The Raab Collection Offers A Significant Gettysburg Archive
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Raab Collection, a dealer in important historical documents, announced today that it is offering for sale one of the more important archives related to Gettysburg to come to the market in a long time, correspondence previously unknown that sheds light on the conflict and some of its key participants. The archive tells in detail the story of the death of Bayard Wilkeson, a famous incident emblematic of the sacrifices of the nation’s greatest battle, seen through the eyes of his father and others, including his commander, Maj. Gen. O.O. Howard. The letters are valued at $10,000 and go on sale today. You can read the in-depth historical description here.
“This group puts you on the field with great immediacy, and also chronicles a grieving father amidst the son's death in that battle,” said Nathan Raab, Vice President of The Raab Collection and author of the blog, “Historically Speaking,” on Forbes.com.
Excerpt: From Corps Commander O. O. Howard, July 8, 1863. “If Gen. Reynolds had not engaged the enemy, the battle of Gettysburg would not have been fought. At first I felt sorry that he pushed beyond Cemetery Ridge, but now I think it was necessary to meet the enemy just as he did, and the position of my corps at his right were a natural sequence.”
About The Raab Collection: The Raab Collection has handled many of the most important historical documents to reach the market and has worked with the families of famous Americans, among them Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas Jefferson, Dwight Eisenhower, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, in the sale and preservation of their family treasures. Many of its items have been on display in major institutions. Nathan Raab, a member of the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, is also a contributor to Forbes.com and writes the blog: “Historically Speaking.” Steven Raab is the author of the definitive work on historical document authenticity, In the Presence of History.
