Two 1863 Court Martial Summons Letters to Naval Officer JC Williamson

A pair of Civil War court-martial summons letters addressed to naval officer John C. Williamson.Both have flattened mail folds, light toning, and minor soiling. Boldly signed.

The first, 1p, measuring 7.5" x 9.5", Washington, D.C., dated September 29, 1863, is an autograph letter signed by "Geo. G. Hastings", notifying Williamson that he is summoned to act as a witness on the part of the Government at the trial of William T. Smithson, to be held on October 8, 1863. With docketing and an endorsement on verso.

The second, 1p of a bifolium, measuring 7.75" x 9.5", Washington, D.C., dated September 30, 1863, is a letter signed by "Gideon Welles", which orders Williamson to attend the above summons and then return to the South Atlantic Blockade Squadron and resume his duties. 

James C. Williamson (1813-1871) was a U.S. naval officer who enlisted in the Navy as a midshipman in 1832. He spent nearly three decades serving in the Mediterranean, West Indies, off the African Coast, and the United States eastern coast prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1863, he was placed in command of the USS Flag and served with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Charleston Harbor and Georgetown in South Carolina, where the Flag was instrumental in the transport of troops to the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, and at Ossabaw Island in Georgia, where he met Sherman shortly after the general completed his "March to the Sea." He was detached from the Flag in February 1865 and transferred to the Brooklyn Navy Yard until the end of the war.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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