Description:

A large album of photographs, letters, and documents once owned by a member of the U.S. Chemical Warfare Service named Frank A. Stewart. The Service was founded as a branch of the U.S. Army after World War I with the task of researching and defending against chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. It spent most of World War II preparing and testing different weapons or applications in the event combatants would employ chemical weapons in battle. Stewart was stationed at the CWS facility in Edgewood Arsenal Maryland. The album contains approx. 75 mostly war date photographs, varying sizes, b/w, depicting Stewart with other members of the Chemical Service as well as images of explosions from different weapons tests including incendiary bombs, thermite, white phosphorous grenades, mustard gas, and more. Three grotesque images of the effects of mustard gas on human skin are included. Also filling the album are countless letters, documents, or newspaper clippings associated with Stewart and his time at Edgewood Arsenal, including his officer candidate training manual, 'GAS' service armband (very rare), promotion citations, and more. He regularly corresponded with a friend named Lt. Brad Johnson in the U.S. Army who was stationed in Europe, and many of his letters are included. Conditions vary but mostly fine. Interestingly in the post war years, Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland became the site of extremely controversial human experiments conducted by the U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Service. From 1948-75 over 7,000 soldiers took part in experiments of up to 250 different chemical agents, testing the outcomes of varying levels of exposure. The trials were abruptly terminated in 1975 after scandals concerning the questionable ethics of the researchers, and a lack of long-term medical follow up care for those who volunteered.

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April 5, 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