CSA Brigadier General Samuel W. Ferguson, Twice Signed

CSA Brigadier General Samuel W. Ferguson, Twice Signed Return, 1865

Ferguson, Samuel Wragg (1834-1917). Confederate general. Partially printed DS, "S. W. Ferguson," 2pp, 23.75 x 8.75 in., prepared while "On the March." January 16, 1865. Field return report accounting for the personnel and resources in the regiments under Ferguson's command. He accounts for the numbers of present officers and enlisted men, accounting for any absences because of sickness, imprisonment, desertion, or additional duties, as well as the number of serviceable horses available to his men. Signed at lower right and on verso at center, where he has drawn an additional table recording the organization of his officers and the regiment each commands.

A West Point graduate, Ferguson resigned his commission in March 1861 to join the Confederacy. He served on the staff of General P.G.T. Beauregard at the Battle of Shiloh and during the Vicksburg Campaign before his promotion to brigadier general on July 23, 1863. His brigade, part of General W. H. Jackson's division, served in Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In August of 1864, he was under consideration for the rank of major general despite the vociferous objects of General Joseph Wheeler, who claimed that Ferguson's command was notorious for desertion.
Condition Report: Creasing as expected with staining, spotting, and errant pen marks. General wear to edges/corners.