Gallery 18 … is offering an authentic Civil War document from 1863. This one is signed three (3) times by Confederate Army Officer James M. Garnett. The document is headed, ''The Confederate States'' and is dated at a “camp near Chesterfield (Indiana), April 13^th, 1863.” Here, Garnett records the disbursement of $500 “for Ordnance Service” by way of “cash received from Lt. Col. B. G. Baldwin” on February 13^th, 1863.

James Mercer Garnett was born 24 April 1840 in Loudoun County, Virginia. He received his M.A. from the University of Virginia in 1859. When the Civil War began, he enlisted in the Rockbridge Artillery, but transferred to become an ordnance officer in Rodes', later Grimes' Division in the 2nd Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. After his parole, Garnett was a professor at the University of Virginia from 1882 to 1896. He wrote several books. Garnett died 18 February 1916, and was buried in the Sharon Cemetery in Middleburg, Loudoun County.

Lt. Colonel B. G. Baldwin, who is mentioned, was Chief of Ordnance on the staff of General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place 3 months after this document was issued.

The document has separated along its vertical centerfold. It now presents as two (2) separate pages, each measuring about 10 3/4” x 8 3/8” (27.3 x 21.3 cm). The document also shows old folds, separation along the folds, creases, stains, and a small area of paper loss. Overall, we rate the condition as poor to fair.