Description:

UNION GENERALS DAVID HUNTER AND RUFUS SAXTON
Excellent association pair of A.E.S.'s on a fine content, war-date manuscript L.S., 3pp. 4to., Beaufort, SC, May 20, 1863, from 104th Pennsylvania Volunteers commanding colonel and later Brevet Brigadier General WILLIAM W. H. DAVIS (1820-1910), to U.S. Army Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas. Davis inquires as to the status of eleven men of his regiment who were to have been detailed to a New York artillery unit on a temporary basis, in part: ‘...Some of these men have been absent from their regiment over one year and others nine months. When the detail was made, it was alleged… that they would only be absent temporarily; whereas, their absence amounts to a permanent transfer to the Artillery service; which can only be made on an order from the Secretary of War. I respectfully submit the question wether [sic] it is fair and just, that soldiers taken from Pennsylvania Infantry regiments, to fill up Battery Companies from the state of New York; In as much as each state receives credit for the number of troops she raises and keeps in the field, she should not be permitted to recruit her shattered organizations from the regiments of a sister state… The casualties of the service have very much reduced the regiment, and as it is desirable that every member of it, capable of bearing arms, should be present in the ranks, I therefore respectfully request, that these men be ordered to report to it for duty…' Davis closes by listing the names of the men in question, and indicates whether they have been detailed to the 7th or 8th New York Batteries. He signs ‘W. W. H. Davis' in black ink at the conclusion. On the verso appears the bold A.E.S. of RUFUS SAXTON (1824-1908), Union brigadier general, Medal of Honor recipient, and after the war first assistant commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau, who at the time was serving as military governor of the Department of the South, headquartered in Beaufort. He writes: ‘Respectfully forwarded and approved' and signs ‘R. Saxton' in black ink, adding his rank ‘Brig. Gnl. Comdg.' The letter is next endorsed by DAVID HUNTER (1802 – 1886), Union major general who was first to order the abolition of slavery in the South, and later presided over the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. He writes: ‘Hd. Qu. Dept. South. Hilton Head. S.C. May 23. 1863. Respectfully forwarded to the Adjutant Genl. U.S. Army', and boldly signs ‘D. Hunter' in black ink, adding his rank ‘Maj. Gen. Com.' The letter bears four further endorsements: the first from an assistant adjutant general at the War Department, forwarding it to the commanding officer of the 7th New York Battery and instructing him to return the Pennsylvania soldiers in question to their original regiment by order of the Secretary of War; the second written by the captain commanding the battery, complying with the order; the third ordering the letter returned to Saxton; and the fourth ultimately ordering it returned to Davis. The letter shows original mailing folds, a few stray pencil notations, and some scattered ink spots, one affecting the address in Hunter's endorsement, mentioned only for accuracy. In very good to fine condition overall. A fine Civil War document, bearing the signatures of two of the most prominent pro-abolition general officers in the Union Army, both of whom would be instrumental in the establishment of the first African-American infantry regiments.

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

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