Autographs of approx. 47 Confederate soldiers, including some from Mosby's Raiders, collected by Miss Marietta Miller of Virginia in a Leather bound album. The album has tooled gilt leather covers and is titled NATURE AND HER HARMONIES; published with blank pages for autographs, interspersed with 5 chromo-lithographed pages of prints, collectible in their own right, by Max Rosenthal: Great Cinereous Shrike/Painted Finch, Southern Mockingbird, Antelope Chase, Encampment of Indians, and Toilet of the Indian Girls. Inside cover is inscribed for original owner, Miss Marietta B. Miller's Book June 20th 1857. Album - 9" H x 7" W. Miss Miller is believed to have lived around Port Royal, Virginia. The album contains numerous autographs, poems and letters written by friends dated prior to the Civil War. Beginning around 1861, signatures of soldiers begin to appear. They include: Wm. Garland Smith Lt. Co. Mosby's Batt., G.F. Bowie, Julius Mason, Julian Mitchell Charleston SC, Harry M. R___, 9th Va. Cavalry, Lt. James L. Bowie, Wm. D. Macgill 1st MD Cavalry, Col. W.L. Peck, Comdg 9th Louisiana, Sgt. E.R. Tooke 9th Louisiana, P.E. Jones 9th Louisiana Rgt., W. P. Thompson Capt. 7th Louisiana, Sgt Coward 13th Virginia, Maj. Mahonies 3rd Regt. Alabama Infantry, Thomas Booker Mosby's Battalion, John Garrett Fredsburg Battery, S. Buttermore 31st Virginia, Sgt B.B. Ashby 13th Virginia, Major Hamilton Texas, and many more. Near the end of the album is a letter written by "An Alabamian" expressing "sincere feelings of thankfulness 'my soldiers' feel to the kind ladies of Va" for the "many acts of friendship extended to us who are far from loved ones at home." Note: This album descended in the family of CSA Capt. Walter Bowie of Port Royal Virginia, who later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and whose children donated land to the city of Fairview, TN establishing Bowie Nature Park. This Walter Bowie is NOT believed to be the spy Walter Bowie associated with Mosby's Raiders, although he was likely a distant relation. Capt. Walter Bowie married two women, both with the last name of Miller. Marietta Miller may have been his first wife (to whom he was married only briefly, and whose name was not found in our genealogy research), or a relation to his second wife, Eugenia Miller. (Higher-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com)
Condition
Binding of album is taped and has separated from pages, edge and corner wear to covers. Soldier signatures are in pencil and some are faded. Some pages have light stains and foxing.