[Broadside]

GENERAL LEE'S / FAREWELL ADDRESS / TO THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINA. / HEADQUARTERS ARMY NORTHERN VIRGINIA / APRIL 10th, 1865. [followed by two short paragraphs of text]

NP: np, [ca. 1865 or a bit later]. Broadside, 14 1/2 x 10 inches. Woodcut portrait of General Lee dressed in a suit and tie, a three-quarter profile, occupies the upper half of the broadside. "[Signed in type] R.E. Lee, General." The whole enclosed in a decorative border. The farewell address, also known as General Order No. 9 begins: "After four years of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources ..." It marks the end of the Civil War, by which, according to the terms of the agreement, Lee's officers and men could "return to their homes, and remain there until exchanged." The portrait printed on this copy is identical to the one printed on the broadside issued by Ege's Printers, Petersburg, Virginia, in 1865, though the type setting differs [copy held at the Library of Virginia]. This edition apparently not recorded on OCLC (though a copy sold at auction in 2011; PBA, $1440). Some darkening and chipping to edges, expertly repaired and lined with Japanese paper. (#60314). Item #60314

Price: $1,250.00