1862 Manuscript Union Pass – Mitchellsville Station, Tennessee (?) For Sale

1862 Manuscript Union Pass – Mitchellsville Station, Tennessee (?)
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1862 Manuscript Union Pass – Mitchellsville Station, Tennessee (?):
$295.00

1862 Manuscript Union Pass – Mitchellsville Station, Tennessee (?)


Offered for your consideration is a well-used Union pass, pennedin late 1862, with a written oath of allegiance on the back. Headlined “MilitaryPass”, this piece was written at “Mitchellsville Station Tenn” (?) on “Dec15 1862” and is addressed to the “Guards and Pickets” patrolling thearea. It instructs them to “Pass R W Turner through our lines untill furtherorders By order of Col G. P. Smith”, the officer “Commanding Post”. It waspresumably issued by “Capt E I Gillham /Provost Marshal / per W B. Hobbs”, as his name andposition can be found at the lower left. The back of the pass bears amanuscript “Oath of Allegiance” which states that “I solemnly swear, without anymental reservation or evasion, that I will support the Constitution of theUnited States and the laws made in pursuance thereof; and that I will not takeup arms against the United States or give aid or comfort or furnish informationdirectly or indirectly, to any person or persons belonging to any of the soStyled Confederate States who are now or may be in rebellion against theGovernment of the United States So help me God.”.In case there was any question of the seriousness of the forgoing paragraph, aclosing statement declares that “It is understood that the penalty for theviolation of this oath is Death.”. It is signed at theconclusion by “R. W. Turner”, the gentleman to whom the pass was issued.Cursory research indicates that a George P. Smith served as the colonel of the129th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, while no information can be found for R. W.Turner. Smith enlisted and was mustered in on September 8, 1862 and resigned onMay 8, 1863, well before the regiment would see any significant action. Theother individual mentioned is Erastus I. Gillham, who served as a captain fromhis enlistment and muster in on September 8, 1862 until his resignation on May14, 1863 (the W. B. Hobbs is William B. Hobbs, a private in Gillham’s company).It is interesting that both of the officers mentioned on this document resignedfrom the unit at about the same time – seems unusual. Also, based on the date ofthe pass it is difficult to be sure which Mitchellsville is being referred to –the one in Kentucky or in Tennessee (it appears that the regiment was at both).A great research project for the Civil War or local historian. Certainly worthyof further research.

The presently offered document exhibits signs of extensive (andexpected) period use, followed by less than ideal long-term storage. Toning isnoted across the entire surface, imparting to the paper an off-white to beigeappearance. This toning is significantly more pronounced at the edges, alongthe folds, and in the upper left quarter of the pass (this was the outside whenthe pass was folded for use). While making it more difficult to read, thistoning has not caused any of the text to be illegible (it just takes moreeffort). The aforementioned folds have adversely affected the integrity of thepaper, causing numerous separations and loss of paper. Some of this loss of paperhas affected the text, with several words being damaged to some extent(separations and paper loss are also noted at the edges). The contrast variesbased on where the text is and who actually wrote it (the penmanship is quitepoor as well, making it even more difficult to read the document). It must bementioned that there are pencil notations at the lower left and right that aredifficult to determine (it is not known to the seller whether this iscontemporary with the pass or a later addition). The edges are very ragged andirregular, obviously have been torn from a larger sheet and further damagedduring its time of use. While not overly attractive, this interesting piece,measuring approximately 6¼ x 7⅞ inches, would make a great addition to anycollection of Civil War passes, especially with the manuscript oath. Please note - this document is somewhat fragile.If you have any additional questions regarding the conditionof this item, please ask before purchasing.

A charge of $5.95 will be added to the winning offer for postage andinsurance.

A $5.00 charge will be added to any item picked up in person atour physical location.

If you have any questions concerning this item, please ask beforepurchasing.

Buy or offer with Confidence – American Coins & CollectiblesPresident Richie Self has worked 6 years as a paper money grader/authenticator.He has contributed to numerous reference books within the industry, as well asbeing a co-author of “The Comprehensive Catalog and History of ConfederateBonds, 2ndEdition” with Douglas B. Ball, Ph.D., Henry F.Simmons, M.D., Ph.D. and James R. Desabaye. Mr. Self is a life member of theAmerican Numismatic Association, the Society of Paper Money Collectors, as wellas numerous regional numismatic associations. He is an authorized submitter toNGC, PCGS, and PMG, a diamond founding member of Coin Dealers Helping CoinDealers and a supporter of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. AmericanCoins and Collectibles can be found at many of the state and local coin shows.


American Coins and Collectibles

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