Presumed Autograph Request Response Major General James S. Negley

  

Presumed Autograph Request Response - Major General James S. Offered for your consideration is a manuscript letter, apparently written as a response to an autograph request, boldly signed by a Civil War general and Pennsylvania politician. A poorly applied ink stamp appears at the upper left, indicating that this piece is written by Gen'l Jas. Negley, / 136 Liberty Street, / New York ", with the manuscript date of " June 23 1893 at the right. It is addressed "Dear Walter", and begins with a compliment and an apology.

Negley begins by stating that I esteem it an honor to comply with your neatly written and modest request. " (now missing, but presumably for an autograph or insight), followed by an apology indicating that " A long absence deprived me of the pleasure of making an immediate response. He continues by stating that Among the precious influences created by the Civil War will be the continuous emulation of the American Youth to imitate the examples of those who successfully defended their countries laws and preserved our National Unity. Apparently, Negley knew the recipient of the request, as he concludes this letter by requesting the recipient to Remember me most kindly to your worthy grandfather Honble S J R McMillan.

May you like him enjoy the confidence of every true patriot. It is signed at the conclusion Yours very truly / Jas S. Negley ", and addressed " To / Master Walter B Beals / St Paul / Minn. As noted earlier, the original request (for which this is the response) is missing, so the exact circumstances for its writing are not known. It is interesting to read Negley's feelings regarding the sentiments of the American youth to the soldiers who fought in the Civil War is similar to those expressed by many who served in the Second World War.

Sadly, with time, we have a tendency to forget the trials through which those who face the ordeal of battle have passed. A great letter to frame with a Civil War portrait of Negley. Was born on December 22, 1826 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh (known at the time as the Western University of Pennsylvania) in 1846. During the Mexican-American War, he served as a private in Company K, 1. Pennsylvania Volunteers, after which he became interested in horticulture.

He remained active in the local militia, rising to the rank of brigadier general of the 18. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Negley was put in charge of organizing and equipping the volunteers from the Pittsburgh area. That summer he served as a brigadier general of Pennsylvania volunteers under Major General Robert Patterson (also commanding Pennsylvania volunteers) in the Shenandoah Valley. On February 6, 1862, Negley was appointed a brigadier general of United States Volunteers, to rank from the preceding October 1. Transferred to the western theater, he served with Don Carlos Buell's army until the fall of 1862.

During the battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River), Negley commanded a division under General George H. Thomas, receiving a promotion to major general for his service. He performed well during the Tullahoma Campaign in 1863, though his subsequent actions at the battle of Chickamauga were seriously called into question. His division was badly scattered during the second day of the battle, and it appears that Negley unable to be located when command decisions were needed. He was relieved of command, though he was subsequently cleared by a board of inquiry of the charges of cowardice and desertion of his command (Negley blamed his troubles on the prejudices of West Point officers to those who had not attended that prestigious institution).

Though there were discussions in 1864 about reinstating him to command, Negley was never to lead soldiers in the field again. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1868, serving from 1869 through 1875, and again from 1885 through 1887. During the Pittsburgh Railway Riots of 1877, Negley served as the commander of the local militia organized to maintain order. James Scott Negley died on August 7, 1901 in Plainfield, New Jersey, and was buried in the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The presently offered letter exhibits signs of expected period use, followed by 100+ years of subsequent storage. Minor toning is noted across the entire surface, imparting to the paper a beige to light tan appearance. The edges are slightly darker, especially on the last page, principally due to the residue from different methods of mounting. Hard folds are present, both horizontal and vertical, though due to the thickness of the paper, these have not any serious separations of the stock.

The contrast is reasonably sharp and bold, though some letters seem to have faded (these are randomly scattered throughout the piece, and may be partially the result of differing amounts of ink). It is interesting to note that Negley unfolded the paper and rotated the text 90° after writing the first page. This change in direction allowed for a larger writing surface, and an impressive signature at the conclusion (approximately 5½ inches long). Due to the large size of this signature, it is affected by folds in both directions.

Minor ink corrosion is noted in scattered areas, though this has not caused any paper loss at this time. As noted earlier, the blank back page exhibits two types of residue from earlier mounting, though neither of these has seriously affected the text.

Minor edge nicks are noted for accuracy. Measuring approximately 5 x 8? Inches when folded (first page) and 8? X 10 inches when laid flat (remainder of letter), this piece would make a great addition to any Civil War officers autograph collection, especially with the controversy surrounding his military career. If you have any questions regarding this item, please ask before purchasing.

He has contributed to numerous reference books within the industry, as well as being a co-author of The Comprehensive Catalog and History of Confederate Bonds, 2. He is an authorized submitter to NGC, PCGS, and PMG, a diamond founding member of Coin Dealers Helping Coin Dealers and a supporter of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets.

American Coins and Collectibles can be found at many of the state and local coin shows. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Militaria\Civil War (1861-65)\Original Period Items\Documents". The seller is "coin4u" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States.

• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Theme: Militaria
• Original/Reproduction: Original
• Conflict: Civil War (1861-65)