Lot 1189
(Confederate) Ruffin, Edmond (1794-1865) Ardent states-rights advocate who fired the first short at Fort Sumter; he wrapped himself in the Confederate flag and committed suicide when Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Autograph Letter Signed "Ed: Ruffin" as editor of the Farmers' Register, October 10, 1934, 1p, quarto. He apologizes to a subscriber for having sent him a bill after payment had already been received and explains how the mistake occurred. Some spotting and light wrinkling, else very good. Ruffin is known for pulling a lanyard on a 64-pounder Columbiad cannon at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861 and sending the first shell into Fort Sumter, thus beginning the Civil War. Ruffin should also be remembered as an important agricultural pioneer. He dreamed of rebuilding the South, which was impoverished by soil erosion, through agricultural reform.
Estimated Value $300 - 500.
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| Realized $575 |
