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Ulysses S. Grant Autograph Letter Signed...
Description
At the Outset of the Civil War, Newly Appointed Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant Sends His Oath of Service to General Thomas
Ulysses S. Grant Autograph Letter Signed ("U. S.
Grant"). One page, 8 x 9 3/4 inches; "Head Quarters"
Cairo, Illinois; September 14, 1861.Writing to General George H. Thomas shortly after his appointment as Brigadier General, Grant provides his oath of service to the Union Army. In full:
"Sir;
In accordance with your instructions on the 22d of August, received but a few days ago, I have taken the prescribed oath and enclose it herewith properly authenticated [oath not included with letter].
Under the same instruction I also have the honor to inform you that my age is thirty-nine years & four months, was born in Ohio, residence Galena, Ill.
I am Sir, very respectfully
Your Obt. Svt.
U. S. Grant
Brig. Gen. U.S.A."
Newly appointed as a Brigadier General and still largely unknown beyond his immediate command, this letter captures Ulysses S. Grant at the very beginning of his rise in the Civil War. Stationed at Cairo, Illinois, a strategic point at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, Grant was entering active service at a moment when the Union war effort was still taking shape.
Grant reports that he has taken the prescribed oath and provides the personal details required of a newly commissioned officer, including his age, birthplace, and residence. There is no indication here of the prominence the young officer would soon achieve. Instead, he appears as one of many officers stepping forward in the early months of the war, fulfilling the formalities of service.
Within weeks, Grant would begin to distinguish himself. From this position at Cairo, he would lead operations that culminated in the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, victories that would bring him national recognition and mark the beginning of his ascent to overall command of Union forces. This letter stands just before that transformation, when Grant was still reporting in, rather than directing the course of the war.
A fascinating document capturing Grant not as the commanding general he would become, but as a newly appointed officer entering service, at the threshold of a career that would bring him to the presidency of the United States.
Condition: Very good. Flattened folds with minor toning along folds. Minor separations at outer left margin of folds, reinforced with tape on the verso. Minor thumbsoiling at upper and lower left margins.
References: John Y. Simon, ed., The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, vol. 2 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press); Ron Chernow, Grant (New York: Penguin Press, 2017).
Provenance: Christie's, Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Including Americana, December 7, 2012, lot 40.
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