Description:

Fascinating, historic content manuscript D.S., 3pp. 4to., "Near Germantown, Tenn,", March 26, 1863, a petition circulated amongst the men of the 7th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry and submitted to Kansas Governor Thomas Carney, protesting against the proposed appointment of Lt. Col. DANIEL READ ANTHONY (1824-1904), noted abolitionist and brother of Susan B. Anthony, as the regiment's commanding colonel. In large part: "... During the time that Col. C[harles] R. Jennison was nominal commander of the regiment, D. R. Anthony was Lieutenant and actual commander (Col. Jennison not having been in immediate command more than a week in all,) and, during that time, he proved himself to be a tyrant of the worst and most unreasonable description. He was constantly in the habit of beating the soldiers over the head with his sabre for the most trivial offenses. He has been known to call men, guiltless of any offense whatever, 'God damned sons of bitches' and other opprobrious epithets, degrading to an American soldier to receive and unbecoming an officer and gentleman to use. For offenses of a trifling nature, even in a military point of view, he has had men put in irons without a trial by Court Martial. He did, on at least two occasions, for offenses of no very serious character, order soldiers tied up and flogged without a trial, and in violation of the laws of the United States; and was only restrained from carrying his brutal purpose into execution by the earnest dissuasion of his officers, who feared that such unparalleled outrage would drive the men into open mutiny. When his command was joined with the troops, he so misconducted himself as to be a large portion of his time under arrest, to the manifest injury of the service and disgrace of the regiment. While he was in command, immense numbers of men deserted the regiment - since then almost none have done so; certainly not over a dozen, and we have no doubt the cause is to be found in the brutal, tyrannical, and illegal proceeding above set forth, and fear the same demoralizing results will again follow, should he be re-instated over us. Finally, we have tried Col. Anthony thoroughly, we know him to be a passionate, unreasoning tyrant, and we earnestly beseech your Excellency, whoever else you may see fit to appoint, not to inflict on the Seventh Kansas Volunteers the hated presence of Daniel R. Anthony." This astounding denunciation is signed at the conclusion by thirty-eight members of the regiment. The petition shows folds with slight splits thereto, with a few small chips to the edges and binding holes to the top edge, else very good. During his long and colorful career in Leavenworth, Kansas, Daniel R. Anthony operated stations along the Underground Railroad, published the abolitionist newspaper "Leavenworth Conservative", fought two duels, killing a rival newspaperman in one, defied Gen. Thomas Ewing's order of martial law in order to burn Confederate-owned buildings, and was arrested and court-martialed for issuing an order barring Southern slave hunters from passing through Union lines in search of fugitive slaves, prior to the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation. This latter charge resulted in his removal from service, which was only overturned after an investigation by Gen. Henry Halleck and the U.S. Senate, and it is undoubtedly his return to service after this event that his men so vigorously protest against here.

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July 31, 2019 10:00 AM EDT
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