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14th President of the United States FRANKLIN PIERCE authentic Free Frank handwritten envelope from New Hampshire, dated July 2 (1861) and addressed in secretarial hand to Cassius F. Lee, Jr./care of Mrs. Lucy L. Turner / Alexandria / Va". Pierce signs at upper right with a fine, full signature as "Franklin Pierce" above the stamped "FREE".
FRANKLIN PIERCE Autograph Signed To R E Lee's Cousin Civil War Dated 1861 * PSA
$995.00
Guaranteed Authentic
Franklin Pierce Signed Envelope to Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Cousin Postmarked the Day Tennessee Joined the Confederacy
A handwritten notation on the back of the envelope notes, "Hon. Ex-President Pierce / Concord, N.H. / Dated July 1st 1861 / Rec'd " 4th, 1861", presumably based on the contents of the former letter. Pierce's home, post-Presidency was located in Concord. Pierce's reclusive retirement years were marked by heavy drinking, and private grief over the death of his beloved young son, Benjamin, who had died tragically in a railroad accident on the way to Washington following his father's election.
The same day Pierce mailed this letter, Tennessee was formally admitted as the eleventh and final state of the Confederacy. Although Tennessee voters had approved secession the previous month, its admission on July 2, 1861, completed the Confederacy’s roster of member states. Tennessee’s strategic location, substantial population, and control of vital rivers and railroads made it especially important to the Confederate war effort. Its divided loyalties, particularly in strongly Unionist East Tennessee, would make the state a major and bitterly contested theater of the war.
Cassius F. Lee, Jr. was a member of the prominent Lee family of Virginia. He was the son of Cassius Francis Lee, Sr. and a cousin to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. He worked primarily in commerce and estate administration in the Alexandria and Washington D.C. areas.
The Pierce Free Frank envelope has been thoroughly reviewed and CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC BY PSA/DNA EXPERT EXAMINATION. GUARANTEED GENUINE. The Pierce signed envelope is encapsulated inside PSA/DNA's proprietary sonically-sealed, tamper-evident holder - your assurance of absolute authenticity.
Condition is as shown with expected wear including toning, stains, paper loss at edges, consistent with age, use and handling. Marginal tear running through several letters of Pierce's first name. Free Frank envelope measures appx. 5.5" x 3" inside 4.25" x 7.25" encapsulate.
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Sold as is, as shown.