CSA 11, 10¢ blue (4 margins) tied light RICHMOND VA AUG 17 (1863 or 1864) circular datestamp on small mourning cover to Hon. Wm. Porcher Miles, Richmond, Va. Overpaid drop use. Shows beautifully with top back flap open. Click here to see the back of the cover. Ex Renate W. Thayer. $550.

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.