Lot Details

"Major General Wool & Eagle", Hunckel & Son patriotic cover, depicting the Major General framed by battle scenes and flags, from the Dr. Angell correspondence to Vienna, Austria, franked with 1861 1c, 2c, and 12c, tied by black circle of wedges, the 2c tied by neatly-struck red "N. York 12 Brem. Pkt. Paid" c.d.s. (5 Nov), blue "America / Uber Bremen / Franco" three-line transit and Vienna c.d.s. arrival backstamp (8 Dec), some light edge wear at top, the 12c with a few short perfs, and the Black Jack having been lifted and replaced, not detracting from the tremendous visual appeal of this rare patriotic cover; with 2020 Philatelic Foundation certificate.  (Weiss PM-270, Walcott unlisted). John Ellis Wool (1784-1869) was a New York lawyer and bookseller. Upon the outbreak of the War of 1812, he enlisted and served with distinction, as he did later in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). In the Civil War he commanded the Department of the East, and, as commander of the Department of Virginia, secured control for the Union of Fort Monroe. The Fort remained in Union hands for the remainder of the war, and served as a major supply point for the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. Wool was promoted to Major General for his role in leading the recapture of the Gosport Shipyard at Norfolk, Virginia, retiring in 1863, after more than fifty years of service.