CSA 11c, 10¢ greenish blue used with manuscript strokes and ms. “Pineapple Ala. May 4” addressed to “Cadet J.E. Hawthorne, Tuscaloosa Ala.” Notes of frustration on the front and back, in part, “For a long time you seemed to think that it was not your duty to write to me…”  Scarce small Alabama town. In 2020, the population was 143. $150.

Pine Apple is a small town in Wilcox County, Alabama, located in the southern part of the state between Montgomery and Mobile. The name originates from the groves of pine and apple trees that surrounded the area when it was founded in 1825, not the tropical fruit. James E. Hawthorne was part of a prominent Pine Apple family; he served as a University of Alabama cadet. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa was a military academy during the war. Its student body formed the Alabama Cadet Corps. Unlike pre-war students, these cadets were active Confederate soldiers. They were deployed by the Governor of Alabama to guard military prisoners, drill raw conscripts, and defend the state from Union raids.