Lot 1050

(‘IMMORTAL SIX HUNDRED’) VANNOY H. MANNING PETITIONS ANDREW JOHNSON FOR AMNESTY

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(‘IMMORTAL SIX HUNDRED’) VANNOY H. MANNING PETITIONS ANDREW JOHNSON FOR AMNESTY

Estimate: $400 - $600

Current Bid: $200

(1 Bid)

by Alexander Historical Auctions LLC
July 31, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
106 East Main Street, Suite 103
Elkton, MD, US 21921

(‘IMMORTAL SIX HUNDRED') VANNOY H. MANNING PETITIONS ANDREW JOHNSON FOR AMNESTY
VANNOY HARTROG MANNING (1839-1892) Commanding colonel of the 3rd Arkansas Volunteers, the only Arkansas regiment of the Army of Northern Virginia. Wounded at Antietam and Gettysburg, and at the Wilderness, where he was captured. First imprisoned at Fort Delaware, he became one of the ‘Immortal Six Hundred', a group of 600 captured Confederate officers who were taken to Morris Island at Charleston, South Carolina and used as human shields by the Union Army. He was later returned to Fort Delaware for the remainder of the war. Very fine content and association A.L.S., 2pp. 4to., ‘U.S. Military Prison, Fort Del., Delaware', June 17, 1865, to U.S. President Andrew Johnson. Manning makes his case for release from prison under the terms of Johnsons's ‘Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction', in full: ‘The petition of Van. H. Manning Colonel 3rd Arkansas Infantry respectfully submits: That he is now a prisoner of war, captured in fight, May 6th 1864, Wilderness Va.; that he was not educated at the military or naval school of the U.S.; nor has ever held military, naval, or civil office thereunder; that he never held civil office under the Confederate States; that he has never had control of prisoners of war; nor have any charges been preferred [sic] against him; that he is not possessed of property of the value of twenty thousand dollars; nor does he come within any of the exceptions of the Amnesty Proclamation of your Excellency, save in this, that he is in military custody. That your petitioner is anxious to become a peaceful & law-abiding citizen of the U.S. That he has no purpose or desire to engage in any business or pursuit not sanctioned by the laws of the U.S. Government. Your petitioner further submits; that he has taken the oath prescribed in said Proclamation, & herewith submits the same. He therefore respectfully proposeth that he be included in the said Proclamation, & that he be admitted to the privileges & benefits therein conferred, & he will so pray &c.' In addition to executing his name in the body of the letter above, he signs boldly ‘Van. H. Manning' at the conclusion in black ink, adding ‘Col. 3rd Ark Infantry & Prisoner of War'. He executes his name a third time in labeling the letter on its overleaf: ‘Petition of Colonel Manning, 3rd Ark. For the benefits of the Amnesty Proclamation', below which appears the A.E.S. of Union brigadier general ALBIN F. SCHOEPF (1822-1886), the commandant of the prison at Fort Delaware, forwarding the letter. Shows original mailing folds, with a mounting strip to the overleaf at the right edge, otherwise in fine overall condition. With several articles providing Manning's biographical information. On August 20, 1864, a chosen group of six hundred Confederate officers left Fort Delaware as prisoners of war, bound for the Union base at Hilton Head, S.C. They were landed on Morris Island, at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, and remained in an open pen, under the shelling of friendly artillery fire. Three died on the starvation rations issued in retaliation for the conditions of Union prisoners at Andersonville and Salisbury, N.C. On Oct. 21, after 45 days under fire, the weakened survivors were removed to Fort Pulaski, Ga. Here they were crowded into the cold damp casements of the fort. On Nov. 19, 197 of the men were sent back to Hilton Head to relieve the overcrowding. A ‘retaliation ration' of ten ounces of moldy cornmeal and soured onion pickles was the only food given for forty two days. Thirteen men died at Fort Pulaski and five at Hilton Head. The remaining members of the Immortal Six-Hundred were returned to Fort Delaware on Mar. 12, 1865, where an additional 25 died. They became famous throughout the South for their adherence to principle, refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance under such adverse circumstances.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$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 + $10,000