Robert E. Lee Autograph Letter Signed.

LEE, Robert E.

Item Number: 110624

Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Robert E. Lee to one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War, James Longstreet in the midst of the Siege of Petersburg. Dated September 28, 1864 and addressed to General Longstreet, the letter reads, “Genl, The articles were sent from England by Major L.B. Ferguson who is the Agent of the Dept in Europe for the purchase of cloth, blankets, sleeves, etc. Through the kindness of Mr. Andrews who leaves in the Morn direct for Richmond, I send a box containing Sundry articles for you & Gen. Longstreet, who I hope has recovered from his wound. These articles you must accept with affectionate regard of Lady Eardley, Mrs. Irvine, and Mrs. Ferguson, the latter I hope to have with me in a few days. I hope you will receive your portion safely. The box I understand arrived in Richmond was opened by Major Ferguson (brother to the one in Europe) and the articles intended for me sent to me gens in Richmond. Yours I understood from my Gen Maj. Franklin – retained. Very truly, R.E. Lee.” The recipient, James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his “Old War Horse”. He served under Lee as a corps commander for most of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the Eastern Theater. Lee wrote the present letter to Longstreet in the midst of the Siege of Petersburg, an ultimately unsuccessful assault by Grant’s Union armies which consisted of nine months of trench warfare. Petersburg was crucial to the supply of Lee’s army and the Confederate capital of Richmond, and on the eve of September 28, 1864 (the day the present letter was written) Lee shifted his troops to Richmond to meet Butler’s Army of the James in the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm and New Market Heights. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 16.25 inches by 14 inches.

Robert E. Lee commanded the primary military force of the Confederate States Army, the Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War from 1862 until its surrender in 1865. Once he took command in 1862, he soon emerged as an able tactician and battlefield commander, winning nearly every single battle fought against far larger Union armies. Lee's two major strategic offensive into Union territory at the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in high casualties at a time when the Confederacy had a shortage of manpower and ended in defeat. Lee surrendered the remnant of his army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.