Auction Date:2009 Jun 24 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Location:6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
partially printed 5 x 8" lettersheet 3pp, addressed in inked manuscript Fort Concho Texas March 31, 1881 to General Thomas H. Ruger, Helena, Montana, and signed Anson Mills as Major, 10th Cavalry. Mills, as commander of forces at the Battle of Slim Buttes on September 8, 1876, had been criticized by reporter Reuben Davenport that October 6 in New York Herald for his actions. Mills reprints a letter of retraction from Davenport setting the record straight. Davenport (1852-1932) accompanied Crook into the Black Hills and was eye-witness to both the "Horse Meat March" and the Battle of Slim Buttes. Throughout the campaign he accused Crook of incompetence, and at Slim Buttes corrected the number of casualties taken by the Army.
In his letter of retraction, Davenport notes that ... both you and I were the victims of malicious mendacity....Yet if I am rightly informed, this man is still employed in the Department of the Platte as a scout and guide. He is a coward and liar. I wish to inform you of my sincere regret and mortifying self-reproach.... Signed in type by Davenport, and then just to make certain that the reader would know that Mills was not the writer, signed in ink by Robert J. Sauther, 1st Lieut Adj. of the 10th Cavalry under a typescript line verifying that the copy was in his hands.
In the months after the Battle of the Little Big Horn, George Crook and Alfred Terry spent the summer chasing the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne in an attempt to exact revenge. As the summer turned to fall, the column left their supply train and moved into the Black Hills, hoping to move more swiftly. Weather conditions and lack of supplies took their toll, and the column soon found itself nearing starvation and resorted to eating their horses and mules. Mills and a column of troops were dispatched to Deadwood to bring back supplies.
On September 8, Mills and his troopers stumbled onto the village of American Horse, and attacked it on the following morning. Crooks main column arrived shortly thereafter. Nearby Sioux and Cheyenne came to American Horse's aid, but were driven back by superior forces. In the aftermath, Crook and his forces recovered the guidon of the 7th cavalry lost at the Big Horn, along with Miles Keogh's bloody gauntlets and other government property.
A remarkable Indian Wars imprint, together with the original transmittal envelope.
Descended directly in the family of General Thomas H. Ruger
Condition:
Auction Location:
6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
Previewing Details:
Tuesday, June 23, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, June 24 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| Ohio |
5.5% |
Ohio State Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
17.5% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Cowan's is happy to provide a shipping estimate in advance of the auction. We have partnered with an outside shipper - Wrap-It Postal. Their services to our respected customers are based inside the Cowans facility.Please contact Wrap-It Postal by email at shipping@cowans.com, or call 513.871.1670 (ext.19). You can also submit a request for an online quote . All shipping and packing costs will be charged separately by Wrap-It Postal to your credit card on file.
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Buyers who are present at the auction must pay the full purchase price at the time of the sale. Buyers who bid by telephone or who are absentee bidders will be invoiced within 5 days after the close of the auction and must pay the full purchase price for each purchased lot within 14 days after the date of the auction. By signing the absentee bid form or placing an absentee bid by telephone, an absentee bidder authorizes Cowan's to charge the purchase price (hammer price, plus buyer's premium) for each lot for which such bidder is the successful bidder to the credit card number provided by telephone or on the absentee bid form, unless payment in full or alternative payment instruction is received within 14 days after the date of the auction. No property will be released by Cowan's unless the purchase price has been paid in full.
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Cowan's is happy to provide a shipping estimate in advance of the auction. We have partnered with an outside shipper - Wrap-It Postal. Their services to our respected customers are based inside the Cowans facility.Please contact Wrap-It Postal by email at shipping@cowans.com, or call 513.871.1670 (ext.19). You can also submit a request for an online quote . All shipping and packing costs will be charged separately by Wrap-It Postal to your credit card on file.
Cowan's is in no way responsible for the acts or omissions of independent handlers, packers or shippers of purchased items or for any loss, damage or delay from the packing or shipping of any property.
ADVICE TO INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: Cowan's will not ship any package containing a firearm to any location other than within the United States. Buyers outside the United States must make their own shipping arrangements taking full risk for the transportation of any firearm.
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Buyers are required to pay for all packing, shipping and insurance charges. Overseas duty charges are the responsibility of the successful bidder. Be aware that for larger and/or valuable items, shipping charges can be substantial.
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