A HAND-DRAWN CONFEDERATE SOLDIER'S VALENTINE…LIKELY THE ONLY EXAMPLE EVER SEEN
An incredibly rare and touching Confederate soldier's valentine drawn for his sitter on the blank integral leaf of back-to-back letters sent to the sister and the soldier's wife. The valentine, like the letters, is a fairly intricately drawn group of four stars and geometric designs on a quarto page, sketched out with an intricate border in ink and filled-in with colored pencil. At top, a side view of a musket has been added to remind the viewer of the artist's reality. The artist and letter-writer was Pvt. Hezekiah Rabb, Co. E, 33rd Alabama Infantry, who enlisted on Mar. 12, 1862 at the age of 23. He writes a one page letter to his sister from "Near Tunnel Hill" on Feb. 18, 1864. In part: "…you have not written to me in so long I had almost forgot you were alive…I haves made a Pretty on this with the intention of Writing some Girl a Valentine but failed you & Scrappy must Wrestle for this one if you will ever write I will try to get some of the Boys to write & send you one of your own we make a variety of Prettys & the Boys are always making some…" In a one page letter to his wife from the same place, same date, he is a bit gloomier. Rabb sees no prospect of obtaining a furlough and is "provoked" over his inability to obtain one after two years of service. The letters and valentine bear some spots and toning along folds, but are still very good. Rabb's fate is unknown - his official records end in 1863.