The City of Richmond Donates the Confederate White House

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/28/2006

Historically important pair of documents setting forth the negotiations involved in the procurement of the Confederate White House in Richmond, home to Jefferson Davis and his family from August, 1861 until April 2, 1865, just two days before the fall of Richmond. Two letters are present, both officially retained copies from the records of Confederate Comptroller Lewis Crugar. The first is 2p quarto, dated June 24, 1861, sent from the Treasury Department in Richmond to Richmond city councilmen L.W. Glazebrook, N.B. Hill and George K. Crutchfield. It reads, in part: "...Your letter of the 20th inst. has been received in which you communicate the tender by the City of Richmond of the House and Furniture on Clay Street, for the use of the President. This very liberal offer entitles your City to the grateful acknowledgement of the Committee, and would be accepted in the spirit in which it is offered...[but] Congress would be unwilling to accept any arrangement for the convenience of the President, which would tax exclusively a particular City. The House which you provide is so desirable a one, that we will be glad to accept it...if you will permit us on the part of the Confederate States to relieve the City of Richmond from any expense...We would therefore propose to you, to take the House and furniture, upon an undertaking to pay the usual rent for the same...[or] to pay during the President's occupation the interest on the purchase money given by the City for the property..." Secretarially signed at bottom by Confederate Secretary of the Treasury CHRISTOPHER G. MEMMINGER and Confederate Congressman WILLIAM C. RIVES. In the second letter, 1p. 4to., Councilmen Glazebrook, Hill and Crutchfield respond from Richmond on July 8, 1861, writing to Memminger, Rives, and Robert M. T. Hunter. In part: "...We had the honor to report your letter...to the Common Council of this City, and are instructed to reply, that pleased as the city would have been with the acceptance of the proposition [of the gift of the residence]...she cannot decline the qualifications which it is your pleasure to annex to it. It is proper therefore to state that the house and furniture cost $42,894.97 on [blank] day of June 1861..." Folds and light toning to both letters, else very good. Obviously, the City of Richmond left the computation of the interest rate to the Confederate Government. A third document is included in the lot, 1p. 12mo., "Comptrollers Office" [Richmond], Apr. 16, 1862, apparently the belated, final computation of the rent to be paid: "Rent is to be paid for the President's House at the rate of 6% on $42, 894.97, the cost of the house (see paper within) as I was informed this morning..." Signed by Comptroller's Office Chief Clerk A. J. Clark. Very good. The White House of the Confederacy was the scene of crucial meetings between Davis, his cabinet, and his top generals, and basically served as the de facto seat of government. It was also the scene of tragedy, when Davis' son fell to his death from a balcony. Ironically, Abraham Lincoln visited the mansion just days before his own death at the hands of John Wilkes Booth. Since the building was never sold or rented to the Confederate government, these documents are essentially the only evidence of Richmond's offer and the Confederacy's acceptance of the famous building at 1201 Clay Street.

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