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Auction: 6010 - Important Stamps & Covers of the World - Washington Philatelic Exhibition Auction
Lot: 28

Brazil 1866 (18 Jan.) entire letter from a member of the Brazilian Army Camp in Corrientes Province, Lagao Bravo to his sister at Sao Paolo, marked at upper left in Spanish as emanating from the Brazilian Army operating against Paraguay and showing boxed "franco" handstamp and four double-ring d.s., one on reverse; the contents "I do not want to go into Paraguay without sending you this letter as it may be the last time because I do not know what my fate will be.....since the 1st of February I have been on active service with a cavalry corps and that we have had a hard life until the 1st of November, though we have now had a rest. On the 26th June I had my first chance to fight the enemy. I was fortunate in destroying the enemy force, and only lost one companion with 14 wounded and not one of these died, and providentially I was unhurt though I had a ball through my hat. From that date until the happy day of the 17th of September we had to keep close to the enemy until we got to the town of Uruguaianna on the 5th of August and there we settled to a siege which was a hard period with shooting every day. We were at rest from the 18th September onwards when that coward Estigarribia yielded with 7,000 men - that was a great day. Recently my corps was one of those picked to join the Brazilian Army here. We are just waiting for the arrival of Themandaré with boats to take us over the Parana, where the enemy is waiting in a gorge". The letter rather fragile and with age marks though a very rare, being one of very few items recorded from this campaign. Photo Estimate £ 700-800

Sold for
$1,900