80

Eugene Blackford.

Letter on Confederate letterhead by the famed sharpshooter commander early in the war.

Camp near Richmond, VA, 20 June 1861
Autograph Letter Signed to father. 4 pages, 7¾ x 5 inches, on a sheet of Confederate "Stars and Bars" flag letterhead; folds, minor foxing.

  • Notes: Eugene Blackford (1839-1907) served in the 5th Alabama Rifles, later reaching the rank of major and commanding an important sharpshooter unit at Gettysburg and elsewhere.

    This letter dates from very early in the war, a month before Manassas. In Richmond, "the mere circumstance of my wearing a uniform is sufficient guarantee for the exercise of every species of extortion and swindling on the part of the merchants. . . . We have been attached to the 5th Ala. Reg't and ordered to Manassas Gap. Rob't Rodes is our colonel, and bears a good reputation for military knowledge. . . . My uniform is splendid, the Confederate uniform of grey, with straps on the shoulders."
  • Condition:
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November 20, 2025 10:30 AM EST
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