The Last and Only Chance as Cavalry! Letterpress broadside. Philadelphia: King & Baird, [1862]. 23 7/8 x 37 5/8 in., framed to 29 x 42 1/2 in. Penciled name to upper right. Signed in type by Lieutenant Amos Pennebaker and Captain T.A. Byrnes. 

A beautifully illustrated broadside appealing to the sense of adventure for potential recruits, many of whom strongly preferred to join mounted regiments. The center vignette shows a Union cavalryman piercing the heart of a Confederate. Surrounded in large bold letters, the broadside proclaims "THE LAST AND ONLY CHANCE AS CAVALRY!" 

This appears to be from the final recruitment drive of the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry in the summer of 1862. An article in the 2 August 1862 issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer provides more context: "A cavalry regiment is now forming in this city. It is the Thirteenth Pennsylvania, now encamped at the Fair Grounds, Baltimore. The regiment is one of the best drilled and most effective in the service. Capt. T.A. Byrnes has been assigned the duty of recruiting. As the chance is a rare one, we would call the attention of the young men of our city to the most important branch of the service...We would advise any of our readers who have any intention of enlisting to join this organization, as quite a number of gentlemen of respectability have already been enrolled, and the quota is expected to be full in a few days. The officers are Captain T.A. Byrnes, Lieutenant Pennebaker and Lieutenant Warne."

Timothy A. Byrnes served as Captain of Company I, 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry, which was recruited principally from Philadelphia. After recruitment was complete, they were engaged in the defenses of the Upper Potomac, patrolling Loudoun and Jefferson Counties in Virginia until June 1863. Constantly engaging in skirmishing, they lost over 250 men to casualties.

On June 13th, the regiment detected the Confederate advance in the Battle of Winchester. They covered the retreat of Milroy's forces, escorting them to Harpers Ferry. 

They continued in the wilds of Virginia, scouting and performing vital reconnaissance. When they were attacked with numbers on 12 October 1863 at Jeffersonton, private Michael Doughterty led a charge to dislodge Confederates from a house and defended his comrades for several hours, preventing the enemy from flanking the Union forces. He was captured and spent the rest of the war in Confederate prisons, but survived and received the Medal of Honor in 1897. 

In 1864, they were attached to the 9th Army Corps in the Army of the Potomac, with whom they fought at the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House. Afterwards, they rejoined the Cavalry Corps under Sheridan and saw heavy action through the rest of the year, including the Battles of Yellow Tavern, North Anna River, Haw's Shop, Cold Harbor, and the Trevilian Raid. 

At the start of 1865, they battled at Dabney's Mills (Hatcher's Run), where Sergeant Daniel G. Caldwell captured the colors of the 33rd North Carolina Infantry, for which he received the Medal of Honor. They moved to North Carolina and were engaged in the occupation of Goldsboro and Raleigh, witnessing the surrender of Johnston and his army to General Sherman. 

A beautiful and compelling broadside for a hard-fought and decorated regiment. 

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Broadsides, Ephemera, Printing, Posters, Handbills, Documents, Newspapers]  

Creasing with some separation to creases, chipping to edges, and crinkling throughout