1865 Confederate Telegraph From Beauregard, Harts Battery Civil War

1865 Confederate Telegraph Southern Express Co Beauregard Hart's Battery Civil War

Alternative Title

March 1865 Confederate Telegram Southern Express Wilmington NC Gen Beauregard

Suggested eBay Description

Original Confederate States telegraphic dispatch on an official Southern Express Company form dated March 5, 1865.

Printed by Evans & Cogswell of Charleston and dispatched from Wilmington during the final weeks of the American Civil War.

The message concerns the movement of Hart's Battery and references orders issued under Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard during the Carolinas Campaign. The message appears to read substantially:

"Dispatched by Telegraph from Wilmington March 5, 1865

To Lieut. E. S. Haley, Hart's Battery

Following dispatch received Charlotte:

'To Maj. Lehman, have horses of Hart's Battery put upon cars ready to be attached to train when the battery passes. The battery will leave here tomorrow by command of Genl. Beauregard.'"

The archival note indicates it was later backed and microfilmed by the Georgia Department of Archives and History in 1961.

The date is particularly important. On March 5, 1865, Confederate forces were desperately shifting artillery and troops throughout the Carolinas during the final stages of the war under General P. G. T. Beauregard, who was coordinating resistance against William Tecumseh Sherman during the Carolinas Campaign.

Historical Significance

This is not merely a Confederate telegraph blank.

It is:

Dated March 5, 1865 (very late war)

Confederate military communication

Southern Express Company telegraph form

Mentions troop/artillery transportation by rail

References Hart's Battery

References General Beauregard

Connected with Wilmington–Charlotte military communications

From the final Confederate campaign in the Carolinas

Collectors strongly favor Confederate telegrams mentioning troop movements and named generals.

Condition

The major issue is condition:

Significant paper loss around margins

Archival backing

Staining and edge deterioration

Still readable and displayable

Features:

Original Confederate telegraph document

Southern Express Company form

Dated March 5, 1865

Wilmington, North Carolina origin

References Hart's Battery

References General Beauregard

Printed Charleston imprint

Archival backing with Georgia Department of Archives provenance

A scarce late-war Confederate military communication relating to artillery transportation and troop movements during the final Confederate operations in the Carolinas.

Condition: Archival backing with paper loss, staining, folds, and wear as shown. Text remains substantially legible. Please examine photographs carefully.