1904001
Daniel E. Sickles
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“ . . . which cannot fail I think to add something to so graceful a tribute to valor and patriotism”
Daniel Edgar Sickles, 1819–1914. American politician, soldier, and diplomat; Major General, Union Army, American Civil War; United States Ambassador to Spain, 1869–1874. Autograph Letter Signed, D. E. Sickles, two pages (recto and verso), 5” x 8”, on plain stationery, Seville, [Spain], April 14, 1871.
This is an outstanding example of Sickles’
sometimes difficult holograph. Sickles, then the American Minister to Spain,
writes to famed New York socialite Anne Lynch Botta, who evidently sought
Sickles’ help in honoring a guest. The Ambassador writes, in
full: “Dear Madam, / Your
letter of the 27th ultimo was forwarded to me from Madrid yesterday & I have
sent instructions to Mr. Adee the Secretary of Legation on the subject which
I am sure will receive his prompt attention. You will be duly informed
of the result of his exhibits which cannot fail I think to add something
to so graceful a tribute to valor and patriotism. I am, Madam, very
respectfully your most obedient servant . . . .”
Sickles represented New York in the United States House of Representatives
for two terms, 1857–1861, before the Civil War. When the war
began, he recruited the New York regiments that formed the Excelsior Brigade
in the Army of the Potomac.
His most significant battlefield action
came at Gettysburg. Although Maj. Gen. George G. Meade ordered Sickles’
III Corps to assume a defensive position on the southern
end of Cemetery Ridge, in a concentrated position with other federal troops,
Sickles instead marched his troops nearly a mile in front of Cemetery Ridge,
forming a defenseless salient that Confederate forces attacked, virtually
destroying Sickles’ corps. Sickles’ right leg was mangled
when a cannon ball tore through it, and it was later amputated.
Historians debate whether Sickles’ disobedience to Meade’s
orders hurt or helped the Union cause at Gettysburg; some argue that Sickles’
position blunted the Confederate attack that was intended to destroy the
Union line. Sickles went to great lengths to exonerate himself after
the war. In 1897, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the
nation’s highest military honor, for his actions. The citation read
that Sickles displayed “most conspicuous gallantry on the field vigorously
contesting the advance of the enemy and continuing to encourage his troops
after being himself severely wounded.”
Sickles was appointed U.S. Minister to Spain from 1869 to 1874. After
serving in the New York state government, he was again elected to Congress
and served one term, 1893–1895. He was instrumental in
sponsoring legislation to form the Gettysburg National Military Park in
order to preserve the Gettysburg battlefield, acquire private lands, and
erect monuments.
Our research has not discovered the person who is the subject of Sickles’ letter. Botta (1815–1891), a poet, writer, and teacher, was a popular leader in New York
society. She hosted regular Saturday evening gatherings at her home on
West 37th Street for such luminaries as Edgar Allen Poe, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Horace Greeley, Andrew Carnegie, Julia Ward
Howe, William Cullen Bryant, and others.
Alvey Augustus Adee (1842–1924), whom Sickles mentions, served a
diplomatic apprenticeship in the American legation at Madrid before entering
the State Department in Washington, D.C., in 1877. He served until his
death, at age 81. For nearly 40 years, he served as the Second
Assistant Secretary of State, the nearest thing the United States has come
to having a permanent Under Secretary of State.
This is a beautiful letter. The laid paper retains its original sheen.
Sickles has boldly written and signed the letter in black fountain pen.
The letter has one vertical and two horizontal mailing folds. For the
sake of accuracy, we note that there is a 1/8” tear in the right edge of the paper,
affecting nothing. The letter is in very fine condition.
Unframed.
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