[Manuscript of an Unpublished Autobiographical Novel]: "Catharine of Virginia or The Blue and the Gray"

[No place]: 1907.

Price: $2,800.00

Softcover. Small quarto. 321 typed pages (mostly carbon) printed rectos only, with 12 gelatin silver photographs affixed as illustrations. Disbound with the leaves attached in the left margin with remnants of a leather spine. Small chips and tears on the first and last blank leaves, some modest pencil corrections in the text, otherwise nice, readable, and near fine.

An unpublished autobiography embellished with some fanciful fictional elements and dialogue by Captain Collins, a Union officer, presumably centering around his relationship with his wife Catharine Sager Collins (who unlike the Catharine of the title, was born in New York State). The book is largely subsumed by very detailed accounts of movements of the Army, particularly where Collins served, largely in Virginia. The romantic plot featuring Catharine, the sister of a Confederate officer, seems a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful effort to turn this memoir into fiction. The beautifully accomplished bound-in photographs show the locations of the action, commanding officers, and monuments.

Captain Collins saw action at Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, and with Sherman's army in the march through Georgia. He published *An Abbreviated Account of Certain Men of Onongada County Who Did Service... in the 149th New York Volunteer Regiment Infantry* (1929) and *Memoirs of the 149th Regt. N.Y. Vol. Inft., 3rd Brig., 2nd Div., 12th and 20th AC* (1891), but the present work seems never to have been published. The binding would suggest that he must have had at least one copy bound up. Collins took up the practice of law, and with his wife, celebrated their 79th wedding anniversary shortly before she died; he lasted another three years. Some of his papers, mostly related to legal matters, are in a New York State Historical Documents Collection. *OCLC* locates no copies. Interesting and extensive fictionalized memoir, rich in detail.


Item #416353

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Item #416353 [Manuscript of an Unpublished Autobiographical Novel]: "Catharine of Virginia or The Blue and the Gray" Captain George Knapp COLLINS.
[Manuscript of an Unpublished Autobiographical Novel]: "Catharine of Virginia or The Blue and the Gray"
[Manuscript of an Unpublished Autobiographical Novel]: "Catharine of Virginia or The Blue and the Gray"
[Manuscript of an Unpublished Autobiographical Novel]: "Catharine of Virginia or The Blue and the Gray"
[Manuscript of an Unpublished Autobiographical Novel]: "Catharine of Virginia or The Blue and the Gray"