Jefferson Davis, CDV and Autograph Letter Signed, Plus Telegram Regarding Davis' Arrival in Charleston, 1863

Lot 105

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American History

By Cowan's Auctions

Jun 10, 2016 - Jun 11, 2016

Set Reminder 2016-06-10 10:00:00 2016-06-11 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American History https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-history-1497 Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

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Lot Description

Jefferson Davis, CDV and Autograph Letter Signed, Plus Telegram Regarding Davis' Arrival in Charleston, 1863

Lot of 3, including CDV of Jefferson Davis shortly after his release from Fortress Monroe, 1867. By Anderson & Co., Richmond, VA, this is thought to be the first image taken after his imprisonment. Housed in framing envelope.

Jefferson Davis ALS, 1p, 6 x 9.5 in. On letterhead of Payne, Kennedy & Co., Cotton Factors, Nos. 64 & 66 Baronne St., New Orleans, dated Feb. 22, 187_. To Col. Owen, Presidnt. (William Miller Owen, Lt. Commander, Washington Artillery) Signed Jefferson Davis. He writes: Will be happy to view the grand old La. Arty. on the march, and will be on the portico of the St. Charles Hotel at any hour you may kindly indicate.

After the fall of the Confederacy, it seems that Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was not very outgoing for about a decade. It could possibly have been the result of the damage to his health suffered during his imprisonment at Fortress Monroe. But here, he agrees to review the troops in New Orleans. Jacob Payne, of the company on the letterhead, was a long-time friend, and helped with the sale of cotton from Brierfield plantation.

Third item is a manuscript message on Southern Telegraph Companies form, 4 x 7.5 in. Telegraph from Charleston, Nov. 1, 1863, to Gov. M[illedge]. L[uke]. Bonham (SC). Genl Beauregard has just gone up to the Depot to meet the President - His stay here and route from hence are still unknown. Signed Wilmot G. DeSausser, A.D.C. [DeSaussure] (1822-1886, Brigadier General with SC militia). Davis received an artillery salute on his arrival. It was the first time he had been to Charleston since 1851.

Bessie E. Johnston Gresham Collection of Confederate Manuscripts, Photographs, & Relics

Lots 89-115

Bessie E. Johnston Gresham was born in Baltimore, MD in 1848 in a home sympathetic to the Southern cause. Union forces imprisoned one of her brothers for aiding the South, and her brother Elliott was a Confederate officer who lost a leg at the battle of Antietam. She became an ardent and unreconstructed Confederate, and, in 1887, she married Thomas Baxter Gresham, a Confederate veteran from Macon, GA. She was actively involved in the Baltimore chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and amassed a notable collection of Confederate manuscripts, photographs, and relics at the Gresham home at 815 Park Avenue in Baltimore. Most of her items were left to the Museum of the Confederacy, the Maryland Historical Society, and other institutions. This important collection of Johnston-Gresham family and Confederate-related material, was passed down through Bessie Johnston Gresham’s step-son, Leroy Gresham, before it was acquired by the consignor.

The collection features over 50 CDVs accumulated by Bessie and Thomas Gresham, offered as Lots 89-100. Some are wardate, and others were apparently acquired in Baltimore soon after the war's end. Some CDVs include patriotic inscriptions and quotations written by Bessie on reverse, which showcase her deep feeling of love and devotion to the Southern Cause.

In a June 1862 letter delivered through the Union blockade, Elliott Johnston, serving as aide-de-camp to CSA General Richard B. Garnett, mentioned collecting photos of CSA generals for his then 14-year-old sister Bessie.

In a 1926 issue of Confederate Veteran magazine, a memorial essay described Bessie's girlhood during the war:

"One of her brothers, who was on General Ewell’s staff, suffered the loss of a leg at the battle of Sharpsburg; her two other brothers were active Southern sympathizers and were under constant surveillance by Federal authorities for giving all possible aid to the Confederacy; her home was a center from which radiated help. “

"Reared in this atmosphere of deep love for our ‘cause,’ she became an ardent and unreconstructed Confederate. "

During her girlhood, Bessie was acquainted with many Southern generals and received from them letters, photographs, and autographs, as well as a number of gifts.

Provenance: Property of Another Consignor

Condition

Small foxing and water stains on cdv. Folds as expected on ALS, with a few minor splits at lower end of folds. Letter also has light edge toning. Telegram with light toning. Docketing on verso beginning to show through. Several areas of ink "burn."
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