It is the nature of parents to defend their children. This is true even if your son happens to be U.S. General (and later President) Ulysses S. Grant. Grant led Union troops at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. It was a bloody battle, the worst of the Civil War up to that time (April 1862). Union forces were pushed back on the first day, but managed to recover, eventually winning the battle at great cost. Many in the press were after Grant's head as a result of the losses, accusing him of being unprepared, even drunk. It is to these charges his father, Jesse Grant, responded in this July 11, 1862 letter to Ohio Governor David Tod. Jesse Grant attributes hostility by the press towards his son to Ulysses Grant's unwillingness to quarter their reporters at government expense. Jesse Grant also blames General Don Carlos Buell, whose troops were late arriving but assisted Grant at Shiloh, and “five thousand cowards who threw down their arms deserted the standard of their country & their comrades in the midst of danger, and sought safety under the banks of the Tennessee, & prayed for the rocks & hills to fall on them to hide them from the fury of Beauregard, & his army...” Grant was temporarily relieved of his command, but Lincoln brought him back, recognizing him as one general who was willing to fight. Item 62. $4,000.

Item 163 is a more recent item, circa 1930, though it looks back at some of America's great leaders. It is a collection of 36 original photographs from the Black Hills region of South Dakota. They were taken by Connecticut photographer Charles D'Emery. The most notable subject is Mount Rushmore, its presidential faces then under construction. The project began in 1927 and at this point Washington's face is clearly recognizable, in some photos the beginnings of Jefferson appear. $1,250.

The William Reese Company may be reached at 203-789-8081 or amorder@reeseco.com. Their website is www.williamreesecompany.com.