Manuscript note signed on behalf of Lt. Col. George B. VanBrunt of Company H, 47th New York Infantry. 11 January 1863. 2 pages, 4 7/8 x 3 7/8 in.

A countersign issued from the headquarters of the 47th New York in the name of Lieutenant Colonel George B. VanBrunt for Captain Charles A. Moore of the same regiment. The countersign phrase was “Goldsboro.”

George B. VanBrunt enlisted on 3 June 1861, entering service as a first lieutenant. On 18 January 1862, he was commissioned into Company H of the 47th New York Infantry, where he was subsequently promoted to captain, major, and then lieutenant colonel, all within the same year. He was later brevetted colonel in recognition of his service and was mustered out on 31 March 1863.

Charles A. Moore (1828–1918) enlisted at East New York on 15 August 1861 as a captain and, on that same date, was commissioned into Company G of the 47th New York Infantry. Moore remained with the 47th through much of the war, serving in a leadership capacity until he was mustered out on 10 September 1864, concluding more than three years of service.

Countersigns were passwords exchanged between sentries to verify identity and prevent unauthorized passage. They were an essential feature of camp and picket security, particularly for regiments such as the 47th New York, which often served in close proximity to enemy forces.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Ephemera, Manuscripts, Documents, Espionage, Spies, Passwords]