John Augustine Washington III Autograph Letter Signed "John A. Washington." Three pages of a bifolium, 5" x 8", Mount Vernon; March 5, 1860. Addressed to George Byrd Esq., relating Washington's travel plans and instructions regarding various properties. In part: "...I expect to leave here March 25th for St. Louis & shall probably be in Chicago about April 5th. When I can attend more in detail to the business of improving, renting, &c. In the meantime I think it would be well to see if March & Co. will rent again and at what rates, and to try and find a tenant for the balance of the Baker lot. I leave your judgement to advertise this property for rent or not & whether to do so now or to defer it for a little while. In relation to a sale of ten acres of the river front of the Webster lot, you may say to Mr. Gage that I will sell any amount of it that may be desired..." John A. Washington III (1821-1861) was a great-grandnephew of George Washington, and the last Washington to own Mount Vernon. Like much of his family, when the nation was torn asunder during the Civil War, John was in support of the Confederacy. Though not a military man, Washington enlisted in the Confederate army as a lieutenant colonel, becoming an aide de camp to General Robert E. Lee. In September 1861, he was killed during a reconnaissance mission at the Battle of Cheat Mountain. Condition: Flattened mail folds, with light toning and soiling at the folds. Boldly signed. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved