Richard Taylor (1826-1879). General Orders No. -- Soldiers of the Army of Western Louisiana... [Louisiana]: N.p., 23 May 1864. Signed in type by Major General Richard Taylor. 

8vo. 6 1/8 x 8 3/8 in. 2 unnumbered pages. Crandall 782; Parrish & Willingham 1607.

WITH HAND-WRITTEN NOTE TO VERSO DATED 25 MAY 1864: "May 25th, 1864 / We leave tomorrow for the [illeg.] point on the Ouachita. Do not know exact [illeg.]. / Alexandria / Bi? A.G." 

A very rare General Orders issued by Major General Richard Taylor (1826-1876) praising the Confederate troops for recent victories during the Red River Campaign in dramatic language: "Long will the accursed race remember the great river of Texas and Louisiana. The characteristic hue of his turbid waters has a darker tinge from the liberal admixture of Yankee blood." He concludes with a rallying cry, urging them to march upon New Orleans: "Soldiers! this army marches towards New Orleans, and though it do not reach the goal, the hearts of her patriot women shall sound high with joy, responsive to the echoes of your guns." 

An extremely rare handbill enhanced by a note penciled the day after printing, indicating their plans to move on Alexandria, Louisiana.  

VERY RARE. OCLC locates only 3 copies: Special Collections, University of Georgia; The New York Historical Society; and the Boston Athenaeum. Only the Georgia copy, however, appears to be an exact match, with the text printed across the first two pages of a four-page bifolium. The other two copies are printed as a broadside on a single sheet. Both Parrish & Willingham and Crandall make no mention of the 2-page variant (although P&W do list the Georgia copy in their census). 

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