service Administration. I appreciate also that your State has gone far in its planning for manpower procurement, and that your Adjutant General and State Staff are well organized to assist in carrying out the present requirements. I request you to carry out the registration within your State and to call upon your local election officials and other patriotic citizens, to serve on the Registration Boards and in all other ways to assist in making the registration full and complete. Enclosed is a copy of the Proclamation fixing Wednesday, October 16th, as the day for registration within the continental United States, and setting forth in a general way instructions for registration. I hope you will find it desirable to issue a similar proclamation urging the fullest cooperation within your State. It should be made abundantly clear to the public that the act of registration consists in effect of merely listing the names and addresses of registrants. After registration, the classification and selection of men will be handled by the Local Boards. It is all-important that the Local Boards be composed of men in whom the community has the greatest confidence. Membership on a Local Board should be considered a position of honor and trust. I feel certain that many thousands of our most able and patriotic citizens will offer their services for this duty. I ask that you recommend to me with the greatest expedition the names of citizens whose loyalty, integrity and fairmindedness, are beyond question, for members of the Local Boards and Boards of Appeal, and for the offices of Government Appeal Agents and Examining Physicians. I ask that you yourself appoint the Advisory Boards for Registrants and the Medical Advisory Boards. Since so many of our young men will be asked to devote a year of their lives to the service of their country, I feel certain that others of our citizens will wish to make their contribution to the national defense by devoting a part of their time to these various duties. It is not contemplated that compensation be paid, except for the necessary clerical assistance. I suggest you make the fullest use of all State and local officers and employees. I believe you will find your State employment service and the public welfare agencies particularly helpful to the Local Boards. The Congress has made its historic decision after careful consideration and full debate. The procurement and training of our manpower, under proper administration, fairly and without fear or favor, is undoubtedly the most important single factor in our entire program of national defense. I ask your every help." In fine condition. Although Roosevelt had promised neutrality in the war in Europe, he here asks that each governor set up and administer a selective service system in their state. Enacted on September 16, 1940, the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke-Wadsworth Act, was the first peacetime conscription in the history of the United States, requiring men between 21 and 36 years old to register with local draft boards.

Estim. 2 000 - 3 000 USD

Lot 47 - Franklin D. Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed as President, Declining a Congressman's Request to Enlist - World War II-dated TLS as president, one page, 7 x 9, White House letterhead, February 10, 1944. Letter to Rhode Island Congressman John E. Fogarty, in full: “The Secretaries of War and Navy have been instructed that duly elected Members of Congress, as such, may not serve in the active components of the armed services. Your desire to serve your country under arms is understandable and appreciated and does you honor. However, I am advised by the Attorney General that the Constitution of the United States forbids you from serving both in the armed forces and in the Congress at the same time. Aside from the Constitutional barrier, there is also the problem of evaluation of service to the Nation. One of the greatest strengths of our democracy in the time of crisis is a strong, virile Congress to meet the problems arising from the demands of total war. It is my hope that members of the Congress will recognize the importance of remaining in their legislative posts at this crucial time.” In fine condition, with a light paperclip impression to the top edge. Accompanied by the original White House mailing envelope. John E. Fogarty (1913-1967) was a Democratic Congressman from Rhode Island from 1941 to 1967. Fogarty, only 30 years old when Roosevelt penned this reply, served on the House Naval Affairs Sub-Committee from 1941 to 1947. The job frequently took him to the Pacific and European theaters and influenced his desire to join active service. From December 1944 to February 1945, he traveled and worked with a Seabee battalion in the Pacific Theater as a member of the Naval Affairs Committee. He was so moved by the experience that he spent the remainder of his career advocating for service members and veterans.

Estim. 2 000 - 4 000 USD

Lot 48 - Franklin D. Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed as President on WWI Veterans: "I have never had any doubt as to the sturdy patriotism of those who have served in former wars" - TLS as president, one page, 8 x 10.5, White House letterhead, August 16, 1941. Letter to "Colonel W. Don Jones, Commander, State of Illinois, Disabled American Veterans of the World War," in part: "I have your letter of August 4, 1941, offering to organize two regiments of veterans with service connected disabilities who will be ready and willing to serve in the Quartermaster Corps. The patriotic motive prompting you as Commander, State of Illinois, Disabled American Veterans of the World War, to tender this offer is appreciated. I have never had any doubt as to the sturdy patriotism of those who have served in former wars, and who, from experience, know the costs of lack of preparedness, not only in public treasure but in human lives. Plans now crystallizing will afford every veteran in the land an opportunity to do his part, whether in the active service of the Army or Navy, or in connection with the civil defense of his community and state. A national plan for civilian cooperation has been adopted, and I have appointed the Honorable Fiorello LaGuardia as Director of Civilian Defense. It would seem, in view of the fact that the World War group has attained an age which makes it unavailable to the Army, at this time, that your organization should proffer its services for civil defense measures now being established in the State of Illinois. I understand that Mr. Carter Jenkins, Suite 2100, 120 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, has been charged by the Governor of Illinois to set up civil defense measures in your state, and I would urge that you confer with him respecting your desires to be of assistance." In fine condition.

Estim. 1 000 - 1 500 USD

Lot 51 - John F. Kennedy Typed Letter Signed on Memorial for a WWII Airman Killed While in Active Service with the Royal Air Force on September 8, 1939 - TLS signed “Jack Kennedy,” one page, 8 x 10.5, blindstamped American Embassy letterhead, September 19, 1939. Letter to Charles R. Nasmith, American Consul at Edinburgh, pertaining to a wreath sent for the memorial of Peter George Alexander St. Clair-Erskine, who had been killed while in active service with the Royal Air Force on September 8, 1939, one week after German forces invaded Poland, an event that triggered the start of World War II. In full: "I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of September 18. I am enclosing a check for 25/- in payment for the flowers sent to Rosslyn Chapel. Again I wish to thank you for your kind co-operation in this matter." The deceased airman was the brother of John F. Kennedy's friend Anthony St Clair-Erskine, 6th Earl of Rosslyn. In very good to fine condition, with light creasing, and staple holes and a small stain to the upper left corner. Accompanied by a TLS by Edward E. Moore, private secretary to JFK's father, enclosing a check from the ambassador as a reimbursement for the flowers; a carbon copy of a letter from Nasmith to Moore, returning the check as JFK had already paid for them; and a carbon copy of a letter from Nasmith to Margaret Whyte, thanking her for delivering the flowers. Two weeks earlier, on September 3, 1939, the same day that Britain and France declared war on Germany following its invasion of Poland, the passenger liner SS Athenia became the first UK ship to be sunk by German forces in World War II. Among the Athenia’s 1,103 passengers, 311 were U.S. citizens, and those that were rescued were safely transported to Glasgow. Unable to leave London, Ambassador Kennedy sent his 22-year-old son and personal secretary John F. Kennedy to visit the American survivors on his behalf. The event was a pivotal one for Kennedy, who by October had returned to Harvard after his six-month European sabbatical with a reshaped political mindset. He had, initially, like his father, considered the prospect of war remote, but the sinking of the Athenia and the concurrent war declaration pressed upon Kennedy greatly. After the fall of Poland, JFK wrote an editorial for the Harvard University newspaper entitled Peace in Our Time, and then began work on his honors thesis, which discussed the British appeasement that led to war; the final product would be published as a book in 1940, under the title Why England Slept. Unique, early, and poignant correspondence from a young JFK.

Estim. 2 500 - 3 500 USD

Lot 60 - President Chester A. Arthur Proclaims the Geneva Convention of 1864 - Significant partly-printed DS as president, one page, 8 x 10, July 27, 1882. President Arthur directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to “my Proclamation of the Geneva Convention of August 22, 1864, for the relief of the wounded in battle.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by Chester A. Arthur. In fine condition. Following the Red Cross-founding Geneva International Conference of 1863, the first treaty of the subsequent Geneva Conventions was ratified by 12 nations on August 22, 1864. The treaty, which declared medical personnel neutral and that sick and wounded soldiers would be cared for regardless of nationality, also established the symbol of the red cross on a white background, a sign used by medical personnel to indicate neutrality in war zones. The United States was not a party to the Geneva Convention in 1864, as the nation was still embroiled in the Civil War. Famed nurse Clara Barton, who founded the American chapter of the Red Cross in 1881, met with three presidents to advocate American support and ratification of the Geneva Treaty: Rutherford B. Hayes, who expressed concern about allying with European nations; James A. Garfield, who supported ratification but was assassinated before he could endorse the treaty; and Chester A. Arthur, who signed the treaty on March 1, 1882, with the Senate ratifying the Geneva Convention two weeks later. The Convention of 1864 was revised and replaced by the Geneva Conventions of 1906, 1929, and 1949. The Geneva Conventions have been ratified by nearly every country in the world—194 states in total—and any nation that violates these mandates can be held accountable for charges of war crimes. A most important document from the administration of Chester A. Arthur.

Estim. 600 - 800 USD

Lot 73 - Grover Cleveland Document Signed as President - Prohibiting the Emigration of Chinese Laborers to the United States - Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 8 x 10, December 8, 1894. President Cleveland directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to “my proclamation of the Convention between the United States and China concerning the subject of emigration between the two countries, concluded at Washington, March 17, 1894.” Signed neatly at the conclusion by Grover Cleveland. In fine condition. The first article of the referenced ‘Convention-China’ proclamation reads: ‘The High Contracting Parties agree that for a period of ten years, beginning with the date of the exchange of the ratifications of this Convention, the coming, except under the conditions hereinafter specified, of Chinese laborers to the United States shall be absolutely prohibited.’ This document relates to the Gresham-Yang Treaty signed between the United States of America and the Qing dynasty in 1894, in which the Qing dynasty consented to measures put in place by the United States prohibiting Chinese immigration in exchange for the readmission of previous Chinese residents, thus agreeing to the enforcement of the Geary Act. This was the first time the United States government barred an entire ethnic group from entering the mainland United States of America. The treaty lasted until 1904 when the Qing Dynasty government exercised its right to unilaterally withdraw.

Estim. 800 - 1 200 USD

Lot 89 - U. S. Grant: Report on the Armies of the United States, 1864-1865, in Supplement to the Boston Journal from December 7, 1865 - Supplement to The Boston Journal from December 7, 1865, two pages, 20.5 x 27, featuring the "Report of Lieutenant General U. S. Grant of the Armies of the United States, 1864-1865." The report begins: "From an early period in the rebellion I had been impressed with the idea that active and continuous operations of all the troops that could be brought into the field, regardless of season and weather, were necessary to a speedy termination of the war. The resources of the enemy and his numerical strength were far inferior to ours; but as an offset to this, we had a vast territory, with a population hostile to the government, to garrison, and long lines of river and railroad communications to protect, to enable us to supply the operating armies. The armies in the East and West acted independently and without concert, like a balky team, no two ever pulling together, enabling the enemy to use to great advantage his interior lines of communication for transporting troops from East to West, reinforcing the army most vigorously pressed, and to furlough large numbers, during seasons of inactivity on our part, to go to their homes and do the work of producing, for the support of their armies. It was a question whether our numerical strength and resources were not more than balanced by these disadvantages and the enemy's superior position. From the first, I was firm in the conviction that no peace could be had that would be stable and conducive to the happiness of the people, both North and South, until the military power of the rebellion was entirely broken." In fine condition, with some fraying to edges and a contemporary pencil notation to the top margin.

Estim. 200 - 400 USD

Lot 97 - Herbert Hoover Typed Letter Signed - TLS, one page, 8 x 10.5, Department of Commerce (Office of the Secretary) letterhead, May 29, 1922. Letter to Edward W. Bok of The Academy of Music in Philadelphia, offering advice at the very early planning stages of the 1926 Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, in full: “I would suggest that you should have a discussion with Mr. Moore before you decide on taking on any formal staff for the operation of the exposition. I have a very high opinion of Mr. Connick but it does seem to me that any man who is to be the president will want to have a voice in who is to be director of works. For the actual construction of the exposition on plans that are determined by other people I have no doubt that Mr. Connick is probably the best bet in the United States, but it seems to me to be putting the cart before the horse in choosing subordinates before you have arrived at your principal. The same would apply to Colonel Woods, of whom I have the highest possible opinion.” In fine condition, with some light creasing and a light paperclip impression. The Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition was first proposed by John Wannamaker (1838-1922), who previously sat on the Finance Committee for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, and thought it appropriate to celebrate the birth of the nation with an industrial and commercial fair. The Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association (SCEA) was incorporated in 1921 but languished amid a power struggle between Philadelphia Mayor J. Hampton Moore (1864-1950) and editor Edward Bok, the son-in-law of Philadelphia publishing giant Cyrus H. K. Curtis (1850-1933). Moore and the Chamber of Commerce favored a fair that emphasized commerce and industry, while Bok championed a vision promoting progress in arts and sciences. Bok upped the ante in 1922 by offering to personally finance an annual salary of $50,000 for a Director General of the exhibition. He offered the position to Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, who declined but continued to engage Bok with advice, opinions, and options as is evident from this letter. Harris de Haven Connick, a vice president of the American International Corporation in New York, was Director of Works of the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Colonel Arthur H. Woods served as an assistant to the US Secretary of War, New York City Police Commissioner, and chairman of committees in the Harding and Hoover presidential administrations.

Estim. 200 - 400 USD
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