(CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE) Robert E Lee Proclamation To the Pe

Sale 2615 - Lot 64

Unsold

Estimate: $ 6,000 - $ 9,000

(CIVIL WAR--CONFEDERATE.) Robert E. Lee. Proclamation "To the People of Maryland." Field-printed document, 7 1/4 x 10 inches, on one sheet; dampstaining, 3 1/2-inch separation at one fold, worn on top edge and at intersection of folds, pencil inscription on verso, later transcription of this inscription pasted to the lower margin on a slip of paper. Near Frederick, MD, 8 September 1862

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General Lee issued this order early in his Maryland campaign, four days after he moved his Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland. The Confederates hoped that Maryland residents would greet them as liberators, so Lee issued this proclamation to assure civilians of his noble intentions:

"To the People of Maryland: It is right that you should know the purpose that has brought the Army under my command within the limits of your State. . . . The People of the Confederate States have long watched with the deepest sympathy the wrongs and outrages that have been inflicted upon the citizens of a Commonwealth, allied to the States of the South by the strongest social, political and commercial ties. They have seen with profound indignation their sister State deprived of every right, and reduced to the condition of a conquered Province. . . . Believing that the People of Maryland possessed a spirit too lofty to submit to such a government, the people of the South have long wished to aid you in throwing off this foreign yoke. . . . In obedience to this wish, our Army has come among you, and is prepared to assist you with the power of its arms in regaining the rights of which you have been despoiled. . . . Marylanders shall once more enjoy their ancient freedom of thought and speech. We know no enemies among you, and will protect all of every opinion. It is for you to decide your destiny, freely and without constraint. This army will respect your choice whatever it may be, and while the Southern people will rejoice to welcome you to your natural position among them, they will only welcome you when you come of your own free will."

President Jefferson Davis had drafted his own version of a proclamation to greet the liberated Marylanders, which placed more emphasis on the Confederacy's diplomatic position, but it did not reach Lee in time. Regardless, Lee's army was generally greeted with coldness or hostility, and after Antietam they soon retreated back across the Potomac.

An early pencil note on verso explains that this proclamation was "presented to D.J. Winter by Genl. Lee at the old Fair Grounds on the Williamsport-Pike, Saturday before the Antiedam Battle." Daniel J. Winter (1842-1913) was the son of a prominent farmer in Smithsburg, MD. Lee's army never reached as far as Smithsburg during that campaign, but did pass through Williamsport, MD to the west. According to the note, Winter would have received the proclamation on Saturday, 13 September, as the Battle of Antietam took place on Wednesday, 17 September.

Crandall 670; Parrish & Willingham 1237 (second printing with salutation corrected from "Marland"). No other examples of this important message have appeared at auction since 2008.