Description
Exceptional, 1863 dated copy of “Elements of Military Art & Science” and owned by Brigadier General Henry Steele Commager. A Toledo, Ohio native, Commager would initially muster with the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry as a private late in April, 1861. A 3 month regiment, he would be promoted to sergeant major before the regiments brief term of enlistment had expired that July. By October Commager was back in the field. This time serving as captain of Company A., 67th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Promotions to major and lieutenant colonel would come in July and August of 1862. That year they would fight at Winchester and Port Republic before being ordered to the Virginia Peninsula. In 1863 the regiment would move to South Carolina, occupy Folly Island and participate in the attack on Morris Island and assault of Fort Wagner in July. It was during the assault of Wagner that Henry would be seriously wounded when a ball would pass through both arms and penetrate into his lung. He would return home for a time to recover from the wound before returning the lead the regiment once more. In February of 1865, Henry would discharged for a promotion to colonel of the 184th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The regiment would move to Tennessee where it would perform garrison duty and guard railroads for the remainder of the war. Commager would be brevetted to brigadier general effective the 27th of February, 1865. He would be discharged for good in September, 1865. At wars end he would move to Galveston, Texas but his life there would be brief. He would pass in 1867, less than 2 years after his discharge. This is an exceptional copy of “Elements of Military Art & Science”. Almost 500 pages and this example is about as solid as you could hope for. All pages are intact with a good tight binding. Inscribed inside the front cover in Connegar’s own hand reads “H. S. Connegar Lieut. Col. 67th Reg O. V. Inf. Delaware, Ohio Hilton Head, S.C. March 2, 1864″. Quite the soldier to rise from the rank of private all the way to brigadier general in the span of just 4 years. You don’t see this book very often. Excellent example.
