Civilian Flag-of-Truce Cover from Cuba to S.C., Aichel Correspondence. Folded letter from a German immigrant, Oskar Aichel, to his wife at home in Anderson C.H., South Carolina, datelined "Havana 12 Jan., 1864", letter was enclosed in an outer envelope (discarded at the exchange point), carried by steamer to New York City and from there to the exchange point through Old Point Comfort to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, censored by Union authorities and marked "Exd.", entered C.S.A. mails with "Richmond Va. Feb. 1" circular datestamp and "Due 10" straightline handstamp struck with the "0" off top of cover, some splitting along folds

VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE FLAG-OF-TRUCE COVER FROM CUBA TO SOUTH CAROLINA VIA NEW YORK CITY, FORTRESS MONROE AND RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

This letter from Oskar Aichel follows earlier letters known from his correspondence (see Siegel Sale 988, lot 164). Oskar describes how he is "well pleased with Havana...exceedingly healthy...making good progress in establishing my name, indeed much more than I, at first could expect." He goes on to state that he has eight pupils, four of which cover his expenses (possibly as an art teacher). This contrasts sharply with a letter he wrote the previous December, in which he describes the difficulty of finding work at reasonable wages and characterizes locals as "those mis-trusting vicious creoles."

Letters originating outside the continental United States and carried into the Confederacy under the flag of truce are extremely rare -- far rarer, in fact, than blockade-run covers into Confederate ports.

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