Lot 349
Two Union Generals Re Election of 1864. Elias S. Dennis ALS, 2 pages, 9¾ x 7¾ in., Head Qr. 1st Div., 17 a c, Vicksburg, Miss., June 5, 1864. A campaign letter from Dennis, who had been a member of the Illinois House and Senate before serving in the war, where he reached the rank of brevet major general. He writes after learning that he has been nominated as a Congressional candidate for Carlyle, Illinois: "As old party issues are now dead would it not be well for candidates to answer a few questions…1 Are you in favour of the prosecution of the war for the restoration of the National Authority? 2 Will you if elected to Congress vote men and money to prosecute the war with vigor? 3d Will you…vote for an amendment to the Constitution to be submitted to the States for ratification prohibiting slavery throughout the Country? 4 Are you in favour of suppressing the rebellion at every cost and at all hazards? I will answer to all of the above….I will swear as did Old Hickory 'By the Eternal the Union must and shall be preserved'."
John A. Dix ALS, 2 pages, 8 x 5 in., New York, Oct. 15, 1864, to Hon. John W. Edmonds, thanking him for his letter. "…I hope it will make people think, and by a careful review of the past, suggest remedies for existing evils. We must have a re-organization of the democracy. Its present leaders lack sagacity, disinterestedness and courage; and without these there can be no bold or manly action in regard to great public questions."
How to end the war was the biggest issue of the election of 1864. Groups such as the "Copperheads" wanted peace, no matter the cost. On the issue of slavery, McClellan, who was the candidate of the Peace Democrats, and many Northern voters, thought Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was too radical. Heavy Union losses also generated discontent, but when Sherman seized Atlanta on September 6, 1864, everything changed.
Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250.
|
| |
| Realized $1,800 |
