Well, I'll start the ball rolling with this guy. Many of us are familiar with this stamp:
but tonight I found this.
Today I will show some items associated with the American Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, and some of its personalities and incidents.
Charles Sumner, senator from Massachusetts, was one of the most avid and vocal abolitionists in Congress. During the run-up to the Civil War, Congress was even more polarized and filled with vituperation than today. In fact, Sumner was beaten nearly to death on the Senate floor—read the text accompanying the items.
Hannibal Hamlin was Vice-President of the United States during Lincoln’s first term. He was dropped from the ticket in 1864 in favor of staunch Unionist senator from Tennessee Andrew Johnson. Tennessee was the first Confederate state to be reconquered by the Union.
William Seward was Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State. He was severely wounded by the same conspirators who assassinated Lincoln in April 1865. Seward survived and went on to continue in the cabinet under Lincoln’s successor Andrew Johnson. He engineered the purchase of Alaska in 1867, and suffered much criticism as a result.
Reverdy Johnson was a minor Civil War era figure. He was attorney for the defendant in the Dred Scott case, and when war was imminent Johnson was very active in efforts to avert the conflict.
Alexander Stephens, the “Little Pale Star From Georgia”, served as Vice President of the Confederacy. He was always in favor of a vigorous prosecution of the war against the Union, however Stephens quickly reconciled himself to the defeat of the South in April 1865 and promptly ran for, and was elected to, the House of Representatives from Georgia.
This item was postmarked on the date of the Battle of Antietam, which still remains the bloodiest day in terms of deaths and casualties in all American military history. Although he served in the cabinet of James Buchanan, the addressee Joseph Holt is most notorious for his prosecution of the conspirators involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, which he mishandled for the apparent purpose of hurrying the trial (a military tribunal—where have we heard that term before?) and execution of those found guilty.
Here are two patriotic covers from the Civil War era. The commissioners mentioned in the first cover were Messrs. Mason and Slidell, whom Jefferson Davis had ordered to sail to Europe as plenipotentiaries whose mission was to try and secure official recognition of the Confederacy, only to have them seized from the British steamer Trent which was halted in international waters by Captain Charles Wilkes of the U.S. Navy. (Wilkes Land in Antarctica is named for him.) Mason and Slidell were brought to Boston and thrown in prison. The outrage was so great in Great Britain that they threatened to declare war on the U.S. Abraham Lincoln quietly freed Mason and Slidell, remarking “One war at a time.”
This cover was posted the date of the sea battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack, although the sender could have had no idea of it. He was one of the four ill-fated Kirkman brothers who fought for the South. All were involved in the Battle of Gettysburg, which resulted in the death, mortal wounding or capture of all four. None made it home from the war.
This letter was sent by a soldier in General George McClellan’s immense Army of the Potomac which had planted itself nine miles from Richmond during the bungled (by McClellan) 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Despite outnumbering the rebel army two to one and having ten times as much in the way of supplies, McClellan was savagely routed and driven in defeat to the James River by Robert E. Lee over the course of a week in June. McClellan thereafter burned up the telegraph wires back to Washington whining that the defeat had been caused by Lincoln not sending him more reinforcements (reinforcements Lincoln did not possess). Read the amusing comments of the soldier trading remarks with a “secesh” counterpart.
How about stamp forgers? Namely, Francois Fournier. I happen to own a few of his works. They are plenty and easy to find. Most come with "FAUX" overprint. This one actually does not. Must have escaped into the world prior to the disposal of his materials by Union Philatelique de Genève. Here is a nice website (or rather its preserved archive) for information about his works, and in particular for the Navigation and Commerce.
Well, jaywild, this meeting topic is right up your alley! Thanks for your fascinating pages.
ipron - Thank you for posting, especially with a working link to Bill Claghorn's forgery comparison site. I need to update my links to it.
At the June meeting I posted about the New Hebrides cancellation forger Lucien Alavoine. I have put the story so far on my website. it needs polishing but the basic facts are there.
Some of you remember days on the chat board when this guy posted, around the time of the flame wars.
I will finish with another villain. Keep posting and I'll be back tomorrow with a cover to an American pioneer.
Oops, meant this....
Speaking of Fournier, I have previously shown a series of 4 stationaries sent *from* his company but unfortunaly not signed by himself as he had passed away. They are all complaining about failing to return and then to pay for some stamps, and finally he's threatening with the police!
