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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 2358
Nearly fifty years after the Battle of Little Bighorn, John Martin remained determined to defend his place in history. In this remarkable 1922 letter, the former cavalry trumpeter insists that he alone carried Custer's final message and was the last messenger sent from the doomed command.
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Document Signed
1 page
SMC 387
More than a simple ration record, this tobacco allotment reveals an informal economy within the 7th Cavalry, where tobacco could be traded much like cash. Among the names listed is Sgt. Maj. William H. Sharrow, who would die alongside Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn less than a year later.
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Autograph Letter Signed
12 pages
SMC 2100
In a deeply personal letter, a mother confesses that the passage of time has not eased her sorrow following the death of her son at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
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Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 2410
Less than six weeks after the Battle of Little Bighorn, Major Marcus A. Reno responds to criticism by explaining his actions during the opening stages of the fight. In a detailed firsthand account, he describes his attack on the village, the failure of support to arrive, and his belief that Custer rode into an overwhelming force of warriors.
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Alpheus Stuart, KIA at the Little Bighorn, Reports "Some Have Left Already," But He Will Stick It Out “If Things Do Not Get Exciting”
January 24, 1876
Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 2519
In January 1876, a private in Custer's 7th Cavalry writes from Fort Abraham Lincoln about the excitement surrounding the Black Hills gold rush. He also anticipates an upcoming winter campaign against Sitting Bull, offering a soldier's-eye view of events just months before the Great Sioux War reached its climax.
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Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 611
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Cover
2 pages
SMC 2193
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Carte de Visite
6 pages
SMC 2105
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Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 2102
Riding with Custer and rushing to make the mail call, 2nd Lt. Willian Van Wyck Reily gives his mother an extraordinary account of the campaign, predicts the upcoming battle, and expresses a premonition that his survival is uncertain.
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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1878
G.A. Custer writes from Washington D.C. to a cousin as he rushes to head out west.
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Custer On Life at Extreme Edge of Frontier: “Hostile Indians Roam Over the Country West North & South of Us for Hundreds of Miles”
August 19, 1875
Autograph Letter Signed
8 pages
SMC 1876
Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Custer writes from Fort Lincoln, Dakota, at the frontier to his cousin in New York, describing frontier army life, his location, and family relations.
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Cpl. John Wild, Who Would Die at the Little Bighorn, Writes that the Summer of 1876 Will Bring an Indian War: "We Shall Have A Hard Time of It"
February 27, 1876
Autograph Letter Signed
6 pages
SMC 1753
Corporal John Wild writes his brother after impulsively leaving home and eventually joining the army. He describes his journey and the hardship of the cold prairie lands, asks after family and sends them messages, and shares his thoughts on what he and others should work at.
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Custer is Informed of His Acceptance to West Point, and Wished Health, Happiness, & Success in This Life
July 7, 1857
Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 1736
Republican Congressman Bingham writes to a young George Armstrong Custer – who at seventeen declared himself a proudly conservative Democrat - that he has received Custer’s acceptance of an appointment to West Point.
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Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 1522
Writing from Fort Abraham Lincoln in May 1878, almost two years after the epic defeat, Private John A. Reed, who had been in the Reno column at Little Bighorn - writes what he was told by a Cheyenne chief about when Custer died.
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Lieutenant Colonel Custer is “Suddenly & Most Unexpectedly” Called Home From New York to Take Part in the Great Sioux War
February 8, 1876
Autograph Letter Signed
page
SMC 612
Custer would set out for Fort Lincoln to commence the winter campaign against the “hostiles.” With all these telegrams, the Great Sioux War had begun.
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Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 437
Custer would travel to Fort Lincoln, and from there command of a large expedition to head into the Yellowstone to take on the Sioux. Ultimately, Custer would split his soldiers into three smaller fighting units in order to surround the Indians, unaware, too late, of how massive the Indian encampment had grown since his arrival.
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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 417
On June 25, 1876, Custer divided his men into three forces under the command of himself, Maj. Marcus Reno, and Capt. Frederick Benteen, a fatal decision that would culminate in the massacre of all 280 men under Custer, Losee among them. The rest of the 7th Cavalary fought off the Indians, with serious casaulties, but managed to avoid Custer's fate.
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Civil War General and Hero Philip Sheridan Describes the Black Hills Expedition - and the Search for Gold
May 17, 1874
Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 204
General Philip Sheridan's mission commanding the Military Division of the Missouri was to ensure that a corridor through the central Plains stayed open, so that settlers, miners, and entrepreneurs could safely move west. The land was often - by treaty - owned by Native Americans. Sheridan writes here, in May of 1874, of a “serious fear of [Indian] trouble along about the middle of June,” as he orders his troops farther west into Sioux Territory.
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President Ronald Reagan Defends George Custer Against Charges of Negligence at Little Bighorn
June 21, 1984
Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 248
Describing himself as a "Custer Buff," President Ronald Reagan regrets that White House custom forbids his writing a foreword to a book on Custer. Reagan then goes on to defend Custer as a "brilliant officer," and rejects the idea that Custer's last stand was foolhardy, but actually following orders.
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General Custer Gives an Order to His Loyal Adjutant Cooke, Who Would Die Next to Him at Little Bighorn
December 12, 1874
Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 289
This order to Cooke concerns another 7th Cavalry regular who also rode with Custer – though not as a friend. Major Lewis Merrill, with whom Custer had numerous run-ins, is alleged here to have taken some instruments belonging to the 7th Cavalry band: Cooke is tasked with making sense of what happened.
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Libbie Custer Makes a Secret Plea to Aid the Widows of Captain Yates, Lt. Calhoun, and Enlisted Men
October 8, 1876
Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 291
In order to maintain their dignity, Libbie Custer secretly petitions for funds for the widows and children of fallen soldiers at Little Bighorn.
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Custer's Aide, Frederick Benteen, Takes the Oath of Office as Captain in the 7th Calvary
November 6, 1866
Document Signed
2 pages
SMC 303
Here Benteen, infamous for coming to Custer's aide too slowly at the Battle of Little Bighorn, steps into history, taking the Oath of Office as Captain in the 7th Cavalry.
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Autograph Note
6 pages
SMC 125
Mark Twain's notes from 1907, in two sections. One, in the manner of a questionnaire, matches names to places (Joe Goodman's, for instance, with "San Francisco, and Alameda") and indicates where Clemens had not been (Los Angeles & Palmyra); the other section mostly concerns an incident, and includes dialogue.
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Custer: "Libbie Bacon is the Fortunate, or Unfortunate Person...Who Will Unite Her Destinies With Mine."
December 19, 1863
Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 126
General Custer writes to his friend, Judge Christiancy, to share with him a secret: He will be returning to Monroe, Michigan in a few months to be married. Inadvertently foreshadowing his death and Libbie's misfortune, Custer jokingly tells Christiancy that Libbie, who would "unite her destinies" with Custer's, is "fortunate, or unfortunate."
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Western Gambler "Ike" Isaacs' Tombstone Gaming License Signed By Sheriff Johnny Behan
January 1, 1882
Document Signed
1 page
SMC 135
This license, signed by Sheriff Johnny Behan, gave the famous gambler Ike Isaacs the right to run his faro game for one month, at a cost of $25.00 – about $525.00 in today’s money.
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Congressman Lincoln Praises Future Vice President of Confederacy for his Opposition to the Mexican War
February 2, 1848
Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 161
In 1848, Abraham Lincoln and Alexander H. Stephens were both Whig supporters of Henry Polk, and ardently against the Mexican War. Here, Lincoln praises Stephens. Thirteen years after their short-lived alliance, the country was embroiled in a civil war; Lincoln was President of the United States, and Stephens Vice President of the Confederacy.
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Josephine Earp, Wyatt Earp’s Jewish Widow, Admits Her Destitution to Earp’s Biographer
November 19, 1935
Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 618
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Signature
1 page
SMC 671
Signature of John Jordan Crittenden III, whose father, Thomas Leonidas Crittenden was a Lieutenant Colonel who secured for his son an army commission after the latter failed out of West Point. The frail, one-eyed Lieutenant met his end at Little Bighorn with General Custer.
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Signature
2 pages
SMC 674
Signature of Second Lieutenant Henry Moore Harrington, who was killed with Custer at Little Bighorn. His was one of three bodies to not have been identified.
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Excessively Rare "Rice and Byers" One Dollar Sutler Token from Fort Sill in the Indian Territory
1870
Historical artifacts
1 page
SMC 864
Possibly the only surviving sutler token from the trading post at Fort Sill.
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Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 961
President Pierce fears that if the Kansas-Nebraska Bill-which granted the States the right to decide on slavery-would not pass, Civil War would ensue.
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President Franklin Pierce Warmly Endorses the Kansas-Nebraska Act as "Demonstrably Right and Patriotic"
March 9, 1854
Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 966
Pierce endorses the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed citizens of those states to decide if they wanted to retain slaves or not. This decision reversed the Missouri compromise of 1820 and sharply divided the nation.
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Candidate Franklin Pierce Writes About Nathaniel Hawthorne's Campaign Biography of Him
September 27, 1852
Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 967
An agitated candidate Pierce writes to the publisher of Nathaniel Hawthorne's campaign biography of him, demanding that the West and Southwest be "liberally supplied" with "Hawthorne's book" as "the sales which are to be made must be made promptly."
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James K. Polk Gives Orders for a Fireproof Celebration for the Battle of Cerro Gordo in Washington
May 8, 1847
Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 1052
Here Polk-mindful of the dangers of unattended candles and oil lamps-gives orders not to illuminate public offices in honor of General Scott’s victory at the Battle of Cerro Gordo.
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Millard Fillmore On the Fugitive Slave and Kansas-Nebraska Acts: "You Can Not Reason With Fanaticism"
September 12, 1856
Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 1069
Though he detested slavery, Millard Fillmore signed the Fugitive Slave Act, which required citizens of Northern free states to return slaves to their Southern owners. He was denounced by politicians who four years later voted for the same rule of law to apply in the Kansas-Nebraska act. Here, he wishes to expose their hypocrisy.
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Signature of James Calhoun, Custer's Brother-in-Law, Killed With Him at the Battle of Little Bighorn
1873
Signature
2 pages
SMC 1157
Rare signature of Lieutenant James Calhoun, Custer's brother-in-law, who died with him at Little Bighorn on what would come to be known as Calhoun Hill.
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While "Driving Out" Indians From Little Bighorn, Custer Envisions the Mining Fortunes to be Made There
May 13, 1876
Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1822
General Custer writes to his old classmates from Hopedale Normal College - which he attended before West Point - to tell them of the potential of a serious fortune made from their collaboration in mining in the Bighorn country.
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Check of Jewish-Owned Cochise County Bank in Tombstone Sends Money to and from Jewish Merchants
March 14, 1885
Check Signed
1 page
SMC 1924
Interesting artifact of Jewish life in the American West: a transaction from a Jewish owned bank in Tombstone to a Jewish tobacconists in San Francisco.
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General Custer Wants Brother Who Would Die With Him at Little Bighorn Appointed a Second Lieutenant
March 14, 1872
Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 2054
General Custer unsuccessfully requests that his youngest brother, Boston, be appointed second lieutenant in the Seventh Cavalry. Boston was not even admitted to the US army, due to his frail health. Custer ensured his brother was with him, and ultimately died with him, by appointing him as a scout.
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Ephemera
2 pages
SMC 2077
This rare, early Directory, in which both Clemens and his brother Orion are listed, records for posterity those two months - beginning October 1, 1861 - when "Samuel Clemens" worked as a dollar-a-day clerk for his brother, during the long opening session of the Nevada Territorial Legislature.
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30-Year-Old Theodore Roosevelt Declares His Affinity for the West, and His Identification with its Heroes
February 25, 1888
Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 464
Researching his history about the conquest of the North American frontier, Roosevelt writes to the president of the Tennessee Historical Society, declaring his affinity for, and identification with, such great Tennesseans as John Sevier, Isaac Shelby, William Clark, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and Sam Houston.
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Theodore Roosevelt Decries the Deprivations Suffered by His Rough Riders After Battle of San Juan Hill
July 19, 1898
Typed Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 465
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt writes to the father of one of his soldiers who was taken ill with typhoid fever. He thanks the father for his offer to send some food to the soldiers but condemns the government for not providing enough food, supplies, and medical treatment to his cavalry.
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General Custer Signs Off on the Tobacco Allotment for Enlisted Men Who Died With Him at Little Bighorn
July 1, 1875
Document Signed
2 pages
SMC 390
Here, General Custer certifies that four non-commissioned officers of the 7th Cavalry have taken possession of a pound of tobacco each.
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Mark Twain Can't Remember Recent Things But Vividly Recalls His Hannibal Courier Co-Workers
January 17, 1886
Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 1699
Mark Twain declares that "recent names & things take no hold" on his "bald-headed memory; they slip-up & slide off" so he isn't sure about a Mrs. Brackett - but to the mention of names and things from thirty-five years ago, his memory is alert.
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Mark Twain on the San Francisco Earthquake and a Picture He Cannot Get Out of His Mind
April 30, 1906
Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1708
Though himself a writer, Mark Twain says that the picture of the San Francisco earthquake entitled "The Spirit of Humanity," expresses the tragedy of the earthquake in a way that words cannot.
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John Wild Bets the Black Hills Gold Rush - Set Off by Custer's Discovery of Gold There in 1864 - is a Bust
February 6, 1876
Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1752
John Wild is willing to bet that those flocking to find fortune in the Black Hills "will be disappointed by going there."
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