Crockett, Davy Sam Houston sigs 1830-1832 album...

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Crockett, Davy Sam Houston sigs 1830-1832 album Rare signature, ("D. Crockett") accomplished on a 2.5 x .75 in. (64 x 19 mm.) slip, mounted to a page within a (8.5 x 13.5 in.; 216 x 343 mm.) album consisting of approximately 80 leaves, containing a variety of 19th century prints and ephemera, together with 49 signatures, the owner of which is identified on the first leaf, in ornate calligraphy, "THE SCRAP BOOK. Elvira F. Smith... JEFFERSON BARRACKS: February 12, 1830." The album was kept by Elvira Loraine Foster Smith (1804-1878), the wife of infantry officer Henry Smith (1798-1847), who was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri from 1830-1832. The album is mostly disbound but still retains the original marbled boards, most of the pages bear marginal tears and losses together with some light soiling. Crockett's signature bears a small fold at the bottom left corner, but is otherwise very clean and in overall fine condition. An 1830s album kept by the wife of an officer in the Black Hawk War, with signatures of David Crockett, Sam Houston and dozens of others. The album also includes a significantly large piece of Martha Washington's dress with contemporary attribution, a relic of the St. Vrain Massacre, and hundreds of colorful engravings and other period ephemera. Other signatures found in the album include: Sam Houston (Yours Sincerely Thy friend Sam Houston), Daniel Webster (Danl Webster U.S. Senate), Rufus King, John C. Calhoun (J.C. Calhoun), Timothy Pickering (Timothy Pickering Secy. of War), William Eaton (Your Mo. Obed. Servt, William Eaton), William Dayton (Wm Dayton), Lewis Cass (Lew Cass), actor and playwright John Howard Payne (John Howard Payne) and numerous others. Henry Smith was an 1815 graduate of West Point who served in a variety of posts, including working as Quartermaster in various locations; an aide-de-camp to General Winfield, and from 1830 to 1832 was posted to Jefferson Barracks where he participated in the Black Hawk War, seeing action at the Battle of Bad Axe River on 2 August 1832. Of tremendous interest is the front of an address panel made out To Mrs. Elvira F. Smith (care of Capt. H. Smith) Jefferson Barracks (Mo.) with a lengthy note beneath, presumably in Mrs. Smith's hand identifying it as a piece of a letter sent from Dixon's ferry during the 'Sac War,' by the hands of Mr. F. St. Vrain U.S. Indian agent: Mr. St. Vrain was killed by the Indians, on his way home, and this letter, with others taken from his pocket and kept by the Indian throughout the campaign - At the battle of Ioway (2nd Aug 1832) the Indian was killed, and this letter found in his pack, and returned, on the spot, top Capt. Smith. On 23 May 1832, General Henry Atkinson (whose signature, H. Atkinson is also found in the album) appointed Felix de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain, U. S. Indian Agent for the Sauk and Fox at Fort Armstrong, to carry dispatches to Galena, Illinois and thence to Fort Armstrong. The following day, St. Vrain and his party were attacked by a party of Winnebago, the Indian Agent and several other were killed (only three made it alive to Galena). The attack became known as the St. Vrain massacre. Like many journals kept by women of the period, the book contains a plethora of engravings from a variety of sources, as well as other ephemera including a curious ticket to view the French Chambre des Députés, as well as a 2.75 x 2 in. (70 x 51 mm.) swatch of embroidered purple and brown fabric, purported to be "part of a dress worn by Martha Washington."