Details:

A remarkable four-page period manuscript “true copy” dated June 19, 1861, prepared at Headquarters, Department of Utah, Fort Crittenden, Utah Territory, preserving an extraordinary report concerning alleged secessionist sympathies and disloyal activities among military officers, territorial officials, and civilians in the opening months of the American Civil War.

The document is headed ”(Copy)” and records a communication originally submitted to the Secretary of War by Captain R. E. Clary (Assistant Quartermaster), Paymaster F. E. Hunt, and Surgeon J. B. Porter, all officers of the United States Army. The report was subsequently certified at Fort Crittenden by John Green, Acting Assistant Adjutant General, who noted on June 19, 1861, that it was “a true copy from the original, furnished for the information of Judge Crosby.”

The report constitutes a detailed denunciation of numerous individuals believed to harbor Confederate sympathies in the Utah Territory during the secession crisis. Among the accusations are claims that territorial governor Alfred Cumming openly declared himself a secessionist, approved of General David E. Twiggs’s surrender of federal property in Texas, and even offered a toast to the Southern Confederacy. The report further alleges disloyal sentiments among territorial secretary Wooten, Judge Crosby, and several Army officers stationed in the West.

Particularly striking are references to officers who allegedly intended to resign and join the Confederacy should their home states secede, including discussions surrounding Colonel Philip St. George Cooke, members of his family, and officers stationed at Fort Crittenden. The report also recounts a provocative toast allegedly offered at Camp Floyd calling for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin before March 4, as well as allegations that the military band repeatedly performed “Dixie” as a gesture of Confederate sympathy. The authors conclude that loyalty to the Union demanded exposure of all aiders and abettors of rebellion, no matter how slight the evidence.

An exceptionally early and important Civil War territorial document, created only weeks after the outbreak of hostilities, illustrating the atmosphere of suspicion, divided loyalties, and political intrigue that extended far beyond the principal theaters of war. Documents relating to Union military operations and secessionist activity in the remote Utah Territory are scarce, particularly those prepared contemporaneously by Army officers and preserved as official manuscript copies.

Fine condition. 

John Green (1816-1875) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War and later during the Civil War. In June 1861 he was serving as Acting Assistant Adjutant General in the Department of Utah and certified this manuscript as a true copy of the original report. The document offers a rare glimpse into the volatile political situation in the American West during the earliest months of the Civil War, when federal authorities feared that Confederate sympathizers might undermine Union control of the western territories.

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

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Reference sku: 11669 1416180-1