Skip to main content
Rock Island Auction Company
AuctionsConsignmentBlogFAQNewsAbout Us
Create Account
Login
AuctionsConsignmentBlogFAQNews & EventsAbout Us
Login
Create Account

History Lives Here

Rock Island Auction Company
1-309-797-15001-800-238-8022[email protected]
RIAC Rock Island
7819 42nd Street West
Rock Island, Illinois 61201, USA
8:00am - 5:00pm, Mon - Fri
RIAC Bedford
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, Texas 76021, USA
8:00am - 5:00pm, Mon - Fri
Navigation
  • Auctions
  • Consignment
  • Blog
  • FAQ
  • News
  • About Us
More Info
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Job Postings & Careers
  • Contact
  • Order a Catalog
© 2025 Rock Island Auction Company. RIAC believes that this website is accessible to the widest possible audience pursuant to the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act. Click here for more information.
Healthcare Transparency in Coverage.
  • Auction Catalog #82
  • Lot #1188
Lot #1187
Lot #1189

Lot 1188: Brevet Brigadier General Commission of Godfrey Weitzel

Historic Brevet Brigadier General Commission of Godfrey Weitzel, the Man Who Accepted the Surrender of Richmond, for His Role in the Final Campaign during the Civil War Along with a Carte de Visite of Weitzel in Uniform

Auction Location: Rock Island, IL

Auction Date: May 15, 2021

Lot 1188: Brevet Brigadier General Commission of Godfrey Weitzel

Historic Brevet Brigadier General Commission of Godfrey Weitzel, the Man Who Accepted the Surrender of Richmond, for His Role in the Final Campaign during the Civil War Along with a Carte de Visite of Weitzel in Uniform

Auction Location: Rock Island, IL

Auction Date: May 15, 2021

Estimated Price: $4,000 - $6,000
Price Realized:
Login to view
Login to view

Historic Brevet Brigadier General Commission of Godfrey Weitzel, the Man Who Accepted the Surrender of Richmond, for His Role in the Final Campaign during the Civil War Along with a Carte de Visite of Weitzel in Uniform

Manufacturer: None
Model: None
Type: Other
Gauge:
Barrel:
Finish:
Grip:
Stock:
Item Views: 2382
Item Interest: Average
Catalog Page: 146
Class: Other
Description:

Godfrey Weitzel (1835-1885) of Cincinnati, Ohio, graduated second in the Class of 1855 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and gained the attention of Superintendent Robert E. Lee. His first assignment was under P.G.T. Beauregard in New Orleans. As a first lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers in 1861, he served as one of the bodyguards during President Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration. He served throughout the entire Civil War. Among his actions and command was, assistant military commander and acting mayor of New Orleans after it fell to the Union, command of a brigade in the XIX Corps starting in the Spring of 1863, chief engineer in the Army of the James during the Richmond Campaign, command of the U.S. Colored Troops in XVII Corps starting in September 1864, and command of all Union troops north of Appomattox near the end of the war. He formally accepted the surrender of the Confederate capital and setup his headquarters in Confederate President Jefferson Davis's home in Richmond. He was Lincoln's aide and bodyguard during the negotiations with the Confederates that followed. After the war's end, he and the African American soldiers under his command were sent to the Southwest to guard against the French who had invaded Mexico and mustered out of the volunteers on March 1, 1866, and then received this brevet promotion to brigadier general in the U.S. Army. He remained in the regular U.S. Army and was promoted to major later in 1866 and then lieutenant colonel in 1882. A street in Arlington National Cemetery is named after him. This commission to brevet brigadier general with rank from March 13, 1865, for "gallant and meritorious service in the campaign terminating with the surrender of the insurgent army under General Robert E. Lee" is dated July 17, 1866, and has a facsimile of President Andrew Johnson's signature on the lower right, a hand signed signature of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. On the upper left, it is noted as recorded in the Adjutant General's Office's records on the same date and signed by Assistant Adjutant General Edward D. Townsend (later the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army). The carte de visite has a profile bust portrait of Weitzel signed "Yours Truly/G. Weitzel/Brig. Genl." on the front and "FROM/WALTER & HEUCK'S/GALLERY,/Successors to PORTER,/106 Fourth St., Cincinnati." markings and "Gen Godfrey Weitzel/signed" in pencil on the back.

Rating Definition:

Very fine with mild age related wear on both items and distinct writing and image. This will make an excellent addition to a Civil War collection.



Customer Product Questions

There are currently no customer product questions on this lot

    Related Items

    Lot #269: Two U.S. Army Air Service Uniform Groups, Hand Signed Labels

    Lot #729: Fine Uniform Tunic for a World War One U.S. Military Aviator

    Lot #270: World War I U.S. Leather Flight Helmet

    Lot #100: Civil War Era Percussion Musket with C.S. Richmond Lock

    Lot #268: Two World War I U.S. Army Air Service Aviator Uniform Sets

    Lot #728: Fine Tunic for a World War I Era American Military Balloonist