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 Bridgeport Conn. to Andersonville Prison (Georgia)
via Jacksonville and Lake City Fla. North-to-South buff inner cover and original letter sent to Col. William H. Noble, 17th Conn. Volunteers and prisoner-of-war at Andersonville Prison Ga. (Camp Sumter), originated in Bridgeport Conn. with
letter datelined Jan. 28, 1865 and manuscript "Care of Mr. Cooper Gibbs" (commander of prison guard at Andersonville), sent via Union-occupied Jacksonville Fla. where the outer cover with U.S. postage was discarded, manuscript "Examined JMG
AAAG" censor marking applied by Union assistant adjutant general in Jacksonville, exchanged via flag-of-truce and entered Confederate mails at Lake City Fla. with "Paid 10" in arc handstamp, upon arrival at Andersonville censored twice with
manuscript "Ex JNY" at left and light "Ex HW" in the hand of Camp Commandant Capt. Henry Wirz at top right, top of cover with small tears and staple holes, minor stain at bottomVERY FINE APPEARANCE. THE ONLY KNOWN
NORTH-TO-SOUTH FLAG-OF-TRUCE COVER AND LETTER TO A UNION PRISONER-OF-WAR AT ANDERSONVILLE, EXCHANGED THROUGH JACKSONVILLE AND LAKE CITY, FLORIDA, AND CENSORED BY THE NOTORIOUS CAPTAIN HENRY WIRZ. The Andersonville prison, officially known as
Camp Sumter, was the largest Confederate military prison during the Civil War and the most dreaded by Union soldiers. On March 27, 1864, Captain Henry Wirz assumed command of the stockade. By the end of the war, 12,913 of the approximately 45,000
Union prisoners held there had died, mostly from starvation and disease. After the war, Wirz was charged with conspiracy and murder by Federal authorities. His trial was held in the Capitol building in Washington and presided over by Union General
Lew Wallace. A number of former prisoners testified on conditions at Andersonville, many accusing Wirz of specific acts of cruelty (some of these accounts were later called into question by historians as exaggerated or false). The court also heard
from Confederate officers and considered official correspondence from captured Confederate records. Wirz presented evidence that he pleaded to Confederate authorities to obtain more food and maintained that he tried to improve the conditions for the
prisoners. Wirz was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. On November 10, 1865, he was hanged in Washington at the site of the current Supreme Court building -- the only Confederate official to be tried, convicted and executed for war crimes
resulting from the Civil War. This is the only recorded North-to-South cover exchanged through Union-occupied Jacksonville and Confederate Lake City, Florida. This route for mail to Andersonville is also singularly represented by this cover. The
enclosed letter specifically refers to instructions the writer received to send mail through assistant adjutant general Robinson in Jacksonville, which would be sent via flag-of-truce to Col. Noble, who was the highest ranking Union officer held at
Andersonville. Ex Dr. Briggs. Accompanied by an article on this cover by John. L Kimbrough with a transcription of the letter. With 2017 C.S.A. certificate
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Get Market Data for [United States (Confederate States) Andersonville Ga.] |
E. $ 3,000-4,000
SOLD for $3,000.00
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