R4803

Civil War Sesquicentennial

First Battle of Bull Run - Ulysses S. Grant

Collins Cover Announcement 

Civil War Generals

Ulysses S. Grant

Starting this year, the Postal Service will issue two Civil War stamps per year for five years to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the great conflict between the North and the South. Due to the high interest in this period of our American history, and because many topical collectors specialize in military and _Civil War subjects, I have decided to do a_series of limited -edition cachet varieties featuring five Union generals and five Confederate generals. Starting now in 2011, I will do one northern general and one southern general for each of the five years of the Postal Service's Civil War program. Thus, there will ultimately be a Collins set of ten famous Civil War generals, and I highly recommend that you add them to your collection.

Starting the series will be Ulysses S. Grant. He graduated from West Point in 1843 and went on to serve in the Mexican-American War. After the Civil War began, he fought in a series of major battles earning a reputation as an aggressive general. In July of 1863 after a long campaign, he defeated five Confederate armies. In late 1863 President Lincoln promoted him to commanding general and put him in charge of all Union armies. After the fall of Richmond, Virginia in 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox and the Civil War ended. My individually hand painted portrait cachet is now ready as it starts the Collins First Day series for Civil War Generals. The North's top commander and a future president of the United States of America — Ulysses S. Grant. Collins #R4803 at $14.00.

Spring 2025 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 25 R4801 to R4804 — The Civil War — (set of four covers) — 4-12-11

These wonderful covers sold out very quickly when they were issued. The lot includes the Battle of Fort Sumpter and the First Battle of Bull Run. It also includes two major military generals, one from each side. The over-sized stamps released for this issue are detailed and dynamic, and the individual hand painting contributes to the overall appearance of this special mini-set.

A brief look at each of the covers starts with Fort Sumter, and the hand-painted cachet shows a Union cannon at a gun portal inside the fort. As the battle rages, a lot of golds, reds, yellows, and oranges bring to glowing life the inside of the brick interior. At the bottom of the cachet, I symbolically illustrate the Union's stars and stripes and the Confederacy's stars and bars.

The scene for the First Battle of Bull Run depicts the grassy north side of Henry House Hill. I show the American and Confederate flags as I did on the Fort Sumter cachet, and field artillery pieces are depicted. Behind the line of cannons is the Henry House at the top of the hill, and it has been preserved as part of the Manassas National Battlefield Park.

General Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to commanding general by President Abraham Lincoln and was put in charge of all Union armies. General Robert E. Lee, the top commander of the Confederacy, was originally asked by President Lincoln to take command of the entire Union Army, but Lee declined as he felt his loyalty bound him to his home state of Virginia. In the end, Lee surrendered to Grant and afterwards became president of Washington and Lee University.