CONFEDERATE QUARTERMASTER'S OFFER FOR TWO CLAYBANK HORSES AT $400 EACH, CONFEDERATE MONEY — DECEMBER 12, 1863

CONFEDERATE QUARTERMASTER'S OFFER FOR TWO CLAYBANK HORSES AT $400 EACH, CONFEDERATE MONEY — DECEMBER 12, 1863

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Item Code: 1323-204

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Partly printed Confederate quartermaster's form, completed in brown ink and signed "S. S. Walker, Capt. & A.Q.M.," dated December 12, 1863. The form is addressed to Mr. David Webb and reads in full:

"Sir: I offer you for your two Claybank Horse and mare Four Hundred dollars, each, Confederate money, thereby binding you to hold said property from trade or transfer, subject to my order."

Beneath, in the same hand, is the delivery instruction: "Deliver this property at Yorkville on next Tuesday" (place name as read). December 12, 1863 fell on a Saturday, placing the delivery on Tuesday, December 15.

HISTORICAL NOTE

By the winter of 1863-64 the Confederate armies faced a severe and worsening shortage of serviceable horses for the cavalry, artillery and trains. Under the Impressment Act of March 26, 1863, quartermasters were empowered to take private property for army use at prices fixed by appointed commissioners, and the language of this form reflects that system: the officer's offer is not a request but a binding hold, barring the owner from selling or trading the animals while they await the quartermaster's order. "Claybank" denotes a yellowish dun coat color. Forms of this type document the direct reach of the Confederate supply system into individual farms and households, and printed examples filled out for livestock are seldom encountered.

CONDITION

Approx. 6 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. Printed on blue-ruled paper with dotted rules at head and foot. Single vertical center fold, light even toning, scattered foxing and small spots, minor irregularity and small nicks along the edges. Printed text, manuscript fill-ins and signature fully legible. Housed in a clear archival sleeve.   [ss][ph:L]

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