POW232

USA #65 pen-cancelled and the Chester, Ill CDS 11 FEB (1864) at the upper right. Military Address to Lieut J. P. Mann, Fifth Ill Cavalry Company H, (Union Occupied) Vicksburg, Miss. This is not a POW cover and not through-the-lines. The POW aspect of the cover is the enclosed letter. With the cover is a one page letter datelined "Libby Prison Jan 23rd / 64" from a Union Officer, Capt C. A. Mann, confined as a POW at Libby Prison to his brother, Preston, to let him know that he was all right. Apparently Capt Mann did not know where his brother Preston was located, so he sent the letter home to a third brother, Alfred, in Chester, Ill., who then forwarded the letter in a separate envelope to their brother Preston in Union Occupied Vicksburg. Brother Alfred wrote a short note on the letter explaining the forwarding. Very interesting item with a Libby Prison letter of which a typed transcript is included. Have not seen anything like this before. The letter has a few fold separations reinforced with archival tape, but the cover and letter are otherwise Very Fine. Capt Calvin Anderson Mann (1833-1902) is listed as a physician on the Federal Census of 1860. However, he served in the army as a line officer and not as a physician or surgeon. He mustered in as a 2nd Lieut in Co K 5th Ill Cav 11/21/1861, promoted 1st Lieut 1/15/1862, and Capt 7/8/1862. He was captured as a POW in Jones County, Miss., 6/27/1863 while participating on a raid to destroy a railroad and ended up at Libby Prison in Richmond. Could not find a record of his release or exchange, but a handwritten notation on the typed transcript says "escaped in 65." One reference to an escape was located but no details given. Could benefit from further research. He was again with his unit in early 1865 as he mustered out of service 2/4/1865. The Federal Census of 1870 lists him as a physician in Missouri but later returned to Chester, Ill., where he died in 1902. Lieut John Preston Mann (1822-1908), a merchant and lawyer, entered service as Sergt-Maj 11/21/1861 5th Ill Cav, commissioned 2nd Lieut Co K 7/8/1862, and promoted 1st Lieut and Commissary 3/24/1863. He was discharged 10/15/1864. After the war, he returned to his home in Chester, Ill. Alfred Mathew Mann (1837-1912), the brother who forwarded the letter from Chester, was a Presbyterian minister with no record of military service. He had an interesting life after the war as a preacher on the frontier.

$350.00

If you wish to order this cover, send me an E-mail or use my secure Confederate Order Form. Clicking on my Confederate Order Form link below will open the order form in a new window or tab which can be kept open while you browse the remainder of the listings. JLKCSA@aol.com -- Confederate Order Form --