July 1863-7 Pg Civil War--Robert E. Lee ESCAPES--LINCOLN-Fts Delaware & Harrison

TEXT��bÕ Wilmington, Delaware toWashington D.C. Seven -Page Civil War Letter July 15, 1863 Robert E. Lee A Wary Adversary! Rebels Might March Up To Lincoln ! ARREST Two Lady Sympathizers For South! Local Girls Helping Reb Prisoners At Ft. Delaware! -- -- NO RESERVE -- -- Sallie Brindley Thomas ( 1828-1885) -- is Henry C. Thomas' second- or third-cousin -- and they married on June 4, 1857 . Henry and Sallie would have three children: James, Kate Latrobe , and Richard . Sadly, Kate would die shortly after her first birthday in late September 1863 . The Civil War was raging, and Henry had to spend each week in Washington D.C. instead of with his wife and family in Wilmington. Sallie's father was James Joseph Brindley (1783-1858), the son of American canal builder James Brindley (1745-1820). The Brindley family were affluent members of the Wilmington, Delaware community , friends with George Washington, Benjamin Latrobe, E. I. du Pont , and other historical Americans. Sallie's mother was Hannah Baker Brindley , and she had two sisters: Elizabeth and Rebecca, and one brother, civil war hero Richard Brindley , who died leading his men into battle in June1862. The two sisters will remain spinsters their entire lives, both passing away shortly after the turn of the century. Sallie died in 1885 , and was buried in Washington D.C. with Henry and Katie. Henry Colesberry Thomas (1833-1909) was one of the children of Lorenzo Thomas (1804-1875) and Elizabeth Brindley Colesberry Thomas (1806-1879). The Thomas, Colesberry, and Brindley families were related through marriage, and lived in the Wilmington, Delaware area in the late 1700s and much of the 1800s. Henry's mother Elizabeth, was the niece of American canal engineer James Brindley (1745-1820) , the daughter of his sister Mary who had also emigrated to the United States from England. Henry's father, Lorenzo , was the son of Newcastle County registrar, and Revolutionary War soldier, Evan Thomas , and would serve U.S. President Abraham Lincoln as his Adjutant General during the Civil War. Fort Thomas , a military post established in Arizona Territory in 1876, was named for Thomas a year after his death. Henry often refers to various family members in his letters, including younger brothers Lorenzo "Lo," Jr. (1837-1912) , and Evan "Ev," (1843-1873) . Lo Jr., was Captain of the Maryland Heavy Artillery during the Civil War. He married Maria Gilliss Bradley (1840-1862), and apparently never remarried after her unexpected death shortly after their marriage. Ev will survive the Civil War, but tragically lose his life a few years after war's end, when he is killed in California's " Modoc War " in 1873, leaving a widow and two children in San Francisco.. Another brother -- Randolph -- will pass away in the first few months of the Civil War, dying in September, 1861. And a cousin, also named Evan Thomas, will fight for the Confederacy , dying in battle with his rebel comrades. Henry began his career as a federal employee sometime around 1851 or early 1852, working in Washington D.C. as a clerk in the War Department, a position he would hold for his entire life -- and during the Civil War -- before retiring and moving to America's west coast , settling in Spokane, Washington where he eventually died. After Henry's death, his body was shipped back to Washington D.C. so that he could be buried next to his beloved Sallie, and their infant daughter Kate. Item Description -- Please Read CAREFULLY! This is a wonderful, original 1863 lengthy seven-page handwritten letter in fountain pen ink . It is dated "July 15, 1863," and is handwritten by 35-year-old Sallie Brindley Thomas, (1828-1885) to her 30-year-old husband Henry who lived and worked in Washington D.C. in the War Department . Because of the threat of war in our nation's Capitol, and apparently some problems with Henry's sister Mary, Sallie and her two infant children -- Brin... read more