CIVIL War Maryland Antietam Campaign General Order Dismissing 2 Awol Officers

  

An original Antietam Campaign General Order, issued at HQ Army of the Potomac, Knoxville, Maryland, Oct 24, 1862, charging Lt Maross Jenkins, 97th New York Volunteers & LT SC Horn, 4th Pennsylvania Reserves (33rd Pennsylvania Infantry) with leaving their units days before the Battle of Sharpsburg, and so absenting themselves from the battles of South Mountain & Antietam, and dismisses both from the service, by order of Major General McClellan. A scarce Knoxville, Maryland, Civil War General Order. 2pp ptd 8 x 5.

2 punch holes in left margin, age stains, overall VG. Comes w service info- Both officers were dishonorably discharged from the service the same day. The top of the front page denotes G. I got this 30 or so years ago as part of a group of Army of the Potomac General Orders from the family estate of an officer of the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry which served with distinction with the 12th Army Corps including the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. General & Special Orders were issued to communicate commands and information to the Army. Each order, issued in writing by a commander, was then printed for distribution to each unit, either at an army department headquarter or by commanders at local headquarters, sometimes in the field on portable printing presses. The orders were then issued to regiments, often to be read aloud to the troops. General Orders were printed as issued with date & location; at the end of a year the regimental adjutant might retain them loose or simply string bind them by punching holes and stringing on ¼" red cloth string tape (the source of the old expression "government red tape). Sometimes an officer or HQ clerk might take a group of orders to a local print shop or bookbinder and have an accumulation bound with leather or cloth covers.

Usually, American Military Orders of the 19. Century including Civil War era were printed on an 8 x 5 sheet of quality rag paper.

NOTE: Any repair to a paper item is listed. I use only museum curator approved archival repair tape. All items are unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic and in the condition as described.