- More
Union General William T. Sherman Autograph Letter Signed "W. T. Sherman", four pages, 5" x 8", on his "912 Garrison Aven...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.Description
Union General William T. Sherman Autograph Letter Signed "W. T. Sherman", four pages, 5" x 8", on his "912 Garrison Avenue" letterhead, St. Louis, Mo., 2 January 1883 [sic, 1884], to Mrs. [Joseph] Audenreid, the widow of one of his wartime aides. Sherman, wounded at Shiloh, is known for the Atlanta and Carolinas campaigns and his "March to the Sea" and is widely considered the best federal commander of the Civil War. He pens, "I have your letter of Sunday & see that you had one of your blue-black days, occasioned by thinking of Mackenzie and the Rathbone tragedy. Instead of being cast down you should feel grateful that your own afflictions are small in comparison. Mackenzie was coldly & selfishly ambitious, worried and fretted to the annoyance of his friends and finally to his own ruin. As to Rathbone the whole thing is a perfect mystery - unless it be one of nature's laws that every man must have some employment. To wander about Europe on the theory of educating children who would have been better turned loose in a crowd at some common school, and day after day with nothing to do, was calculated to make a man mad. A woman lives in her family, but a man should have some station or employment in contact with other men." He concludes that "the world goes right along - we will all die in good time and can afford to wait." Union General Ranald Mackenzie, a West Pointer with six brevets including ones for Gettysburg and Petersburg, had begun to show "signs of instability" after taking a Texas command in 1883 and was sent to a New York asylum. The "Rathbone" Sherman mentions was Maj. Henry Rathbone, the guest and attempted defender of Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on the night of the assassination. Ten days before this letter was written, as the culmination of increasing derangement, Rathbone murdered his wife Clara - who was also his stepsister, and who had likewise been a guest in the Presidential box on the fatal night. An intriguing letter, not only for its analyses but because Sherman himself had been accused of insanity during the first year of the Civil War. His mental distress dissipated when he came to serve under Ulysses S. Grant, whom in turn he kept from leaving the army when angered by ill-treatment at the hands of superiors. Evenly toned with folds; fine.Auction Info
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid (minimum $9) per lot.
Calculate Standard Domestic Shipping Sales Tax information
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Floor auctions
Open for bidding: (View All)Fine Art
Ends on 03/05/2021
Jewelry & Timepieces
Ends on 03/05/2021
US Coins
Ends on 03/08/2021
Photography
Ends on 03/10/2021
Fine Art
Ends on 03/11/2021
Decorative Art
Ends on 03/11/2021
Fine & Rare Wine
Ends on 03/12/2021
Western & Texas Art
Ends on 03/12/2021
Comics & Comic Art
Ends on 03/13/2021
US Coins
Ends on 03/15/2021
Decorative Art
Ends on 03/16/2021
US Coins
Ends on 03/17/2021
Fine Art
Ends on 03/17/2021
Sports Collectibles
Ends on 03/18/2021
Nature & Science
Ends on 03/19/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Ends on 03/21/2021
US Coins
Ends on 03/22/2021
Fine Art
Ends on 03/24/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Ends on 03/25/2021
Comics & Comic Art
Ends on 03/25/2021
Movie Posters
Ends on 03/27/2021
Currency
Ends on 04/04/2021
Luxury Real Estate
Opens about 01/22/2021
Jewelry & Timepieces
Opens about 03/08/2021
Comics & Comic Art
Opens about 03/12/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Opens about 03/07/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 03/17/2021
Comics & Comic Art
Opens about 03/19/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 03/18/2021
US Coins
Opens about 03/08/2021
Jewelry & Timepieces
Opens about 02/24/2021
Musical Instruments
Opens about 03/23/2021
Photography
Opens about 03/22/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 03/23/2021
Photography
Opens about 03/24/2021
Comics & Comic Art
Opens about 03/18/2021
Sports Collectibles
Opens about 04/01/2021
US Coins
Opens about 03/16/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 03/26/2021
Historical
Opens about 03/29/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Opens about 03/21/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 03/31/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 04/01/2021
Currency
Opens about 04/02/2021
US Coins
Opens about 04/02/2021
US Coins
Opens about 03/22/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Opens about 03/28/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 04/06/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 04/08/2021
Currency
Opens about 04/12/2021
Illustration Art
Opens about 04/09/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 04/09/2021
Entertainment
Opens about 04/12/2021
Luxury Accessories
Opens about 04/12/2021
Jewelry & Timepieces
Opens about 04/02/2021
Heritage membership
- Past Auction Values (prices, photos, full descriptions, etc.)
- Bid online
- Free Collector newsletter
- Want List with instant e-mail notifications
- Reduced auction commissions when you resell your
winnings
- Cash Advances
- More Bidders
- Trusted Experts
- Over 200,000 Satisfied Consignors Since 1976
Learn about consigning with us
This was my first time dealing with an auction house, and I am 100% completely impressed with Heritage. There is not an aspect of this process that I have a critique for.View More Testimonials
HA.com receives more traffic than any other auction house website. (Source: Similarweb.com)