Lot 349

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Description:

Spectacular Joseph Hooker LS Re: the "Wilderness" & Chancellorsville, Grant, & Stonewall Jackson

A 2pp letter signed with rank by retired Union General Joseph Hooker (1814-1879), as "J Hooker / Maj Genl" near the bottom of the second page. Written at Brevoort House, the luxurious hotel in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, on April 25, 1873, on either side of blue-lined paper, probably once bifold but crisply sheared along the edge. Expected wear including flattened folds and a few isolated ink smudges, else near fine. 5" x 8." The item comes with a handsome portrait engraving of Hooker after J.G. Buttre with a facsimile signature measuring 6.75" x 9.25" overall.

Hooker dictated this letter to a Civil War enthusiast named William R. Dorlon, who had evidently inquired about the origin of the term "Wilderness," and possibly about Confederate leadership during the Battle of Chancellorsville (May 2-5, 1863.) Hooker's letter also refers to Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" J. Jackson.

In part:

"It will give me great pleasure to furnish you the information you solicit as soon as I can learn the purport of your inquiry.

The word 'Wilderness' has been made use of to designate all of the battles fought under Genl Grant between the Rappahannock and James Rivers. But from your inquiry soon after it suggested itself to me that you may desire to know the names of the rebel Officers engaged in the battle of Chancellorsville. As their Army was a very large one, the names of their Generals from their Commander to the lowest Brigadier would make a small volume. Stonewall Jackson was killed in this battle.

As your letter furnishes no evidence of the use you propose to make of these names I cannot convince myself that you really want these. Perhaps only a few names will suffice - that of the Commander of the Army + his Corps. Until I hear from you again on this subject therefore, I will defer my reply to your inquiry…"

Hooker's letter underscores how our understanding of--and even the nomenclature--of the Civil War has changed over time, from Hooker's era until the time of this writing in 2022. In 1873, Dorlon sought out Hooker as a living primary source, as someone who had personally participated in military engagements and was thus an expert on Civil War history. As Hooker's letter makes clear, however, historical facts could and did get muddled: did Dorlan mean the Battle of Chancellorsville, from May 2-5, 1863, or the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-7, 1864? Or, what historians refer to as the Wilderness Campaign?

Hooker's definition of the "Wilderness" corresponds to what scholars generally refer to today as the Overland Campaign, or Wilderness Campaign. This Campaign was a series of five major battles and not just the eponymous Battle of the Wilderness, which took place on May 5-7, 1863. Hooker wrote that the "Wilderness" referred to "all of the battles fought under Genl Grant between the Rappahannock and James Rivers," that is collectively, the Battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Resaca, New Market, and Cold Harbor. Our understanding of Civil War history has become more nuanced and precise over 150 years of academic study and classification. Yet insights from scholars should always be balanced by firsthand accounts from actual participants, like this wonderful letter from Joseph Hooker demonstrates.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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February 1, 2023 11:00 AM EST
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