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Home / Historical / 2007 June Civil War Grand Format Auction Auction #663 / Lot #72030
    LOT #72030  | 
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    George Washington Custis Lee War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to General John Winder at 'Castle Thunder' "G.W.C. Lee". ...

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    • Autographs:Military Figures, George Washington Custis Lee War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to General John Winder at 'Castle Thunder' "G.W.C. Lee". ...
    • Autographs:Military Figures, George Washington Custis Lee War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to General John Winder at 'Castle Thunder' "G.W.C. Lee". ...
    Autographs:Military Figures, George Washington Custis Lee War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to General John Winder at 'Castle Thunder' "G.W.C. Lee". ... Autographs:Military Figures, George Washington Custis Lee War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to General John Winder at 'Castle Thunder' "G.W.C. Lee". ... View More >
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    Description

    Custis Lee Writes to the Future "Beast" of Andersonville

    George Washington Custis Lee War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to General John Winder at 'Castle Thunder' "G.W.C. Lee". One page, 8" x 8.75", Confederate States of America Executive Department letterhead, Richmond, Virginia, August 25, 1863, dark ink to John Henry Winder. This Lee ALS is addressed to General John Henry Winder, who was at the time commander of all Union military prisoners east of the Mississippi, later known as the "beast" of Andersonville. The letter here reads in full: "Neither Col. Browne nor myself have any knowledge of a communication from Welsh or Wash confirmed in Castle Thunder. There is no such name recorded in our book, nor can I find such a paper on our desks. I will however search further, and inform you of the result. Col. Browne and myself are the only ones present just now. I have the honor to be very respectfully G.W.C. Lee."

    Besides being the son of Robert E. Lee, Custis Lee served as aide-de-camp to Confederate President Jefferson Davis during most of the Civil War, and had been named a brigadier general exactly two months before he wrote this letter to Winder. Castle Thunder was an infamous military prison in Richmond, where spies, political prisoners, and soldiers accused of treason were housed. The letter is fine, with minimal edge wear, light pencil initials toward the bottom, and one small crease at the bottom right of the document. Usual folds present, and three thin strips of archival tape can be seen along the edges on the verso of the letter. A wonderful correspondence from one Richmond general to another.
    Provenance:The William Turner Collection

    Auction Info

    Auction Dates
    June, 2007
    24th-25th Sunday-Monday
    Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
    Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
    Page Views: 1,729

    Buyer's Premium per Lot:
    19.5% of the successful bid (minimum $9) per lot.

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