Lot # 1786: 1860s General George A. Custer Signed Envelope - BAS Authentic Autograph

Ride to the sound of the guns, for this 1860s General George A. Custer signed envelope. Born in 1839, Custer met an untimely demise at the age of thirty-six, during the famous 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn. A fearless and skilled cavalryman, Custer was appointed Brigadier General of the Michigan Volunteers on June 29, 1863, at the height of the Civil War. On March 13, 1865, he was made a Brevet Major General of the Regular Army. Custer's writing on the front of the offered envelope reads in full as "Mrs Genl Custer, Care of Hon HB Payne, Cleveland Ohio". Henry B. Payne was an Ohio statesman, who later served in both the U.S. Senate, and House of Representatives. The envelope is affixed with two 3-cent postage stamps at top-right. Both stamps are canceled with heavy marks, and a Washington D.C. postmark at top-center is dated Sep 03.

Custer married his beloved wife Elizabeth "Libbie" Bacon, on the 9th of February in 1864. It is well-known that Custer sent Libbie passionate love letters on a frequent basis, and it's a sure bet this envelope delivered a piece of his arduous correspondence. In the Summer of 1866, Custer's rank became Lieutenant Colonel, dating this envelope to a window of 1864-1866. Though Custer's writing is one hundred and sixty years old, it remains distinct, and readily recognizable. With strategic matting, the "Genl Custer" portion of the address could readily be showcased as a pleasing example of Custer's greatly prized, and considerably tough signature. BAS has encapsulated this antique treasure with an Authentic Autograph designation.