Item #024055
D.M. Genl's Office, Washington, May 21, 1845, 1 p. with integral address leaf, red wax seal, and WASHN CITY / MAY 22 postmark. Early U.S. Army supply letter regarding uniform and clothing standards. Stanton instructs Tompkins that issues to Ordnance men are to be made from existing stock and that contractors must match the quality ("fancy") of the current government cloth. Addressed to Tompkins at the Philadelphia clothing depot and docketed in his hand. A clean and attractive pre-Mexican War military manuscript. In 1845, the U.S. Army was undergoing significant reorganization and standardization of uniforms as tensions increased along the Texas-Mexico border, foreshadowing the Mexican-American War. During this period, Lieutenant Colonel D. D. Tompkins served in the Clothing and Equipage division of the Quartermaster's Department, responsible for approving, inspecting, and distributing regulation garments for the Army. Colonel H. (Henry) Stanton, also a senior officer in the Quartermaster's Department, was one of the key administrators overseeing procurement and quality control of military clothing. Officers in these positions frequently corresponded over dyes, cloth weights, and pattern changes as the Army transitioned to new standards among them the adoption of the distinctive sky-blue cloth used for trousers and greatcoats during the 1840s. The present letter dated May 22, 1845, and mentioning an order for clothing in a quality sky blue falls squarely within this crucial pre-war period, when quartermaster officers were rushing to secure adequate supplies for a rapidly expanding force. Letters of this type rarely survive, making this a valuable primary document illustrating day-to-day Army logistics on the eve of the Mexican-American War. Very good.
Price: $175.00