Auction Date:2011 Aug 10 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
War-dated manuscript DS, signed “R E Lee, Genl,” one page both sides, 7.75 x 11.75, May 7, 1863. Headed at the top, “Hd Qrs Army, N. Va,” and “General Orders No. 59.” In full: “With heartfelt gratification the General Commanding expresses to the army his sense of the heroic conduct displayed by officers and men during the arduous operations in which they have just been engaged. Under trying vicissitudes of heat and storm you attacked the enemy, strongly intrenched in the depths of a tangled wilderness, and again on the hills of Fredericksburg, fifteen miles distant, and, by the valor that has triumphed on so many fields, forced him once more to seek safety beyond the Rappahannock. While this glorious victory entitles you to the praise and gratitude of the nation, we are especially called upon to return our grateful thanks to the only giver of victory for the signal deliverance He has wrought. It is, therefore, earnestly recommended that the troops unite on Sunday next in ascribing to the Lord of Hosts the glory due unto His name.
Let us not forget in our rejoicing the brave soldiers who have fallen in defense of their country; and while we mourn their loss let us resolve to emulate their noble example. The army and the country alike lament the absence for a time of one to whose bravery, energy, and skill they are so much indebted for success. The following letter from the President of the Confederate States is communicated to the army as an expression of his appreciation of its Success: 'I have received your dispatch, and reverently unite with you in giving praise to God for the success with which He has crowned our arms. In the name of the people I offer my cordial thanks to yourself and the troops under your command for this addition to the unprecedented series of great victories which your army has achieved. The universal rejoicing produced by this happy result, will be mingled with as general regret for the good and brave who are numbered among the killed and the wounded.”
Some museum quality restoration has been done to the document, including imperceptible darkening to front text only, leaving part of the front text somewhat feathered in appearance, with text on reverse and signature unaffected. Intersecting folds, one through a single letter of signature, toning from previous display, heavier at edges, scattered foxing, and some professional restoration to edges, otherwise very good condition.
In this historic General Orders No. 59, issued just one day after the Confederate Army's "glorious victory" at the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville, General Lee congratulates his soldiers for their "heroic conduct.” As the Confederacy awarded no medals—believing all of the soldiers were heroes and it would be wrong to single anyone out—the highest honor was to be mentioned in a generals order from Lee. The avoidance extended even to his most trusted comrade—Stonewall Jackson—who was gravely wounded by friendly fire in the fight. Lee merely laments "the absence for a time of one to whose bravery, energy, and skill they are so much indebted for success.” At the time, Jackson hovered between life and death before eventually succumbing to his wounds.
The order also boastfully quotes a “letter from the President of the Confederate States [Jefferson Davis]…as an expression of his appreciation of its Success.” Most astonishing about this scarce artifact is the second paragraph, as the general has added in his own hand four words: "again" and "fifteen miles distant." Since these changes are present in the version printed in Harpers Weekly on May 23, 1863, this is Lee's final draft of his general orders. General Orders No. 59 rarely comes to market, let alone one with annotations by Lee himself!
Auction Location:
5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
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