Major-General George H. Thomas; The Annual Address Delivered Before the New York Historical Society...January 5, 1875 (Bound with Extract: Sketch of Gen. George H. Thomas)

New York: Atlantic Publishing Co, 1875. Quarto. A unique Civil War item on Gen. George H. Thomas. The author J. Watts DePeyster was one of the first important historians and writers on the Civil War. His work, New American Tactics appeared in the Army-Navy Journal advocating using skirmish lines instead of main lines of battle (which was a revolutionary theory in its time). He was a close friend of Daniel E. Sickles defending his role at Gettysburg. Much of his writing was in praising the generalship of George H. Thomas. Here is his address in 1875 with a steel engraving of Gen. Thomas, not in the original volume, bound in with an extract entitled Sketch of Gen. George H. Thomas which came from his Decisive Conflicts of the Late Civil War [pp. 545-576], with an engraving of DePeyster. Tipped in onto the front endpapers are two letters of DePeyster to a Major. Lambert (one of the first serious collectors of Civil War memorabilia): the first (1883) marked Personal said he is sending two engravings (and two heliographs not present here) given out by Ersten [?] of Nashville which if he ever prints another edition will include them. He further writes: "Gen. George H. Thomas was very near death and they say he talked [on certain matters] to me as he never talked to another man." Yours, signed, By the way I published, ..the two addresses before NY Hist Society & Nashville & perhaps a 4th". Also bound in is an earlier letter (1880) by him to Mr. Lambert on the latter's "beautiful tribute to thomas" requests if possible a copy for his private collection,.. signed J Watts DePeyster. Laid in his summary of the offprint to Major Lambert. Mounted to the rear endpapers is a five page memoir of General Thomas from issues April 3 and April 10, 1869 extracted from The Soldier's Friend (1864-1870). It is an apparent attempt to answer the delay of Thomas to launch the long-anticipated attack on Gen. John Bell Hood ( the delay that came close to his removal by General Grant). The item is very scarce with no complete holdings known though the Huntington's is virtually complete. A very nice unique work devoted to General George H. Thomas. Bound in 3/4 green morocco over marbled paper covered boards, some staining or fading to boards.