CINCINNATI, OH.- Hindman will present two days of manuscripts, archives, early photography, and artifacts spanning the entirety of American history in its June 15-16 American Historical Ephemera & Photography auction. The June 15 session will focus on American conflicts including the Civil War and Indian Wars, as well as African Americana and early photography, while the second day is devoted to politics, Native American history, and the settling of the American West.

Archive of a Frontier Artilleryman at the Onset of the Civil War

An extensive 19th century archive of a US Army artilleryman stationed in the frontier at the onset of the Civil War is expected to highlight the first day of the sale (lot 130; estimate: $20,000 - $30,000). Captain Joseph Claypoole Clark was serving in the 4th United States Light Artillery stationed in Missouri in the summer of 1860 before embarking down the iconic Oregon Trail toward Utah Territory. By 1861, his letters begin to paint a picture of a unit fracturing at the onset of the Civil War as his fellow officers begin declaring their allegiances and those declaring for the Confederacy resign to return home to take up arms against the very army they used to belong to. The archive is uniquely substantive and detailed offering any historian, amateur or professional, an unprecedented first-hand account of a frontier unit in the 1860s.

Other Civil War material of note include a first edition of Fourteen Hundred and 91 Days in the Confederate Army by William W. Heartsill (1839-1916) (lot 123; estimate: $15,000 - $20,000); an extensive letter archive from a private in the Ambulance Corps of the 143rd New York Infantry (lot 136; estimate: $10,000 - $20,000); and a Jefferson Davis signed document (lot 108; estimate: $10,000-$15,000) from during his time as US Secretary of War, in which he promotes Ulysses S. Grant to the rank of captain. A group of four Civil War-era diaries from a New York woman involved in the Women’s Central Relief Association (lot 159; estimate: $5,000 - $7,000) will also be offered.

Lincolniana

As with any Hindman American Historical Ephemera & Photography auction, the June sale features a strong offering of items related to Abraham Lincoln. Leading the category is a rare albumen photograph of Lincoln’s second inauguration believed to have been taken by Alexander Gardner (lot 337; estimate: $10,000 – 15,000), perhaps the most famous photographer of his time. The image shows Lincoln mid-speech on the steps of the Capitol surrounded by his cabinet and both his outgoing and incoming Vice Presidents.

The Gold Rush

The second day of the auction includes a strong selection of material surrounding America’s westward expansion in the latter part of the 19th century. In particular, the auction features a considerable amount of items related to the gold rush which inspired so many to leave their homes in the hopes of striking it rich in the American West. The highlight of the group is expected to be a half-plate daguerreotype of a trio of steely-eyed miners (lot 529; estimate: $4,000 - $6,000). The three men epitomize the gold rush itself, as their somewhat haggard appearance is offset by supremely resolute expressions behind their lit cigars.

Early Photography

Among the highlights in the early photography category is possibly the earliest known photograph of Fort Mackinac, Michigan, circa 1855 (lot 282; estimate: $8,000 - $10,000). Mackinac Island sits at a strategic choke point on the straits separating Lakes Michigan and Huron and thus, was the location of French, British, and eventually American forts in the late 1700s and 1800s. It switched hands among the three several times until the resolution of the War of 1812 gave control of the fort to the United States once and for all. After that point, the military value of the fort diminished and it served more as a fur trading post than military outpost. The image offered in the auction provides a rare glimpse of the island as an active outpost before it was declared the nation’s second National Park in 1875.

Additional Highlights

Other highlights from the sale include a collection of sketches drawn and compiled by U.S. Army officer Charles A.H. McCauley while serving in various military posts, including Native American ledger art from the Los Piños Ute Indian Agency (lot 485; estimate: $7,000 - $10,000); a “Lincoln and Hamlin” parade flag from the 1860 election (lot 324; estimate: $10,000 - $15,000); a document signed by Ben Franklin as President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania (lot 295; estimate: $8,000 - $12,000); and a quarter plate tintype of Andrew Joseph Russell (1830-1902), noted Civil War and Union Pacific Railroad photographer, in repose (lot 83; estimate: $2,500 - $3,500).