CSA Petition Signed by Major General Robert E. Rodes as

CSA Petition Signed by Major General Robert E. Rodes as Captain of the Warrior Guards, 1861

Rodes, Robert E. (1829-1864), Confederate general killed in battle at Winchester, Virginia. ADS, "R.E. Rodes / Capt Warrior Guards," 1p, 8 x 12.25 in., "Fort Morgan." February 11, 1861. Addressed to Andrew B. Moore (1807-1873), the 16th governor of Alabama (1857-1861). Petition recommends the commission of John Ryan as lieutenant in the regular army. In his current role as "assistant in the ordnance department," Ryan has "discharged his duties with intelligence & fidelity." In addition to Rodes, twelve other Confederate officers have signed the document, including Joseph B. Bibb (1822-1869), William Amos Buck (1830-1892), and Henry Maury, serving as artillery captain and acting Chief of Ordnance at Fort Morgan, who has inscribed an additional message requesting that Ryan be placed under his command.

Rodes, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, was commissioned into the 5th Alabama Infantry as a colonel at the outbreak of the Civil War. Twice promoted, he attained the rank of major general and led Confederate forces at Gaines's Mill, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania before his death at the Third Battle of Winchester in 1864.
Condition Report: Creasing as expected, with some minor tears at fold lines.