Two page letter, dated April 17th, 1851, written and signed by then Colonel Robert E. Lee from Fort Carroll in Maryland. The letter is addressed to George Proctor Kane, who at that time was the Collector of the Port of Baltimore. Kane was suspected in 1861 of being behind the “Baltimore Plot,” a purported conspiracy to assassinate newly-elected President Abraham Lincoln on his way to Washington D.C. Lincoln, who found the plot credible, decided to pass through Baltimore surreptitiously to avoid Kane (who at that time was Marshal of Police). Kane would be arrested after the onset of hostilities and confined in jail for at least 14 months. After release, he seems to have fled to Canada. Interestingly, one account describes him as serving some portion of the war on the staff of General Robert E. Lee, though it’s not clear if that is true.

The letter itself concerns a signal light and provisions at Fort Carroll, which Robert E. Lee designed and constructed 1848-1850. His signature, executed with rank, is sharp and bold. The letter is professionally framed with a two-sided window and is accompanied by two original water-color paintings of the General. It is fascinating to see correspondence between these two prominent figures a decade before the start of the Civil War.


[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Jefferson Davis, Abraham Lincon] [RE Lee Signature]