SOUTHN. LETTER UNPAID.
Blue two-line handstamp with matching "Louisville Ky. Jun. 27"
double-circle datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Hautes Pyrennes,
France, "Bayou Chene La. Jun. 8" (1861) circular datestamp, "New York 3
Jul. 11" debit datestamp also cancels entire, ms. "Paid 15" crossed out by
blue grids, bold "8" decimes due, transit and receiving
backstampsVERY FINE. AN ESPECIALLY CLEAR STRIKE OF THE "SOUTHERN LETTER UNPAID" HANDSTAMP OF LOUISVILLE. ONE OF ONLY FIVE REPORTED TO FOREIGN DESTINATIONS.
Steven C. Walske's recently published analysis of mail service at the onset of the Civil War provides new information about circumstances surrounding the use of the coveted "Southern Letter Unpaid" marking. Postmaster General Blair's May 27 suspension order prohibited post offices from forwarding southbound mails to disloyal Southern states. However, northbound mail continued to be sent via Louisville. Through June 6, northbound mails were forwarded to Louisville from Memphis or Nashville. From June 7 through 12, only the Nashville post office forwarded mail to Louisville, and Louisville continued to forward mail north. With the resignation of W. D. McNish as Nashville's Federal postmaster on June 12, "Louisville held the mails still being sent north by the discontinued post office at Nashville. This held mail later became the well-known 'Southern Letter Unpaid' mail" (Walske).
United States postage stamps affixed in the South (and entires used from the South) were regarded as contraband and were refused as prepayment. On June 24, Dr. J. J. Speed, the postmaster at Louisville, was advised to forward letters from the South to the loyal states after removing postage. With approximately 5,000 such letters accumulating at Louisville by this date, Postmaster Speed employed a more practical means of invalidating postage by creating the "Southern Letter Unpaid" handstamp.
Immediately after receiving instructions from Washington to forward the held mail, the Louisville post office began marking letters. Some of these have circular datestamps (June 27, 28 and 29 being the most common dates), while others have no Louisville datestamp.
The foreign-bound "Southern Letter Unpaid" covers are as follows: 1) Louisville June 27, from St. Francisville La. to Prussia, 2) Louisville June 27, from Bayou Chene La. to France (the cover offered here) 3) Louisville June 27, from New Orleans to France, 4) no Louisville datestamp, from New Orleans to France, and 5) Louisville Jul. 11, from Petersburg Va. to England.
Ex Wunsch (Image)