Lincoln document safeguarding loyalists in western Virginia is up for auction

A document from the Civil War, signed by President Abraham Lincoln and crucial to the protection of West Virginians, is now up for auction. The piece of American history, dated October 21, 1861, is being sold by an auctioneer specializing in autographs. The document appoints Daniel Lamb, later a key figure in the founding of West Virginia, as an agent for Union-loyal Virginians. -- Article

William Sherman's copy of George Barnard book with photos of his famous campaign sells for $144,000 at auction; his sword goes for $130,000

Remarkable clouds above railroad destruction in Atlanta (Fleischer's Auctions)

A rare copy of George N. Barnard’s “Photographic Views of Sherman’s Campaign,” thought to belong to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and signed in 1886 by his son Philemon, was sold at auction Tuesday for $144,000, before a buyer's premium was added.

The Barnard album garnered the highest bid for Sherman-related items in the Fleischer's Auction. 

Notable items from the family, many of whom live in western Pennsylvania, included the general’s copy of the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, with his annotations ($70,000), a trunk and sword $130,000) used early in the Civil War, shoulder straps with rank insignia, photographs of Sherman and his daughter Minnie and a family Bible ($17,000). The insignia sold for $37,000.

The Sherman House Museum in Lancaster, Ohio, said it had acquired the sword. It had asked for donations and pledges to make the purchase.

A map of Sherman’s March to the Sea went for $22,000. All of these prices were before buyer's premiums. With those, according to Fleischer's Auctions, the Sherman lots netted about $600,000.

The Barnard volume -- featuring 10 x 13 inches images -- includes scenes of the occupation of Nashville, the 1864 battles around Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain, the Atlanta Campaign, Savannah, Ga., and South Carolina. In May 1866, Barnard traced the route of Sherman's North Georgia campaign, taking pictures at Resaca and elsewhere.

When Barnard arrived in Atlanta he took more, including his famous views of the downtown area that had been burned by the Federals before they left on November 15-16, 1864, says Civil War historian and author Steve Davis. 

Many copies of the volume are held by museums and other institutions.

Keith F. Davis, an expert on Barnard's work, said the volume went for a good but not an extravagant price.

"The buyer was astute and did very well," Davis said in a email, "It is so hard to guess how many complete copies of this are still in private hands, and thus could come on the market in the future, but I suspect the answer is: very, very few. Then you add the "subjective' factor -- the unbeatable provenance -- and the rarity of this album goes up several more notches."

A rare copy of photographer George Barnard's album recording William Sherman's campaign is up for auction. Here's why he was a master of memory and artistry

Rebel works in front of Atlanta and a scene of ruined depot in Charleston (Fleischer's Auctions)

Keith F. Davis recalls visiting a New York City gallery in 1977. On display was the full set of 61 images from George N. Barnard’s “Photographic Views of Sherman’s Campaign,” a volume that documents the general’s game-changing conquest of Atlanta, Georgia and South Carolina.

What Davis saw set him off on a journey of discovery.

“They were quiet, without obvious action, and many were primarily ‘landscape’ photographs,” he says. “They were more about memory and meditation than ‘action’. All in all, I felt puzzled and challenged by this work, because it didn’t easily conform to what I had expected to see.”

Davis felt challenged by the photographs and began a deep study of them and the man, eventually leading to a book on the subject. Today, Davis is the leading authority on Barnard, who ranks among the top echelon of Civil War photographers – Gardner, O’Sullivan, Cook, Rees, Reekie, Gibson and Brady.

“None of them surpassed Barnard in terms of technical or creative skill,” says Davis (photo, left), a photography curator, author and collector. “It’s hard to say that any one of them was 'the best' but Barnard was second to none.” 

A rare copy of “Photographic Views of Sherman’s Campaign,” thought to belong to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and signed in 1886 by his son Philemon, will be up for bid during Fleischer’s Auctions’ May 14-15 sale in Columbus, Ohio. (Sherman died in 1891.)

The Barnard album is among the top Sherman-related items in the auction. Notable items from the family, many of whom live in western Pennsylvania, include the general’s copy of the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, with his annotations, a trunk and saber used early in the Civil War, shoulder straps with rank insignia, photographs of Sherman and his daughter Minnie and a family Bible.

“These items … may represent the most important sale of Civil War artifacts in recent memory,” company president Adam Fleischer said in a statement. “It is my sincere hope that through this process, these items will find themselves in the hands of individuals or institutions who will preserve them, ensuring that General Sherman's story endures and continues to enrich our collective understanding of such a pivotal era in American history."

The auction includes relics of the Revolutionary War, the African-American experience (including a broadside used to recruit soldiers during the Civil War) and the Wild West.

Steve Davis, author of several books on the Atlanta Campaign, including “What theYankees Did to Us: Sherman’s Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta,” told the Picket that Union Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs took interest in Barnard’s work and asked him to photograph Nashville. The photographer also traveled to Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn.

Barnard, a pioneer in the field, served as the official photographer of the Military Division of the Mississippi, led by Sherman.

On July 28, 1864, Capt. Orlando Poe, Sherman's chief engineer, wired Barnard, "Hold yourself in readiness to take the field if telegraphed to that effect." A few days after Atlanta fell, on September 4, Poe telegraphed Barnard to join him.

“A week or so later -- we're unsure of the date -- Barnard arrived in Atlanta and was soon taking pictures of the city, its surrounding fortifications and the battlefields of July,” said Steve Davis.

Interestingly, a famous Barnard photograph of Sherman astride a horse (above, Library of Congress) is not included in the book.

On October 1, 1864, Sherman wrote his wife Ellen, "I sent you a few days ago some photographs, one of which Duke was very fine. He stood like a gentleman for his portrait, and I like it better than any I ever had taken." Sherman wore formal attire for the camera session – sash, sword and all.

“Barnard's famous picture of him sitting on Duke in a Rebel fort west of the city is iconic,” says Steve Davis (photo, left).

The volume -- featuring 10 x 13 inches images -- includes scenes of the occupation of Nashville, battles around Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain, the Atlanta Campaign, Savannah, Ga., and South Carolina. In May 1866, Barnard traced the route of Sherman's North Georgia campaign, taking pictures at Resaca and elsewhere.

When Barnard arrived in Atlanta he took more, including his famous views of the downtown area that had been burned by the Federals before they left on November 15-16, 1864, says Steve Davis.) Many copies of the volume are held by museums and other institutions.

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, said Barnard's contract with the Army called for him to principally take photos of fortifications, and he took many.

“We're lucky that he had time to take photos of the Ponder house, car shed, etc.” says Crawford, who has led many tours of areas that were key in Civil War Atlanta.

“His 1866 photos destroy the myth that all of Atlanta was burned to the ground, since many of the same buildings appear in his 1864 photos,” says Crawford. “As Steve Davis writes in his book, destruction was concentrated along the rail lines, where many of the factories and warehouses were located.”

Remarkable clouds above railroad destruction in Atlanta (Fleischer's Auctions)

The Picket asked Keith F. Davis about Barnard’s techniques, artistry and legacy. He responded by email. The responses have been edited.

Q. What is the significance of this collection of his works? Apparently, relatively few of the volumes were made.

A. In its ambition, seriousness and artistic quality, Barnard’s album is one of the greatest photographic works in American history. Of course, it is one of two comparable productions of the immediate post-Civil War period. Alexander Gardner’s “Sketchbook,” with 100 original albumen prints, was issued in early 1866. Barnard’s “Sherman’s Campaign,” with 61 original prints was completed in the fall of 1866. Both were marketed to a wealthy and elite community of buyers -- largely former Union officers -- and sold by prospectus. Neither of these expensive works was ever intended for anything like “general” or “popular” sale. They were rare, deluxe collectibles, not “books” in any traditional sense. These are very different albums -- they cover different aspects of the war, with no overlap at all, and they cover their respective territories in distinct ways.

Barnard’s album was produced in an original edition of 100 to 150 copies, and priced at $100. Not very many have survived today, intact and in good condition. Some were lost or damaged over the years, and since the 1970s, a significant number have been cut up so that prints could be sold individually.

Q. Why did you choose to write about Barnard? What is his contribution to wartime journalism?

A. I became fascinated by Barnard (photo right by Brady, National Portrait Gallery) in 1977, when I was studying with (curator and art historian) Beaumont Newhall, getting my MA at the University of New Mexico. Dover had just issued a paperback reprint of Barnard’s album, with an introduction by Beaumont. I remember him talking about his work in class. In the summer of 1977, I saw an exhibition of a complete (disbound) “Sherman’s Campaign” album at a gallery in New York City -- perhaps the first time the full set of pictures had ever been displayed. I was struck by the quality of Barnard’s contact prints (made from 12x15” wet-collodion negatives) and, most importantly, by the “weirdness” of the whole set. I thought I knew something about the history of war photography, but these pictures seemed distinctly different from whatever “tradition” I knew. They were quiet, without obvious action, and many were primarily “landscape” photographs. They were more about memory and meditation than “action.” 

All in all, I felt puzzled and challenged by this work, because it didn’t easily conform to what I had expected to see. That triggered a deep fascination for Barnard’s life and work. I ended up getting an NEH research fellowship for this work in 1986, and published my book “George N. Barnard: Photographer of Sherman’s Campaign” in 1990, accompanied by a traveling exhibition in 1990-91. I was completely fascinated by the challenge or “problem” of Barnard and in my dozen or more years of intensive research, ended up greatly expanding what was known about him.

My real understanding of 19^th century American photography in general certainly grew from, and around, this project. (Davis also covered the topic in a Civil War chapter in "The Origins of American Photography: From Daguerreotype to Dry-Plate” below, 2007)

Barnard wasn’t primarily a “photojournalist.” A number of his works were reproduced in the illustrated papers of the day, and some stereographs were sold to a popular market. Primarily, however, he was working as a civilian employee of the Union Army’s Engineering Department, creating images that were primarily used for internal military use.

Of course, these boundaries were fluid: Barnard was friends with Theodore Davis, a skilled sketch artist and writer for “Harper’s Weekly”; he maintained connections to the commercial firm of E. and H. T. Anthony, which marketed war images to the general public; and, of course, he was a self-motivated entrepreneur who conceived, created and marketed his album to the elite audience described above.

Q. Can you speak to his technical and creative skills?

A. Barnard was extremely accomplished in both technical and aesthetic terms. He had been a daguerreotypist for more than a decade, then had worked for the Anthonys in New York City, and for Alexander Gardner in Washington, D.C. So, he was hugely experienced. In the field, he preferred his 12x15” view camera, making negatives of that size, and final prints that trimmed down to about 11x14”. And, as we know, he was an American pioneer in printing-in clouds from a second negative -- there are numerous instances of this in his “Sherman’s Campaign” album.

This technical labor was clearly not needed for strictly “documentary” purposes. Rather, he did it for aesthetic reasons, to make images that were both informative and artistic. And that gets to the key nature of his album. Rather than a “simple” work of documentation, it is instead something more complicated: a factual collection of places/views that combines memory, poetry and artistry in order to evoke something about the war’s justification, its horrific costs, and its relation to American character and values. There is a poetic and essentially literary aspect here that makes this album unusual and special.

Barnard's eerie image of McPherson's death site includes horse skull (Fleischer's Auctions)

In part, the nature of the album is a result of when and how the images were made. Barnard held a number of his original negatives from 1864. Once he decided to proceed with the album, he made a re-photographic trip back over the same ground in the spring of 1866 -- to record sites he had not photographed in 1864 and, in general, to enlarge his visual record of the ground that Sherman had covered.

He only printed-in skies in 1866; earlier prints from the same images exist, and they do not have the printed-in skies. Thus, the album blurs two distinct time frames: the 1864 views with troops visible, defensive works in optimum condition, etc; the 1866 prints of some of those negatives, now with cloudscapes; and the new 1866 views, without any evidence of military presence, of battlefields, defensive works, etc., as they stood a year and a half after the events of the war.

Q. Do you know whether he knew Sherman, and if so, to what extent? I understand Barnard worked for the Army and came to Atlanta soon after the surrender.

Barnard used clouds to bring drama to a scene, such as at an Atlanta fort (Fleischer's Auctions)

A. Barnard certainly knew Sherman, and vice versa, but they were not close friends or associates -- the social gap between general and staff photographer was just too great for that. But we know that Sherman supported Barnard’s project when he heard about it, and wrote a warm letter of endorsement. Barnard was aided in all of this by his superior, Orlando M. Poe, who was Sherman’s chief engineer. Poe supported Barnard consistently: he allowed Barnard to keep some of his wartime negatives for his own postwar use, and in 1866 he contacted Sherman and other generals to promote (and solicit buyers for) Barnard’s album.

Q. Do you have any anecdotes about his time in Atlanta and in the Carolina?

A. Barnard was a distinctly intelligent, ethical and upright man. He supported the Union cause wholeheartedly and was an abolitionist from the start. There is also, however, clear evidence that the death and devastation of the war shocked him to the core. He accompanied Sherman’s troops on the March to the Sea but – notably -- made not a single photograph along the way. They were moving quickly, sure, but if he had really wanted to make images, he could have found a way to do it. This says something to me about his dismay at what he saw Union troops doing along the way.

Capitol in Nashville and view from Lookout Mountain, click to enlarge (Fleischer's Auctions)

Q. Which of the photographs in the book particularly stand out?

A. In terms of my favorite individual images, that’s a bit difficult, since I love the totality of the album, but I have always been particularly fond of:

-- The Capitol, Nashville

-- Chattanooga Valley from Lookout Mountain

-- Scene of Gen McPherson’s Death

-- Rebel Works in Front of Atlanta No. 3

-- Destruction of Hood’s Ordnance Train

-- Ruins of the RR Depot, Charleston

The naval clash between Kearsarge and Alabama is the stuff of history books. The victor's prized souvenirs recently went to auction

35-star flag, ship's log and Capt. WInslow and crew (Case Auctions)

The ship’s log and 35-star flag of the USS Kearsarge -- which sank the Confederate commerce raider Alabama in an epic duel off Cherbourg, France -- and associated items have been sold at auction for more than $60,000, including buyer’s premium.

The Case Auctions sale last weekend in Knoxville, Tenn., featured items that belonged to Capt. John Winslow, hero of the June 19, 1864, battle. History, however, has more remembered his foe, Capt. Raphael Semmes.

“It’s hard for most Americans to appreciate now how momentous this battle was viewed at the time,” said Civil War blogger and author Andy Hall. “Alabama had roamed the globe unmolested for almost two years, destroying American merchant shipping at will. Dozens of civilian ships were seized or destroyed by Capt. Semmes, causing insurance rates to skyrocket and wreaking financial havoc on ships and ports never within a thousand miles of the Confederate raider.”

Winslow and Semmes, who were friends, clashed off Cherbourg (Library of Congress)

Before squaring off with the USS Kearsarge, Semmes and his crew had battled a U.S. warship only once, sending the USS Hatteras to the bottom off Galveston, Texas, in January 1863.

The auctioned items came from the collection of a Tennessee descendant of Winslow. 

“Although there are many surviving artifacts of the naval war that survive today, there are relatively few that can match the ones sold in this auction for their proven, central link to momentous historical events and persons. It’s an amazing collection of pieces,” says Hall.

Here’s a closer look at the items, with the sales price including the premium.

SHIP’S LOG ($19,520)

The Alabama was in Cherbourg for repairs and resupply when Winslow learned of its location.

(Case Auctions)

The log entry on June 14, 1864 reads: "Steering in for Cherbourg Breakwater. Stopped the engines off the eastern entrance and sent a boat ashore to communicate with the Am. Consul. Found the rebel privateer ‘Alabama’ lying at anchor in the Roads." 

Semmes several days later sailed from port and the two warships soon engaged, circling each other for nearly an hour and a half. The USS Kearsarge had outer chains effective in limiting damage from the Alabama’s shells, which were of dubious quality.

Several rounds failed to explode, including a shell that lodged in the sternpost of Kearsarge and almost certainly would have been fatal had it detonated,” writes Navy historian Craig Symonds for the American Battlefield Trust. “Instead, it was Alabama that took several hits and began taking on water. Semmes fought her until she sank, then -- defiant to the last -- threw his sword into the sea and swam to the safety of a nearby British yacht that had come out to watch the excitement.”

Raphael Semmes served the Confederacy again after the battle.

Hall, writer of the Dead Confederates blog and author of “Civil War Blockade Running on the Texas Coast,” calls the log “fantastic. It’s a perfect example of the way official reports were written, presenting the barest necessary facts without comment or editorializing.

“[Winslow’s] note that ‘The English Yacht steamed rapidly away to the Nd [northward] without reporting the number of our prisoners she picked up’ is a classic cold understatement. Winslow and his officers were undoubtedly furious when they learned that the yacht’s waterlogged passengers included Alabama’s commander, Raphael Semmes, and several of his officers, who within hours would be greeted as heroes after landing in Southampton.”

35-STAR U.S. FLAG AND COMMENDATION ($17,080)

A report for Case Auctions says this banner is made of imported British wool bunting. It measures 40 ½ inches on the hoist by 79 ½ inches on the fly.

The USS Kearsarge carried several flags that day, including this ensign, according to a report for Case Auctions by flag expert Greg Biggs.

“This is an exceptionally rare piece and, although it had some efforts at restoration done decades ago, remains in stunning, mostly unaltered condition,” says Hall. Interestingly, this flag was expected to have the highest sale in the lot, but the captain's log went for more.

WINSLOW’s 13-STAR FLAG ($7,680)

The auction house says this banner in the Winslow family collection was likely carried on the USS Kearsarge in the battle, but it is not known for sure. The reported size is 36 inches by 70 inches.

(Case Auctions)

“The flag is used, worn, soiled, and visibly dehydrated,” an accompanying report says. “It exhibits some fabric loss, the majority of which is in the hoist half of the flag with most of it in the lower hoist corner.” Consulting  James J. Ferrigan recommends a vigorous conservation treatment.

“It is not known when this boat flag was framed, but its similarity the frame of another 35-star U.S. flag from the USS Kearsarge makes it highly likely that both Winslow family flags were from the Kearsarge,” writes Ferrigan.

DOLLAND MARITIME TELESCOPE ($4,636)

Case Auctions said the telescope/spyglass likely was used in the fight with the Alabama. The lot includes a tripod and box. The functionality of the lenses was not guaranteed.

“English-made Dollond telescopes were prized for their optical quality and depended upon by some of the world's most important historical figures. George Washington's Dolland telescope, essential to his tactical decisions during the American Revolution, is in the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC, and a Dolland telescope owned by Thomas Jefferson is at Monticello.”

USS KEARSARGE WOOD RELIC FRAME AND PAINTING ($4,636)

This is probably the most unusual item in the Winslow collection to be sold earlier this month.

The picture frame for the marine painting was made from four pieces of the ship’s sternpost where a shell from the Alabama lodged.

"Although we received some twenty-five or thirty shots, twelve or thirteen taking effect in the hull, by the mercy of God we have been spared… the only shot which I fear will give us any trouble is one 100-pound rifle, which entered our stern post and remains at present unexploded,” Winslow wrote.

The ordnance round was removed from the post and sent upon request to President Abraham Lincoln. It is currently housed in a museum in Washington, D.C.

The painting appears to be based on a photograph of USS Kearsarge taken by John A. Whipple.

PRESENTATION SILVER TEA SET ($6,144)

Winslow became a hero following the battle, was promoted to commodore and received the Thanks of Congress after for the victory over Alabama. He received many honors before his 1873 death.

(Case Auctions)

The citizens of Roxbury, Mass., presented this tea set to Winslow on Nov. 22, 1864. It is described as being in overall excellent condition.

GORHAM STERLING SILVER CENTERPIECE($4,096)

The body is engraved on one side with Winslow’s monogram and "1864."

(Case Auctions)

The American Classical Revival centerpiece “features an oval gilt-washed bowl centered on each side by masks, with dart banding at edges and stylized anthemion handles terminating in rosettes, and is supported on a trumpet-shaped pedestal flanked by two figural cherub caryatids holding floral swags, atop a plinth base.”

USS Kearsarge was recommissioned several times after the Civil War but wrecked in 1894 on a reef in the Caribbean sea. Several items were recovered, including the ship's Bible.

'Increasingly rare' unpublished Lincoln letter goes for $85,000

A recently discovered letter written by President Abraham Lincoln that offers a glimpse into his thinking during the early part of the Civil War sold this week in Pennsylvania for $85,000, according to an autograph dealer. The previously unpublished letter had been in the same private collection for at least a century before it was acquired earlier this year, said Nathan Raab, the principal of the Raab Collection, which buys and sells historical autographs, documents and signed letters. -- Article

Civil War rifles: Atlanta History Center collection includes carbine sent to Japan, terrifying Whitworth sniper gun and a Texas firearm not up to snuff

Carbine has Japanese cartouche, mums on stock, barrel (AHC, Picket photos)

A surplus Civil War carbine, sold to the Japanese government in 1868 and marked with  imperial chrysanthemums and another design, has been acquired by the Atlanta History Center for its growing collection of firearms.

The history center, home to the Cyclorama painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta and a major exhibit on the Civil War, has acquired dozens of weapons in the past couple of years, bringing the total inventory to nearly 400. It purchased the Starr carbine in November 2022 from a private dealer.

Gordon L. Jones, senior military historian and curator at the AHC, recently showed me some of the firearms kept in the museum's secured basement. We examined the carbine and two notable weapons – one highly regarded and the other considered subpar -- from the existing George W. Wray Jr. collection of rare Confederate guns at the history center.

While some of the long guns at the AHC are in the long-standing exhibit “Turning Point: The American Civil War,” the vast majority are awaiting their time in the daylight, minus the occasional special exhibit.

Gordon L. Jones with guns from the Wray collection (Picket photo)

The AHC would like in coming years to revamp “Turning Point” with a new and expanded area that would showcase many of the stored firearms, says Jones. He said it would compare to the impressive Fuller Gun Collection at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park.

The Starr carbine and many other surplus American weapons were shipped to Japan shortly after the Civil War.

There was significant upheaval there amid “the beginning of Westernization,” said Jones. The .54-caliber gun may have been used in the Boshin War (Japanese Civil War) in the late 1860s. Some experts say many were procured by the Tokugawa shogunate, which was desperate for such weapons.

New York arms dealer Schuyler, Hartley & Graham provided the gun to the Meiji government of Japan.

“It is marked with (the) chrysanthemum (photo, left) and what is believed to be a Japanese military school cartouche (not yet positively identified). The 1853-1854 visit of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry opened the once-closed society of Japan and started a race between rival clans to acquire modern firearms from the West.

"What followed was the rapid Westernization and militarization of Japan under the Meiji emperors, ultimately culminating in war against Britain and the United States in 1941,” the AHC says.

“This carbine helps tell the story of the long term and sometimes unintended international consequences of the American Civil War, which will be a key theme in the new exhibition.”

The newly acquired gun will be displayed with another Starr carbine already in the DuBose Collection that was sold to Great Britain and used in the defense of Canada against the Irish Fenian incursions of 1866 and 1870.

The Starr carbine was a single-shot, breech-loading weapon. Not many were used by the U.S. military, relative to those put out by other manufacturers.

Other guns acquired in the past two years include:

-- A British Pattern 1853 rifle-musket of Pvt. Robert Marold, Company K, 143^rd New York, used at Battle of Peachtree Creek and the Atlanta Campaign, 1864. (Interestingly, actor Chris Evans, who has portrayed Captain America, is a descendant of Marold)

-- U.S. Model 1861 rifle-musket, modernized with the patented Needham breech-loading system, as used by the Governor’s Guard, a Black volunteer militia in Atlanta in 1879.

-- U.S. Starr Arms Company breech-loading carbine with markings indicating use by the 1st Arkansas Cavalry, a U.S. regiment comprised of white unionists from Arkansas and West Tennessee.

-- Eleven European firearms shipped to Union and Confederate troops from 1861-1864.

Jones points to damage on the AHC's Texas contract rifle (Picket photo)

During my visit, Jones brought out two guns from the Wray collection as examples of the best and worst utilized by Confederates.

Visitors to the AHC’s “Confederate Odyssey” exhibit in 2014 learned how the Confederacy successfully adapted to modern warfare. They also saw failures or limitations: poorly crafted bayonets or makeshift clothing. Examples came from firearms, swords, uniforms, flags and other items collected by the late Wray over the years.

Southern manufacturers struggled to make firearms that could stand up to extensive wear and campaigns. Jones showed me a so-called Texas contract rifle, used for a time by William Malloy, a trooper with the 29^th Texas Cavalry.

"William Malloy" is carved into the gun's buttstock (Atlanta History Center)

Jones believes the 1863 contract rifle, made by a small private company, is the crudest weapon in the Wray collection.

“This has a thick heavy barrel with tiny iron bands,” the curator told me in 2014. “It is poorly balanced and the back action lock is weak.” The wood behind the bolster was chipped away, despite a nail inserted as a repair.

One officer said of the carbines, “These things are more dangerous to my men than the enemy.”

“Malloy” and “Tex” are carved into the buttstock. It is unknown whether Malloy was still with the unit at its most famous battle at Honey Springs, Indian Territories, facing the First Kansas (colored) Infantry in 1863.

The star of the Wray collection is a Whitworth rifle made in England and shipped to the South during the war. The Whitworth was the first sniper weapon and was incredibly effective, supplied to only the best marksmen. About 50 came over and only 18 are known to survive, Jones said.

Several Federal generals were killed by Whitworths, perhaps mostly notably Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick at Spotsylvania in 1864..

The weapon had a range up to 1,500 years and had an open site on the barrel and a side-mounted Davidson telescopic sight (right), giving the shooter two options. The Whitworth had much tighter rifling than an Enfield, making it that much more deadly.

The AHC believes the one Wray purchased was likely used in the Western Theater, though the telescopic sight on the AHC weapon is a restoration with 20^th century optics.

A book on the Wray weapons has this to say: “Although it is impossible to say when or where this particular rifle was used, as one of the Confederacy’s most valued weapons, it certainly did see use. Just as certainly, it killed and wounded many Union soldiers.”

Gordon L. Jones with a rare Whitworth sniper rifle used by the South (Picket photo)

AHC acquisitions from the past couple years (Picket photo)

Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles papers go for $281,000 at auction

The highlight of Swann Auction Galleries’ September 29 Americana auction was a large archive of family papers of Gideon Welles, who served as secretary of the Navy through the Civil War. It went for $281,000, including buyer’s premium, according to Antiques and the Arts Weekly. The extensive archive of Welles’ personal and family papers comprise more than 1,000 items in six boxes, including his letters to his son regarding the Lincoln assassination and Andrew Johnson’s impeachment, four of his prewar diaries and more. -- Article / -- Swann listing

For Juneteenth, the story of African American Civil War troops and an amazing flag are featured on Atlanta museum's interactive page

127th USCT flag and interactive page (Courtesy of Morphy Auctions/Atlanta History Center)

A prize artifact acquired last year by the Atlanta History Center captures the essence of why 180,000 African Americans volunteered in the Union army during the Civil War.

“We Will Prove Ourselves Men” reads the motto on the striking flag that belonged to the 127^th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops, which was formed in Pennsylvania of free men and some who had escaped bondage. That they were determined to prove themselves no doubt showed equality for all Americans -- while etched in the Declaration of Independence -- was far from a reality for millions.

An account of the flag's history and the regiment are featured in an interactive presentation the history center is promoting as part of its annual commemoration of Juneteenth. The June 19 holiday marks the day an Army general rode into Galveston, Texas, and told blacks of their emancipation – that slavery had ended in the United States.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Juneteenth is being remembered at the AHC this year through a virtual experience.

Calfskin knapsack of Pvt. Ezra Brooks,
8th USCT (Atlanta History Center)

The interactive map spotlights five engagements that involved African American units: Olustee (Florida), Fort Pillow (Tennessee), Fort Wagner (South Carolina), the Crater (Virginia) and the fall of Richmond and Appomattox (Virginia).

Viewers can toggle to a page for each. They include photographs, text, audio, newspaper accounts, links to related content and photographs of USCT artifacts in the museum’s collection.

USCT units -- which helped turn the tide in several campaigns and battles -- were led by white officers and it took time for soldiers to receive pay equal to their white counterparts.

They had limited opportunities and faced racism within the Union army. Some freed men captured by Confederate units were sold into slavery and in some instances, such as at Fort Pillow, black troops were victims of racially motivated atrocities, although some dispute such accounts.

Gordon Jones, senior military curator and historian, speaks in several audio clips, including one on how well the 8^th USCT performed at Olustee, which ended in a Confederate victory in February 1864.

In another, Jones talks about the challenge of finding USCT artifacts. Several rare items are in the AHC collection.

African American soldiers constituted only about 10 percent of the Federal army in 1865 and unless a soldier wrote his name on an item or it was handed down, it’s difficult to know who wore it. “That’s why we say provenance is everything,” says Jones.

David B. Bowser

The 127^th USCT flag speaks to such rarity. Of the 11 such flags David B. Bowser painted for black units, the 127^th banner is the only known to survive. It depicts a soldier waving farewell to Columbia, a symbol of the United States, with the words “We Will Prove Ourselves Men.”

“And that’s what the soldiers of the US Colored Troops were fighting -- not to just gain freedom, not just to prove themselves worthy of US citizenship. But for the rights of basic human dignity,” Jones says of the motto. 

The 127^th was organized in late summer 1864 and took part in siege operations against Richmond and Petersburg until the end of the Civil War. Part of the Army of the James, it participated in one battle and several other actions. The regiment was at Appomattox for the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Medal of Honor for Capt. Albert Wright,
43rd USCT, valor at the Crater. (Courtesy AHC)

In a separate page on the AHC website, Jones speaks more about the importance of the unit’s silk flag, and how little students knew about the service of African Americans in the military until the 1960s. The AHC spent nearly $200,000 to purchase the flag from an auction house.

Howard Pousner, manager of media relations for the AHC, told the Picket the flag was displayed for several weeks in the atrium when it was purchased and is currently included in the exhibit "Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow," which has been extended through February 2021.

The restored banner likely cannot be exhibited year round due to its fragile nature and concerns over light exposure, officials have said.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia mark June 19 as a state holiday or observance, according to CNN. Communities celebrate it with food and festivities. Despite a push by activists over the years, Juneteenth still isn't a federal holiday.