Page 34 - joa-feb-24-rev

by John Sexton

Q: Please advise on how best to get this photograph appraised. William The frame covers some of the presentation. The print states, “Hon.
Watts is on our family tree. E.M. Stanton Secretary of War to William Watts, Esquire, an invited
Guest at the ceremonies of restoring the national Flag by General
JS: Your photograph of the ruins inside Fort Sumter is a rare presenta- Anderson on the Ramparts of the Fort on the 14th of April 1865.”
tion albumen photograph from Civil War Secretary of War Edwin Engineer Richard Delafield (1798-1873) was a United States
Stanton and signed by General and Chief Engineer Richard Delafield. Army officer for 52 years. On April 22, 1864, he was promoted to
I was able to find several of these in institutional collections presented brigadier general in the Regular Army of the United States and Chief
to other individuals. I’m not sure how many were actually given to of Engineers.
distinguished individuals, but they have to be fairly scarce as Delafield
would not be hand-signing hundreds. Stanton published General
Order Number 50 on Abraham Lincoln’s behalf on March 27th, 1865,
which tells the story:

March 27, 1865
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 50.
WAR DEPARTMENT
Ordered, first. That at the hour of noon on the 14th day
of April, 1865, Brevet Major-General Anderson will raise
and plant upon the ruins of Fort Sumter, in Charleston
Harbor, the same United States flag which floated over the
battlements of that fort during the rebel assault, and which
was lowered and saluted by him and the small force of his
command when the works were evacuated on the 14th day
of April, 1861.
Second. That the flag, when raised, be saluted by one hun-
dred guns from Fort Sumter and by a national salute from
every fort and rebel battery that fired upon Fort Sumter.
Third. That suitable ceremonies be had upon the occasion,
under the direction of Major-General William T. Sherman,
whose military operations compelled the rebels to evacuate
Charleston, or, in his absence, under the charge of Major-
General Q. A. Gillmore, commanding the department.
Among the ceremonies will be the delivery of a public
address by the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.
Fourth. That the naval forces at Charleston and their
commander on that station be invited to participate in the
ceremonies of the occasion.
By order of the President of the United States:
EDWIN M. STANTON,

Abraham Lincoln would be assassinated the day after the flag was
raised again in Fort Sumter, exactly four years after Fort Sumter
had surrendered.
I can only find one similar image presented by Stanton and signed
by Delafield sold at Spink & Sons Auctions in 2011 for $1,800. It was
an exterior view without the invitation or mention of a ceremony. Its
condition appeared better than your image with water staining. The
presale estimate for auction today for your image would be $1,000-
$2,000 in my opinion, and might eclipse Spink’s realized price due to
its rarity. I am not sure who William Watts was, but I am sure he can
be found and may add more to the story. Over 1500 people attended
the ceremony, few had such photographic invitations.

John Sexton is an independent appraiser and expert on Civil War memorabilia. He is an accredited member of various appraiser
organizations. He can be contacted at 770-329-4984. If you have a Civil War item for him to appraise, email a photo and a
description to him at: jsextonatlcom.ne@mindspring.com.

32 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles