Lot 109

[CIVIL WAR]. FORREST, Nathan Bedford (1821-1877). CDV with unusual Jackson, Tennessee, imprint and partial document signed by Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Sale 1250 - American Historical Ephemera & Photography

Nov 30, 2023 10:00AM ET

Live / Cincinnati

Estimate

$800 - $1,200

Sold for $2,142

Sold prices are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium

Lot Description

[CIVIL WAR]. FORREST, Nathan Bedford (1821-1877). CDV with unusual Jackson, Tennessee, imprint and partial document signed by Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Shoulder-length portrait of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Jackson, TN: A.B. Langford, ca 1860s. 2 1/8 x 3 3/8 in. CDV on cardstock mount (toning, some fading to print). Forrest was a self-made and innovative cavalry and military leader in the Confederate Army. He first enlisted as a private in Tennessee, and he ended the war with the rank of lieutenant general. This is an interesting example of Forrest's portrait bearing the backmark of a Jackson, TN, photographer.

[With:] Partial bond for the Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad Company signed by Forrest as railroad president, ("N.B. Forrest"). Issued 18 March 1870. Verso signed by the Governor of Alabama William Hugh Smith (1826-1899) ("W.H. Smith"), alongside a portion of a large red seal. 7 x 4 in., matted and framed together with the CDV of Forrest, 16 1/2 x 10 in. overall (CDV and partial bond unexamined outside frame).

Prior to the Civil War, Forrest had amassed his wealth through slave trading and from the profits of his cotton plantation worked by the enslaved. In an effort to rebuild his fortune after the conflict, he entered the railroad business. As president, however, the company went bankrupt in part due to speculative investments in railroads, which led to the Panic of 1873.

Together, 2 items identified to Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Condition Report

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