US Grant 1864 letter to QMG Meigs from Fortress Monroe Re Sultana disaster ship commander Reuben Hatch Start Price USD 4,500.00 Current Price USD 4,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 4,750.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, August 20, 2008 End Time Saturday, August 30, 2008 Location New Jersey See more about 'US Grant 1864 letter to QMG Meigs from Fortress Monroe' Description GENERAL GRANT HANDWRITES A WAR DATED LETTER ABOUT THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRAGIC SULTANA VOYAGE, KILLING 1,700 TROOPS: I “HOLD COMMANDERS RESPONSIBLE FOR SHORT COMINGS WITHIN THEIR COMMANDS” ULYSSES S. GRANT (1822-1885). Grant was the Eighteenth President and General-in-Chief of the Union armies during the Civil War. MONTGOMERY C. MEIGS (1816-1892). Meigs was Quarter Master General of the Army during the Civil War. ALS. 1pg. 7 ¾” x 11 ¾”. July 31, 1864. Fortress Monroe, VA. An autograph letter signed “U.S. Grant Lt Gen” regarding the corrupt man who overfilled the Sultana that sank on April 27, 1865 near Memphis, killing an estimated 1,700 passengers. Grant wrote to Quarter Master General Meigs: “Lt. Col. R.B. Hatch with whom I have been acquainted since the beginning of the war, and who has been relieved from duty as Chief Qr. Mr. of the 13th Army Corps, that Corps being broken up, expresses a desire to be assigned to duty in New Orleans in charge of water transportation if not as Chief Qr. Mr. I would in no instance recommend a chief for any staff Dept. to a Dept. Commander desiring always to be in a condition to hold commanders responsible for short comings within their commands. If however you can assign Col. Hatch to the second choice here leaving the Dept. Commander to say who shall have the first, I will be pleased.” Colonel Ruben B. Hatch was charged with taking bribes related to the purchase of supplies early in the Civil War. Although the evidence seemed insurmountable, his brother, a close confidante of President Lincoln, was able to get the charges repealed. Later, Hatch’s political friends helped him to be appointed Chief Quartermaster for the Department of Mississippi, as shown in this letter. In April 1865, when the war was over, Hatch helped overload discharged soldiers and former prisoners of war on the steamboat Sultana. Although the boat has a capacity of 376 passengers, 2,000 people were crammed aboard as it traveled north on the Mississippi. On April 27, 1865, one of the ship’s leaky boilers exploded, sinking the ship near Memphis and killing an estimated 1,700 passengers. Hatch quit the army soon after the incident, making him immune to military court-martial procedures. The Grant letter has some light purple damp-staining and it is laid down to a thin sheet to improve its strength. The letter is in fair to good condition TERMS AND CONDITIONS My name is Stuart Lutz and I am a full time dealer of autographs, letters, documents and historic manuscripts. I am a member of the Manuscript Society, the Professional Autograph Dealers Association, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, the Universal Autograph Collectors Club (Registered Dealer #166) and the Ephemera Society. I am also a Contributing Editor of Autograph Collector magazine. If you have any questions, you can call me toll free at 1 (877) 428-9362. I guarantee the authenticity of this piece forever, and will gladly refund your money if it is ever proven not to be authentic (not many Ebay autograph dealers boast of that!). All items are issued with an invoice that states in writing at the bottom “All autographs and historical papers are guaranteed authentic for life by me. If any piece is ever proven not to be genuine, I will gladly refund the full purchase price to the original buyer.” Your piece will be professionally packed and shipped, and will be fully insured. All items under $2,000.00 will be mailed by USPS Insured Mail, and all material over $2,000.00 will be shipped via USPS Express Mail or overnight Federal Express. I offer interest-free layaway plans, but please e-mail StuartKL@aol.com or call me toll free at 1 (877) 428-9362 before bidding to notify me that you would like a payment plan. These plans spread out three equal payments over three consecutive months; the first payment is due within seven days of the purchase agreement and is NON-REFUNDABLE for any reason. Full payment is expected within ten days, unless other previous arrangements have been made. New Jersey residents, please add 7% for the Governor’s salary ;-). Buyers who do not live in the United States must pay using PayPal.com. Best of luck bidding and thanks for your business!On Jul-01-08 at 12:03:27 PDT, seller added the following information: Use the FREE Counters 1 million sellers do - Vendio! Place a Bid!