Beschreibung:

CIVIL WAR UNION GENERALS]. THOMAS, George H. (1816-1870). Major General . Autograph letter signed ("Geo. H. Thomas") to an unknown general, San Francisco, 5 January 1870. 2¼ pages, 8vo, 2 3/8 inch square area on first page lightly browned. DEFENDING PORTER'S ACTIONS AT SECOND BULL RUN. Thomas defends General Fitz-John Porter (1822-1901), who was stripped of his command in January 1863 after accusations by General Pope that he showed cowardice in the face of the enemy at the Second Battle of Manassas. Thomas notes that he has no specific interest in Porter's appeal of the case, but that Porter had written him: "I replied...that I did not, nor did I believe that any one who had known him believed he was guilty of having wilfuly [ sic ] neglected his duty on this occasion of the battle of Groveton. I have always believed that he was mistaken in his judgement as to the position of the enemy, but never having read the testimony...on his trial I have never undertaken to critisize [ sic ] the finding of the court. As to the expressions of General Franklin's letter to General Grant I will state here that he never had any grounds for such expression." Porter had refused to obey Pope's command to attack on the first day of the Second Battle of Manassas because of his claim that there were Confederate troops approaching the flank, a fact that was later substantiated. Porter was reinstated in 1886 after his successful appeals. -- SHERIDAN, Philip (1831-1888). Lieutenant General . Autograph letter signed ("P.H.Sheridan") to "Hill," Chicago, 24 March 1876. 3 pages, 8vo . SHERIDAN'S HORSE FROM HIS RIDE AT CEDAR CREEK. Sheridan responds to a question regarding the horse he rode at Cedar Creek: "The Black Horse I rode at the Battle of Cedar Creek is still living & in my posession [ sic ] in this city. He looks almost as well now as when you saw him in Virginia. I will be at the Centennial & will hope to have the pleasure of meeting you & old army comrades." After an early morning attack at Cedar Creek by Confederate forces on October 19, 1864, the Union Army was driven back in a rout until Sheridan rallied his men from horseback and led them to victory. -- SMITH, William F. (1824-1903). Major General . PROMOTING GRANT AND CONFEDERATE GENERAL JOSEPH JOHNSTON. Autograph letter signed ("Wm F Smith") to John Ropes, Philadelphia, 11 March 1891. 4 pages, 8vo. Smith, a controversial general who was twice removed from active field command, writes about his book From Chickamauga to Chattanooga : "I am convinced that I am writing a paper which might be acceptable to military students of a half century in advance but will not at all comport with present ideas of the public or of 99/100 of participants in the war." Intending to show "the value of Grant as a general" Smith also praises Confederate General Joseph Johnston: "nothing but my admiration of him as a general and my feeling that his great qualities were unknown partly by his never failing bad luck and partly by the hardship which Mr. Davis put upon him and the insubordination which that brought about in certain of his subordinates who knew themselves strong in the favor of Davis." He concludes, "I have gone as far as the battle of Iuka which reflects no credit upon any one but the American soldier ." Together three items . (3)