The famous Wild West showman pens a hopeful letter to his friend, stating "New England was never big for me. But wait till we start west. I predict a big season." The letter was written during the downfall of Cody's show empire due to outside expenses draining the immense profits from his show Autograph letter signed: "Col.", 1 page, 8½x11 framed to an overall size of 25½x18½. Buffalo Bill's Wild West combined with Pawnee Bill's Great Far East. May 29, 1911. Portsmouth, [New Hampshire]. In full: "Dear Mayor Glad Light, Your letter which found me is fine health. We had two bad towns last week. Fitchburg & Newburyport. No one ever done business in either. The week hurt us at least $2000 in Lowell-sent your bank 5100 today to take up one of my notes. Been getting good deposits from the mines. Been getting in shape [illegible] or any one. I believe I'll walk a sale of the [illegible]. Note if good are doing. [illegible]. While I telegraph you for now we are all OK here-now. And barring accident we will be OK. New England was never big for me. But wait till we start west. I predict a big season. Love to you". William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) earned the name "Buffalo Bill" for killing thousands of buffalo as a hired hunter in 1867 and 1868.

Sword, overall length 43½ inches, and scabbard. The sword, which has a steel blade, has a brass hilt and wire and leather wrapped grip. The scabbard is steel. Sword is marked on ricasso: "Ames Mfg. Co. Chicopee, Mass. US JH 1858". On April 14, 1858, Ames Manufacturing Company in Chicopee, Massachusetts received an order from the Ordnance Department for 800 "New Pattern" Light Cavalry sabres. All 800 of these sabres, including this one, were delivered in October 1858, making them the first one percent of the 81,300 Light Cavalry sabres that Ames would produce for the Ordnance Department during the Civil War. This is likely the sword of an enlisted man, as their swords were usually dated on the ricasso. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Army was divided into three components: the infantry, the artillery and the cavalry. In the early stages of the war, the cavalry supported the artillery and infantry by scouting, gathering intelligence and generally serving as the "eyes and ears" of the Army. As the war progressed, however, the cavalry took an increasingly offensive role, and by the end of the war the Union cavalry was recognized as fearsome offensive force. The light cavalry always fought mounted, using pistols and sabres, such as the one offered here.

Seven weeks after surrendering Fort Sumter, Colonel Robert Anderson writes to General Lorenzo Thomas about a recent meeting with President Lincoln's lifelong friend Joshua Speed. Important ALS: "Robert Anderson/Col. USA", 1p, 7¾x9¾. Cincinnati, Ohio, 1861 June 4. To General Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant General USA, Washington, D.C. In full: "I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Genl Orders (Adjt Genls Office) No 25.6&7 and G.O. No. 7 Hd Qrs of the Army, and also of a letter from the Hon. J.K. Moorehead to the Hon. Secy of War, with enclosures, referring to certain parties in Louisville Ky reported to be engaged in furnishing or forwarding, Revolvers, Tents, Knapsacks &c to the rebels, Mr. Joshua Speed, a firm Union Man and a man of sound judgement, to whom I showed these papers, advises that no steps be now taken in this matter-greater harm than benefit to the cause would result from it. A letter from Surgeon Wright USA. the Senior Medical Office in this Dept. is, herewith, forwarded. I am satisfied that the opinion he gives, confirming the views of the Physicians who advised with me before I left N.Y. is correct. Fortunately, my absence from Ky.…"

Partly Printed DS: "Andrew Johnson" as President and "William H. Seward" as Secretary of State, 1p, 13¾x10. Washington, 1866 May 4. Appointment of William T. Coggeshall of Ohio as "Minister Resident of the United States of America to the Republic of Ecuador". COGGESHALL (1824-1867) presented his credentials on September 20, 1866, serving until his death in Guapolo, Ecuador on August 3, 1867. Congress had passed the Tenure of Office Act on March 2, 1867, over JOHNSON's veto. It required Senate approval for a president to remove any federal official previously confirmed by the Senate. On August 12, 1867, just nine days after Coggeshall's death, Johnson dismissed Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a Radical Republican, in defiance of the act. This action led to Johnson's impeachment in 1868. The Radical Republicans controlling the Senate then refused to confirm most of Johnson's appointments, including three successive Ministers to Ecuador. It was not until Grant became President in 1869 that the Senate confirmed the appointment of Coggeshall's successor. SEWARD, who had been appointed by President Lincoln on March 5, 1861, served as Secretary of State through Johnson's administration. Lightly creased. Folds, vertical fold touches the second "l" in William.

A two page ledger documenting the work of strengthening walls and armaments, dated 1843 Manuscript document signed: "R E Lee/Capt Engrs", 1p, 23x8¾. Fort Hamilton, New York, 1843 October 24. In full: "I certify that the above Report is correct & that the cash account there in included is correctly stated." Lee was sent to Fort Hamilton in New York harbor as a Captain of the Army Corps of Engineers in 1842. He was charged with improving and fortifying the defenses and shipping yards at this crucial Northern port. This document is a two-page ledger (front and verso) that documents the work for strengthening the walls and armaments on those walls for work up to September 30, 1843. Lee not only managed the project but, he was the dispersing agent for the moneys outlaid for the project. The scope of work is divided into two physical locations, the Fort itself and the Redoubt, which is the barrier surrounded by a parapet (a protective screen to protect troops from frontal assault) that is dominated by guns and heavy fortifications behind it. The following construction was executed on these locations: Masonry, Carpentry, Smithery, Stone Cutting. The cost of these efforts in both materials and labor are documented in both dollars and cents per effort.

Giant 16½x21 portrait photo of a seated Sherman in uniform, taken in 1888 by famed photograph Napoleon Sarony of New York. An extremely rare oversized photo of the legendary general! Photograph signed: "W. T. Sherman/General/New York/March 21, 1888/born Feb. 8 1820". Sepia, 16½x21.  William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), a West Point graduate and Mexican War veteran, served as a corps commander under General U. S. Grant in successful Union campaigns down the Mississippi and in Tennessee, then took command of the western armies when Grant was reassigned to the Virginia theatre of war. His capture of Atlanta and subsequent "march to the sea" through Georgia, followed by a swift campaign north through the Carolinas to force the surrender of the last major Confederate army, are praised for their military skill but condemned to this day for their "scorched earth" approach to occupied territory. After the war, Sherman applied similarly harsh but effective methods in campaigns against Amerindian tribes of the Great Plains. As commanding general of the U. S. Army (1869-1883), he established the Command School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sherman, who personally shunned politics ("If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve.…"

Pierre G. T. Beauregard signs a war dated manuscript letter of thanks for forwarding the letter from his wife. War-dated Manuscript Letter Signed: "G.T. Beauregard", 1p, 8x7¼ lined sheet. Charleston, South Carolina, 1863 September 16. On letterhead of Headquarters, Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida to "Dear Sir". In full: "I have received the letter from Mrs. B[eauregard] you have been kind enough to send me; please return my sincere thanks to the parties connected with it's (sic) transmission. Hoping that before very long our troubles will be at an end, & that I shall be able to acknowledge personally this favor. I remain Yours very truly & resply". At the time of this letter, Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (1818-1893) was Commander of the Confederacy's Military Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (1862-1864) and was defending Charleston from attacks by the Union Army and Navy. Beauregard, who had shortened his name to G.T. Beauregard while a student at West Point, had been named a Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army on March 1, 1861 and just a month later, on April 12, 1861, gave the order for Confederate troops to fire on Ft.

Signatures of 18 Senators, 6 Representatives, and 4 territorial delegates on a manuscript document ordering copies of a Senate speech delivered one month before the House voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson. Many of these signers, including Benjamin Wade, Benjamin Butler and Oliver Morton, were of great importance in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Manuscript DS by 28 members of the 40th Congress of the United States, 1 page, 8x12½. Washington, circa 1868 January 16. Order form for copies of the "Speech of Hon. William M. Stewart/of Nevada on the Bill To establish a/National School of Mines/Delivered in the Senate Jan. 16th 1868/To be printed McGill & Wetherow's Globe Office at $2 per 100". Each Senator or Representative has added the number of copies ordered next to his signature: "Wm M. Stewart 3000", "C. Cole 500", "O.P. Morton 200", "H.W. Corbett 200", "J.M. Thayer 200", "W.H. Hooper 100", "J.K. Moorhead 200", "Benj F. Butler 100", "G.M. Chilcott 200", "B.F. Wade 300" in pencil, "W. Higby 100", "Coles Bashford 200", "J. Fran Chaves 200", "Lewis Selye 200", "N.P. Banks 100", "Alex G. Cattell 200", "J M Howard 200", "F.T. Frelinghuysen 200", "J.W.…"

2½x4 carte de visite, seated in uniform Photograph signed: "D. G. Farragut". Sepia, 2½x4 carte de visite by J. Gurney & Son of New York. David G. Farragut (1801-1870, born James Glasgow), adopted by Admiral David Porter in 1814, served more than fifty years in the U.S. Navy. Commissioned at age 10, he participated in the War of 1812 (1812-1814), the Mexican War (1846-1848) and the Civil War (1961-1965). In 1864, two years after Farragut, as Commander of the West Gulf Blocking Squadron, captured New Orleans (April 25, 1862), Rear Admiral Farragut was assigned to capture the defenses of Mobile Bay. He began his approach on August 5, 1864. It was during this Battle of Mobile Bay, as Farragut's ships entered the heavily guarded bay that filled with mines, then known as torpedoes, that Farragut exclaimed: "Damn the torpedoes!...Full speed ahead!" In 1866, when Admiral was established as the highest naval rank, Farragut became the first officer to receive that honor. Slightly worn at edges. Pencil notes (unknown hand) on verso (no show through). Otherwise, fine condition.

Signed carte-de-visite, shown as major general, matted and framed to 8x9½ Photograph Mount signed: "Geo McClellan/Maj. Genl.". Sepia, 2½x4. Matted and framed to an overall size of 8x9½. McClellan (1826-1885) was named General in Chief by President Lincoln in November 1861. He directed the Peninsular Campaign and won at Antietam, but was removed by President Lincoln for failure to continue the pressure on Lee's army. No match for Confederate General Robert E. Lee as a field commander, but skilled at logistics and organization, McClellan made a great contribution to eventual Union victory by building the Army of the Potomac into a well trained and disciplined fighting force. In 1864, he was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for President, losing to Lincoln 233 electoral votes to 21. From 1878-1881, he was Governor of New Jersey. Fine condition. Framed, not by HistoryForSale.

Handwritten letter, signed in text as "General Custer" (even though he had reverted to his pre-war rank), written in the Dakota Territory two years before his death at the Little Big Horn. Letter includes Custer's stab at poetry. Third Person Autograph Letter, 1 page, 7¾x6¼. Fort Lincoln, D.T. [Dakota Territory], 1874 June 5th. Unknown addressee. In full: "Gen Custers compliments his regrets likewise, in response to your kind invitation. His absence should never create surprise except from his own habitation. This being written his duty might end. With no fear of being called Alfred Tennyson. He simply desires, however to send you, the accompanying leg of venison." George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) graduated last in his class at West Point in 1858, but promptly redeemed himself through his brave and aggressive cavalry leadership during the Civil War. Earning the confidence of cavalry commanders Pleasanton and Sheridan, he rose swiftly to the rank of brevet major general by war's end. Custer had taken command of the 5th Michigan Cavalry shortly before Gettysburg and led it into battle repeatedly. Custer left military service briefly after the Civil War, dabbling in business and politics, but by 1867 he was back in uniform, battling Plains Indians.

He signs a handwritten letter in 1871 responding to a bill for nautical equipment, complaining that some of it was faulty. ALS: "J L. Chamberlain", 2 pages, 5x8. Brunswick, Maine, 1871 September 23. To C.S. Donnelly, Esq. In part: "Your bill is received as requested, & is I believe correct. I don't know anything about the Notch Boom but suppose Capt. Stover got it. It never came to my yacht, but if it was got for me, I will be accountable for it…Also I may mention that I found the pump, when I came to set it, in two pieces, never having been properly soldered or brazed. & I had to pay $1.00 to have it done…But the pump was an imperfect one, & I would have returned it if I could have done so. Please inform me if I am at liberty to make deduction accordingly…." Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828-1914) commanded the 20th Maine in its famous defense of Little Round Top in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863. Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for this action. At Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, Brevet Major General Chamberlain was chosen to accept the Confederate surrender. He then ordered Union troops to present arms to their former enemy as a mark of respect.