Soldier, planter, and legislator (1833-1908) who became the youngest lieutenant general in the Confederate Army upon his promotion in June of 1864. ALS signed “S. D. Lee,” eight pages on two sets of adjoining sheets, 5 x 8, August 19, 1873. Letter to Jefferson Davis regarding the history of his service. In part: “As you know I was in Miss. till Aug. 27th 64, when I reported to Genl Hood to command a corps—the Battles of the 21 & 22, had been fought before Atlanta & Sherman had commenced & his movement to our left flank & rear which caused the fall of the city. Two divisions of my corps were engaged on the 28th July & my entire Corps. & Hardee’s at Jonesborro [sic] soon after in trying to check the movement of Sherman—we were not successful & the city was evacuated the day after the Battle of Jonesboro [sic] . A short time followed, & Genl Hood put his army in motion from its position south of Atlanta on the Atlanta & Macon R. Rd. for Palmetto Station on the Atlanta & West Point R. Rd. west of Atlanta, & on Sherman’s right—his object as I understood was to move with his entire army on Sherman’s flank & rear & if possible cause him to detach some of his corps…as would enable him to strike with some success, as he felt confident he could not successfully resist Sherman’s army in his march further south, after the fall of Atlanta.” In very good condition, with intersecting folds, a rusty paperclip mark and impression, light overall foxing, and a War Records stamp over Lee’s signature. Lee had been promoted to lieutenant general on June 23, 1864, and assigned to lead the Second Corps of Army of Tennessee, under the command of John Bell Hood. The key battle he took part in, as mentioned here, was the Battle of Jonesborough—the Confederate loss that finally allowed the besieged city of Atlanta to fall into Union hands. On the first day of fighting, Lee led a frontal assault on John A. Logan’s line but was repulsed in short order, suffering heavy, disproportionate losses, with his own men suffering over 1,300 casualties to a Union total of 179. An altogether exceptional letter describing Confederate tactics in what became a defining campaign of the Civil War. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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