Description:

ORVILLE E. BABCOCK
(1835 - 1884) Union brevet brigadier general who served as Ulysses S. Grant's personal aide and later Grant's private secretary. A.L.S. on Executive Mansion letterhead, 3pp. 8vo., July 6, 1870, to Thomas C. Reynolds (1821-1887), Confederate governor of Missouri then in exile in Mexico. In 1869, Grant sent him on a mission to explore the possibility of annexing the island nation of Santo Domingo to the United States, but the Senate, led by Charles Sumner, rejected the proposal. Babcock refers to that effort in this letter, in part: '...Hatch[?] and American [?] in a rebellion - was caught, and the proof complete. I would not bully a poor weak power with whom I was treating - to give him up, because he is an American. I never had anything to do with his conviction, trial or detention...I could convince those who got up and condemned me, before hearing my case. but I did convince my friends and the President...The object was really to defeat the treaty by using up the time and in that they succeeded...' Expertly inlaid, fine.

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April 7, 2022 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000