E. W. Black's Trans-Mississippi Express. Ms. "Paid $1.00" with matching endorsement "Soldier's Letter, Alex E. Spence Capt., Co. `B' 1st Ark. Regt., Cleburne's Division, Army of Tenn." on homemade cover to Arkadelphia Ark., "Washington Ark. Oct. 12" circular datestamp and "10" due handstamp, letter which no longer accompanies was datelined "Camp 1st Ark. Regiment on the Atlanta & West Point R. Road near Palmetto Geo, Sep. 25th 1864", and begins "I have just learned of an opportunity of sending letters to Arks..."

VERY FINE. ONLY FOUR COVERS ARE KNOWN THAT WERE CARRIED BY ONE OF THE ARKANSAS EXPRESS OPERATIONS ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Elias W. Black was a soldier in the 4th Arkansas Regiment who was discharged for disability in June 1862. He operated an express between Arkansas and McNair's Arkansas Brigade of the Army of Tennessee. He charged $1.00 on letters to Arkansas, but return letters were apparently free. He carried his westbound letters to Washington, Arkansas, where he sent them onward in the Confederate mails. Return letters to the Brigade were sent under cover to his attention at Hampton, Arkansas (see Stefan T. Jaronski, "Another Private Trans-Mississippi Express Service Uncovered", Confederate Philatelist, No. 241). Certain covers from the Spence correspondence previously thought to have been carried by E. W. Black are now attributed to Barksdale's Express (see Sale 988, lot 282).

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