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W[illiam]. W[illiston]. Heartsill. Fourteen Hundred and 91 Days, in the Confederate Army. A ...

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Description

Heartsill's Civil War Journal: "The rarest and most coveted book on the American Civil War"

W[illiam]. W[illiston]. Heartsill. Fourteen Hundred and 91 Days, in the Confederate Army. A Journal, kept by W.W. Heartsill, for four years, one month, and one day. Or Camp Life; Day-by-Day, of the W.P. Lane Rangers from April 19th 1861, to May 20th 1865. [Marshall, Texas: Privately printed, 1876]. First Edition, one of only 100 copies hand-printed by the author on an "Octavo Novelty Press." 8vo. [viii], 264, [1] pages. Illustrated with sixty-one albumen photographic portraits (including one of the author) mounted on leaves with printed captions identifying the subjects; the final portrait, with no printed caption, is identified by a period note in pencil as "W. M. Jones."

Variant binding in dark brown cloth with paper label affixed to spine. Ownership signatures of Edmund Key (1850-1936) appear on the front pastedown and front free endpaper, suggesting the binding was done for him as the original owner. Key, a prominent Harrison County banker, co-founded the private bank of Garrett & Key in 1877 and later became president of the First National Bank of Marshall. He married Constance Garrett (1866-1945) in 1886. A laid-in card from Constance to their daughter (also named Constance) reads: "To Constance from her father's library – Dearest love, Mother / Feb. 1937."

Heartsill's journal describes his experiences during the Civil War, including material related to Texas ranching activities, Indian and Mexican affairs, and botany; the Texas Secession Convention; generals Braxton Bragg, Stonewall Jackson, Joseph E. Johnston, and John W. Whitfield; his work with the W.P. Lane Rangers; battles of Chickamauga and Vicksburg; prisoners of war; and the Confederate Army Trans-Mississippi Department.

Harwell notes: "This book would be of considerable interest because of the homespun way in which it was produced, even if it were devoid of any other virtues. It is, however, a good narrative in its own right-of the early days of the war in Texas, of operations in Arkansas and Louisiana, of Heartsill's capture and imprisonment in the North, of his travels through the north to City Point, Virginia, for exchange. After some time in Richmond he was attached to Bragg's army in time to participate in the Battle of Chickamauga. Then slowly back to Texas through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. For a while he guarded Federal prisoners in Camp Ford at Tyler, Texas. He and his comrades in the W. P. Lane Rangers were finally disbanded near Navasota May 10, 1865."

Howes: "Printed by the author, page-by-page, on a hand-press; one of the rarest journals by a Confederate combatant."

Jenkins writes: "The rarest and most coveted book on the American Civil War. Only one hundred copies were printed, of which merely a handful have survived...The journal itself is historically important...This four-year record is one of the most vivid and intimate accounts of Civil War battle-life that has survived."

We have previously handled only three other copies of this scarce book, with a copy in the original binding selling for $45,000 in 2016. This copy is in excellent condition for this work, certainly one of the best examples to have survived.

Condition: Some soiling and minor wear to binding, including small chips to the extremities; minor loss to paper label, affecting a few letters. Front hinge cracked; textblock with a few instances of minor edgewear; some toning, foxing, and scattered stains throughout. Albumens with expected fading, retaining good contrast.

References: Harwell, In Tall Cotton 86; Howes H380; Jenkins, Basic Texas Books, 89; Find a Grave Memorial no. 26937376.

Auction Info

2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6328 (go to Auction Home page)
Bidding Begins Approx.
January
26th Monday
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26th Thursday
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