Edward Bates. U.S. Representative from Missouri, U.S. Attorney General under Lincoln, "Edwd. Bates" signature on "Attorney General's Office" semi-official imprint cover, "Washington D.C. Jun. 30, 1862" double-circle datestamp and addressed to Chillicothe Wis., accompanied by a June 30, 1862 signed letter from Bates responding to a request to intervene on behalf of a prisoner-of-war at Fort Delaware, which Bates politely declines to do (see website PDF for contents), cover with some minor edge toning at left and a small toned spot in imprint, missing backflap, still Very Fine and fascinating content, ex Brugh and Graham

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Henry Ward Beecher. Clergyman, social reformer and abolitionist, "H. W. Beecher" signature at top of cover front only to Abraham Lincoln, "A. Foote" docketing at bottom (possibly Admiral Andrew H. Foote), Very Fine

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John Brown. Abolitionist, incited the slave rebellion at Harper's Ferry Va. which was one of the sparks of the Civil War, buff cover addressed to "John Brown, Charlston Prison, Va.", bearing 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26) tied by "Philadelphia Pa. Nov. 30, 1859" octagonal datestamp, docketed at left "Spiritualist Nonsense", this does not appear to match examples of Brown's writing and is probably in the hand of a prison censor, small cover tear at top right, Very Fine, Brown was captured on October 18, 1859 and hanged on December 2, only two days after this was posted, ex Vogel

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George Armstrong Custer. U.S. General in the Civil War, Cavalry commander Indian Wars, killed at Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, addressee on cover franked with three G.B. 1p Red, tied by "659" in barred oval handstamps with "L Rugby JY 31 '70" circular datestamp, addressed to Custer as Commander of the 7th Cavalry near Fort Hays, Kansas, red London transit backstamp, minor nicks at left edge, Very Fine

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George Armstrong Custer. U.S. General in the Civil War, Cavalry commander Indian Wars, killed at Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, addressee on legal-size cover franked with pair 3c Rose (65), tied by grids and "Washington D.C. 17 Sep." circular datestamp with "Headquarters Armies of the United States, Official Business" imprint, addressed to Custer at Cleveland O., overall toning and small edge tears, otherwise Very Fine

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John C. Fremont. Explorer, U.S. Senator from California, first Republican nominee for president in 1856, Union General, "Free J.C. Fremont" at top of ca. 1850-51 cover to Washington D.C., "San Francisco Cal." circular datestamp with unclear date, Very Fine, sent when Fremont was a U.S. Senator

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John C. Fremont. Explorer, U.S. Senator from California, first Republican nominee for president in 1856, Union General, signature at bottom of letter datelined at Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 1888, to Mrs. Broderick in Coronado Cal., relating to a request for a book or writings, accompanying cover bearing 2c Green (213) tied by Los Angeles circular datestamp, opened roughly at right, the letter is Very Fine

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John C. Fremont. Explorer, U.S. Senator from California, first Republican nominee for president in 1856, Union General, addressee as Major General (Mountain Department) on Apr. 1, 1862 U.S. Military telegraph from Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, interesting message relating to appointment of Fremont's staff and the statement that a division has been detached from the Army of the Potomac and ordered to Harper's Ferry to reinforce him, also statement that General McClellan says there is a mountain battery somewhere in Fremont's department, small wax stains in corners, Very Fine and historic

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Winfield Scott Hancock. Union general, Democratic nominee for president in 1880, signatures on mourning-bordered cover and letter datelined at New York on Nov. 20, 1875, declining an invitation to a reunion of the 19th Mass. Volunteers, unusually clear and neat handwriting, cover with New York Nov. 25 circular datestamp and addressed to Boston, a stamp has been removed and some minor edgewear, the signature at top of the cover is Very Fine and the letter is overall Extremely Fine, nice pair from "Hancock the Superb", known for many exploits during the Civil War, but none greater than his leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863

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State of Tennessee, Executive Department. Imprint at top of cover addressed to Abraham Lincoln, "His Excellency the President of the United States", signed at bottom by Union General Charles Adam Heckman, June 1864 red pen docketing at left, minor edgewear, Very Fine

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John Hay. Private secretary to Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Secretary of State, "John Hay" signature on cover with "from the President of the United States" imprint, bold "Washington D.C. Sep. 27, 1863" circular datestamp and addressed to John Nicolay, Lincoln's first presidential private secretary, care of Gov. Evans, Colorado Territory, central wax stain and minor edgewear, otherwise Very Fine, a wonderful cover combining Hay and Nicolay, who were so integral to Lincoln's presidency, they co-wrote Abraham Lincoln: A History , which was published in ten volumes in 1890

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George B. McClellan. Union general, Commander Army of the Potomac, Democratic nominee for president against Lincoln in 1864, "Geo B McClellan Maj Genl." at top of cover addressed to Col. Charles Kingsbury, Chief of Ordnance Army of the Potomac, Very Fine, a nice field signature from the ever controversial McClellan

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George B. McClellan. Union general, Commander Army of the Potomac, Democratic nominee for president against Lincoln in 1864, "Geo B McClellan" signature at bottom of two-page letter dateline Mar. 27, 1877, to General John C. Robinson (Medal of Honor recipient) in Binghamton N.Y., original cover franked with 3c Green (158) tied by "Baltimore Md. Mar. 27, 1877" circular datestamp, docketing at left notes it is from Gen. McClellan, opened roughly at right, the letter is Very Fine

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James B. McPherson. Union general, killed at the Battle of Atlanta, "Jos. B. McPherson, Maj. Genl." signature on legal-size cover with "Head-Quarters Seventeenth Army Corps, Official Business" imprint to Brig. Gen. James M. Tuttle, Commanding 3rd Division, 15th Corps, Army of Tennessee, Very Fine, General McPherson was killed at the Battle of Atlanta while fighting against the army of his old West Point classmate, John Bell Hood, who paid a warm tribute to his character, he was the second-highest-ranking Union officer killed in action during the war

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Winfield Scott. Officer in the War of 1812, Army Commander in the Mexican War, General in Chief U.S. Army at the start of the Civil War, autograph on letter written in another hand datelined "Head Quarters of the Army, Washington, July 10, 1861", text contains a pass for William Schley, his family and his "fine colored servants (free)" from Baltimore to Oakland Md., also signed by the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army, Edward D. Townsend (assistant at this time), some minor toned spots and wrinkling, one back panel toned, still Very Fine and desirable Civil War letter signed by "Old Fuss and Feathers" Winfield Scott

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William Tecumseh Sherman. Union general, Commanding General U.S. Army, "W. T. Sherman General" signature at top of "Headquarters Army of the United States Official Business" imprint cover to General John Gibbon, Commanding Camp Douglas, Utah Territory, "Washington D.C. Free Feb. 10" circular datestamp, opened roughly at top with couple tears and piece out, the signature is Very Fine, Gibbon was also a Union general, several of his family members (three brothers, two brothers-in-law, and his cousin J. Johnston Pettigrew) served in the Confederate military

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James Speed. U.S. Attorney General under Lincoln, "James Speed" signature on Attorney General's Office imprint cover and letterhead datelined Jan. 5, 1865, concerning a trade permit, cover with corner wear, small tears, soiling and missing backflap, the letter is clear and Very Fine, prior to becoming Lincoln's Attorney General Speed worked to keep Kentucky in the Union and was commander of the Louisville Home Guard

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Civil War Correspondence of Lafayette Twitchell, 1864. Approximately 30 letters, some accompanied by covers, each written by Lafayette Twitchell to his wife Angie, in Elizabethtown N.J., letters are mostly datelined from Headquarters, 136th Illinois Infantry at Columbus Ky., also from Benton Barracks, St. Louis and Camp Butler, lots of interesting war content, the envelopes are mostly in rough condition but the letters are largely Very Fine, a fascinating correspondence, Lafayette Twitchell (1829-1908) was from Elizabethtown N.J., he first went west prospecting in the spring of 1849 to California, in 1859 he returned west to Colorado (see lot 147 for the Twitchell Gold Rush correspondence), during the Civil War he was a Union captain in the 136th Illinois Infantry, according to his biography, "He was in many of the military operations around Vicksburg, fought at Arkansas Post and Milligan's bend, and was engaged in doing guard and provost duty at Memphis. In November 1863...he raised Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Illinois infantry, for the one hundred days' service, and was made the captain of the company. He was discharged in October 1864.", (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Twitchell-513#Ancestors)

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Gideon Welles. Secretary of the Navy under Lincoln, "Gideon Welles" signature on Aug. 4, 1862 Navy Department letterhead to Henry K. Thatcher, Commanding U.S. Ship Constellation in the Mediterranean, informing him of his promotion to Commodore in the U.S. Navy, Very Fine, accompanied by an 1863 oversize Navy Dept. cover to Commodore Thatcher in Italy, this is not the cover that carried the promotion letter but still a nice companion to it, edgewear and tears, otherwise Fine, Thatcher became a U.S. Navy Admiral and commanded a division of Admiral Porter's Squadron at the two Battles of Fort Fisher in Dec. 1864 and Jan. 1865

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Union Military Mails, Balance of the David Bernstein Collection. Balance of the Bernstein collection in 20 thick binders plus one thin binder, more than 2,500 covers arranged in alphabetical order, each cover relates to a Union general or in some cases a lower ranking officer and also many government officials, most bear an address which includes the general's name but some are addressed or signed by the general or official himself, wonderful range of covers, frankings, uses and content, some with multiple names, some are post-war (or even pre-war), but many originate during the war, the most valuable items were removed and are offered as individual lots in this sale but what remains is an extraordinary assemblage of Civil War military history

VERY FINE. A MASSIVE AND IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF UNION MILITARY-RELATED MAILS.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire an A-Z collection of covers naming Union generals or other officials. We recommend reviewing our lengthy website PDF, which contains scans of all the pages.

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