3023

Letter to Colonel Grierson who Organized 1 of 2 Buffalo Soldier Cavalry Units, Fort Whipple, Arizona

Currency:USD Category:Stamps / US Postal History Start Price:75.00 USD Estimated At:150.00 - 300.00 USD
Letter to Colonel Grierson who Organized 1 of 2 Buffalo Soldier Cavalry Units, Fort Whipple, Arizona
SOLD
35.00USDto a********o+ buyer's premium (8.75)
This item SOLD at 2018 May 09 @ 08:23UTC-7 : PDT/MST
SHIPPING & HANDLING: Shipping and Handling cannot be estimated prior to invoicing, based on the size and weight of your purchase. All shipping is subject to a minimum charge of $19.00. If additional shipping and handling costs are required, the buyer will be reinvoiced for the balance due. Items are not shipped until the invoice is completely paid. Many buyers purchase a number of lots. Every effort will be made to include all lots in a single shipping charge calculated to cover the weight and size of the package(s). NOTE: Some shipments (of unusual size, dimension, or weight) may require sp...
What a great piece of history. United States Representative Miller is telling Colonel B H Grierson that he and the Texas delegation ae doing what they can to get the President of the United States to promote him to General. Those of you who saw the Turner Network Television's documentary on the Buffalo Soldiers will recognize this name!

Benjamin Grierson became afraid of horses when at age eight he was kicked and nearly killed by a horse, after which he hated horses. So he became a band instructor. At the outbreak of the Civil War he joined the 6th Illinois Cavalry and was promoted to colonel of that regiment on April 13, 1862. (I guess he got over his fear and hatred of horse!) His regiment was engaged in a number of small skirmishes and raids on railroads and facilities in Tennessee and Mississippi that spring and summer. In November, he became a brigade commander in the Cavalry Division of the Army of the Tennessee. He is most noted for an 1863 expedition through Confederate-held territory that severed enemy communication lines between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Confederate commanders in the Eastern Theater.

Grierson decided to remain in the Regular Army after the war and received the rank of colonel. His lack of West Point credentials made him suspect to many fellow officers. He organized the 10th U.S. Cavalry, one of two mounted regiments composed of black enlisted men and white officers, called the Buffalo Soldiers. This assignment also made him unpopular with other officers, including his superior, General Philip Henry Sheridan, because of his support for and trust in his troops. His sympathy and courtesy to Native American tribes also led to questions about his judgment. "The only White officer who supports the unit is Regimental Commanding Officer Colonel Benjamin Grierson. Ostracized by other officers for his enthusiastic command of the African-American troops, Grierson believes in the abilities, dedication, and record of performance of the Buffalo Soldiers and declines offers to lead at any other post. General Pike offers to relieve Grierson 'of this self-imposed exile and have him commanding a real cavalry regiment within a month,' but Grierson refuses" [TNT Documentary] In 1885 and 1886 he is in Arizona at Fort Whipple and later Fort Grant.

And back to the letter. He did receive an appointment as Brigadier General in April of 1890. Three months later he retired. [wikipedia]

HWAC# 60936 Date: 1886 Location: Fort Whipple, Arizona