Dorothy Sloan—Rare Books
AUCTION TWENTY-FOUR
La invasión norteamericana,1846-1848
The Mexican-American War
The J. Dudley Thompson Collection
Rare Books, Maps, Prints, Broadsides & Ephemera
Thursday & Friday, December 15 & 16, 2016,
10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m., each day
102 West Tarrant Street, Llano, Texas,78643 and live online via
EXHIBITION
Tuesday & Wednesday, December 13 & 14,
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., each day
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¡Mueran los americanos!
1. ADAME, Ramón. El Gobernador del Estado de San Luis Potosi á sus conciudadanos.San Luis Potosí, 1847. Dated in type, August 25, 1847. Broadside: 31.5 x 22.2 cm. Slightly wrinkled at lower right, upper margin somewhat chipped, otherwise very good. Rare. Only two other copies located.
First edition. Garrett & Goodwin, p. 498.
A bitterly anti-American diatribe written after Trist and Pacheco negotiated the Armistice of Tacubaya. Denounces any treaty with the U.S.: “¡Mueran los cobardes infames que firmen una paz afrentosa para la República!” Although never menaced by Taylor, San Luis Potosí had its share in the war. It was from there that Santa-Anna launched his ill-fated attack on Buena Vista and there to which he retreated after the battle. Feelings obviously still ran deep. ($100-$200)
2. [ADDRESSES, ESSAYS & LECTURES]. Group of seven pamphlets on various subjects. All are first editions.
[1] Black Republican Imposture Exposed! Fraud upon the People! The Account of Fremont Examined; Showing an Astounding Disregard of the Public Interest, only to Be Accounted for by Extravagance, Recklessness, or an Utter Want of Judgment!. Washington, 1856. [1-3] 4-14 [2, blank] pp. 8vo (21.5 x 14 cm), disbound. Title page lightly chipped with small stains, lightly browned.
Cowan II, p. 222. Rocq 16684.
An attack on Frémont for “carelessness, recklessness, favoritism, and connivance with the claimants.” The pamphlet examines the “chief dealing of Colonel Fremont as a disbursing officer during the campaign in California whilst he commanded the volunteers” during 1846-1847. Tables, facts, figures are produced and analyzed. Treats “principally of his frauds in the purchase of horses in 1846 and 1847, while disbursing officer in California.”
[2] BRAMAN, Milton Palmer. The Mexican War. A Discourse Delivered on the Annual Fast, 1847. Danvers: Printed at Courier Office, 1847. [1-3] 4-36 pp. 8vo (22.5 x 14.5 cm), later green wrappers, stitched. Upper wrapper detached.
Eberstadt 64. Garrett & Goodwin, p. 366. Sabin 7369.
An anti-war address: “May God deliver our countrymen from coveting their neighbor’s lands—from the lust of conquest—from the spirit of war—the thirst for human blood. May the love of peace be shed into the counsels of both the contending nations” (p. 36).
Braman (1799-1882) was long-time pastor of the church at Danvers.
[3] BRIDGE, Jonathan Davis. The Character of War. A Discourse Delivered in the M.E. Church, Roxbury, on the Day of the Annual Thanksgiving Nov. 30, 1848. Worchester: Printed by Samuel Chisin, 1849. [1-3] 4-22 [2, blank] pp. 8vo (20.5 x 13.5 cm), disbound. Fine.
Eberstadt 69.
Pacifist publication: “If we have only hinted, we now affirm, there is not one redeeming trait in the character of war, as a mode of settling national controversies” (p. 14).
Bridge (1812-1856) is best remembered as a prominent member of the Underground Railroad. He held pastorates at numerous churches in Massachusetts.
[4] EVERETT, Horace. Mr. Everett’s Address to the Whigs of Vermont, July, 1848. Windsor: Bishop and Tracy’s Steam Press, 1848. [1-3] 4-32 pp. 8vo (23.5 x 16 cm), stitched, untrimmed. Creased where formerly folded, foxed, soiled, worn, chipped.
Explains his feelings about Taylor’s candidacy for president and his position on slavery, especially the Wilmot Proviso.
Everett (1779-1851) was a politician elected to Congress several times.
[5] HOLDEN, Charles C.P. The Result of the Mexican War. An Open Letter from Charles C.P. Holden of Chicago to the Hon. George F. Hoar of Massachusetts. Chicago: J.C. Drake, Printer, 181 & 183 W. Madison St., [1882] [wrapper title]. [1-3] 4-<12> pp. 8vo (23 x 15.5 cm), original pale slate green printed wrappers. Wrappers lightly soiled, otherwise good.
First Separate Edition (originally appeared in the Chicago Times, September 23, 1882). 1,000 copies printed.
Reviews the war and its acquisitions, but mainly criticizes Hoar for failing to properly support and pension soldiers who fought in the war.
Holden (b. 1827) fought in the war and was a prominent Chicago citizen.
[6] Review of the Diplomatic Policy Adopted by the Executive of the United States to Negotiate, in Connection with the Operations of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army to Conquer, a Peace with Mexico. Washington: Printed at the National Whig Office, 1847 [wrapper title]. [1] 2-8 pp. 8vo (23 x 14 cm), original tan printed wrappers. Lower wrapper missing, upper wrapper darkened, worn, and chipped. Verso of upper wrapper with contemporary ink note: “To the Hon. William Upham with the Respects of J.E. [Tirel?]” From the collection of Clint and Dorothy Josey, with her pencil note on last leaf.
Very critical of Polk and his conduct of the War. Makes fun, for example, of Polk’s falling for Santa-Anna’s ruse and letting him pass the blockade at Veracruz.
[7] BLANDING, William. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Address by William Blanding (Capt. Palmetto Reg’t South Carolina Volunteers) before the Associated Veterans of the Mexican War, San Francisco, Cal., August 1888. [San Francisco?: 1888?] [wrapper title]. [1] 2-27 pp [1, blank] pp. 8vo (23.5 x 15 cm), original grey printed wrappers, stapled. Upper wrapper separating, wrappers slightly soiled, otherwise good.
A review of the war and the creation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Complains that many official records cannot be consulted to learn the truth. ($150-$300)
3. [ADDRESSES, ESSAYS & LECTURES]. Group of six pamphlets on various subjects. All are first editions.
[1] HOWARD, Oliver Otis. Address by...Delivered at the Banquet of the 41st Anniversary of the Associated Veterans, Mexican War, September 14th, 1888 [caption title]. [N.p., 1888]. [1] 2-4 pp. 8vo (22.5 x 14 cm), folded sheet. Creased where formerly folded, slightly stained.
Tutorow 546.
A call for the government to spend part of the budget surplus for the better support of the army and navy.
Howard (1830-1909), known as the “Christian General,” lost an arm in the Civil War, served on the Western frontier, and accepted the surrender of Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé.
[2] LORD, Thomas Newman. Cause, Character and Consequences of the War with Mexico. A Discourse Delivered on the Day of the Annual Fast, April 8, 1847. Portland: Printed by Thurston & Co, 1847. [1-3] 4-16 pp. 8vo (21.5 x 13.5 cm), disbound. Old library cloth on spine. Slightly soiled, various stray marks in text.
A firmly anti-slavery, anti-war sermon.
Lord (1807-1884) was a prominent Congregational minister.
[3] REED, William Bradford. Oration Delivered at Philadelphia by...February 22, 1849. Philadelphia: Crissy & Markley, Printers, No. 4 Minor Street, 1849. [1-3] 4-44 pp. 8vo (21.5 x 13.5 cm), disbound. Slightly stained.
Garrett & Goowin, p. 372.
A paean to Washington and Zachary Taylor.
Reed (1806-1876) was a man of many talents who once served at Joel Poinsett’s secretary in Mexico in the 1820s.
[4] SHACKFORD, Charles Chauncey. A Citizen’s Appeal in Regard to the War with Mexico. A Lecture, Delivered at Lyceum Hall, Lynn, January 14, 1848. Boston: Printed by Andrews & Prentiss, No. 11, Devonshire Street, 1848. [1-3] 4-40 pp. 8vo (23 x 14 cm), original grey printed wrappers. Spine wanting, wrappers reattached with tape. Moderately stained throughout.
Garrett & Goodwin, p. 372. Sabin 79677. Tutorow 4085.
Completely anti-war, with discussions of Texas and slavery. States that all politicians in favor of the war are deluded.
[5] TILDEN, William Phillips. All War Forbidden by Christianity. An Address to the Citizens of Dover, Delivered on Thanksgiving Evening, Nov. 25, 1847. Dover N.H.: M.D.L. Stevens, Printer, 1847. [1-3] 4-16 pp. 8vo (21.5 x 14 cm), disbound. Old stitch holes in left margin, creased where formerly folded. Otherwise, very good.
Pacifist, anti-war sermon.
Tilden (1811-1890)was a Unitarian minister.
[6] YOUNG, Bryan Rust. Address of...to the Citizens of the Fifth Congressional District in Kentucky, and in Reply to the Hon. C.A. Wickliffe [caption title]. [Washington, 1847]. [1] 2-8 pp. 8vo (25.5 x 14.5), disbound.
Critical of Polk’s administration, with considerable discussion of Texas and its role in causing the war.
Young (1800-1882) was a Kentucky politician who held several offices.($150-$300)
Execution of an African-American for Rape
4. [AFRICAN-AMERICANS]. UNITED STATES. ARMY. Vera Cruz, April 1847. General Orders 101. Headquarters of the Army. Vera Cruz, April 9, 1847. Broadside in two columns: 21 x 19 cm. Very fine. Rare. No copies on OCLC, although Garrett & Goodwin, pp. 386-387, list a different edition.
First edition.Eberstadt 244.
A trial of “a free man of color, a resident and citizen of the United States of America” named Isaac Kirk for the rape and robbery of a Mexican woman, María Antonia Gallegas, which occurred on a road between the Malibrán ruins and La Botánica, her house. Although Kirk pleaded not guilty he was sentenced to be hanged on April 10 near the gate of La Merced. Reportedly, quite a crowd showed up to witness the event.
An extremely rare look into the life and role of an African-American who accompanied the army. Though many such people went into Mexico during the invasions, little is known about any of them. See “African-Americans” in The Encyclopedia of the Mexican-American War, Vol. I, pp. 5-6. ($1,500-$3,000)
5. ALESSIO ROBLES, Vito. Coahuila y Texas desde la consumacion de la independencia hasta el Tratado de paz de Guadalupe Hidalgo.Mexico, 1945-1946. 2 vols. Vol. I: [iv-viii], ix-xv [1, blank], 1-542 pp., color frontispiece, 3 folded maps, 1 plate; Vol. II: [3-6] 7-540, [2] pp., 5 folded maps, 4 plates. Total: 8 folded maps, 6 plates, including frontispiece. 4to (24.2 x 18 cm), original white printed paper wrappers in original glassine (Vol. 2 glassine tattered and fragmentary). Mostly unopened. Ex-library with accession markings on Vol. 1 title page verso and two ink stamps of the library of Universidad Nacional de México. Very fine set.
First edition, limited edition (one of 2,000).Basic Texas Books 1: “Presents the history of Texas as a Spanish province and state from the Mexican viewpoint.” Griffin 2458 & 4903: “Provides a rich, solid history...a major work [that] will long be considered a standard work of reference.” Howes R382. Palau 7433. Steck, Borderlands, p. 53: “A splendid, authoritative study, heavily documented, with a rich bibliography.”
Given the importance and enduring quality of these volumes, it seems remarkable that they have never been translated into English. ($200-$400)
The Texas Rangers as French Dragoons
6. [ALMANACS]. EGELMAN, Charles F. The General Scott Almanac for the Year of Our Lord 1848. Being Bissextile or Leap Year; Containing 365 Days, and After the 4th of July, the Seventy-Second of American Independence. Arranged After the System of the German Calendars. Containing the Rising, Setting, and Eclipses of the Sun and Moon; the Phases, Signs, and Southings of the Moon; the Aspects of the Planets, with the Rising, Setting, and Southing of the Most Conspicuous Planets and Fixed Stars; the Times of High Water at Philadelphia; the Equation of Time and Other Miscellanies, &c. &c. Carefully Calculated for the Latitude of Pennsylvania and Ohio, but Will Serve for Maryland, Virginia, and the Adjoining States without Material Alteration.... The Calculation of this Almanac Is Made to Mean or Clock Time, except the Rising and Setting of the Sun, which Are for Solar or Apparent Time. Philadelphia: Griffith & Simon, 114 North Third Street, King & Baird, Printers, 9 George Street, [1847]. [1-5] 6-35 [1] pp., woodcut text illustrations. 4to (18.5 x 16.5 cm), original printed wrappers, later spine reinforcement. Moderate to heavy browning, strip torn away from bottom of pp. 19/20 (costing a few lines), contemporary scattered pencil notes consisting of weather observations and financial records. Very rare. None at auction in over thirty years and no copies on OCLC.
First edition. Connor & Faulk 715.
The almanac is larded with articles and illustrations concerning the war, (“The Capture of Vera Cruz,” “A Mexican Rancho,” “The Battle of Contreras,” “Texian Rangers Leaving Home”). The last is something of a hoot, because the Rangers look just like French Dragoons. ($400-$800)
A Texas Ranger Dies Heroically
7. [ALMANACS]. The Old Rough and Ready Almanac. 1849. Philadelphia: Turner & Fisher, Publishers, No. 15 North Sixth Street; New York: 74 Chatham Street, [1848]. [36] pp., 16 text illustrations. 8vo (20.5 x 13 cm.), stitched as issued. Light age toning, some bolts roughly opened, untrimmed. Contemporary over-sewing along spine and string loop at top left for hanging. Overall very fine.
First edition. Drake 8729. Not in usual Mexican-American War sources.
The war material is interspersed with the almanac information. Among the cheer-leading, enthusiastic such publications about the war, this one stands out for the quantity and quality of its illustrations. All is not sweetness and light, however. Three of the illustrated stories relate the deaths of Texas Ranger Samuel Walker, Henry Clay, and Martin Scott. All died heroic deaths, of course. On the non-heroic side, the illustration of U.S. troops capturing Santa-Anna’s carriage and his wooden leg nicely expresses the delight the soldiers must have felt at such unusual prizes. One examines the leg as if it were a prime roast in a butcher shop. ($400-$800)
“Will long be remembered”
8. [ALMANACS]. SMITH, Seth. General Taylor’s Old Rough and Ready Almanac 1847. With Engravings, Descriptive of the Battles, and Incidents of the War. Philadelphia: R. Magee, No. 45 Chesnut Street, above Second, [1846] [wrapper title]. [1-5] 6-28, [10] pp., numerous text illustrations. 4to (20 x 16 cm.), original pictorial wrappers, stitched, contemporary string hook at upper left. Spine reinforced with old yellow paper. Scattered stains, but overall very good. Rare. Only one copy on OCLC.
First edition. Not in usual Mexican-American War sources or Drake.
The almanac includes war stories of American heroism and Taylor’s sterling leadership. Most of the stories and illustrations, which are grouped at the end after the almanac, relate to the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma fought on Texas soil. One episode depicts “The Heroine of Fort Brown,” also known as The Great Western and whose real name is believed to be Sarah Borginnis, inter alia. The text presents her journey with her own wagon overland with the troops and her bravery during the siege of Fort Brown. In the foreground of the accompanying woodcut, she tends to a wounded soldier while in the background a cannon crew in perfect order prepares to fire.
The story and illustration of “Captain Walker Surprising the Mexican” is an excellent example of the mixture of fact and fiction found in such publications. Walker, a Texas Ranger, had his horse shot out from under and was subsequently attacked by a Mexican soldier. Walker killed him with “a large revolving pistol,” which was, of course, in fact a Walker Colt. The illustration, however, shows Walker firing a single-shot pistol.
($500-$1,000)
How to Kill a Yankee
As Issued Condition
9. [ALMANACS]. Undecimo calendario de Abraham Lopez; arreglado al meridiano de Mexico y antes publicado en Toluca para el ano de 1849. [Mexico City]: Imprenta del autor, calle 3a. de Santo Domingo junto al número 1, donde se hallara de venta, [1848]. [1-3] 4-72 pp., frontispiece, 2 plates. 16mo (13 x 9.5 cm), stitched as issued. Very fine.
First edition. Garrett & Goodwin, p. 196.
Pages 39-51 concern the American occupation of Mexico City. Included are passages on how Mexicans lure American soldiers to their deaths, the public flogging of Francisco Flores (illustrated with a plate) and funeral rites for American soldiers (illustrated with a plate). The author also expresses bemusement about how Santa-Anna and the Mexican army could have lost Mexico City. Contains considerable detailed information that could only have been gathered on the spot. Concludes with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and a Spanish-English vocabulary. ($200-400)
10. ALMONTE, Juan Nepumoceno. Memoria del ministerio de estado y del despacho de guerra y marina del gobierno supremo de la Republica Mexicana, leida al augusto congreso nacional el dia 9 de diciembre de 1846. Mexico City: Imprenta de Torres, en el ex-convento del Espíritu Santo, 1846. [1-5] 6-43 [1, blank], [2] pp., 17 folding tables on 16 sheets. 8vo (25.5 x 17 cm), modern red buckram with original pink lower wrapper bound in (wanting upper wrapper). Some minor wrinkling, lower wrapper chipped, 3 charts faintly waterstained, otherwise fine. With Mexican binder’s small ink stamp on rear pastedown.
First edition.
Full report on the Mexican land forces, including material on Texas. An important, interesting picture of the Mexican Army at the beginning of the Mexican-American War. Judging from the report and from the reality on the ground, the United States should have lost the war. As is obvious from this text, they were outmanned and outgunned except in naval capacity. In the section “La Guerra de Tejas y la consiguiente de los Estados-Unidos,”Almonte briefly reviews events to Monterrey and states that an army of 30,000 troops is massing in San Luis Potosí to meet the invasion. Issued only three days after Santa-Anna was elected President.
Almonte (1803-1869) was a prominent military and political figure who fought at the Alamo. He accompanied Santa-Anna to Washington after the Battle of San Jacinto. He supported Maximilian, but after the emperor’s execution, fled to Europe, where he died. ($500-$1,000)
11. AMPUDIA, Pedro de. El general en gefe del cuerpo de Ejercito del Norte, a los habitantes de los departamentos de Coahuila, Nuevo Leon y Tamaulipas.[Saltillo, 1846]. Dated Saltillo, August 28, 1846. Broadside: 32.2 x 22.2 cm. Creased where formerly folded, lightly stained at top half. Rare. Only two other located copies.
First edition. Garrett & Goodwin, p. 440.
Denounces the United States, all the while reminding the populace that the country overcame Spanish domination and can do the same, in this case under Santa-Anna’s leadership. At this point Matamoros had fallen and Monterrey would be next in just a few weeks. ($100-$200)
Administrivia
12. [ARMY ADMINISTRATION]. UNITED STATES. ARMY. GENERAL ORDERS. Group of twenty four general orders concerning the administration of the Army in Mexico. All are 12mo, disbound, and in generally good condition. All are first editions. Interesting insights into managing an army, all the way from horses to percussion caps.
[1] Headquarters of the Army, Mexico, Sept. 24, 1847. General Orders 298. [1] [3, blank] pp. Signed by H.L. Scott (trimmed). With contemporary docket on second leaf verso stating it was received the day after publication by Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (1796-1878), commander of the 6th Infantry, better known for his explorations of the far West.
Eberstadt, p. 71. Garrett & Goodwin, p. 392.