Impressive display of items honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which contains an 1854 LS signed “Jeffer Davis,” a swatch of fabric removed from Davis’s hat, and several strands of Davis’s hair (approximately 10), the latter two items obtained following his capture and imprisonment at Fort Monroe in 1865. The letter, one page, 6.5 x 7.5, June 3, 1854, addressed from the War Department and sent to Professor Jewett at the Smithsonian Institute, serves as an introduction for James N. Henry, “a gentleman of distinction connected with the University of Mississippi [who] desires to see you on business connected with that institution.”
The swatch, gray with off-white cross patterns, measures 1.75˝ x .25˝ and is affixed to a small presentation sheet, 3.5 x 2, with a handwritten caption by Lt. Edward R. Parry that reads: “Piece of the lining of the Rebel Jeff: Davis hat taken soon after his capture and arrival at Fortress Monroe and presented by [Parry].”
The hair strands, each approximately 1˝ in length, are housed in a small plastic pouch and accompanied by a facsimile of the original provenance letter from actor Thomas Placide, which reads: “Montreal, Saturday, September 21st, 1867. Mrs. Howell gave me this lock of hair today, in the presence of President Jefferson Davis. It was cut from his head during his confinement in Fortress Monroe. Mrs. Howell is the mother in law of President Davis. Mrs. Jefferson Davis was also present at the time.”
Also included is a four-page ALS from Adjutant General Edward D. Townsend, December 19, 1889, with content related to Davis’s capture. The handwritten letter, in part: “A full account of the capture of Jefferson Davis, together with the official reports by Genl. J. M. Wilson and Colo. Pritchard, Mich. Vols. was published in the New York Herald, soon after the capture. Colo. Pritchard’s command of the Michigan Cavalry was the one that actually made the capture, although other bodies belonging to Wilson’s Cavalry Corps joined in the pursuit. Davis’ camp was surrounded at night, and…his capture inevitable, he cast off the disguise and stood in the rebel uniform of an officer.” All of the items are matted with engraved plates and a small portrait and framed together to an overall size of 33 x 32; the Townsend letter is in a hinged frame that opens to reveal the interior pages. In overall fine condition, with bowing to the right side of the matting.
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