US 26, 3¢ dull red tied by blue concentric circles with matching blue CHARLOTTESVILE VA MAY 18 1861 double-circle datestamp on small mourning cover to Hon. A.N.H. Stuart, Staunton Va. Small sealed tear at top reinforced with archival tape. CSA Use of US Postage. Virginia joined the Confederacy on May 7, 1861. Ex Bruce E. Engstler and Renate W. Thayer. $250.

Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (1807-1891) was Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cousin. Although he initially opposed secession, he signed the Virginia Ordnance of Secession. He was a prominent political figure and worked towards Virginia’s reconciliation after the war.