GARFIELD JAMES: (1831-1881) American President March-September 1881. Assassinated. A.L.S., J. A. Garfield, two pages, 4to, Washington, 22nd December 1862, to 'My dear Colonel'. Garfield states that he was glad to hear from his correspondent and sends his congratulations on the Colonel securing a place equal to his merits, continuing 'I am delighted with the prospect of having your regiment with me and shall do everything in my power to secure such a result'. Garfield also confesses 'I have been so long kept in this court that my impatience has sometimes amounted at most to despair of getting into the field at all - but I hope we are drawing toward the close of our long siege' and further discusses the formation of Brigades and the intention for Garfield to be given a Division, also remarking 'The Burnside disaster is recoiling in the Country with fearful effect. The Cabinet seems to be going to pieces and this world of Washington is in such a ferment as has not been seen for many a long day. The war must be a long one - The rebellion cannot be ended till we strike, strike, strike - and strike again - tough bloody blows that cost us….but that at last will break the strength of the South. We have not yet found the General to lead us all. When we find him we shall make swift work'. With blank integral leaf. A letter of excellent content written during the American Civil War. The text is a little light, although perfectly legible. A few slight traces of former mounting, largely to the integral leaf and only very slightly affecting a few words of text, but not the signature. About VG

Garfield served as a Major General during the American Civil War 1861-65 and was first elected to Congress in 1862, the year of the present letter, to represent Ohio's 19th District.

The 'Burnside disaster' which Garfield writes of in the present letter evidently refers to General Ambrose Burnside's plan to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, which led to a humiliating and costly Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg on 13th December 1862, less than ten days before the present letter was written.