BE156

CSA #1 Stone 1 (not plated) (margin touches at top and an extremely dry printing) pen-cancelled and a weak strike of the BLUE Waynesboro, Va CDS to the left 2 JUN (1862). South-to-North very early POW cover addressed to Mr. Andrew Brooks Prisoner of War Care of Capt A. A. Gibson Commanding Fort Delaware Del. “By Flag of Truce via Petersburg.” Pencil notation at upper left “should be directed Prisoner of War.” The cover itself is a Union 3c Red Star Die and bears two strikes of a Union Due 3 handstamp one of which ties the CSA stamp to the cover. The star die was demonitized the previous summer and was not recognized as valid for Union postage. The POW cover was allowed to go through early in the war with Union postage due. At bottom center are what appear to be manuscript initials “TGS” which could be an examiner’s mark. Pvt Andrew Brooks (age 24) enlisted in Co I 4th Va Inf 6/2/1861. He was captured as a POW at Kernstown, Va 3/23/1862, confined at Fort Delaware, and exchanged 8/5/1862. He was subsequently wounded at Chancellorsville, Va 5/3/1863 and died of his wounds four days later. Capt Augustus A. Gibson (d1893), a West Point graduate and carreer US Army officer) of the 2nd US Artillery commanded the Fort Delaware prison early in the war. On 6/25/1862 (a few weeks after this cover was posted) he became the Colonel of the 2nd Penn Heavy Artillery. Quite a scarce POW usage particularly with the Union handstamp tying the CSA stamp. Backflap missing, otherwise a very clean cover.

$2,000.00 SOLD