LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 October Rare Books & Manuscripts #675  / 

30614

Winston Churchill Early Autograph Letter Signed.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:18,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
Winston Churchill Early Autograph Letter Signed.
<B>Winston Churchill Early Autograph Letter Signed</B></I>. One page, 5” x 8”, personal letterhead, October 3, 1899. This rare, early Churchill letter has exceptional content. Churchill was a 24-year-old war correspondent when he wrote this letter. Nine days after he mailed it to Colonel Rogers, he was in South Africa when the Second Boer War broke out between Britain and the Boer Republics. Churchill was captured and confined in a POW camp in Pretoria. Managing to escape, he was aided by a British mine manager during his 300-mile trek to Delagoa Bay; but, rather than returning home, he joined General Redvers Buller's army at the Siege of Ladysmith. Though he continued as a war correspondent, he was awarded a commission in the South African Light Horse Regiment, becoming one of the first British troops to ride into Ladysmith and Pretoria. Back in Britain, he was lauded as a hero. This letter to Rogers pertains to Churchill's forthcoming book <I>The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan</B></I>, based on his experiences in Egypt the previous year. He had served in the Sudan with the 21st Lancers commanded by General Herbert Kitchener, taking part in the British cavalry charge at the Battle of Omdurman. Churchill writes in full: “<I>My dear Colonel Rogers, I return you herewith the very valuable notes on the Transport and Supply Department of the Egyptian Army, which you were so kind as to write for me and of which I have made a great use. My book will be published at the end of this month-but I shall not see it as I am off to the Cape. Once more thanking you for your kindness. Believe me / Yours very sincerely / Winston S. Churchill”</B></I> Typical of the period, the letter is written on the front half of a folded-over sheet, the second page of which is mounted to a Kraft-paper-type backing (does not effect the autograph page). The letter is in very good condition with minor creases to the right corners, one vertical fold, some minor stains, and some fading in the ink, which has generally turned brown. <B>Comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA</B></I>.<BR><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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