LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June Civil War Grand Format Auction #663  / 

72205

General William Mahone: A Collection of Mahone

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
General William Mahone: A Collection of Mahone
<B>General William Mahone: A Collection of Mahone Three Slave Documents - “A Little Pet"</B></I> Confederate General William Mahone is known to have owned slaves before and during the war. Although he was renowned for his fair treatment and advocacy of emancipation after the war, evidence of Confederate General actual ownership of slaves is very rare. Two of these documents here are receipts for slaves Mahone purchased. The first document is a receipt of $1,450 for a “negro woman Tamar and her three children James, Mary and Jinny…” from the executor of the estate of George Upshur. Dated December 23, 1850, the document measures approximately 8” x 10” and is in very good condition with fold marks on the reverse.<BR><BR>The second receipt is for $925 received from William Mahone for the purchase of a “negro slave” named “Celey”. Handwritten into the printed receipt are Mahone's name and the signatures of Samuel Gregory and William Hall. Dated March 24, 1857 at Norfolk, Virginia the 8” x 4 ¼” document is in very good condition with fold marks and light foxing on the reverse. The printer's name of “William C. Shields” appears at the bottom of the obverse.<BR><BR>The last document is the most moving and controversial, handwritten on blue paper and measures 7 5/8” x 4 7/8” and is a deed of gift of a slave named Dickie, “son of Caroline” from Robert Butler to his daughter Otelia Butler, the future wife of General William Mahone. Butler refers to Dickie as Mrs. Mahone's “little pet”. Dated August 1, 1837, the paper is in excellent condition with strong, dark ink. There are paper folds to the reverse with slight foxing at the folds.<BR><BR>These documents are unique artifacts of slave ownership by one of the Civil War's most prominent generals.<BR><BR><B>Provenance</B></I>: The Tharpe Collection of Military History<BR><B>Exhibited:</B></I> <I>The Liberty Heritage Society Museum</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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