CSA 7-R 5¢ blue pair on local paper tied RICHMOND VA. JAN 24 1863 cds on cover to Mrs. Louisa S. McCord, Columbia So.Ca. Franked "Wm. Porcher Miles, M.C."  (Member of Congress) at upper right, fresh, Very Fine. Ex R. Murphy. $300.

Confederate congressmen were permitted to send letters without the prepayment of postage. The postage was to be paid on delivery by the recipient. All letters were to be endorsed with the signature of the congressmen. This privilege was not widely used because congressmen were doubtless reluctant to have their constituents pay to receive their letters. Nonetheless, these endorsements are seen on Confederate mail, usually as a holdover from having been in the U.S. Congress in years prior.

William Porcher Miles (1822 –1899) was an ardent fire eater, states’ rights advocate and supporter of slavery. He is notable as the designer of the Confederate battle flag, the most popular variant of the Confederate flag that was adopted as the battle flag by the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E Lee. He represented South Carolina in the Confederate Congress. Prior to the war, he was elected mayor of Charleston in 1855 for a two-year term, and served in the United States House of Representatives from 1857 until South Carolina seceded in December 1860.

Louisa Susannah Cheves McCord (1810 –1879) was a plantation owner and author, best known as a political essayist who wrote on Free Trade. McCord defended slavery and took a conservative view of a woman's place in Southern society. Far more info’ on her may be found online.