Militaria

A superb Battersea tibeback honoring American naval hero Thomas Truxton with a portrait of Lord Nelson

(Thomas TRUXTUN) A lovely Battersea enameled porcelain and brass-rimmed curtain tie back, 50 mm. (1 7/8 in.) diam., c. 1795-1820 featuring a hand-painted transfer-print bust portrait of a naval officer. Titled along the edge: “Com.re TRUXTON [sic].” Enamel affixed to a 63mm. (2 1/2 in.) shaft with screw threads at the end.

Truxtun (1755-1822) was best known for his service during the Quasi War with France, earning fame for his defeat of the French ships l’Insurgente and Vengeance while commanding the U.S.S. Constellation. Truxtun’s exploits earned him a Congressional Gold Medal. The artists who produced these did not have access to a portrait of Truxton. Assuming Americans didn’t either, they simply used a portrait of Nelson assuming no one would be the wiser!

Battersea enamels first came into vogue among the well-heeled of Europe in the mid-eighteenth century. Produced in England, the enamels began with a thin copper base coated with a ground glass mixture that became clear with firing. It was then overpainted. The form was best suited to convex surfaces and was used to decorate small boxes and other decorative pieces. Battersea enamels remained in fashion into the 1840s.

A pair of horizontal surface cracks do not detract from this vividly colorful portrait, some minor blemishing and a slight dent at top of brass rim, else in great condition.

(EXA 5094) $1,500.00

A Hagerstown, Maryland Civil War draft broadside

(Civil War in Maryland) Broadside, 227 x 127 mm. (11 x 5 in.), [Hagerstown, Md., c. October 1862- March 1865] headed, “The Draft! IF YOU ARE LIABLE, Look to Your Interests!”, in an effort to fill the ranks of the Union Army.

“At a town meeting held on Saturday evening last, the undersigned were appointed a Committee to devise measures to relive the District from the Draft. After mature consideration, the Committee have determined on the raising of a Fund to enable them to offer a District Bounty to Volunteers, as the readiest way of attaining the end in view.” Observing that the quota for the district around Hagerstown had been reduced to 33 men, they proposed raising a “district bounty” to induce enough enlistments to make the draft unnecessary. It appears that the committee was successful in its effort.

Updegraff’s Hat Store was an unfortunate victim on Confederate plundering during the Gettysburg campaign losing $1,000 worth of hats that were sent back to Virginia for use of the army. (Boston Traveler, 3 July 1863, 2). John D. Swartz was a Hagerstown tailor who at the time was selling military uniforms “at Philadelphia prices.” (The Herald of Freedom & Torch Light, 22 Oct. 1862, 3).

One horizontal crease, light toning and marginal wear, else fine condition.

(EXA 4549) $450

Rare Revolutionary War Broadside Ordering the Confiscation of Supplies from those unwilling to sell to the Continental Army

(American Revolution) Broadside, AN ACT AND LAW, Made and passed by the General Court or Assembly of the State of Connecticut, in America; holden at New-Haven, on the second Thursday of October, Anno Domini 1776. An Act to compel the furnishing necessary Supplies, and Assistance to the Quarter-Master-General of the Continental Army. (New London: Printed by T. Green, Printer to the Governor and Company, 1778), 295 x 175 mm. (11 3/4 x 7 in.) with summary printed at right margin, “Persons refusing to sell to the Quarter-Master Gen. any Articles for Use of the Army, the same to be taken by Warrant.”

The law stipulated, that “…if any Person or Persons within this Colony shall upon Request, refuse to sell or supply to the Quartermasters-General of the Continental Army the Articles of timber, Boards, Shingles, Brick or Stone, or to sell or let their Horses, Oxen Carts or Carriages for transporting the same… any one Assistant or Justice of the Peace within this Colony… are hereby ordered… to grant a proper Warrant or Warrants for the impressing from any such Person or Persons so refusing…”

Extremely Rare. Evans 15764. Johnson, H.A., New London, 1078. We are aware of only one extant edition of this broadside which is housed at the Library of Congress. We have never seen a copy appear at auction.

Light toning, minor stitch holes along left margin not affecting text, minor creasing, else very good.

(EXA 4911) $2,500

A scarce 1862 broadside for the Holliday Street Theater, owned by John T. Ford, also the proprietor of Ford’s Theater, the site of Lincoln’s assassination in 1865

(John T. FORD) Broadside, 403 x 142 mm. (15 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.), for the Holliday Street Theater, (Baltimore: “‘The Printing Office,’ Sun Iron Building,” [1862^*]). A nice example promoting a run of performances by Annette Ince in Lady of Lyons, and the farce, Crimson Crimes.

The Holliday Theater was the first house managed by Ford. He leased the Hollday only a few years after entering the theatrical business as a tour manager of George Kunkel’s Nightingale Minstrels at age 22.

Light toning and faint dampstain at bottom, marginal wear including some minor chips not affecting text, folds, else very good.

(EXA 4551) $175

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^* See Baltimore Sun, 5 September 1862., 2., “Holliday Street Theatre”.

Federalist Samuel West Jr. writes letter complaining of electoral shenanigans by  Democratic-Republicans in Columbia, CT

(First Party System & The War of 1812) Extremely fine content A.L.S. “Samuel West Jr.”, 3pp. + integral address leaf, 319 x 190 mm., Columbia, [Conn.] 8 Oct. 1813 to Dr. Chester Hunt complaining of one Captain Kingsley, a Democrat, who the author believed had tricked the Federalist residents of the town into missing a town meeting. A terrific story, worthy of quoting nearly in its entirety: “… Sir I will give you a nar[r]itive of our democratic Town meeting when Capt. Kingsly was one of our Select Men—. The Town of Columbia was incorporated I think the year 1804 we remained and the galling yoak of democracy for two years and a half, in September 1806 the Federalists Succeeded in the choice of a representative by a majority of five which discovered the streangth [sic] of the Federal party[.] our town meeting had generally been held on the first or second Monday in November, but November passed off and a great part of December and nothing could be heard about town meeting, though inquiry was frequently made when it would come on, near the 20th of December it being Sunday morning [?] there hap[p]ened Some men to be at Mr. Stephen Hosmers who was one of the select Men he was asked when Town meeting would be he said it might be the next morning at nine Oclock the federalist railed. men were sent in every direction through the Town to notify the federalists they were all notified before day it was expected the Select Men after finding that the federalists had got knowledge of the meeting and was ready and willing to vote them out of office that they would pleas’d that their warning had blown off from the post and they had got no Copy and would not do any business, to prevent that a man went to Cap… Kinglsey (who was one of the select men) early in the morning to find whether they had got a copy or not. he says to Capt. Kingsley I want a little brandy to carry to Norwich with me to day I am going the road Capt Kingsley not knowing what had taken place during the night say you will not go to Norwich to day it is Town meeting to day, Town meeting to day says the man I was at meeting yesterday. I saw no warning on the post, Capt. Kinglsy says likely has likely blown off but that will make no difference we have got a Copy of the warning. the man went home and attended meeting the Select Men finding the federalists all on the ground and able to vote them down came forward and said that they would do no business. the warning was lost and they had got no copy, the man who had seen Capt. Kingsly came forward and said that Capt. Kinglsey had told him that morning that they had got a copy, Capt Kinglsy replied he did suppose that they had a copy amongst them but it proved they had on them was not one of [the?] Select Men th[a]t pretended to know any thing what was contained in the warning. They refused to go on business and warned another meeting. this Capt. Kingsly is the man who some are recommending highly for a Major in the 12 Regiment he is the man who just put the warning above mentioned on the post in a stormy evening which was never seen nor heard of after[.] I do not know that he had any evil intention but it is strong that the democrats should all have the information and the federalist all ignorant of it until late in the night the last preceding the meeting, I think it likely that had not the federalists got information of the meeting the democrats would have met and would have had a copy of the warning to done[?] the business of the meeting. If ou should feal [sic] willing to copy the substance of the above in our own Stik [?] and communicate it to Phinahas Talbot Esqr for him to communicate to his excellency the Governor if he should think proper I should be glad, I should like to have the upper house know something of the transaction without doing it my self – yours with esteem Samuel West, Jr…”

A wonderful description of the bitter conflict between the declining Federalist party and the Democratic-Republicans in New England during the War of 1812.

Dr. Hunt, mentioned in this letter, had recently built a house (1800) in neighboring Windham and the building is still in a state of preservation and on the National Register since 1970.

Clean fold separations to front leaf, partial on verso, minor marginal chips and tears affecting several words of text, usual folds, small loss from seal tear, else very good condition overall.

(EXA 2438) $450

German painter Ferdinand Konrad Beller searches for his lost brother in America

(Mexican War) Ferdinand Konrad BELLER (aka. BELLERMANN) (1814-1889) German painter best known for his landscapes of Venezuela between 1842 and 1845. Unusual and very fine content manuscript Document Signed twice “Conrad Bartholmaeus Ferdinand Bellermann” 5pp. 290 x 230 mm. Berlin, 5 July 1854, in German being a series of legal documents, including a power of attorney (Vollmacht) to counsel in the United States seeking an order to obtain information about his missing brother, Carl Martin. Martin had emigrated to the United States in 1847, purportedly to fight in the Mexican War, but had not been heard from since. The document empowers Alfred Schuecking in Washington as attorney (translated) “in order to obtain in our name from the high Government of the United States of America or any other concerned Authority, information as to the service and death of our unmarried brother… born at Erfurt, 7 Aug. 1825, emigrated in the year 1847 to New York… and in general to take possession of any of our brother’s accounts belonging to us…” The document includes a full physical description of Carl Martin as well as signatures and seals of various Prussian officials as well as the American Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia, Peter Dumont VROOM (1791 – 1873) who adds an Autograph Endorsement Signed “P.D. Vroom” the fifth page, Berlin, 7 July 1854, certifying the authenticity of “the signature of Mr: Hellwig, Counselor of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the seal to be that of the Department of Foreign Affairs of His Majesty the King of Prussia…” Peter Dumont VROOM (1791-1873) was a New Jersey Democrat who served twice as Governor of New Jersey. Franklin Pierce appointed him minister to Prussia in 1853 and he remained in Berlin until 1857. An unusual association piece, of interest to collectors of diplomatic history and art history, chronicling a trying personal time for the artist.

Document loosely bound in string that is attached to the notary seal, usual folds, chipped at margins with minor tears, overall somewhat fragile and should be handled with extra care, overall very good condition.

(EXA 3585) $850

Philippine Insurrection officer’s correspondence

(Spanish American War: Philippine Insurrection) A superb correspondence of 34 letters, 160 pp. (approx.) together with 23 transmittal envelopes from Maj. Edgar Zell Steever addressed to his wife between 7 August 1899 to 16 January 1902 describing his tour of duty suppressing the Philippine Insurrection.The correspondence is quite detailed and includes a good narrative of his ocean journey from Seattle to the Philippines with stops at Dutch Harbor, Alaska as well as Kobe, Japan.

The balance of the correspondence, which runs from October 1899 to January 1902 covers his service in the Philippines and is extremely detailed. It reads, in very small part: “[22 Oct. 1899:] One of the first things that struck of the officers of our regiment on arrival in the Philippines, was the large no. of officers holding down chairs in Manila. The city seems full of them, detached from their regiments. The officers at the front call all the officers in Manila ‘coffee-coolers,’ a term of derision applied to a soldier who stays in the rear when his place is at the front… [11 January 1900] “…I wrote you in my last that I was going out on a little scout for insurrectos … got started at 3.30 & marched north to Santo Domingo … before daylight … detailed … advance guard … to trot ahead until near the town, then to take the walk & make as little noise as possible, to enter the town, post guards at all the outlets, so no one could get out, arrest the presidente & another man to act as guides & then on my arrival, I would take them to show me the road leading to … where the insurrectos were said to be. It had been reported to me that Capt. Estanislao Reyes & 200 insurgents were located at a little place called Lavingen, 3 kilometers to the east of Santo Domingo … The presidente said there were no insurrectos in the neighborhood & that there was no such place as Laoingen: nevertheless, I made him get his caballo (pony) & with his chief of police, accompany me … passing thro’ a number of villages out finding no trace of the insurgents… everything looked peaceful & tranquil … as soon as insurrectos come into a neighborhood & there is a probability of a conflict with the Americans, the natives skip out & hide in the brush or the mountains … We cannot get any reliable persons to locate the insurrectos. The natives are …cowards except they have everything their own way. A native well disposed towards the Americans, is afraid to tell anything, for fear some devil may cut his throat the next night. So it goes… [23 January 1900] … had a fight with the insurgents, who were strongly intrenched on the top of Monte de Bimmuaya & other mountains. They had the strongest position that any force has occupied since our war over here has begun. Monte de Mimmuaya is more than twice as high has the Rock of Gibraltar & more difficult of ascent. I make this statement knowingly because I have ascended both & know whereof I speak. No less than 12 different lines of entrenchment’s were upon Bimmauya & the adjacent mountains & yet strange to say, I forced the Insurrectos out of their position by our fire & sending our flanking parties, so they retreated during the night. The combat opened at 11.25 A. M. & continued all afternoon until dark with occasional firing until midnight. I had one man, private George Mitchell, of E troop 3 Cavalry, killed & one horse belonging to L troop … The Presidente of the Province told me last night that I had killed & wounded 59 Insurrectos. I had with me 2 Maxim – Nordenfelt guns & they did fine work. [30 January 1900] … You say people remark that the War is over. Don’t you believe it. The people over here are going to keep up an irregular warfare just as long as the many evil – disposed persons remain alive … before our troops can close in upon them, the natives scatter hide their arms, put on peasant clothes & cannot then be distinguished from any of the other ‘amigos’ of the country. At first opportunity, the gather again at a specified rendezvous & then we have another job on hand to clean them out. … [19 February 1900] In my opinion, these insurrectos will keep up a guerrilla warfare almost indefinitely, certainly until the leaders, such as Aguinaeno, Tinio, Pio de Palar, & c have been captured or killed… [3 March 1900] … one native is exactly like the others, & unless an officer personally knows by sight an Insurrecto … For Instance, General Tinio might come up & engage in a Spanish conversation with me & I would be none the wiser, for he would have the same race characteristics as the other people we find out here … We treat these people too leniently, mercy, mildness, fair dealing toward them, are only considered signs of weakness. As a rule, the Filipino is a coward at heart, but is so extremely treacherous that if a good opportunity occurs to jab a knife in your back… “ [7 December 1901] …Yesterday I received a telegraphed order to proceed to San Fernado dela Union, to command my squadron & to day I am busy trying to pack up. This involves a march overland of about 135 to 140 miles… For many reasons I shall be sorry to leave Laoag[?], for I rather like the place & find that the people here are more cordial than in any other town in which I have been. The climate is cooler of course, only a trifle, but still the trifle counts…” Much more fine content.

Letters bear the expected folds with minor marginal wear, overall very good to fine.

(EXA 4071) SOLD.

Spanish American War recruiting broadside produced by the Selectmen of Marblehead, MASS

(Spanish-American War) Rare broadside, 14 x 7 in. headed “RALLY ROUND THE FLAG, BOYS! – RECRUITS Wanted.” ([Marblehead, Mass., 1898]).

A hastily printed broadside produced by the Selectmen of Marblehead, “In order to fill up the quota of Company C, 8th Regiment, Twenty Recruits are wanted this noon at Abbot Hall.” The appeal closes with the slogan: “LET THERE BE NO FALLING OFF IN THE PATRIOTISM OF OLD MARBLEHEAD. ‘ON TO CUBA.’”

Contemporary ink smudges, light soiling, else very good.

(EXA 4292) $600

Rare 1832 hand-colored print of Col. Johnson’s defeat of Tecumseh near Moravian Town, 5 Oct. 1812

(War of 1812) A rare hand-colored print, 6 x 13 1/4 in. on a 13 3/4 x 8 1/4” sheet entitled: “A View of Col. Johnson’s Engagement with the Savages (commanded by Tecumseh) near the Moravian Town, October 5th, 1812 [sic, 1813]” [Engraved by A. Bowen], hand colored in green, blue, yellow and red watercolor. Undated, but the print is known to have been prepared for the 1832 edition Henry Trumbull’s History of the Discovery of America.

Captioned in eight parts describing the scene: “1 Col. Johnson heroically defending himself against the attack of an Indian Chief. 2 The American Infantry firing upon a body of the enemy on the left. 3 A dismounted Dragoon personally engaged with one of the enemy. 4 The cavalry pursing the retreating savages across the hills. 5 Tecumseh rallying his men, and encouraging them to return to the attack.” A savage in the act of scalping a wounded drummer of the American Infantry. 7 The savages, pursued by the cavalry, retreating to a swamp on the left. 8 The enemy (rallied by their commander Tecumseh) returning to the attack.” It is generally believed that Tecumseh died at the hands of Col. Richard Mentor Johnson during the battle. Johnson, who was wounded several times during the battle, became a prominent Kentucky politician. Johnson’s reputation earned him a spot on the 1836 Democratic ticket with MartinVan Buren.

Backed by another sheet of paper, some marginal tears and vertical creases, else very good.

(EXA 3975) $600

War of 1812 soldier Green CLAY ADS reporting deserters from “John Yanties Company”, 1813

(War of 1812) Green CLAY (1757 – 1828) Soldier. Autograph Document Signed “Green Clay” and twice again in body of document adding his rank as “Brigr. Genl.” 2pp., 13 1/8 x 7 7/8 in., [n. p.] 17 June 1815, being a fair copy of a general order he issued in Cincinatti on 9 April 1813 ordering “The Commandants of Regiments will cause to be made immediately a Regimental report of the men, who have failed to Join the Detachment; and those who have Deserted – specifying as near as practacable [sic] descriptions of their persons, & place of resi- dence Signed Green Clay Grigr. Genl.”

“The following is a transcript of my Order Book & Brigade report of Deserters & Delinquints [sic] from the Brigade of Kentucky Militia detached under the command of Brigadier Genl Green Clay the same being taken from reports of the adjutant of Col. Boswells Regiment and Serjant [sic] Majr. of the late Colo. Dudleys Regiment.” Clay then lists the names of five deserters from Fort Meigs based on a report issued by Brigade Major Thoas H. Pindell “about the middle or last of May 1813” All were from “Capt. John Yanties Company”. Included are the names of each deser ter, three simply listed as “delinquent”; another was “delinquent” but when deposed claimed that he was from Lincoln County; another was “delinquent” but also complained of “Rhumatism” [sic]. However “Abram Nicham” was clearly a “Deserter” who “run away to the State of Ohio.” Clay concludes his transcript with the following observation: “As to having a private understanding with any Officer; or one Officer with another contrary to the Rules of the Army: the Duty of an officer and strict Honor the Idea is inadmissible: I know of no such thing.”

Light marginal wear and toning, usual fold else fine.

(EXA 4084) $650

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