Virginia-born military officer (1825–1875) who fought with distinction during the Mexican-American War, resigning his commission to join the Confederate forces shortly after the beginning of the Civil War. Rising to the rank of Confederate brigadier general within a year, a division led by Pickett arrived on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. In an attack that would come to be immortalized as “Pickett’s Charge,” more than half of the Confederate forces were wiped out. ALS signed “Your own devoted loving husband George,” one page both sides, 8 x 9.5, no date but circa 1863. Pickett writes to his wife. In part: “I felt so perfectly lost last night—and like you, could not sleep—I rolled and tossed and thought of my heart—which was absent, but in the sweetest casket in the world—aint it my true loves…Paper Philadelphia Enquirer just rec’d puts gold at 260 (two sixty). The enemy seems nonplussed as to the number of troops we have in Maryland. Should the matter go through all right, we will be relieved of this incubus in our (night). But if…darling of my heart will only for my sake take care of your precious self…Bye, Bye, my Sallie. Your George is thinking of you constantly and anxiously.” In fair condition, with various types of tape repairs to complete separations along intersecting mailing folds, staining from some of the tape affecting several words and first letter of signature, wear and paper loss to edges, scattered soiling, and a mild shade of overall toning. The letter is nonetheless boldly penned and the majority of it is quite legible.
Before the Gettysburg campaign, 38-year-old widower Pickett fell in love with a 15-year-old Virginian named LaSalle “Sallie” Corbell, the recipient of this letter. Pickett’s mention of troops in Maryland is a reference to Jubal Early’s desperate invasion of Maryland in July 1864, through which the South hoped to draw Union troops closer to Washington, D.C. and farther from the Confederate capital and battles such as the one occurring in Petersburg. Rebel forces had only invaded the north three times, and this final final attempt—portions of which were observed by Abraham Lincoln—was an attempt by Robert E. Lee to secure a victory. At least that was Pickett’s hope in this letter. Perhaps he had wished that a successful campaign would breathe new life into his own declining military career. The truth be told, the Union had little reason to be concerned about the mounting troop numbers in Maryland, as by this point in the war, the South was already lost, and Pickett’s hope that “we will be relived of this incubus in our (night)” was dashed, with the Rebels driven forever from Northern territory. A unique glimpse at both the hard and soft sides of Pickett’s personality. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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