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James Garfield Autograph Letter Signed...
Description
Amid Postwar Army Rivalries, James A. Garfield Backs General McDowell for Promotion to a Key Army Appointment
James Garfield Autograph Letter Signed ("J. A.
Garfield"). Two pages on a single leaf with blindstamped
Congressional seal, 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches; Washington D. C.;
November 8, 1872.Writing as a Representative from Ohio, Garfield writes to fellow Ohioan and former Union Major General Irvin McDowell, citing discussions with General William Tecumseh Sherman, then Commanding General of the U.S. Army. The letter concerns McDowell's potential succession to a post held by Major General Oliver Otis Howard. In part:
"I had some conversation with Genl. Sherman concerning the successorship and urged upon him the propriety and justice of your appointment. He feels right towards you everyway. I do not think he feels at all certain of his own position with the Administration, in view of the way in which the power has been taken out of his hands by the War Department.
I will cheerfully do all I can to assist you. Sherman told me that there would be much pushing and struggling over the appointment and that he did not yet see how it was likely to come out.
Howard wants to be retired and he wants to be retired on the rank of Major General. Whether that consideration will have any weight I do not know."
An interesting letter offering a candid glimpse into the political maneuvering of the post-Civil War Army.
Condition: Very good. Flattened folds. Small tap repair to separation at the top edge. Toned at the folds on the verso.
Auction Info
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Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 42001-42298) - 11:00 AM Central Time, Friday, June 19, 2026.
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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