Pre or Early War Engineer Department Envelope – Horatio G. Wright Autograph

Description

Pre or Early War Engineer Department Envelope – Horatio G. Wright Autograph
Offered for your consideration is an empty official envelope, sent between two members of the Corps of Engineers either just before or near the outbreak of the Civil War, franked at the upper right by a future major general. Headlined “
ENGINEER DEPARTMENT.
” and “
OFFICIAL BUSINESS.
”, this envelope was addressed to “
Major A. H. Bowman
/
Corps of Engineers
/
Wilkes-Barre
/
Penn
”. A black, circular postal cancellation can be seen at the upper left, though due to a lack of ink, most of the actual lettering is missing (based on what is there, it appears that the letter was mailed from “
WASHINGTON CITY, D.C.
” on the “
21
” day of an unidentified month and year, and that the postage was “
FREE
”). It is franked in the upper right corner by “
H. G. Wright
” in his capacity as “
Capt. of
Engineers.
”. The back of the envelope bears no lettering or designs, and as noted earlier, whatever correspondence it contained has been removed. The government printing was done in standard black ink, while the manuscript additions were accomplished in period, iron gall ink. A nice item to frame with a portrait of Wright in uniform and some of his more prominent constructions.
Horatio Governeur Wright
was born in Clinton, Connecticut, on March 6, 1820. In 1834, he entered Alden Partridge’s military academy (now Norwich University), and three years later, enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He graduated second in his class in 1841, was commissioned into the engineers, and taught for several years at West Point. In 1846, Wright was sent to Florida, where he spent the next ten years working on the harbor at St. Augustine and the defenses of Key West. In 1855 he had been promoted to captain, and the following year, he served as assistant to the Chief of Engineers Joseph Totten. With the coming of the Civil War, Wright took part in the evacuation and destruction of the Gosport Navy Yard on April 20, 1861, during which action he was captured (he was released four days later). He subsequently began the construction of the fortifications which eventually surrounded Washington, D.C., after which he served as Chief Engineer of the 3
rd
Division of the Department of Northeast Virginia. Wright was promoted to major in August, 1861, and to brigadier general of volunteers the following month. He served as Chief Engineer for expeditions along the South Carolina and Florida coasts from November, 1861 through June, 1862, after which he was appointed major general of volunteers and assigned as commander of the Department of the Ohio in August, 1862. Though he had a major logistical role in the repulse of Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s invasion of Kentucky in 1862, his promotion was not confirmed by the Senate and was revoked in March, 1863. In May, 1863, Wright was placed in command of the 1
st
Division of the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac, which he led at Gettysburg (in reserve), Mine Run, and the Battle of the Wilderness. Upon the death of General Sedgwick at Spotsylvania on May 9, 1864, Wright assumed command of the VI Corps and was promoted to major general of volunteers (confirmed by the Senate) and brevet colonel in the regular army. He commanded the corps at Cold Harbor and during the Jubal Early’s raid of 1864, his soldiers were among those that were dispatched to defend Washington, D.C. from the marauding Confederates. He continued to command the corps during the Shenandoah Valley campaign in the fall of 1864, directing the fight at Cedar Creek before General Philip Sheridan’s arrival. At Petersburg, in early 1865, Wright’s VI Corps was the first unit to break through the Confederate lines, an action for which he was promoted brevet major general in the regular army. After the close of the war, Wright commanded the Army of Texas from July, 1865 until August, 1866 (he left the volunteer service in September,1866), after which he became involved in a number of engineering projects. Among these were the Brooklyn Bridge and the completion of the Washington Monument. He was promoted colonel in March, 1879, and named Chief of Engineers as a brigadier general in June, 1879. He retired from the military on March 6, 1884, remaining in Washington, D.C. until his death. Horatio G. Wright died on July 2, 1899 and was buried beneath an obelisk (erected by veterans of the VI Corps) in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
The presently offered item exhibits signs of expected period use, followed by many years of subsequent storage. Toning is noted across the entire surface, imparting to the paper a beige to light tan hue. This toning is somewhat darker at the edges and on the back, especially long the closures. Several dark spots are present on the back, not seriously affecting the appearance or capacity for display of the piece (these spots have not migrated through to the front). The removal of the contents has caused some significant damage to the top and edges of the enclosure, as it was left sealed and opened with an opener or knife. This method has resulted in several areas of paper loss, with one at the top center being the most visible (there are additional large areas of missing paper on the back, but these would be easily covered if the piece were matted and framed). As noted earlier, the postal cancellation is very light due to a lack of ink upon application, with some minor damage from the opening noted for accuracy. The manuscript additions are sharp, including the frank of Wright at the upper right. Measuring approximately 3⅛ x 5⅝ inches overall, this piece would look great framed below a portrait of this fighting and building officer. It may also be possible to research the recipient, thereby narrowing the possible date of the piece.
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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