Details:

John B. Gordon autographed two-page handwritten letter (ALS), written on a single folded sheet and dated New York, December 5, 1884. Addressed to “Miss Julia,” the daughter of an old acquaintance, Gordon responds after learning from her mother that she desired his autograph. He writes that he has enclosed his autograph on a separate card (not present), then reflects warmly on having known Julia years earlier at her father’s home near St. Louis. Gordon remarks on how difficult it is to realize that the “bright, merry little girl” he remembered is now entering womanhood, concluding with the heartfelt wish that her “future life may be as full of joy as your childhood was of sweetness.”

This letter reveals Gordon’s more personal side. Written just two years after serving in the United States Senate and while one of the South’s most celebrated former Confederate leaders, it is a thoughtful and affectionate note filled with nostalgia and encouragement.

Very good condition with expected horizontal and vertical mailing folds, light age toning, and minor scattered ink smudging.

John Brown Gordon (1832–1904) was one of the Confederacy’s most prominent generals, rising to the rank of major general in the Army of Northern Virginia and earning a reputation for his leadership in many of the Civil War’s major campaigns, including Antietam, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. Following the war, he became one of Georgia’s leading political figures, serving as both United States Senator and the 53rd Governor of Georgia. Gordon later became the first Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans, helping shape the postwar memory of the Confederacy through veterans’ organizations and public commemorations. He has also been identified by many historians as an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia during Reconstruction, though the extent of his involvement remains a subject of historical debate. Today, Gordon remains one of the most significant and controversial figures of the post-Civil War South.

Authentication:
Includes a full letter of authenticity from JG Autographs, Inc.

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Reference sku: 11364 1416600-1