^Lot 3283 RARE & UNIQUE TEXAS CONFEDERATE ARCHIVE OF 1st

TEXAS HEAVY ARTILLERY.1) Fragment of 1st Texas Heavy Artillery regimental flag. 6" souvenired section form bottom red bar of 1861 presentation battleflag, nicely inked tag "remnant of flag of the First Texas (Cooks) Regt Hvy Arty CSPA [Confederate States Provisional Army] G. E. Benthuysen, 1st Sergt, Bo. B, 1st Tex Hwy Arty". 2) Rare Galveston, parole of honor, June 27, 1865 signed by Captain & Acting Provost Marshal Harry Beard, by order of General Gordon Granger who had just week earlier signed the now famous "Juneteenth" General Order # 3 freeing all slaves in Texas. 3) Houston 1895, 3-piece United Confederate Veterans reunion badge.4) Dec. 30, 1863 letter with cover & 5 cent Confederate stamp from mother to G. E. Van Benthuysen when in Marines. 5) May 30, 1864 Matagorda postmarked letter & cover with "PAID 10" to Van Benthuysen "on board J[ohn] F Carr" a Confederate "cotton clad gunboat", part of Texas Marine Department. 6) Jany 14, 1864, good content letter from mother to Garrett Van Benthuysen, ends letter "..prays every night that you may never kill and never be killed…". 7) Pair of antebellum "rifleman" epaulets. 8) Several family photos, misc. ephemera, etc. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: the cigar box this archive was found. CONDITION: fair to good overall, flag fragment is very good & sound. Letters are complete, soiled, cracked at folds. Parole is cracked at folds and mounted on cloth backer. PROVENANCE: direct descent of family of G.E. Van Benthuysen, Co. B, 1st Texas Heavy Artillery. Garrett Elder Van Benthuysen (1844-1899) entered service July 1, 1861 in Galveston, served the entire war in artillery and short stint as a marine on the captured Harriett Lane. He was paroled May 27, 1865. The 96" x 56" flag of the 1st Texas Heavy Artillery was donated in 1946 to the "Galveston Artillery Club" museum collection with several souvenired pieces missing, including the 2nd "R" in ARTILLERY where the fragment was cut out. The flag was made by Galveston sign painter Rice & Baulard, signed below the "1861" date. (02-27842-2/JS). NON-GUN. $4,000-8,000.