Raynors HCA 2017-06
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/1/2017
EARLY, Jubal Anderson (1816-1894), was a lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served in the Eastern Theater of the war for the entire conflict, as a division commander under Stonewall Jackson and Richard Stoddert Ewell, and in later actions commanded a corps. He was the Confederate commander in key battles of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, including a daring raid to the outskirts of Washington, D.C. The articles written by him for the Southern Historical Society in the 1870s established the Lost Cause point of view as a long-lasting literary and cultural phenomenon. Autograph Letter Signed “J.A. Early”, 3pp., April 6, 1888, to E.T. Lawsing with original cover. In part, “I have to inform you that what you mention as the ‘lost dispatch’ in General lee’s campaign into maryland in September 1862, was his order of September 9th directing the movements of his army, especially that for the capture of Harper’s Ferry. A copy of the order fell into the hands of McClellan on 13th, it having been picked up by some member of of his command in one of the abandoned camps. It was a copy for one of the Division Commanders, and how it was lost has never been known, but is a matter of mere conjecture. In his report published in 1864, McClellan gives a copy of the order, on pages 188-9. The effect of the finding of the order was, I presume, to cause McClellan to hasten his movements for the relief of Harper’s Ferry, but in this he was not successful, as the place was captured by our forces. The only effect it had in the battle of Sharpsburg, or Antietam, so far as I can judge, was to hasten the conflict of the two armies, and bring on the engagement before McClellan received some re-inforcements which were coming to his aid. Our army repulsed McClellan’s attacks on the 17th, with very heavy loss to his army, and he did not renew the engagement on the 18th ... we retired that night because the Potomac was in our rear, and it was necessary for us to cross it to be in reach of supplies, of which we were in need. Moreover considerable re-inforcements were coming to McClellan’s assistance, while we had none to expect. I don’t the finding of the order had any effect on the result, so far as General Lee’s army was concerned ....” Comes with the original cover. Ex- Christies, May 12, 1999 sale #8243.
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