When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Historic two-page Autograph Letter Signed by Lyman Copeland Draper (1815–1891), noted American historian and long-time corresponding secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, written on the Society’s ornate letterhead and dated February 9, 1874, to fellow historian Benson J. Lossing (1813–1891).
Draper discusses the exchange of Society catalogues, noting that a shipment was sent to the renowned bibliographer Joseph Sabin for distribution, with copies included for Lossing. He also speaks warmly of historian C. W. Butterfield, praising his “patience & carefulness as an investigator” and seeing him as a suitable coadjutor for historical work.
Importantly, Draper references the gathering of accounts on Fort Sumter, remarking that the collection is “not of course complete—yet as much as…can be collected in this late day.” This candid admission reflects the active efforts of 19th-century scholars to preserve first-hand Civil War testimony while veterans and participants were still alive.
The letter closes with Draper’s regards to Lossing and his wife, and is boldly signed in full, “Yours most sincerely, Lyman C. Draper.”
---
Historical Significance:
Lyman C. Draper: Preserved thousands of early frontier and Revolutionary War manuscripts, now the core of the Draper Manuscript Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Benson J. Lossing: Celebrated historian and engraver, author of Pictorial History of the Civil War and numerous illustrated works on American history.
Joseph Sabin: Compiler of the monumental Bibliotheca Americana, cornerstone of American bibliography.
C. W. Butterfield: Wisconsin historian, known for Crawford’s Campaign Against Sandusky.
A wonderful convergence of four leading 19th-century historical figures, captured in a single letter.
---
Condition:
Two pages, 8vo, on State Historical Society of Wisconsin letterhead. Light toning at edges, mailing folds, otherwise clean and bold. Signature crisp and clear.
💡 A superb addition to any collection of Civil War historiography, bibliographic history, or early American manuscript material, linking four giants of 19th-century historical preservation.
