ALS signed “Abner Doubleday, Bvt. Major General, U.S. Army,” one page, 4.5 x 7, May 10, 1887. Letter to Alice N. Burk. In full: “While there were many men of ability and genius at the South, the census returns for 1860 showed a startling amount of illiteracy in the masses. On the Eastern Shore of Maryland not one in seven could read and write. This had much to do with bringing on the great civil war: for ignorant men are always the ready tools of demagogues.” In fine condition, with a central horizontal fold. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity and grading from PSA/DNA, who give the autograph a grade of 9. Devoting much of his post-bellum career to scholarly pursuits, publishing two important works on the Civil War and providing accounts of his finest moments on the battlefields, the former Union general held literacy as an integral part of developed society. Reflecting on the poorly educated pre-war South, this letter to New Jersey teacher Alice Burk is a powerful statement against the dangers of illiteracy. RRAuction COA.
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