Confederate General JEB Stuart's Handwritten Notes to Fitzhugh Lee. This important document, handwritten by Confederate Gene...

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Confederate General JEB Stuart's Handwritten Notes to Fitzhugh Lee. This important document, handwritten by Confederate General JEB Stuart and addressed to Fitzhugh Lee, details Stuart's congratulatory remarks as Lee is promoted through the ranks of the Confederate army. Nephew of Robert E. Lee and 1856 West Point graduate , Lee had already served on the frontier suffering a near-disabling wound by an Indian arrow when he resigned his commission in the United States Army to serve his native Virginia in the Civil War. After his meritorious service under General Joseph Johnston, Lee was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the First Virginia Cavalry led by the heroic General James Ewell Brown (JEB) Stuart. Upon receiving the appointment by Virginia Governor John Letcher, the Confederate Secretary of War assigned Lee to Stuart's First Virginia Cavalry. After receiving the letter of Lee's assignment, Stuart penned "congratulations of JEB Stuart" on the back flap of the envelope and forwarded it to Lee. The envelope and Stuart's handwriting are in very good condition. The envelope measures 5.75" x 5" (opened for display of the Stuart handwritten note). The front of the envelope bears the printed words, "Head Quarters" and "Army of the Potomac, C.S.A." in block letters. The envelope is hand-addressed to "Lt. Colonel Fitzhugh Lee 1st Va. Cavalry".

The handwritten letter measures 5.25" x 8.25" and is on blue, lined paper. The letter is written by General Joseph E. Johnston's assistant adjutant Major Thomas Grimke Rhett. Johnston was commander of the Army of the Potomac at the time. Major Rhett had an admirable career of his own before and after the war. A graduate of West Point, Class of 1845, he was brevetted for valor in the Mexican War. A native South Carolinian, he had risen to the rank of Major in the US Army at the time of the war. Resigning his commission to join the Confederacy, Rhett served as Johnston's assistant adjutant and then went on to the Trans-Mississippi Department. After the war, Rhett accepted a military commission in the Egyptian Army serving as a colonel until falling ill and dying from natural causes. Dated September 30, 1861, his letter to Lee reads, "Colonel, The General commanding directs that you report at once to Brig. Genl J. E. B. Stuart your appointment as Lieut. Colonel of the 1st Virginia Cavalry having been made, A copy will be furnished you as soon as possible. Respectfully Your abt sol Thos G Rhett A. Genl." This is a snapshot of an historical moment in the Civil War - a promotion of a member of the Lee family to Brigadier General and a hand written note from one of the South's greatest heroes, JEB Stuart. As a bonus, the handwritten letter from Major Rhett completes this set.