Bingham's Soldier's Letter Express. July 8, 1862 black on buff printed bulletin announcing establishment of "an Express between Texas and the Army East of the Mississippi river for the purpose of conveying letters to and from the Soldiers, who are cut off from all communication with home BY MAIL." Express charge 50c, office at Marshall Tex., light folds, Very Fine, this express provided Trans-Mississippi service prior to the fall of Vicksburg in July 1863, no covers carried by Bingham have been documented and this bulletin is the basis of our knowledge of its existence, illustrated in Shenfield (p. 76)

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Trans-Mississippi Private Express. Folded letter from J.J. Bryan to Dr. James H. Starr at Nacogdoches datelined Prairie Saffronia (La.), July 20, 1862, important content including reference to Trans-Mississippi private express: "There has been a monthly express established between our section of country & the armies East of the Mississippi river - it will leave Shreveport on the 19th of every month and Meridien on the 20th." Also comments on unreliable rumors about the war - McClellan is dead, the Federals have abandoned Natchez and Baton Rouge, etc. - some business content re salt mining, 2pp split to permit display of letter, address leaf with "Minden La. Jul. 20" cds and "Paid 10" hs, fresh and Very Fine, Starr was the government's Trans-Mississippi mail agent in Texas at a later date

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E.W. Black Express. Ms. "by express Black" and "Paid $1.00" on cover to Hillsboro Ark., 10c Greenish Blue, Die B (12c), large margins, tied by "Washington Ark. Oct. 21" cds, ms. note on back: "I will leave Hampton Calhoun County on the 6th of Nov have your letter there by that time and I will take it to the Army." A one-man express operating between Arkansas and her soldiers in the Army of Tennessee (see Confederate Philatelist No. 241, pp. 37-38), slightly reduced with repaired pieces at bottom, bottom flap added (affecting only to words in endorsement), still Very Fine appearance and believed to be the only recorded Black Express cover, ex Telep

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Care Maj. Lynch, Brandon, Miss. Three-line ms. endorsement on cover to Bastrop Tex. from the Crocheron correspondence, pair 5c Blue, Local (7), ample margins to just touching, tied by red "Adairsville Geo." cds, with enclosure, part of a letter datelined "Harrison's Brigade, Wagon Camp, Adairsville Geo., Oct. 31st, 1863" with significant statement re Major Lynch's service: "Today I write another letter home and trust to its getting to Texas through the kindness of Maj. Lynch who has gone to Brandon Miss. ..." and a few lines on other side with good war news, "Bragg will try and retake Knoxville, cross the river and force the enemy to evacuate Chattanooga. Rosencrantz has been superceeded by Gen. Thomas. Gen. Grant commands both the army of the Cumberland and army of the Mississippi..." cover slightly reduced at left, scattered age stains, Fine, illustrated in Krieger (No. E79) and desrcibed by Jaronski (Confederate Philatelist No. 240, p. 25)

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E.H. Cushing Express. Black on white newsprint label, Dietz type II, affixed to back of brown cover originating west of the Mississippi and addressed to Averysboro N.C., label tied together with 10c Blue, Die A (11) by "Mobile Ala. Mar. 12" double-circle datestamp where Cushing's eastern office was maintained, stamp has large margins, shallow scuffs barely noticeable and creasing from placement over edge of cover, the label has a small tear at right, still Very Fine, a rare west-to-east Trans-Mississippi express usage and extraordinary with the label actually tied by a postal marking, ex Knapp, MacBride

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5c Blue, Local (7). L-shaped block of seven at left, together with strip of three at upper right, tied by "Black Hawk Miss." dateless circle townmarks on cover front only addressed to Chapel Hill Tex., the 50c preferred mail rate of April 1863, multiples have large even margins virtually all around, couple stamps lightly creased and top right faintly toned, the front is creased and torn beneath stamps at bottom left, nevertheless a spectacular franking and one of the few recorded preferred mail rate covers extant, illustrated in Krieger

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10c Blue, Die A (11). Block of four, large even margins, dark shade, tied by two strikes of "Jefferson Tex. Nov. 28" circular datestamp on white and blue on brown wallpaper cover to Fayetteville N.C., soldier's endorsement "James W. Hall of Comp. A, 13th Texas Waul's(?) Brigade, Forney's Division", no year date indicated but mailed in 1863, corner opened to show wallpaper design

THE EARLIEST WEST-TO-EAST TRANS-MISSISSIPPI EXPRESS COVER RECORDED BY KRIEGER AND AN OUTSTANDING COMBINATION OF FRANKING AND WALLPAPER ENVELOPE

This is the finest of the few Trans-Mississippi covers franked with a block of the 10c 1863. Illustrated in Shenfield (p. 86) and Krieger (p. 21), ex Emerson, Brooks and Muzzy

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10c Greenish Blue, Die A (11c). Two horizontal pairs with large margins except at top where slightly in or touching, arranged in block format, each stamp canceled by "Nov. 14, 1863" three-line datestamp, well-struck Army of Tennessee "Chicamauga" arc on yellow captured Northern patriotic cover with red and blue Standing Liberty and Flag design, addressed to Matagorda Tex. with soldier's endorsement "Mills Regt. Smith Brig. Army Tenn." and "Via Meridian Miss." route instructions for Trans-Mississippi express service, scarce "Meridian Miss." dateless circle terminus handstamp, flap removed and small mended piece at top

AN EXTRAORDINARY USAGE, COMBINING THE ELEMENTS OF TRANS-MISSISSIPPI EXPRESS SERVICE, SCARCE ARMY OF TENNESSEE FIELD POST AND MERIDIAN TEMINUS MARKINGS, AND THE USE OF A CAPTURED NORTHERN PATRIOTIC COVER

Listed and illustrated in Krieger. Ex Moody, Finney

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10c Blue, Die A (11). Large even margins, tied by "Richmond Va. Sep. 17" cds on folded printed Confederate States Quartermaster General's Department pay return receipt accomplished in hand and signed by Major Quartermaster Richard Cox, dated Sept. 16, 1864 and addressed to Quartermaster at Little Rock Ark., Trans-Mississippi express on official business, no premium rate charged, faint overall toning, sealed tear at upper left, still Fine an scarce usage

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10c Greenish Blue, Die A (11c). Horizontal pair, mostly ample to large margins, touched at left, tied by "Richmond Va. May 12" cds on cover to Hon. Henry Marshall at Shreveport La., redirected to Black Jack La., "Shreveport La. Jul. 3, 1864" double-circle datestamp and "Due 10" straightline due for forwarding, receipt docketing on back "from Mr. Semmes of La.", opening tear in flap just over top edge on face, otherwise Very Fine, scarce Trans-Mississippi usage for official mail, ex Moses

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10c Rose (5). Shows the burden of wartime conditions and age, neat ms. cancel, tied by red "Alexandria La. Aug. 12" cds on orange-buff cover to Columbus Tex., from the Bostick correspondence, with rare FORWARDED BY/ARTHUR H. EDEY, Agent, Fifth Reg't Texas Volunteers" black on white newsprint label affixed to upper left corner of the front, carried from Virginia across the Mississippi River and deposited by Edey into mails, diagonal slit in cover, scattered soiling specks and other effects of age, nevertheless an exhibitable cover and the only recorded 10c Rose usage by Edey's express, as well as one of the few extant on which the label adheres to the front, ex Parks, Lemley, with C.S.A. certificate

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10c Blue, Die B (12). Three large margins, in at left, tied by "Richmond Va. Aug. 19" cds on faulty but rare and historically important cover carried by Sgt. W.U. Bayless, successor to Arthur H. Edey after his imprisonment at Elmira, endorsement at top reads "(From Mark Sm)ither Sgt. Maj. 5th Texas" and addressed to Mrs. E.E. Wynne at Hunstville Tex., route instructions at lower left, "Care of Sgt. W.U. Bayless Agt. 5th Texas Regt., Texas Depot, Richmond Va. (Plea)se forward (by pr)ivate hand." Portions of manuscript in parentheses are torn away and filled in on restored paper, some other letters strengthened in ink; the sender, Sgt. Smither, was among General Lee's officers during the surrender at Appomattox; Sgt. Bayless, agent for the Fifth Texas Regiment, assisted Arthur H. Edey and became responsible for the express after Edey was captured and imprisoned at Elmira; mentioned in Shenfield and the subject of Morris Everett's article in the Confederate Philatelist (No. 188, p. 35), ex Lemley

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10c Greenish Blue, Die A (11c). Three large margins, touched at right, used with U.S. 3c Rose (65), both stamps have minor faults, uncanceled but properly used on prisoner-of-war cover with faint blue "R.I. Barracks/Examined/Prisoner's Letter" oval examiner's handstamp, endorsed "Per Flag of Truce" and "Care of W.U. Bayles Agt 5th Texas Depot", to the 2nd Auditor's Office at Richmond with letter enclosure datelined "Military Prison Barrack No. 7, Rock Island Ill. Dec. 19th/64", significant references to Sgt. Bayless and the shipment of provisions to Rock Island, the prison examiner has crossed out requests for provisions, adding on back "No provisions will be sent for the prisoners and these letters must not exceed two-thirds of a page of the size of this. H.K. Qm.", intended for flag of truce mails but evidently carried by private courier, the cover is somewhat toned, still Fine and exhibitable, described in the Confederate Philatelist (No. 188, pp. 35-38)

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