Lot 1132

THOMAS BENTON SMITH

Previous image preload Next image preload

THOMAS BENTON SMITH

Estimate: $200 - $300

Current Bid: $100

(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

THOMAS BENTON SMITH
(1838 - 1923) Confederate brigadier general who was severely beaten after surrendering to Union forces at the Battle of Nashville on December 16, 1864. The resulting brain injuries eventually drove Smith to insanity, and he spent the last 47 years of his life in an asylum. Very strange A.L.S., 2pp. 8vo., [Nashville], March 25, 1903, addressed to Nellie Grant Sartoris, daughter of President Ulysses S. Grant. Writing while incarcerated in a mental institution, Smith rambles, in part: ‘The time has come for you and I to put our heads together and move [Theodore] Roosevelt and Negro squatters [?] out of the White House…Gen U S Grant and I fought 4 years to keep the Negros in Slavery. Genl Washington owned 100 Negro Slaves and Jeff Davis owned some 350. 1862 When the Confederate States Constitution was adopted… the Daughters of the Confederate States have issued crosses of Honor made of Cannon used by the armies of the North & South the Catholic Church so called is rotten the only Negros that are there are those who have left the Unite States since 1865 the Catholics must leave the United States and go to Africa where they can marry Negros…' He signs ‘Tom Benton Smith' in pencil at the conclusion, adding ‘President', and also ‘T. D. Grant Vice President'. Shows horizontal folds, with splits thereto on the right edge repaired with archival tape, in very good condition overall.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Shipping, handling and insurance charges will be added to all invoices. Shipments are sent via FEDEX, USPS Express, USPS International Priority, and DHL (for most overseas shipments) or FedEx Ground at the auctioneer's option. Shipments will only be sent to the registered bidder address, re-routing shipments is not permitted. All shipments require a direct signature, no exceptions. Shipping to certain countries is extremely expensive and will be invoiced according to dimensional weight as required! By law the full value is required by customs for international shipments. Please inquire before bidding! International shipments are invoiced by DIMENSIONAL weight, not the item weight. Please contact us for an estimate before bidding. Customers who supply their own courier account number will still be charged a handling fee. Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipments after receipt of payment due to the high volume of packages being shipped.

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

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