(1821 - 1862) American explorer and Union brigadier general, wounded a day after Ball's Bluff who died as a result of complications from those wounds. Exceedingly rare, extremely fine military content and association war-date A.L.S., 4pp. 4to., [n.p.], Oct, 6, 1861, to Col. William R. Lee, commander of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry at Antietam. In large part: ‘With due regard to my own knowledge & respect of your soldierly qualities & reticence I confide to you for the exigences of the public service a letter of advice from the commanding general with my own remarks thereon. You are ordered in event of any accident to me, to take command of this Brigade. You will find an able… support in Col [later Brig. Gen. Edward W.] Hincks who has assured me that he desires no more cheerful duty than to serve under your orders. Our duty, yours and mine to the country demands not only strict attention to army regulations but likewise the exercise of a cool judgment. I regard mine to lay in putting this command in the most efficient state. I shall allow no pre-dating of commissaries. If any colonel who confines his regiment to [?] 4 weeks old to prevent vigor & efficiency in this command should the enemy attempt to force this river [the Potomac], we must meet them and beat them at the river. All depends on that. It would be well to know how by the service of a fatigue party we can tear down fences on the continuation of a line of road from William’s house to throw our baggage to the rear under escort of a squad from the Michigan Rgt. but if an attack is made the few hundred’s men we can use efficiently must be concentrated there. The whole affair in my view resolves itself into a rapid disposition of our forces on the point of attack. Great judgment & coolness on the part of the officer commanding as to feints of the enemy… a steady fine caution on the part of the commander as to wasting ammunition. Officers [?] a small section of the mounted artillery men acting as orderlies to hear written messages. Good sense & celerity on the part of all entrusted… You will excuse this unofficial… communication which becomes official & will be used to the fullest extent should the attack occur.’ Legibility is difficult in some places, but the overall message is quite clear. Boldly signed ‘F. W. Lander’ in black ink at the conclusion, adding his rank ‘Brig Genl Comg’. He adds a postscript requesting the return of an enclosed document, and signs again with his initials ‘F W L’. Shows original mailing folds, with a mounting strip at the left edge where disbound from a volume, otherwise in fine condition overall. An extremely difficult signature to locate in any form, let alone a lengthy, war-date letter entirely in his hand discussing military strategy such as this! Sold with a mounted, retouched albumen photograph and a period frontispiece engraving of Lander.