CHICAMAUGA [TENN] postmark at lower center of adversity cover with NOV / 14 / 1863 3-line straightline at top right and manuscript “Due 10” from “Private P[hillip] M. Thurmond, Company I, 24th Regiment S.C.V.” to “Mrs. P.M. Thurmond, Edgefield District, Cold Spring P.O., So Ca”. The cover is fashioned from a printed “Order for Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, according to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of [America].” Large sealed tear at left side extending to the center (sealed inside with archival document tape) and left back flap missing. THIS IS THE LATEST KNOWN USE OF THIS RARE CANCELING DEVICE. Thurmond was part of Gist’s Corps, Walker’s Division, Longstreet’s Corp, the Army of Tennessee. $850

The Chickamauga cancel was long thought to be an Army of Tennessee field cancel, but recent research by noted military postal history student Stefan Jaronski has proved otherwise. There was a post office at Chickamauga Station, Tennessee during the Confederacy, established before Confederate troops moved to Chattanooga in 1863. The postmaster there used a manuscript postmarking device. When Chattanooga was evacuated in September 1863, Chattanooga postmaster Phillips moved operations to a location very close to Chickamauga Station. He set up in one or two railroad cars, and used his own postmarking device. His actions were officially sanctioned and documented in CSPOD records. The Chickamauga postmaster operated simultaneously with Phillips, but as a civilian post office. All CSPOD correspondence was with Phillips, officially setting him up as Army of Tennessee Post Office. Thus, the Chickamauga postmaster operated as a civilian office. It did handle some military mail, very much like Tudor Hall, Travellers Repose, etc. This change to non-military status does not change the fact that it is a very rare cancel with only a handful known.