[AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED, FROM FUTURE UNION GENERAL NATHANIEL LYON, DESCRIBING HIS REDEPLOYMENT TO THE ROGUE RIVER REGION IN RESPONSE TO UNREST ON THE FRONTIER].
Published by Benicia, CA. August 29, 1853.
- Signed
- Used
Seller: William Reese Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.William Reese Company
AbeBooks seller since July 13, 2006
Condition: Used
£ 1,559.46
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
A brief but warm autograph letter by Nathaniel Lyon, a controversial figure most remembered as the first Union general to be killed during the Civil War, written during his posting on the California frontier in the early 1850s. Lyon (181861) was a Connecticut native and a graduate of West Point. He fought in the Seminole Wars and with most distinction in the Mexican-American War, during which he was promoted to Captain. After the war he was posted to the frontier, where his violent temper and reputation for harsh punishment extended beyond his subordinates, most notably in the case of the Bloody Island Massacre of 1850, where Lyon's unit killed more than 200 Pomo tribe civilians in retaliation for a violent robbery. In 1854 he was dispatched to Kansas where he viewed the violent internecine conflict over the slavery question first-hand. A Free-Soil man (if not an abolitionist), his experiences there solidified his hatred of the pro-slavery faction. In May of 1861 he was made a Brigadier General of volunteers while stationed in Missouri, and organized pre-emptive attacks against Confederate sympathizers in the nominally neutral state. His campaign culminated in the Battle of Wilson's Creek, where he was killed in battle and inflamed the public spirit as a martyr to the Union cause. In this letter, Lyon writes to a George Work of San Francisco, apparently a close friend by the tone. He is being sent to the Rogue River region to protect American interests in the ongoing conflict with Indigenous tribes which had been growing steadily deadlier since the Gold Rush and would soon come to a head in the Rogue River War of 185556. It reads in full: "Dear Work, We have just received orders to go up to the rogue River country where are the Indian difficulties of which you have seen some accounts in the papers within the past few days. We shall leave this place this evening by the Sacramento Steamers and go as far as possible by water. When we may return or whether at all is uncertainshould we be gone long, I shall hope to hear from youanything addressed to me at 'Fort Reading' will reach me. Please see Brown and Eddy and say my respects to them and bid them a 'good by' for me. I will write to you as opportunity offers. Yours Truly, N. Lyon." The recipient of the letter is unclear, but it is likely one of two equally ill-fated men. One George Work would be the first sheriff of Tuolumne County, who served in that role from 1850 to 1852. The early days of Tuolumne County were as rough-and-tumble as they come, and its first sheriff did his best to impose order on a landscape of outlaws and mob justice. True to form, Work was killed in a shootout at a saloon in 1854. The other George Work was a fellow Connecticut resident, of an age with Lyon. He was a former schoolteacher turned wealthy merchant at the start of the Civil War, but in 1864 volunteered for the navy, where he was assigned a post as assistant paymaster on the USS Tecumseh. He was on board that ship when a torpedo sank it in the Battle of Mobile Bay, and his remains were never retrieved. We know that Lyons corresponded with the latter George Work as late as 1859, when he wrote to him regarding the constitutional crisis in Kansas, though it is not clear whether Work ever visited San Francisco. The envelope that accompanies this letter is addressed to George Work at San Francisco and postmarked June 11 at Benicia, and likely contained a different letter from Lyon to Work. An autograph letter from one of the Union's most remembered generals, penned during his controversial tenure on the California frontier. Old folds, light staining. Very good.…
Seller Inventory # 65916
Bibliographic details
- Title
- [AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED, FROM FUTURE UNION GENERAL NATHANIEL LYON, DESCRIBING HIS REDEPLOYMENT TO THE ROGUE RIVER REGION IN RESPONSE TO UNREST ON THE FRONTIER].
- Author
- Lyon, Nathaniel:
- Publisher
- Benicia, CA. August 29, 1853.
- Signed
- Signed by Author(s)
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 21 business days | 3 to 10 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 10.60 | £ 15.90 |
Payment methods
- Bank Draft
- Bank Wire Transfer
- Check
- Money Order
Store description
ABAA-ILAB
Specialty
Americana, Voyages & Travels, Photographs, Natural History, ManuscriptsAssociation member
Seller's business information
William Reese Company - Americana
409 Temple Street
New Haven, CT U.S.A. 06511
Terms of sale
Terms of Trade
All initial queries concerning items listed on ABEBooks.com by William Reese Company must be made via e-mail.
All material offered herein is offered subject to prior sale and is shipped subject to approval, but notification of return must be made within thirty days and returns made in a prompt and conscientious fashion. New customers are asked to prepay, or supply ABAA/ILAB references. Payment may be made by check, wire transfer or bank draft, and we also accept Visa and MasterCard
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to William Reese Company, New York, New York, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Orders usually ship within 3 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.