[Item #61365] War Date ALS to Major General [Peter] Osterhuis, Nov. 23rd, 1864, Commending the Actions of General Charles Walcutt at the Battle of Griswoldville. CIVIL WAR - AUTOGRAPHS, O. O. HOWARD, Oliver Otis.

War Date ALS to Major General [Peter] Osterhuis, Nov. 23rd, 1864, Commending the Actions of General Charles Walcutt at the Battle of Griswoldville

Original holograph letter of 13 lines (ca 150 words, including postscript); on a single side of a sheet of unprinted stationery, neatly penned in sepia ink. Mild spotting; old folds; Very Good and fully legible, with Howard's signature bold and clear. Datemarked Headquarters, Dept. Army of the Tennessee, Gordon Ga., Nov. 23, 1864.

Howard writes to Osterhuis with enthusiastic praise for Walcutt's command at the Battle of Griswoldville: "I take sincere pleasure in congratulating the Brigade of Gen'l Walcutt of Gen'l Woods Division of the 15th Corps on its complete success in the action of yesterday...Officers from other commands who were looking on say that there never was a better Brigade of Soldiers...I tender my sympathy through you to the brave and excellent Commander of the Brigade, Brig. Gen'l Walcutt. It is hoped that his wounds may not disable him." Walcutt was in fact seriously wounded in the action and did not recover in time to see further battlefield action during the War.

Oliver Otis Howard (1830-1909), a valiant commander on the field of battle (winner of the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Fair Oaks, 1862), would win equal fame following the War. He was appointed as the first Director of the Freedmen's Bureau in 1865 and became known for his energetic support for the education and empowerment of formerly enslaved people of the South. He was the founder and first President of Howard University in 1867, and was also instrumental in chartering Atlanta University. This is a fine War Date letter with excellent content.

Price: $350.00

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