100. Longstreet, James. Autograph letter signed (“James Longstreet”), 1 page (8 x 10 in.; 203 x 254 mm.), in pencil, Macon, Mississippi, 30 August 1865, to former Confederate Major Thomas Klugh Jackson, concerning his difficulty in composing a letter to General Ulysses Grant seeking a pardon on his behalf. Losses affecting several words in text expertly infilled; expected folds. 

Only a few months after Appomattox Longstreet complains of the injury to his hand sustained at the Wilderness: “a crippled a[r]m cramps me very much, and I [cann]ot but feel that it has a tenden[cy t]o cramp my ideas, or the expression of them also,” while seeking a pardon for a fellow confederate. He would do this by writing to General Grant.

Longstreet writes in full: 
I have written you letter in pencil but cannot use a pen with my left hand. Nor have I any one to call upon to copy it with ink that [I] may sign it. I therefore en[close] it to you [not present] that you may get some friend to [p]ut it in ink and send it up for my signatu[r]e. I would also suggest that you s[u]b[m]it the letter to Judge Beauchamp and get [h]im to add to it or take from it anything [t]hat have a tendency to help you. Writing [w]ith my left hand and a crippled a[r]m cramps me very much, and I [cann]ot but feel that it has a tenden[cy t]o cramp my ideas, or the expression of them also. James Longstreet 

Longstreet was writing with his left hand as his right arm had been temporarily paralyzed following a wound he received at the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. Although he rejoined Lee's Army of Northern Virginia within several months (learning to ride a horse with his left hand), he did not regain the use of his right hand for several years after the war's conclusion.Because of his temporary handicap, Longstreet requested that Jackson have someone copy his letter in ink and return to him for his signature. Jackson did just that, and when Longstreet's final letter reached Grant in October 1865, the general endorsed the recommendation to the Attorney General, requesting that a “pardon be speedily granted…” to Jackson. After which Grant went a step further and endorsed Longstreet's arguments advocating clemency for officers who had resigned their commissions at the opening of the war: “I think it is now time when some pardons should be extended to officers who left the old Army. As a rule they are a class who will keep any obligation…” In his letter, Longstreet had observed that when he had resigned his own commission at the start of the war, “I asked some officers from the northern states, who advised me not to resign, whether they would resign if their states had done as mine had done. They invariably admitted that they would return to their states. Yet all of these officers have served in your army during the war and some with considerable distinction. And are accepted as the truest and bravest in your great army. Let me appeal to you then to determine whether there is justice or honor in pursuing a fellow for whose only crime is error of judgment, and who now sues for pardon. Besides, it is my humble opinion that the terms granted by you at the surrender of Genl. Lee, extended, to all of us, the benefits of the Amnesty Proclamation of President Lincoln of 1863. Those terms were approved by President Lincoln and are therefore irrevocable.” Unfortunately for Jackson, the pardon was delayed for several months as his case languished amidst the crush of other amnesty claims. Finally, on 14 February 1867, Attorney General Henry Stanbery recommended that Jackson be pardoned. President Johnson granted the pardon the following day. At the outbreak of the war, Thomas Klugh Jackson obtained commission from the State of South Carolina and resigned his U.S. commission on 1 April 1861. During the Civil War he served as Albert Sidney Johnston's chief commissary before being captured at Fort Donelson. Following his exchange, Jackson continued service as a commissary first in Gainesville, Alabama and later in Grenada Mississippi. Following the war he settled in Gainesville as a merchant and a farmer.
$2,000 - $3,000

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, COD (cash on delivery), Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

After payment has been made in full, Profiles in History may, as a service to buyers, arrange to have property packed, insured and shipped at your request and expense. For shipping information, please contact Profiles in History at (310) 859-7701. In circumstances in which Profiles in History arranges and bills for such services via invoice or credit card, we will also include an administration charge. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping charges from Profiles in History's offices in Calabasas, CA to the buyer's door. If items are of unusual size and/or weight, they will require special handling and will incur an additional shipping premium as charged by the carrier. Please see Terms & Conditions of Sale.

by Profiles in History
June 11, 2015 11:00 AM PDT
26662 Agoura Rd
Calabasas, CA, US 91302

Profiles in History

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 28% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $49 $5
$50 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $249,999 $10,000
$250,000 + $25,000