Excellent 1pp. 1862 letter on official Confederate States of America “Department of State” letterhead written by Secretary of State, Judah P. Benjamin.

Benjamin writes from Richmond, the Confederate capitol, concerning an application for a passport submitted by a Charleston lawyer named Charles E. Mustin. Benjamin informs Mustin that he must submit an attestation to his Confederate citizenship signed by "a well known public officer."

Benjamin needs no introduction as a United States senator from Louisiana, a Cabinet officer of the Confederate States and, after his escape to the United Kingdom at the end of the American Civil War, an English barrister. Benjamin was the first person of the Jewish faith to hold a cabinet position in North America and the first to be elected to the United States Senate who had not renounced his faith.

The letter is in excellent condition, Benjamin's signature is sharp and bold. Of note is a small window into the somewhat transient nature of the Confederate buraucracy- Benjamin crossed out "Montgomery" from the letterhead and wrote in “Richmond."


[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, U.S Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson] [Political Memorabilia]