1865 Eagle Discharge Signed Twice by Brigadier General Edmund B. Alexander

Description

1865 Eagle Discharge Signed Twice by Brigadier General Edmund B. Alexander
Offered for your consideration are three documents relating to the discharge of a private from a Missouri cavalry regiment, one signed at the conclusion by a long-serving United States officer. The principal document is a standard Union military discharge, highlighted by a spread-winged bald eagle, a bundle of arrows and an olive branch in its talons, standing atop an American shield, with flags and stars in the background. Immediately above, presented in a arc, is printed “
To all whom it
may Concern:
”, while below it instructs the reader to “
Know ye, That
David
Manning
a
Private
of Captain
John P. Roger’s
Company, (
C
),
14
th
Regiment of
Cavalry Missouri
Volunteers who was enrolled on the
Fifth
day of
February
one thousand eight hundred and
Sixty five
to serve
Three years
years
or during the war, is hereby Discharged from the service of the United States, this
Twenty
sixth
day of
October
, 186
5
, at
St. Louis
Missouri
by reason of
Spec. Instr. from
War Dept. dated June 29 65
. (No objection to his being re-enlisted is known to exist).
The following paragraph provides a physical description of Private Manning, though the spaces were originally completed with curled lines (his place of birth and age have been written above in another hand). This document was “
Given at
St Louis Mo
this
Fourth
day of
November
186
5
.
” and it is boldly signed at the conclusion by “
E. B. Alexander
” in his capacity as “
Bvt. Brig. Gen. U.S.A.
” and “
Chief Must’g Officer
”. A manuscript, red ink notation, somewhat difficult to read, appears vertically to the left of center. It seems to indicate that Private Manning was sick at the time his company was discharged and that he was paid on “
Nov. 8/65
”. A second signature of General Alexander is also present, again accomplished in dark ink. A partly-printed “
OATH OF IDENTITY
” (unaccomplished) dominates 1/3 of the back of the document, while the remaining 2/3 is blank. This document is offered with two additional, related items. Both are headlined “
CERTIFICATE OF
SERVICE
” and bear a spread-winged eagle as the central vignette. The first of these states: “
To all Whom it May Concern: This is to Certify, That
David Manning
, who was enrolled on the
27
th
day of
July
, one thousand eight hundred
and Sixty three
, to serve
three
years, was discharged
to date
the
3
rd
day of
February
, 186
5
, by
re-enlistment in 14
th
Mo Cavlry
at
St Louis Mo
., while holding the grade of
Private
in
Company
‘
L
’,
3
rd
Regiment of
Missouri S. M. Cavlry
, and serving honorably in the military of the United States.
”. The next paragraph indicates that “
This certificate is given upon evidence that the original discharge has been lost or destroyed …
” and “
… that it ‘shall not be accepted as a voucher for the payment of any claims against the United States …
”. It was “
Given at the Adjutant General’s Office, War Department, Washington, D. C., this
12
th
day of
October
, A. D. 18
88
” and is signed at the conclusion by the “
Assistant Adjutant General
”. The second document is another “
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
”, this one for Manning’s discharge on “
… the
26
th
day of
October
, 18
65
…
” at “
…
Fort
Leavenworth, Kan. …
” from “
…
Company ‘C’
,
14
th
Regiment of Missouri Cavlry
…
”, bearing the same date and signature as the previous. It is interesting to find this second document, as it was supposed to replace the Eagle Discharge that is included with this lot, though it obviously still exists. These documents would look great framed together, or the discharge could be framed with a period portrait of General Alexander in uniform. Nice grouping from this politically divided state.
Edmund Brooke Alexander
was born in Haymarket, Virginia, on October 6, 1802. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, from 1818 through 1823, and upon graduation, was appointed brevet second lieutenant in the 6
th
US Infantry. He was subsequently advanced to second lieutenant in the 3
rd
US Infantry, with the same date of rank. He served at military posts in Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, and Louisiana from 1824 through 1831. For the next nine years, Alexander served alternately between Fort Towson, Indian Territory and Fort Jesup, Louisiana, with a year spent at Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1839. He returned to Fort Smith in 1840, remaining there until 1846, though briefly assigned to Washington, D. C. in 1844. During the Mexican-American War, Alexander participated in the siege of Vera Cruz, the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, and Churubusco, and the storming of Chapultepec, leading to the assault and capture of Mexico City. He was brevetted major for Cerro Gordo and lieutenant colonel for Contreras and Churubusco. Following the war, Alexander returned to garrison duty in Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas. During this period, he was promoted to major of the 8
th
US Infantry, and in March, 1855, he was advanced to colonel and appointed as commander of the newly formed 10
th
US Infantry. He subsequently served on garrison duty in Pennsylvania and Minnesota until his participation in the Utah Expedition of 1857-58. From 1858-60 he took a leave of absence, after which he served for two years at Fort Laramie in the Dakota Territory and a short time at Fort Kearney, Nebraska. Between May 1, 1863 and April 25, 1866, Alexander served as Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General, Superintendent of Volunteer Recruiting Service, and Chief Mustering and Disbursing Officer for the state of Missouri, after which he served as commander of the 10
th
US Infantry at Fort Snelling, Minnesota until his retirement from active service on February 22, 1869. Edmund B. Alexander died on January 3, 1888 in Washington, D.C. and was buried in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Each of the presently offered documents exhibits a different amount of wear, with the eagle discharge being the most heavily damaged of the lot. This piece displays significant toning across the entire surface, with heavier concentrations at the edges, along the folds, and on the back (this would have been the outside when the document was folded). In addition to the toning, significant soiling and staining can be seen throughout. Numerous folds are present, several of which have affected the integrity of the paper causing separations and loss of paper at the junctures and edges (these could be strengthened with archival tape if desired). Though originally straight, the edges are now slightly ragged, with paper loss noted at the junctures with the folds. Fading is noted on the red additions causing them to be difficult to read, though the body of the document is fully legible. The signatures are sharp and bold, though both have been bisected by folds. The other two certificates each exhibit moderate toning, neatly divided by the vertical folds in the paper (see illustrations). These folds have slightly affected the integrity of the pieces, though no separations or paper loss is noted at this time. Minor fading can be seen, though this may be partially due to the amount and type of ink employed. The eagle discharge measures approximately 8⅜ x 11 inches, while the other two measure approximately 8 x 10⅛ inches. Any additional questions regarding condition should be addressed before purchasing.
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Buy or Bid with Confidence – American Coins & Collectibles President Richie Self has worked 6 years as a paper money grader/authenticator. He has contributed to numerous reference books within the industry, as well as being a co-author of “The Comprehensive Catalog and History of Confederate Bonds, 2
nd
Edition” with Douglas B. Ball, Ph.D., Henry F. Simmons, M.D., Ph.D. and James R. Desabaye. Mr. Self is a life member of the American Numismatic Association, the Society of Paper Money Collectors, as well as numerous regional numismatic associations. He is an authorized submitter to NGC, PCGS, and PMG, a diamond founding member of Coin Dealers Helping Coin Dealers and a supporter of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. American Coins and Collectibles can be found at many of the state and local coin shows.
American Coins and Collectibles
Shreveport, LA