Lot 7
121 Volumes of "War of the Rebellion, Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies" with Atlas
From the home of a Confederate soldier comes this collection of the definitive history of the Civil War. Near complete set that was published between 1881 and 1901 by the U.S. Government Printing Office plus Atlas maps. Original black cloth with blind ruled boards and spine titled in gilt.
This set is missing seven books as a total of 128 were in the set. Unknown to us which seven they are although if put in order, you could easily identify which books are missing. The books are in good condition as a whole for their age. There is one where the binding is off and 5% gone. The book covers, as you can see by the photo, are a little dusty and a clean would be in order. The pages are good and only a few of what I did check had some staining, but all were readable. The maps in the atlas, however are frail with some splits. I am unsure if any maps are missing but it is a real treasure trove to find the atlas with the books. A past auction sold the atlas alone for $2000. This collection is very rare and only a few libraries around the country have the set- one of which is in the Library of Congress.
Provenance: Owned by James Richard Rogers, a confederate soldier who was born in 1838, born, raised, lived and died in the house called "Glenwood" which is on the Cane Ridge Rd, Paris, Kentucky. (see 2nd to last photo of this house) He enlisted in the confederacy in 1862 and was part of the 3rd Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles. He was promoted to Brevet Lieutenant for gallantry after the Battle of Chickamauga. He served throughout the war and surrendered at Mt. Sterling, KY on 30 May 1865 with the rank of Captain. He died in 1920 and was never married. The books were in the house and found in a boarded up bookcase. Since this was a series published over a period of 20 years they were probably received by subscription. The consignor's mother and father renovated the house after purchasing it in 1947 and found a boarded up bookcase with the books contained therein. The consignors mother passed in 2022 and left the books to our consignor. "Uncle Butler", as he was called by the family, is shown in the last photo holding the consignor's aunt and this photo was taken just months before his death in 1920. Note that he is wearing his Confederate uniform in the photo. The consignor told me that he wore the uniform on a daily basis and family folklore states that he was buried in it.
Some history about the collection:
The impetus for publishing the Official Records came from Union General-in-Chief Henry Wager Halleck. Apparently overwhelmed by the task of writing his 1863 annual report to Congress, Halleck recommended to the Committee on Military Affairs the collection and publication of official documents and reports on all Civil War operations. Republican Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs, introduced a Joint Resolution "to provide for the printing of the official reports of the armies of the United States." Both the House and the Senate adopted Wilson's resolution on May 19, 1864. President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill into law the next day.
Officially titled, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, the Official Records are compiled in 127 volumes, plus a General Index and accompanying Atlas. Editor Robert N. Scott divided the Official Records into four major topical areas:
Series I contains 53 volumes (Books 1-111) and focuses on military operations. These include the battle reports for both Union and Confederate armies, arranged chronologically by campaign and theater of operations. Union reports are followed by Confederate accounts. The intent is to provide a complete history of the event in the same volume.
Series II contains 8 volumes and 8 books, and includes Union and Confederate correspondence, orders, reports, and returns relating to Prisoners of War, as well as political prisoners.
Series III contains 5 volumes and 5 books, and includes "miscellaneous" Union correspondence, orders, and reports pertaining to the organization and logistics of the Union war effort. Series III also includes calls for troops, correspondence between National and State authorities, and correspondence between Union and Confederate authorities.
Series IV contains 3 volumes and 3 books, and includes "miscellaneous" correspondence, orders, and reports of the Confederacy. Also found in Series IV are the General and Special Orders of the Confederate States Army, as well as correspondence relating to conscription and blockage running.
What the Historical Society of Pennsylvania says about these books:
"The War of the Rebellion Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies was published serially between 1881 and 1900. Gleaned from millions of pieces of information, its publications—bound in 128 volumes at HSP—contain tens of thousands of documents including general orders, dispatches and correspondence of commanding officers in the field, casualty reports, telegrams, and records of discontinued commands".
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