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JEFFERSON DAVIS Autograph Letter Signed Confederate Ironclad Lieutenant 1845 PSA
$1,750.00
Guaranteed Authentic
Jefferson Davis Early 1845 Autograph Letter Working to Secure the Appointment of a Future CSS Virginia Ironclad Lieutenant
Future Confederate President JEFFERSON DAVIS, exceptional autograph letter signed, "Jeff Davis," from Brierfield Plantation, dated November 15, 1845, to Colonel W. D. Archer regarding the sought-after U.S. Navy appointment of John Randolph Eggleston, the future Confederate naval lieutenant who would later serve aboard the famed ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) during the historic Battle of Hampton Roads.
The Davis letter has been thoroughly reviewed and CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC BY PSA/DNA EXPERT EXAMINATION – your assurance of absolute authenticity. GUARANTEED GENUINE. Purchase includes original PSA/DNA Letter of Authenticity.
Entirely handwritten by Davis, he writes:
"Bricefield
15th Nov. 1845
Col. R. F. Archer Esq.
My dear friend,
Yours of the 10th Inst. has just been received, it will afford me great pleasure as far as I can to answer the views of Mr. J. R. Eggleston whose family joins earnest of all your respect of him, further let me add that it will always highly gratify me to evince my high consideration and great regard for you by attention to any thing you would ask of me.
It will no doubt be remembered by you that the act of Congress a restriction was put on further appointments in the Navy until the existing corps shall have been absorbed. Mississippi having been much overlooked will have especial claims as soon as a vacancy occurs, and to this end your friend shall be put in a position to profit by the first change in the present relation of places to warrants granted.
When in Wilkinson Co. I saw your old friend James Stewart, had some political conversation with him and told him you a rod in seasoning for him to be applied with a friendly hand for his own improvement.
My preparations are in rapid progress for departure to Washington at which place I hope you will write to me freely and frequently. When in Claiborne I turned up to your house to see you but learned from one of your servants that you were not at home, but though it is with regret that I leave the country without seeing you and your family, absence can never weaken the sincere regard with which I will be as ever your friend,
Jeff Davis"
Penned from his famed Brierfield Plantation, Davis writes just weeks before departing for Washington to take his seat in the United States Congress. Responding to the request of longtime friend Colonel R. F. Archer, Davis explains that recent congressional restrictions have temporarily halted new naval appointments, but assures Archer that John Randolph Eggleston will receive consideration as soon as a vacancy becomes available. Davis closes by noting, "My preparations are in rapid progress for departure to Washington,".
The young naval candidate Davis championed would ultimately receive his appointment to the United States Navy, resign following Mississippi's secession, and join the Confederate Navy, serving as a lieutenant aboard the legendary CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) during the Battle of Hampton Roads, considered by many the most famous naval engagement of the Civil War.
Condition is as shown with toning, mailing folds, stains, a few pinholes at the fold lines, consistent with age, use and handling. Letter measures approx. 9.25" x 11.25".
Buy with confidence – we’re proud to have served a range of private collectors, scholars, and prestigious institutions. Our items can be found and referenced in institutions such as The Charles Darwin Project, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Patrick Henry's Red Hill National Memorial, and the McKinley Presidential Library, among many others.
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