Original Listing Description

1872 Slave Document & Cover/ Fauquier County, Virginia/ Confederate Up for auction is a super rare 1872 letter and cover from former Confederate AAG Giles B. Cook, a Port Royal, Virginia lawyer, to William P. Ficklin of Fauquier County, Virginia. Ficklin is the father of Lt. William L. Ficklin of the famous Black Horse Cavalry (4th Virginia Cavalry). The letter is about the collection and settlement of accounts related to William & Ann Dulany, in-laws of William P. Ficklin. What’s interesting about this letter is that Cook is attempting to collect revenue in 1871 for non-payment of slaves hired out during the Civil War owned by Dulaney & Ficklin. Anne Marie Dulany owned 67 slaves and William 16 in 1860. Anne owned 102 slaves in 1850, which is considered very wealthy and extremely uncommon for a woman in 1850. Ficklin owned 36 slaves in 1860. The letter lists several slaves hired out, to who, and when and whether the person who hired the slave paid, as well as noting that several ran away to the “Yankees” in the spring of 1862. One gentleman refused to pay anything. Great detail. The notation for John Gatewood states he moved away and went bankrupt. Gatewood hired a slave girl named Ginnie (Christmas 1862) a week before the emancipation proclamation became law (January 1, 1863) in the rebellion states like Virginia, so legally Ginnie should have been set free. Ironically, she was just 45 miles from the Union Capitol of Washington D.C, where emancipation became law. John Gatewood was required to pay $15 to William S. Dulany for one year of service (1861) and to provide Ginnie with clothing and shoes. Another farmer, William W. Magruder also hired a slave man named Matthew a week before the emancipation proclamation became law (January 1, 1863) in the rebellion states like Virginia, so legally Ginnie should have been set free. William W. Magruder was required to pay $15 to Anne Dulany for one year of service (1861) for Matthew and to provide him with good and sufficient clothing. William Wilson Magruder was a 58-year-old Woodstock, Virginia physician at the time and owner of 13 slaves. Magruder was a Confederate sympathizer, working with the southern government during the war, he also rented a room to be used as a Confederate commissary in 1863. Dr. Magruder never paid his debt, because Matthew ran away to the Union Army in the spring of 1862, so Magruder refused to pay. Biography of Attorney & Major Giles B. Cook (Confederate) Major Giles B. Cook was assigned as AAG with Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke in 1861 and AAG to Major General Samuel Jones in 1863. Cooke was the Asst. Inspector General for the Department of West Virginia in 1864 and the Acting Chief Inspector for Major General Fitzhugh Lee in 1865. This document is part of a large cache of documents purchased from a descendant of the Dulany, Eastham, and Ficklin families of Fauquier County, VA. Many of the documents were owned by Lt. William L. Ficklin of the Black Horse Cavalry (Confederate). William P. Ficklin was Lt. William L. Ficklin's father and Ann Dulany was his mother-in-law. John Dulany was his uncle. Ficklin’s father-in-law and Ann's husband was Col. Lawson Eastham, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1842-44 and the Virginia Senate from 1874-77. This is a one of kind rare opportunity to own a piece of Civil War history. See photos for condition. Thanks for looking and good luck bidding. (Condition: Pre-Owned)

Note: This item has been sold and is no longer available. This page serves as a historical price reference for Civil War collectors and appraisers.