Confederate Soldier's Pass. Manuscript document. Signed by Confederate Secretary of War, John H. Winder. Richmond, Virginia, 29 July 1862. 1 page, 7 3/4 in x 3 7/8 in.

A pass for James J. Williamson, Confederate soldier & author, (1834-1915) and his wife and children, permitting them to pass beyond the Confederate states to visit Baltimore at will, while still being subjected to the Military control of the Confederate States. 

James J. Williamson, a Marylander, was employed at the U.S. Printing Office in Washington when the Civil War broke out. An ardent secessionist, Williamson uprooted his family to move to the South, where he was set to work in a printing position for the Confederate central government. As battles grew closer and closer to Richmond, the Williamsons decided to return to their home in Washington, despite its Union status. This excellently preserved pass was given to them on their journey, permitting them to cross Union and Confederate lines.

Reentering the city without issue, the Williamsons continued life undetected in their political alliances, with James Williamson earning a position as a lithographer at a downtown bookstore. On 31 January 1863, Union authorities caught wind of Williamson’s situation and arrested him. Upon investigation, it was revealed that Williamson had refused to contact military authorities upon his arrival in the city, an offensible action made worse by Williamson’s thrice refusal to swear an oath of loyalty to the Union. This insubordination resulted in the imprisonment of Williamson at Old Capital Prison, where he would remain until a prisoner exchange took place on 27 March 1863. Advised against another return to Washington, Williamson joined the Confederate Army, where he was assigned to the 43rd Virginia Cavalry, better known as Mosby’s Rangers. Williamson would serve until the unit disbanded in April 1865. Remaining definitely passionate to the Confederate cause, Williamson would later pen the popular “Mosby’s Rangers,” a record of his time in service for the secessionists. 

A remarkable piece of Confederate history, marking the start of a lifetime journey of defiance and opposition by one man staunchly opposed to the Union. An interesting perspective of a Northern-based Confederate. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate]  [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs][Mosby’s Rangers]