Memphis Tenn., 2c Blue (56X1). Large margins to just touched, portion of adjoining stamp at top, tied by "Memphis Ten." circular datestamp on buff drop-rate cover locally addressed to Letitia Austin, manuscript "1", right edge repaired where reduced slightly into corner of stamp, paper added at cover edge to improve appearance, stamp also creased

FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE AND DESIRABLE 2-CENT MEMPHIS PROVISIONAL USE ON COVER. ONLY ELEVEN COVERS ARE KNOWN TO US.

Matthew Campbell Gallaway (1820-1898), a colorful newspaper editor and aide-de-camp to General Nathan Bedford Forrest, was the Memphis Confederate postmaster who issued adhesive stamps and press-printed envelopes until Memphis fell to Federal forces in June 1862. Gallaway was often referred to as "Colonel," but military records show that he was paroled on May 10, 1865, as a 1st Lieutenant and Acting A.D.C. on General Forrest's staff (www.fold3.com). In August 1866 Gallaway, after resuming his position as editor of the Avalanche, was shot through the hand in a murder attempt by a United States tax collector named G. W. Wood (New York Times, Aug. 26, 1866). Gallaway survived and continued working as a newspaper editor until his retirement in 1887. He lived another decade, almost long enough to experience the arrival of the 20th century.

We have attempted to verify and locate images for each of the Memphis 2c provisional covers listed in the census by Billy Matz (Confederate Philatelist, Mar. 1967) and the Hart survey in the Crown book. We have located images for 11 of the 13 covers listed. Two of the covers are addressed to James Street Esq. in Memphis and apparently have never been publicly offered (they were shown to us by the owner). One of the Street covers has an illegible datestamp, and the stamp on the other is tied by the target cancel. We assume that the dates in the Matz census (Aug. 2 and Oct. 7, 1861) were taken from the letters in these two covers, because we cannot find any other covers addressed to James Street. The two covers which we have been unable to verify with photographs are: "November 10, 1861; to Rev. Thomas Taylor, Newcastle, Tenn." -- this entry is apparently based on the Charles J. Phillips census, which identifies the cover as coming from the Manning collection, but a cover addressed to another post office would require 5c unless it was a circular rate. We would like to see a photograph of this cover. (From the Frank Hart survey): "H. C. Crane has Hon. J. G. Ham, Gov. of Tennessee, Nashville, Tenn." -- again, it seems odd that this cover is addressed to another post office. We would like to see a photograph of this cover.

Ex Matz, Rudy and Dr. Brandon.

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