Very rare ink signature, “Maj. Pauline Cushman, Union Spy & Scout, Army Cumberland, ‘The Union Right of Wrong,’” on an off-white 3.25 x 1.75 card. In very good condition, with uniform toning, a bit of scattered light spotting affecting a few letters of signature, and old tape remnants to three corners.
Recruited as a Union spy in 1863, the struggling Louisville actress Pauline Cushman used her acting skills and natural charm to gain entry into the Confederate social world, as well as several camps throughout Kentucky and Tennessee. Though she had great success obtaining vital military information, she was discovered by General Braxton Bragg in 1864 and sentenced to hang. Just days before her sentence was to be carried out, Union forces attacked Bragg’s camp and drove the Confederate troops out, saving the spy from her death. Given the honorary title of Major for her services, Cushman spent the next several years traveling the country delivering lectures on her role in the war. A scarce signature from one of the Union’s most intriguing heroes. RRAuction COA.
