Description:

ROBERT C. SCHENCK
(1809 – 1890) Union major general, at both battles of Bull Run and took part in Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862, and the Battle of Cross Keys. Fine content and association war-date A.L.S. as Ohio congressman, 3pp. 4to., Washington, D.C., May 26, 1864, to Donn Piat, his former chief of staff and brother of Brig. Gen. Abram Sanders Piatt. In full: ‘I must not delay any longer to inform you that last Saturday your resignation was presented to the Secretary of War & accepted. I wanted to write you a long letter; but I do not find time for it. Before I handed the resignation (dated January), I talked with [Secretary of War Edwin] Stanton. The bill to establish the Bureau of Mil'y Justice has not passed , as I thought it had – the Senate having rejected the report of a Comte. Of Conference, on the point of the rank of the Judge Advocate Gen'l. But it will yet go through. I found however that when it does pass & becomes the law, Stanton would not make you one of the assistants (the House proposes two Asst. Judge Advocate generals – the Senate only one). Then I spoke of [Maj. Gen. Franz] Sigel applying for you & being refused the assignment. He said Sigel wanted you for Judge Advocate, but the place was filled. He said he would give you employment when anybody wanted you. At this point I put in the resignation, & handed with it also your accompanying sealed note. I do not know what you had written in the note. He read it in silence & on the spot (we were in his room alone at the War Depmt) endorsed his acceptance of the resignation. I afterwards expressed to him my great regret that you were constrained to leave the service. He replied that it was not his fault if you chose to resign. Now thus stands my old staff – the good fellows I had about me: Piatt – resigned [;] [likely Lt. Col. William G.] Cheseborough – resigned [;] Fish in the Penitentiary [;] nobody promoted. I, myself, am at school, & learning a great deal. I would like to have two or three hours of good talk with you. I have been deeply grieved to learn through my girls of Mrs. Piatt's illness & trouble with her eyes. What does it all mean? Give my love to her and Ella.' He signs ‘Robt. C. Schenck' at the conclusion in black ink, adding the postscript: ‘Col – that's the title for you I shall settle on, if you please – Donn Piatt, Cincinnati. Perhaps your regular address is Massachusetts.' Shows original mailing folds, with some scattered stains away from any text, otherwise in very good to fine condition. Sold with a period frontispiece engraving of Schenck, with his facsimile signature beneath the image, as well as several period newspaper clippings describing his career. In 1863, Piatt had tried to convince Schenck to order Brig. Gen. William Birney to raise a brigade consisting solely of formerly enslaved men. When Schenck declined to issue the order, Piatt did so under his own authority while temporarily in command of Schenck's VIII Corps. For this, Lincoln intended to have Piatt cashiered out of the army, but was dissuaded by Stanton and Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase. Schenck resigned from the army in December 1863, followed by Piatt in the spring of 1864, as described in the letter presented here.

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November 14, 2025 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

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