2006-03
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/28/2006
PATTON, George S. (1885-1945) "Old Blood and Guts" was one of the finest tank commanders in history, rolling his forces through Tunisia, Sicily, France and Germany until halted at the Rhine. Autograph Letter Signed, "George" 2p. quarto, November 20, 1917, addressed to his mother, with very interesting content from a young Major Patton fresh from the fields of victory in World War I, and had just arrived at the French Training Center at Chamlieu to learn French military techniques and inspect the Renault built light tank. It reads in part: "...This is quite an interesting place it is in the woods and there is a well preserved Roman Temple, theatre and Baths...near some ruined houses. The soldiers use the stones from these...for the tank sheds...about 900 A.D. the pious Christians pulled down the temple to build a church near by while to day the impious soldiers finishes the work to house comfortably the last engine of war the 'Char d'Assault' [the French term for tank]. There was never a Roman town here...the soldiers while resting could cleanse the body purify the soul and refresh the mind. It was here the legions rested and practiced while going out to fight the same gunners whom we are now practicing to defend with the latest of all weapons...I wonder if I could have been here before as I drive up the Roman road the Theater seems familiar perhaps I headed a legion up that same white road and wiped the dust from eyes while thanking Jupiter for the promised bath...I passed a chateau in ruins which I possibly helped escalade in the middle ages. There is no proof nor yet any denial. We were, We are, and we will be. Perhaps?..." Near Fine. A remarkable look at Patton's spirituality and his well known belief in reincarnation. Martin Blumenson, author of 'Patton: The Man Behind the Legend, 1885-1945' (William Morrow & Co. NY, 1985), writes: '...The site of a Roman military cam and of a medieval strongpoint...about twenty miles from Chaumont, was a small town on a high plateau dominating the countryside. A later and apocryphal story told of Patton's arrival at night during a rainstorm; it alleged that in keeping with his belief in reincarnation and his conviction that he had served in Caesar's legion, he experienced a sensation of deja vu. He knew the layout of the streets and locations of the amphitheater, the forum, the temples, and where Caesar had pitched his tent...' This letter confirms that story.
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