Raynor HCA 2014-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/30/2014
Confederate officer's war-date letter penned by Assistant Adjutant Lt. George D. Wise and signed "F D Boggs / Maj & Chf Arty," one page with reply on verso, 4to, Clover depot, Virginia, March 31, 1865, to "Capt Oley, Comdg Arty, at Danville," reading, in part: "I was surprised to learn that the two 10 pr Parrots had been drawn by another party & mov'd so the hear that they had been placed in the fortifications. The armament for the fortifications & the disposition of the guns is under my control as Chf of Artillery…You will have the guns turned over to you & parked with the rest…" A testy response from Oley's superior at Danville, Colonel Robert E. Withers, is penned on the verso as follows: "The guns alluded to within were placed in position by my order, the Engineer having reported that he had orders to enclose the work in which they are mounted, & after commencing the work of enclosure it would be impracticable to mount them, until the work should be completed a period of two or three weeks. Had the guns not been put in position and any necessity should have risen to use them this most important of redoubts would have been entirely useless to the defence, no matter how great the emergency." A rare correspondence between irritated officers at cross-purposes. An interesting aside is the fact that the stationery used was run through the blockade as it has a clear 1863-dated watermark for Joynson, an English paper manufacturing firm. Very good condition.
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