Engineer and general (1820-1899) who served in the Union Army during the Civil War, responsible for building the fortifications around Washington and commanding troops in the Overland Campaign. In his postwar career, he was involved in a number of major engineering projects, including the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and completion of the Washington Monument. Civil War-dated ALS signed “H.,” four pages on two adjoining sheets, 5 x 8, Head Quarters 6th Army Corps letterhead, April 16, 1865. Letter to his "darling wife" on the assassination of President Lincoln, in part: "We are quietly in camp here, and may be so for days to come, so far as present appearances are concerned. I don't like to leave the corps while matters are in their present transition state, or I would try to run up for a few days to see you and the babies. The Army was much horrified last night by the intelligence that the Presd't, Sec'y & Asst. Sec'y of State had been assassinated, & we are yet in the dark as to the details, further than that the Presd't met his death at the hands of Edwin Booth the Actor, I trust the people hung him on the spot—and if this tragedy is the result of a mature plan of the Southern rulers, I shall advise that their crime be visited promptly & relentlessly upon them—God grant that it may turn out to be the mad act of a few fanatics for which the rebel rulers and people are in no wise responsible. Otherwise I fear that all the restraint of discipline will not suffice to prevent our soldiers from wreaking what they may conceive to be a vengeance even upon the innocent and the helpless—I hope, however, for better tidings soon; and that excellent feeling hitherto manifested by our soldiers toward the rebels may return. It has received a rude shock, but all may be well if they can be convinced that the south is not responsible for the horrid crime." In fine condition. Accompanied by a handsome custom-made quarter leather presentation folder.
A fascinating, thoughtful letter on the death of President Lincoln and its potential impact on the Civil War. On the same night that Lincoln was murdered at Ford's Theatre, Secretary of State William H. Seward was attacked and brutally beaten by two conspirators; a third man was assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson, but he failed to carry out the attempt. Wright's misinformation in the assassination's early aftermath is fascinating: in addition to believing that three high-ranking officials had been killed, he had learned that the famed Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth—not his lesser-known brother, John Wilkes—was the assassin. A remarkable firsthand account from a tragic turning point in American history.
