CONFEDERATE BANKNOTE CAPTURED AT VICKSBURG

 

Consigned to us as part of a larger group of Confederate and Obsolete notes is a T-53 1862 Confederate $5 with the signature of Col. Benjamin H. Grierson. This note, graded Choice Very Fine 35 by PCGS Banknote, is distinct from its counterparts and seemingly has been overlooked. It features a number of penned contemporary annotations that are more than just simple endorsements, but mark it as something kept to remember a specific event – in this case a raid which proved crucial in the eventual capture of Vicksburg in summer 1863.

This lightly circulated Confederate States of America note reads "Captured at Newton Station Miss on the Southern Railroad April 24, during the raid." Below that the signature of Col. (B)enjamin (H)enry Grierson "Col Comdg the Calvary Brigade" can be observed. The context behind this piece is certainly remarkable, as are the circumstances which prompted its preservation.

The raid on Newton's Station was part of the larger raid through Mississippi and Louisiana led by Colonel Benjamin Grierson as part of the Vicksburg Campaign. Forces under the command of Grierson inflicted significant material damage on infrastructure related to railroad transportation and decimated Confederate communications networks.

The raid at Newton's Station was a continuance of these actions as Grierson's forces managed to lay waste to a railroad depot and destroyed or upended large amounts of track further hindering Confederate operations in Mississippi.

As for Grierson, he was originally a music teacher from Illinois who volunteered for service shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Promoted to the rank of colonel and given command of his own regiment, Grierson would rapidly distinguish himself with his raid, shortly after which in June he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. Grierson would see further service in Mississippi and Alabama and would continue in the military through 1890 serving in the West after the end of the American Civil War. He passed away at the age of 85 in 1911.

This note will be offered in the Stack's Bowers Galleries Spring 2025 Showcase Auction and has an estimate of $1,000 to $2,000.

To read the complete article, see:
A Souvenir of the American Civil War (https://stacksbowers.com/a-souvenir-of-the-american-civil-war/)

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