#195-CIVIL WAR SALE: 3 ENVELOPES FOR SOLDIERS' LETTERS SUPPLIED BY SANITARY COMMISSION

Among the many things the Sanitary Commision provided to soldiers in the field were paper, envelopes, pen, ink, stamps and a lot more! In the Sanitary Commission and the many Sanitary Fairs held from Philadelphia to Nantucket, Chicago to Boston, volunteers raised literally millions of dollars in necessities for soldiers in the field that the government couldn't: Underwear, warm blankets, socks, toiletries, and many other items.

The fairs were staffed by volunteers who oversaw the flow of items to Sanitary Commission warehouses and on to units in the field. Those volunteers also solicited goods that could be sold to those attending the fairs. The list of donated items ranged from homemade pies to autographs to a copy of the Gettysburg Address signed by Lincoln.

This lot contains the THREE envelopes pictured for one price. They were identified as a "soldier's letter" as printed or added by hand. Many such envelopes were mailed from the hospitals where soldiers were recovering; they were also given to soldiers in the field. You see many such envelopes but only a fraction of the patriotic and plain envelopes that were used by the tens of thousands by Union soldiers.