| MSC187 |
The tattered cover offered here is an extremely important cover in the story of Missouri Confederate postal history. The cover has a single CSA #7
stamp with a pen cancel sealing the back flap. A second CSA #7 stamp is
missing and was probably torn away at opening. There is no indication
of where the cover entered the CSA postal system. The important part is
the full military address "Lieut Col F. L. Hubbell Care 3rd Mo Inftr, 1st Brigade Bowen's Division, Port Gibson, Miss." I
first acquired this cover in 1994 and sold it to noted Missouri postal
historian and collector Richard A. Hall of Jefferson City, Missouri.
Mr. Hall was ecstatic to find this cover saying he had been looking for
such an item for 30 years. I sold him the cover, and he did
considerable research. He published an extensive article on the cover
which appeared in the Jul-Aug 1995 issue of The Confederate Philatelist.
His research convinced him that the cover was carried through-the-lines
by the Confederate mail runner Capt Absolom Grimes from Missouri and
dropped into the Confederate mail system at an unknown location. Capt
Grimes' exploits are chronicled in a 1929 book. To date this remains the only cover with documented research and believed to be an Absolom Grimes carried cover.
The cover with a summary of Absolom Grimes' exploits and a more
detailed analysis of the cover appear on Pages 231-232 of my book Collector's Guide to Confederate Philately Second Edition.
The cover disappeared in the late 1990's when Mr. Hall's material was
sold at auction. No one knew where it was. But it fortuitously and very
luckily came back into my hands recently through a private buy. The
cover is offered with a typed draft of Mr. Hall's original article
which still remained with the cover.
Findlay L. Hubbell
(1830-1863) from Ray County, Missouri, enlisted as a private in the 3rd
Missouri Infantry (CSA) in December 1861. He was promoted Major the
next month and Lt Col and commander of the regiment in November 1862.
He was killed in the fighting around Port Gibson, Miss in May 1863. |
$500.00
SOLD |
JLKCSA@aol.com
-- Confederate Order
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