This article is from the July - September 2010 issue of the Confederate Philatelist. Posted under a prior agreement with the then journal editors in effect since the early days of this website.

Richmond, Va Due 2 Newspaper Wrapper 24 JUL 1862. It was very common for a Confederate soldier to send a letter to a relative or friend with the postage paid by the recipient. However, until the above newspaper wrapper recently surfaced, there was no known example in Confederate philately of a soldier mailing a newspaper with the postage being collected from the recipient. When I first acquire the soldier's "DUE 2" newspaper wrapper, I thought it was possibly an unauthorized use of the soldier'sspecial mailing privilege. But the fact the wrapper was mailed at the Richmond, Virginia, post office cast doubt in my mind that such a professional post office would allow the soldier to send the newspaper without prepayment of the postage unless it was authorized. My challenge, therefore, was to uncover the legislation that authorized this unique usage if it existed. Fortunately, I discovered General Stefan Jaronski wrote an article entitled, "Official Notice of Soldiers' Due Privilege" in the July-August 1988 issue of The Confederate Philatelist that cited the Confederate Congressional Act authorizing the Soldiers' no prepayment of postage privilege. The key words in the act which encompass the mailing of a newspaper were, "all letters and other matter authorized by law to be transmitted through the mail..."  Clearly, while most unusual, this usage was perfectly legal. The following is the Congressional Act: ACT RELATING TO THE PRE·PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CERTAIN CASES Approved July 29, 1861 1. The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That all letters and other matter authorized by law to be transmitted through the mail, written, or sent by any officer, musician, or private of the army engaged in the actual service of the Confederate States, may be transmitted through the mails to any other place in the Confederate States, without prepayment of postage, but leaving such postage to be collected upon the delivery of such letters or other matter; Provided, nevertheless, That in all such cases the letters and other mail matter so sent shall be endorsed with the name, and shall be account of the individual sending the same. and shall contain a description of the party who sends the same, by endorsement of his military title, if an officer, or of the company and regiment to which he belongs, if a musician or private. 2. That letters and other mail matter sent to any officer, musician, or private in the Confederate States Army, to any point from which the said officer, musician or private may have been lawfully removed, shall be forwarded to the person to whom directed at the post office nearest which he may have been removed, free of additional postage. 3. That on letters transmitted by a member of Congress, with his official signature endorsed on the same, prepayment of postage shall not be required, but the same may be paid on delivery of the letters thus transmitted. 4. Any person attempting to violate the provisions of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall forfeit and pay the sum of twenty dollars, to be recovered before any justice of the peace having cognizance thereof Since the newspaper rate was two cents, the Richmond, Virginia post office, handstamped the wrapper "DUE 2" with a July 24, 1862 postmark. The wrapper was fashioned from a piece of lined paper by the sender, Surgeon Erwin James Eldridge of the 16th Georgia Regiment. The officer properly endorsed the homemade wrapper with his name and unit, and wrote in the top left hand comer, "Newspapers." Surgeon Eldridge sent the newspapers to his wife, Emma Louise Eldridge, at Flat Pond, Lee County, Georgia. He also added mail routing instructions, "Adam's Station, S.W.R.R., Geo" (Georgia South Western Railroad). The doctor survived the war and passed away in Americus, Georgia, on March 12, 1902 at the age of 69. Over a lifetime of collecting Confederate postal history, I have acquired many great covers which are illustrated in my 2010 book, A Lifetime of Collecting Confederate States of America Postal History. For the record, this unique soldier's "DUE 2" newspaper wrapper is one of my all-time favorites and  I treasure it dearly.

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