Willard’s Hotel, Washington, January 29, 1866. Hon. F. W. Seward, Assistant Secretary of State. Sir: My step-son, F. F. Cavada, appointed U. S. Consul at Trinidad de Cuba, has sent me a copy of your letter addressed to him… [opening lines of printed bi-folium letter]

In 1866, defending a Union officer and future diplomat from Civil war-era charges…

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In the wake of the Civil War, a heated dispute erupted between Col. Charles H. T. Collis and Lt. Col. Federico F. Cavada of the 114th Pennsylvania Volunteers, culminating in charges of misconduct, cowardice, and manipulation of military rank. Collis accused Cavada of abandoning his post during the Battle of Gettysburg and other failures at Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. Yet Cavada had been reinstated by the President and continued to serve until his honorable discharge.

This printed letter, written by Samuel Dutton from Willard’s Hotel in Washington on January 29, 1866, vigorously defends Cavada’s character and record, contrasting it with what he paints as Collis’s calculated efforts to escape frontline service. Dutton cites military records and letters by Major General David B. Birney, which portray Collis as seeking rear-echelon assignments and being “a gross fraud.” Dutton’s rebuttal asserts that Collis’s charges lacked credibility, were never brought to court-martial, and were dismissed by Army Headquarters.

The document underscores how postwar rivalries extended into political appointments and reputations. Collis’s elevation to Brevet Major General is noted, but Dutton cautions that such recognition should not lend automatic credibility to accusations lacking endorsement by honorable men.

Price: $125.00