NAVY SECRETARY GIDEON WELLES ORDERS THE NAVY TO TRANSPORT CAPTURED FUGITIVE JOHN SURATT BACK TO THE US TO STAND TRIAL FOR CONSPIRING TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT LINCOLN GIDEON WELLES Telegram, unsigned, 1 page, 8½x11. 1866 December 6. Telegram partly printed in Portuguese, received from Gideon Welles in Washington, D.C., for transmittal to Admiral Goldsborough, American Squadron at Lisbon, Portugal. Manuscript text of Welles' message (unknown hand): "Send steamer to Alexandria, Egypt to receive Surautt [sic] from Consul Hale and bring him to Washington." [Welles' name has also been misspelled by the telegraph office.] Docketed on verso: "Hon. G. Welles/Secy of the Navy/6th Dec. 1866/Send steamer to/Alexandria, Egypt". Gideon Welles (1812-1878), a Jacksonian Democrat who joined the new Republican Party in 1854 because he detested slavery, was Secretary of the Navy throughout the Presidencies of Abraham Lincoln (who called him "Neptune") and Andrew Johnson (1861-1869). John Suratt (1844-1916) was the son of Mary Suratt, convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of President Lincoln and the first woman executed (hanged) by the US government. read more...

WILLIAM F. CODY: BUFFALO BILL 4¼x6½ cabinet card photo, signed both as W.F. Cody and as Buffalo Bill Cabinet Card Photograph signed: "W.F. Cody/'Buffalo Bill'". B/w, 4¼x6½. Superb portrait of William F. Cody with his desirable double signature. Photographer's imprint, "Gessford/238 Fifth Ave./N.Y.", at lower mount. William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) was a rider for the Pony Express in 1860, a scout for the Kansas Cavalry against the Indians (1863) and served in the U.S. Army in the Civil War (1863-1865). From 1867-1868, he furnished buffalo meat for the Union Pacific Railroad construction crews, earning his nickname, "Buffalo Bill". Cody was a scout for the 5th U.S. Cavalry from 1868-1872 and in 1876. From 1872-1883, he was on stage as an actor at first in E.Z.C. Judson's play, Scouts of the Plains. He organized Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1883 and toured the United States and Europe successfully for over 30 years. Fine condition. read more...

ADOLF HITLER and OTTO MEISSNER The Führer signs a typed order bestowing awards for "rescuing humans from mortal danger." Interesting Typed DS: "Af Hitler" as Führer and "Meissner" as Head of the Presidential Chancery and State Minister, 15 pages, 8¼x12. Führer Headquarters, 1944 April 30. In German with partial translation. Exactly one year before his death, Hitler issues a list of persons "to be rewarded with medals for rescuing humans from mortal danger". He orders "the bestowal letters of rescue medals on a ribbon are to be made out under today's date with a facsimile of my signature" for 11 listed numbers. The description of the rescue is listed next to the person's name. Those rescues where "the rescuer's life was not in any particular danger" received lower class medals than the others. Rescues include: "Walter Stallbaum saved a woman, age 40, from drowning in the Mulde river (depth 2.5m) near Pouch, District of Bitterfeld. The rescuer, who is a disabled veteran, had to swim a distance of 50m with the victim against strong current"... read more...

AL WORDEN National Flag of the Netherlands (6x4½), flown to the moon on Apollo 15, signed on the white stripe by Command Module Pilot Worden, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, also signed by Worden Flag signed: "Flown to the Moon on Apollo 15 - Al Worden CMP", 6x4¼ Dutch National Flag with horizontal red, white and blue stripes, signed on the white stripe in blue ink. Accompanied by Typed Letter signed: "Al Worden", 1 page, 8½x11 Certificate of authenticity dated June 18, 2010 on Apollo 15 letterhead. In full: "I hereby certify that this flag from the Netherlands included with this letter went to the moon aboard Apollo 15 in the spacecraft 'Endeavor'. It remained in the command module during the lunar orbit phase of the flight. Apollo 15 was the fourth lunar landing mission, carrying for the first time a lunar rover and a Scientific Instrument Bay in the Service Module. The flight was launched on July 26 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on August 7, 1971, logging flight time of 295.2 hours and a distance of over 1.4 million miles. Dave Scott and Jim Irwin explored the region of Hadley Rille for three days while I conducted scientific experiments in orbit. read more...

JAMES LONGSTREET Items from the general's order book during the Suffolk campaign of May 1863, seeking to locate General Hood and ordering prompt movement of "every serviceable horse in the City of Petersburg". With his corps detached from Lee's army, Longstreet captured vital supplies but missed the Battle of Chancellorsville. Longstreet's conduct in this campaign aroused heated debate after the war. Matted and framed to 9½x15. Autograph Document signed three times: "J Longstreet", 2 pages, 6½x8½. Richmond, Virginia, 1863 May 6. A series of entries from Longstreet's military order book, detailing commands to be sent to subordinates, signed by Longstreet himself. The pages contain three separate communications. In the first, Longstreet asks one of his captains, in part: "What arms and ammunitions do you need? In the second, he inquires about one of his division commanders. In part: "Is Gen. Hood in Petersburg? If he is [illegible] with him at the office of the operator that he may receive there ... read more...

FRITZ SAUCKEL These incredibly rare documents are a handwritten, dated and signed account of Nazi Germany's forced labor and mass deportation operations by Germany's chief of slave labor recruitment. They were written by Sauckel for his lawyer during his trial before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremburg after World War II. They are important documentation of the 20th century's worst war and of some of the worst atrocities ever recorded in human history. They are also a typical example of the defense used by many defendants in the postwar Nuremberg trials: they were only following orders. This defense failed to sway Sauckel's tribunal; he was found guilty of war crimes and later hanged. Historically Important Autograph Manuscript signed twice (at top of first page and at bottom of last page): "Fritz Sauckel", in pencil, as war crimes defendant, 26 pages, 8x10½. IN GERMAN WITH 1945 ENGLISH TRANSLATION WITH FOOTNOTES AND COMMENTS. Nuremburg [Germany], 1945 July 15. This text was provided by Sauckel to his attorney as a means of fully describing the organization of the forced labor department, and Sauckel's duties and responsibilities. read more...

JEFFERSON DAVIS, JOHN H. WINDER and THOMAS J. GREEN Davis signs an autograph endorsement forwarding to Confederate Secretary of War Benjamin a handwritten letter from Green, a former general in the army of independent Texas, warning that Confederate soldiers were carrying CSA weapons home with them. General Winder adds a handwritten note to the same document, ordering that guards be posted at depot and they confiscate these weapons. Civil War-date Autograph Endorsement signed: "Sec of War attention./J D", as President of the Confederate States of America in pencil in upper blank margin of letter to him. THOMAS J. GREEN. ALS: "Thos J Green", 1p, 7¼x9¼. Esmeralda near Warrenton North Carolina, 1862 March 17. To "HIS EXCL./JEFFERSON DAVIS/PRES. C.S.A.". In full, original spelling: "I feel it my duty to call your attention to what I believe is highly detrimental to the public service. read more...

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   ROBERT ANDERSON. 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. read more...

ANDREW JACKSON and JOHN H. EATON The friends discuss their shared passion for race horses, and Eaton sends Jackson a gift of a pipe. When President Jackson appointed Eaton to his Cabinet, it triggered a major political scandal which changed the course of American history. Autograph Letter Signed: "A.J." on lower half of concluding page of 2½p Autograph Letter Signed (separate sheets) of John H. Eaton to Jackson, 8x9¾. Eaton's letter is written from Granville, North Carolina, 1826 September 12. Integral address leaf addressed by Eaton to General Jackson at "Hermitage, Davidson County, Tennessee" noting that it would be delivered by "Rev'd H.M. Cryer". In part: "The Sir Archie Horse sold to Mr. Cryer was bred by me-his Dam and grand Dam were very fine mares, of Roanoak's color-five feet three inches high ellegant (sic), compact and active...I am quite partial to old Archie, but think the Dam of Roanoak was certainly as fine or a finer Nag. In the Autumn of 1819 after covering some mares in the early part of the Spring, this Horse was trained & run at Warrenton. He was beaten by Mr. Drummonds Napoleon. read more...