|
Lew Wallace: Civil War General, Governor, Author, 1 pg letter signed, Baltimore, Dec 16, 1864, letterhead "Head Quarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps" stationary. To Hon. A J Criswell, M.C, "Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your communication of the 13th inst: in behalf of Mr. George A. Merrill. In reply I have the honor to inform you that Merrill was released from confinement on the 14th inst:, Very Respectfully, Your Obedient Servant, Lew Wallace, Major General Commanding. Signed and dated again on reverse. Excellent condition with slight folds, white and strong. Wallace's most notable Civil War service came in July 1864, at the Battle of Monocacy, part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864. Although the force under his command was defeated by Confederate General Jubal A. Early, he was able to delay Early's advance toward Washington DC to the point that the city defenses had time to organize and repel Early. General Grant's memoirs assessed Wallace's delaying tactics at Monocacy. If Early had been but one day earlier, he might have entered the capital before the arrival of the reinforcements I had sent. ... General Wallace contributed on this occasion by the defeat of the troops under him, a greater benefit to the cause than often falls to the lot of a commander of an equal force to render by means of a victory. Wallace participated in the military commission trial of the Lincoln conspirators as well as the court marshall of Henry Wirz, commandant of the Andersonville prison camp. Served as governor of New Mexico Territory from 1878 to 1881 and as governor, offered amnesty to many men involved in the Lincoln Country War including Billy the Kid: later withdrawn when the Kid returned to his outlaw ways. While serving as governor, Wallace completed the novel that made him famous: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880). It grew to be the best-selling American novel of the 19th century. The book has never been out of print and has been filmed four times. An excellent Civil War date letter on Middle Department stationary executed just months after saving Washington DC from confederate invasion.
Place a Bid!
|