OWL ROOST PLANTATION, BOVINA, MISSISSIPPI The Civil War Letters of Samuel and Caroline Townsend by Drake, Rebecca Blackwell editor - 2014

Austin: Ericson, 2003. Hardcover. VERY GOOD. Reprint of the first edition published in 1912. Gray cloth with white titles on spine and upper board. Corner bumped. 902pp., photographic reproductions, and in addition to the alphabetical memoirs of each soldier there are also these documents: Chronological List of Engagements by States, Constitution of the Confederate States and Members of the Provisional and Regular Congress of the Confederate States. Clean, no names, no writing. 4to gray cloth. A much needed and enormous undertaking. Contains 2,006 entries. BASIC TEXAS 223 -"Predominantly Texans, common soldier recollections, delightful insights into the life of the soldier." NEVINS II-248.

Macon, GA: J. W. Burke. 1927. Hardcover. Very Good in Very Good dust jacket; DJ is worn and torn at edges. , DJ has light soiling ; Introduction by Julian Street; 65 pages .

[Civil War] [Texas] Gideon Welles. General Order, No. 55. [Washington, D.C.?]: [publisher not identified] May 24, 1865. White printed wraps. 21 cm. One sheet folded into four leaves, printing on first two only. Two small holes in margin, not affecting the text, else very good.
OCLC shows no holdings for this order. Signed in type: Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, Andrew Johnson, President and W. Hunter, Acting Secretary of State. Announcement of the order by President Johnson to end the naval blockade against foreign commerce, except in the ports of Galveston, Lasalle, Brazos de Santiago (Port Isabel) and Brownsville, Texas. "All such offenders will be held and dealt with as pirates." Although Lee had surrendered in April 1865, the Confederate armies in Texas had not surrendered, hence the U. S. naval blockade on Texas ports needed to be maintained.

[[Slavery] [African American] Thomas Taylor. Autograph Letter, Signed. [Columbus, Texas?]: January 7, 1861. Handwritten letter on gray lined paper. 20 x 23 cm. Discoloration and small splits at old folds. Writing is legible.
Mr. Taylor writes to a friend passing on word that "Mr. Shropshire requested me to let you know that he wishes the negro hire settled." Says Mr. Shropshire will be here a few days and mentions he may be in Lagrange today. There is a town named La Grange in Texas and there was a prominent slave and plantation owner named Shropshire in nearby Columbus, Texas. John Samuel Shropshire moved to Texas in 1854 and settled in Columbus, Colorado County. In 1860 Shropshire owned sixty-one slaves and operated a 750-acre plantation. - Handbook of Texas. It was common for slavers to hire out the enslaved persons, as shown in this letter on the eve of the Civil War.

Fourteen volumes in original hardcovers. Series 1: volumes 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26. 1896-1914. Generally condition runs from Good to Very Good plus. These are heavy volumes that are prone to binding failures when handled improperly. Some of these volumes are sound, some strengthened with new endpapers, some where binding is starting. None have failed bindings. The earlier volumes show more general wear to the boards than later volumes. I have prepared a more complete condition report on each volume so feel free to inquire. Shipping will be actual cost to me not more (weight of this is about 44 pounds). Please see images of the books you will receive. Notes: a quite interesting set with maps, charts and images of warships in every volume. An incredible feat of research that took 33 years to complete. (Civil War)

New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887. This is the scarce First American Edition. It was originally bound in the publisher's red wrappers. This copy is graded just Fair because only the spine of the wrapper is still here, i.e. both the front and back wrapper are missing. However internal condition is Very Good with all pages present and still securely sewn together (NOT glued like a modern paperback). SEE PHOTOS. NOT a library discard. NO owner's name or bookplate. Autobiography of Admiral Hobart Pasha (Augustus Charles Hobart-Hampden, 1822-1886) a British Royal Navy officer, and winner of the Victoria Cross. Recounted here are his service to England, adventures as a blockade runner during the Confederate War, experiences tracking down slavers, fighting for the Ottoman Empire, etc. Among the chapter titles are: Perils by Sea and Land: Rio de Janeiro; Slaver Hunting; In the Baltic; Blockade-Running; A Visit to Charleston; Never Caught!; Richmond during the Siege, The Land Blockade, I… Read More

Macon, GA: J. W. Burke. 1927. Hardcover. Very Good in Very Good dust jacket; DJ is worn and torn at edges. , DJ has light soiling ; Introduction by Julian Street; 65 pages .

Washington, D. C,: Government Printing Office. Good+. 1861. First Edition. Hardcover. Clean black embossed cloth with gilt title on spine. Front gutter has a cloth tear, with cover firmly attached. Spine ends lightly rubbed. A few slightly age darkened pages. Front endpaper has a small mended tear. Following subjects: 1. Further provisions for the collection of duties on imports. 2. Alleged hostile organization against the government within the District of Columbia. 3. Naval Force of the United States. 4. Relative to the correspondence between the President and the Commissioners on the part of the State of South Carolina. 5. Seizure of forts, arsenals, revenue cutters and other property of the United States, Fort Sumter, Civil War; 8vo; 400 pages .

[Civil War] [Texas] Gideon Welles. General Order, No. 55. [Washington, D.C.?]: [publisher not identified] May 24, 1865. White printed wraps. 21 cm. One sheet folded into four leaves, printing on first two only. Two small holes in margin, not affecting the text, else very good.
OCLC shows no holdings for this order. Signed in type: Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, Andrew Johnson, President and W. Hunter, Acting Secretary of State. Announcement of the order by President Johnson to end the naval blockade against foreign commerce, except in the ports of Galveston, Lasalle, Brazos de Santiago (Port Isabel) and Brownsville, Texas. "All such offenders will be held and dealt with as pirates." Although Lee had surrendered in April 1865, the Confederate armies in Texas had not surrendered, hence the U. S. naval blockade on Texas ports needed to be maintained.

[[Slavery] [African American] Thomas Taylor. Autograph Letter, Signed. [Columbus, Texas?]: January 7, 1861. Handwritten letter on gray lined paper. 20 x 23 cm. Discoloration and small splits at old folds. Writing is legible.
Mr. Taylor writes to a friend passing on word that "Mr. Shropshire requested me to let you know that he wishes the negro hire settled." Says Mr. Shropshire will be here a few days and mentions he may be in Lagrange today. There is a town named La Grange in Texas and there was a prominent slave and plantation owner named Shropshire in nearby Columbus, Texas. John Samuel Shropshire moved to Texas in 1854 and settled in Columbus, Colorado County. In 1860 Shropshire owned sixty-one slaves and operated a 750-acre plantation. - Handbook of Texas. It was common for slavers to hire out the enslaved persons, as shown in this letter on the eve of the Civil War.